Review: Maglite Solitaire LED

LED Flashlights – General Info 1 x AAA Flashlights
2

brted,
I have 2 of the new-ish 2xAAA LEDs. The flickering seems to be related to the spring holder doodad. It holds the battery spring in place and serves as contact to ground-I think that’s asking a little much (and adds contact resistance). I stretched the spring out a little; it seemed to help. I’m going to de-anodize all threads related to the tailcap and leave them in the car with lithiums.

I look forward to more of your review.

3

Okay, the review is done. I may re-do the outdoor shots a little later, but the ones I have are good enough. This is already my third try at those pictures. This could be a great light for power outages. A few AAA’s and this thing could go all night.

4

Thanks for the review. I guess it’s a little unfair to compare it to massively higher powered lights although I understand why you have.

In retail stores I suspect the Solitaire will be pitched against Led Lenser keychain and other ‘x’ branded keychain lights. All of which are more like the 10-25 lumen range.

Also aren’t some of the popular Fenix keychain lights quite low powered? 27 lumen EO5, 30 lumen EO5 R4, 13 lumen EO1.

5

That’s true. It seems like most of the main brands have a low-powered keychain light that might be a better comparison, but I never saw the point in those either. So I just compared it to what I have already.

6

Yes, it's a key chain light and even though you (or I), don't understand what that's all about, that's what it is. I don't see a use for keychain lights myself, but lots of people have them and use them daily. I guess some people need to light up a key hole to get in the house or the car. Also, Maglites are not designed to run on NiMHs and should be tested with Alkalines, as that is what they are designed for. NiMHs will leave the light dimmer than what it was intended to be. Plastic lenses don't break as easily as glass do, when the light is dropped or smacked on something, which a key chain light would probably see a lot of, but are you sure it's a plastic lens? All my solitaire lights have glass lenses, but they are incan. Even the new incans have a glass lens.

Maglites never have been and never will be powerful lights. Their purpose is to provide "enough light", but also to provide long run times, where a powerful light would not last as long. Plus, they never will be designed for Li-ion, (until the old man dies and the kid takes over, or just sells it off) and I'm glad they won't. I can't imagine how bad it would be for emergency services people to carry Li-ion, like firemen. Alkalines are so much better for that, but I digress. Maglites are timeless and for that reason they will never be out of date for some of us, even with their lack of brightness.

7

I use lithium batteries in maglites with no problems( not lithions) , and for the solitaire led at 30 lumens when its dark its more then enough to navigate not just a key hole light in my opinion

8

Thanks for the review.

I wonder why the new Solitaire has a lifetime limited warranty vs. the 10-year limited warranty for the new 2AAA Mini Maglite LED flashlight I bought.

9

Really nice review on a decent little light. For fairness though, your outdoor shots should be taken with it running alkaline cells like it was designed to use.

10

There is a rollover of NiMH vs. Alkaline. The alkaline is very slightly brighter. I don’t use alkaline for anything and if this was truly an alkaline only light, I would take another star off. If I re-do the outdoor shots, I may also throw in a lithium primary.

I couldn’t remove the lens, so it could be glass, but I said plastic because other Mags are plastic and the reflector is definitely plastic.

11

Not all Mags have plastic lenses and reflectors. The MagCharger has glass and aluminium.

That said, I truly struggle to see a real a issue with a good quality plastic reflector? Any heat from the LED is not transmitted into a reflector and the coating on the plastic and aluminium is pretty equal.

For beam shots, I’d love to see some close up ones, such as using it as a map light (something I’d use it for) with and without the head in place vs your other AAA keychain lights.

Some in door shots such as a staircase/landing would be good too as I think this is another typical use of such a light. Outdoor use for me would likely be the last thing I’d use such a light for.

Thanks for the review and pics though, enjoyed it very much. :slight_smile:

12

Yep, me. I use these… house key plus LED light in one:

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/catalog/servlet/Search?storeId=10051&langId=–1&catalogId=10053&keyword=keylights&Ns=None&Ntpr=1&Ntpc=1&selectedCatgry=SEARCH+ALL

13

Thanks for the review, Ted and nicely done. ~ $15 pricepoint at retail ain't too bad and it will probably go below $10 on sale. Not bad at all. I wonder how long before we start seeing this in the box stores? I still have yet to see a Mini Mag Pro or Pro+ in a retail outlet and it's been 7+months since they came out.

14

Thanks very much! Frontpage’d and Sticky’d.

15

Thanks, brted. I may have to get one just for the nostalgia.

16

Thanks for the review Ted!

17

Thanks for the review brted. Maglights are not as big here as they are in the US and rarely seen. I will have to keep an eye out and check this one out.

18

This light has been nearly impossible to find, even in the US. Supposedly they were re-tooling or something, but they seem to be showing up at some online stores now.

19

I have a DQG A III on my set of car keys. Why? Backup light! Just because it is nice to know to have something else when every other thing has failed on you. Same reason I carry a lighter everywhere (well, d’uh, might be because I haven’t quit smoking, yet)

I’m feeding LSD-NiMH to all my torches which would take them. The Mini M@glite Pro+ takes them well; yet, a generic solarforce XP-G dropin (the one generally recommended for 2xAA) is noticeably brighter. Can’t complain about the Pro+, though, I have just started to EDC it at work, again, for two weeks now. lithium primaries are for emergency lights put into storage, and alkalines are out of question for me.

sort of like “jack of all trades, master of none”. Hmmm, let’s take a closer look…. no, I cannot see anything wrong with that! :slight_smile:

20

Are any of these available for sale here at a local Target store, or maybe a Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Rite-Aid store here in the USA?

21

I got my 2xAA pro at Homedepot, and my 2xAAA at Target… Still looking for my Solitaire… I dont want it bad enuff to order online…