MAGLITE ML300l 2D LED Flashlight

The first thing you need to know about this flashlight is that it's not the same LED Maglite that's been available from the big-box department and sporting goods stores for years. Notice the "625 Lumens" light output rating. That's much more than the 168 Lumens of the first 3-D-Cell LED Maglites. This is much brighter! The other thing that you need to know is that the ML300-series of flashlights is "programmable" which means that if you unscrew the battery compartment tail-cap for a few seconds, hold down the on-off button while you screw it back in, and then wait for the flashlight's electronic brain to flash the light. Releasing the on-off button after the first flash puts the light in Function Set 1, after a sequence of 2 flashes = F.S. 2, etc. The Function Set that the flashlight is programmed for determines how it will interpret either one, two, or three clicks of the on-off switch. This allows you to select the group of lighting modes that works best for you. These modes include various combinations of: Full Power (625 Lumens), Low Power (130 Lumens), Eco Mode (58 Lumens), Strobe, and a Momentary flash. Having three brightness levels to choose from allows you to conserve battery power and pick the light that's better for your situation. For example: you really don't need or want "full power" when you're just walking to the toilets at the campground late at night. But the brightness can only be selected for when the flashlight is continuously on. The Strobe mode only uses Full Power, and seems to be meant for disorienting an attacker (or maybe inducing an epileptic seizure in them) when you shine it in their eyes at night. Similarly, the Momentary mode is done in full-power mode only, and keeps the flashlight illuminated only for so long as you hold down the on-off button. The only downside I've found is the rapid-focus feature. It works, but doesn't change the focus very much. If you want even more light, there's also a 4-Cell model available. [This review was collected as part of a promotion.]