Magnalight Spotlight

Magnalight 5 Million Candlepower Handheld Spotlight


_{MSRP: $98.15
Larson Electronics Magnalight}


This is by far one of the best spotlights that we've used. The first thing we noticed when we took it out of the box is how incredibly light weight and ergonomically comfortable it was. Coming in at just over 13 ounces it's extremely handy and you can use it for very long periods without tiring out your arm. After marveling at the weight for a minute we plugged it in and turned it on and we were very pleased with the nice, tight, bright beam. We also want to note that the plug fits in the cigarette lighter or accessory power adapter very securely and won't fall out with the slightest little tug like a bunch of the spotlights out there.

To adjust from a tight beam to a flood beam you simply lift the locking tab slightly and rotate the lamp head and with it's 5 million candlepower, even when set at a wide flood it's still got the power to brightly light up whatever you're looking at. The light we tested came with the optional red lens head. Unlike other spotlights, instead of changing out the lens or adding an additional lens on top of the clear one, the entire head screws off and the head with the red lens screws on in its place. It's a little more pricey to do it this way but it's much more secure and it prevents the light from spilling out to the sides like what happens with some of the clip on lens covers. It also causes it to maintain a very clear beam which is nice when trying to follow things in a red light.




The light comes standard with a 16' coiled cord but we opted for the optional 16' straight cord. The cord attaches to the light via a quick disconnect connector just below the handle so the change out takes just a matter of seconds. 21' cords with either ring terminals or alligator clips are also available if you wish to run the light off of batteries. Another nice feature is that the light is easily convertible from 12V to 24V by simply changing out the lamp. If you need to mount the light on a tripod, a 3/8-16 brass fixture is molded into the handle and Magnalight also makes a screw in magnetic base that can be used to hold the light in place as well.




We found the light to be well manufactured and well thought out. While more expensive than many other spotlights out there, the many features and ease of handling easily outweigh the initial cost if you frequently use a spotlight for long periods or need an easily modified spotlight to fit your specific needs. Magnalight backs their products with a 3 year warranty but I doubt we'll need to use it. The bottom line is, other than the cost which isn't totally out of the ballpark, we've got zero complaints about this light and we'll be upgrading all of our lights to Magnalight.

Pros:
- Extremely lightweight and easy to handle, great ergonomics
- Very bright with virtually no spillover of light to the sides
- Several different cord options
- Able to run from cigarette lighter/accessory power or batteries
- Made from very rugged materials and well constructed
- Easily convertible from 12V to 24V

Cons:
- Base cost of light
- Cost of accessories