Since discovering the Makita Blue flashlights I've been hooked! Though I had a stick battery drill for years, I wasn't aware that Makita had developed a whole line of tools that used the same stick battery. By the time I learned that there was a flashlight that could use the stick battery I'd donated my drill and charger to someone who had their tools stolen.
I wasn't too sad - the quality of the 9.6 volt sticks were dropping, and just about every maker had gone to higher and higher voltages. I still liked the thinness of the Makita drill handle, but, had gone back to corded drills.
Then the flashlight. Loved the pivoting head of the ML903 - I could stand it up and direct the light where needed while keeping both hands free (changing a flat at night, working inside a doark furnace closet, etc). So I thought about modifying the thing to use standard 9 volt transistors batteries.
Found one at a pawn shop for $5 in mid-2015. Figured if my mod didn't work I wouldn't loose much. Took some effort, but the thing works great! So well, in fact, that I started looking for another candidate.
Forum member notlob said he had one that he wasn't using, and I could have it for shipping. He sent it, and I sent him some funds and a Bell System screwdriver set I had laying around gathering dust. It arrived last week, and I finished the modding work today.
Its a model ML900. Non-pivoting head, but the reflector is about 20% larger and has a carrying strap. Here it is alongside my other pivot model.
I wasn't too sad - the quality of the 9.6 volt sticks were dropping, and just about every maker had gone to higher and higher voltages. I still liked the thinness of the Makita drill handle, but, had gone back to corded drills.
Then the flashlight. Loved the pivoting head of the ML903 - I could stand it up and direct the light where needed while keeping both hands free (changing a flat at night, working inside a doark furnace closet, etc). So I thought about modifying the thing to use standard 9 volt transistors batteries.
Found one at a pawn shop for $5 in mid-2015. Figured if my mod didn't work I wouldn't loose much. Took some effort, but the thing works great! So well, in fact, that I started looking for another candidate.
Forum member notlob said he had one that he wasn't using, and I could have it for shipping. He sent it, and I sent him some funds and a Bell System screwdriver set I had laying around gathering dust. It arrived last week, and I finished the modding work today.
Its a model ML900. Non-pivoting head, but the reflector is about 20% larger and has a carrying strap. Here it is alongside my other pivot model.
Attachments
Last edited:
