Black 2C Mag-Lite

This is a black 2C Mag.

Weak, right?

Wrong.

That's a stock 2-cell Mag on the left, and the pictured 2C Mag on the right.

Here's the secret:

That's a cut-down spring, three CR123As in a split section of heater hose (that's 5/8" standard heater hose, readily available at Autozone), and a Mag-Num Star 5-cell xenon bulb. This turns a tiny Mag into a 3xCR213A xenon light, comparable with some tactical lights. You don't have to replace the reflector or window.

This setup draws 0.9A at 8.7V, consuming 7.83W.

The beamshot in the pic above has the 2C Mag at its tightest focus, from when I first put this light together. When I first screwed the bulb collar onto the Mag-Num Star, I didn't tighten it enough, resulting in a bulb that protruded too far into the reflector to focus properly. The bulb actually can be pressed further into its socket, compressing a spring. I managed to tighten the bulb collar all the way by pushing down at the same time, compressing the spring and allowing the bulb collar to turn more easily without any tension on the threads. The bulb (or filament) must be slightly off-center, though, because while the focus is much better, the hotspot is distinctly oblong.

This mod is cheap and easy, and non-flashaholics are usually pretty surprised by it.