I have carry a 2aa mini-mag for over 12 year . for the price , its a good light . BUT , with lead technology become common , this light be become outdate . on the positive side , the mag 2aa be a well build and reliable device . however , the beam quality be very poor . its not that bright to start out with , but worst yet it lose brightness very quickly and turn brown as the battery decrease . the beam be full of hole , ring , and blemish no matter how much it be focus -lrb- adjust -rrb- .  have say that , one can buy a lead conversion unit from Opalec and install it on a new mini-mag . the Opalec conversion unit provide steady brigtness for 10 hour and turn a mini-mag into a state-of-the-art compact flashlight . I have a Opalec unit on my Mini-Mag , and I no longer use the standard mag bulb -- the standard mag bulb be junk in my opinion  even with that say , there be much better compact flashlight available . the Pelican m6 led be shorter in length than a mini-mag , and yet be so much brighter with a superior beam -lrb- pure white beam that stay white as the battery be depleate -rrb- .  if price be you sole concern , the Minimag will get the job do , but at a mediocre performance level -lrb- compare to more modern design -rrb- . the Minimag be a reliable and well build light , despite its inferior optics . for the price , its good enough to give a moderate recommendation . if Maglite upgrade they design and offer led , I think that will really improve they beam quality .