ArcMania Super MJ LED 3mm upgrade for Maglight Solitaire Flashlight: any review?

[MG_Saldivar]

I just received an Arcmania LED module for the Maglite Solitaire from Lighthound. In comparison with the E1, it holds its own. For $5 for the Solitaire at Target, plus $10 for the LED module, it's a great little light.

The first photo makes the E1 look much more floody than the upgraded Solitaire; in reality, the Solitaire is nearly as floody but its hotspot is brighter.



Fenix E1 (left) vs. Maglite Solitaire (1xAAA) upgraded with Arcmania LED from Lighthound

Chinese Aluminum single LED flashlight from Lighthound vs. Upgraded Solitaire (right)

 

[KDOG3]

Re: Mag Solitaire w/LED upgrade vs. Fenix E1

hey that looks pretty neat. I may have to try one of those...

I also thought about getting one of these..

http://www.led-replacement.com/lt-3.html

 

[nerdgineer]

Re: Mag Solitaire w/LED upgrade vs. Fenix E1

How well does the Solitaire hold it's output over time? The really stunning thing about the E1 is its' true flat regulation off 1 alkie AAA for an hour and a half.

Lots of small lights do well on fresh batteries but then drop off fast with that typical (and annoying) alkaline runtime curve.

 

[MG_Saldivar]

Re: Mag Solitaire w/LED upgrade vs. Fenix E1

You're absolutely right, Nerdgineer. I'll post in the future when I determine runtime but I'm hoping that the Solitaire will behave somewhat like my LED upgraded 2xAA Mags -- at least double runtime, with 50% brightness about halfway through.

 

[jnj1033]

Re: Mag Solitaire w/LED upgrade vs. Fenix E1

Could you also post a picture of the Solitaire with the unit in it? I'm curious how far down you can screw the head.

In your picture it looks almost as bright as the E1, but that could be partially due to the nature of the two different beams (floody E1 vs. tight MJ). How much brighter is it than a stock Soli?




By the way, it looks like it's brighter than the LT-3 on ledreplacement.com. I've got one of those, and it's about as bright as the 1st gen Dorcy 1xAAA, but has shades of blue and yellow in the beam. The LT-3 also dims noticably over the life of an alkaline battery. I've gotten steadier output with a NiMH.

 

[MG_Saldivar]

Re: Mag Solitaire w/LED upgrade vs. Fenix E1

(I apologize for the blurry resolution -- apparently my digital camera can't handle extreme close-ups...)


This is the Solitaire assembled with the LED module. Note the gap that remains between the head and the body. This is because the LED is too large to allow the reflector to descend ("screw in") as far as is possible with the standard Solitaire bulb; the light is still turned on/off by screwing the head, and the reflector allows the LED beam to be adjusted (somewhat) from bright spot to 'doughnut.'

I could probably rip out the reflector -- note below that the LED module has a reflective base - but I kind of want to play around with adjusting the beam, since none of my other LED lights allow for this.

Close-up of the LED module. I guess I could still use the Solitaire in 'candle' mode if I wished because of this design.

Another view of the LED

 

[MG_Saldivar]

Re: Mag Solitaire w/LED upgrade vs. Fenix E1

How much brighter is it than a stock Soli?

JNJ, I intelligently neglected to take a photo of the original Solitaire bulb's beam before switching out the bulb for the LED, and now I can't find the original bulb.

However, I would say the Soli with LED is at least as much of an improvement as the difference between my Mag 2xAA's original bulb and its Nite-Ize LED upgrade.

 

[_mike_]

Re: Mag Solitaire w/LED upgrade vs. Fenix E1

Very nice of you to post your findings, pictures and opinions, very useful. Even though the Solitaire's head doesn't screw down as far with the led conversion as the stock bulb, is it secure?

Also, I think there is a spare bulb in the tail cap if you can't find the original.

 

[MG_Saldivar]

Re: Mag Solitaire w/LED upgrade vs. Fenix E1

Mike,

You're right about the spare bulb - I'd completely forgotten. I'll try to take a photo of the original bulb beam in a day or so.

Yes, the head is secure despite the gap. If you imagine the head is a cylinder, the inner surface only has threads on the 1/2 nearest the reflector. In other words, most of the threads are engaged -- as you can see from my photo, the gap is smooth metal, free of threads, so the head wouldn't really be that much more 'screwed in' with the original bulb.

Or, to put it another way, i estimate the head is only 1.5 to 2.5 turns away from being flush with the body of the Solitaire.

 

[_mike_]

Re: Mag Solitaire w/LED upgrade vs. Fenix E1

Again, very good information to have. I ordered one of these led conversions (from Lambda) should ship next week, though I'm in no hurry. My two most used lights are an Arc AAA version 3.3 and CMG Ultra Infinity. This upgrade for the solitaire looks to be of good value (in my opinion). Nice and simple, will give better run time than stock and not very expensive. I mean, a little light that takes a AAA battery for about $20.00 isn't bad. Nice for non-flashaholics and not a horrible financial loss if lost, destroyed or not used.

Thanks again,

 

[MG_Saldivar]

Re: Mag Solitaire w/LED upgrade vs. Fenix E1

This upgrade for the solitaire looks to be of good value (in my opinion). Nice and simple, will give better run time than stock and not very expensive.

I agree on all counts. I now own several Fenixes and a few (surprisingly robust) Chinese-made LED pocket lights from Lighthound, and all the Fenixes and some of the Chinese lights are brighter than the upgraded Solitaire, but I'm excited by the relatively low price and, in my experience, the toughness of the Maglite.

I think my new EDC will probably end up as follows: a very bright 'pocket rocket' light (probably Fenix P1 or Nuwai Q3), a less bright but longer runtime light running on AAA, like a Fenix E1 or L0, and the upgraded Solitaire as a backup/AAA battery carrier.

 

[mykall]

Re: UPDATED (more pix) MagSolitaire w/LED upgrade v. FenixE1

Thanks for the post/pics MG. The E1 uses a Nicha led as opposed to most Fenixs which use a lux. Does anyone know what type of led is used in this soli dropin? I'm assuming that this is exactly the same drop in that Lambda has.

Thanks

MB

 

[MG_Saldivar]

Mag Solitaire: stock bulb vs Arcmania LED dropin

After all the recent discussion of Solitaires, I thought I'd buy a new Solitaire, leave the stock bulb untouched, and compare it with my other Solitaire, upgraded with an Arcmania LED.

(More info in this thread)


The stock Soli is at left, the modded one at right. I tried to adjust both to 'spot' mode. It's not clear from this photo, but the stock Soli has almost no flood when adjusted to spot, while the modded Soli has a very good amount of flood.

 

[Haz]

Re: Mag Solitaire: stock bulb vs Arcmania LED dropin

Is the Arcmania LED adjusted to 'spot' in the picture?, just wondering because there appears to be a big donut hole in the middle

 

[MG_Saldivar]

Re: Mag Solitaire: stock bulb vs Arcmania LED dropin

there appears to be a big donut hole in the middle

You're right, Haz. I just played with the modded Soli and I can make the doughnut hole shrink but it just barely disappears. However, I note with interest that the modded Soli's amount of flood seems unchanged, regardless of how big or small the spot/doughnut is -- not sure why.

(I should note gain the the Arcmania dropin has a reflective base surrounding the LED; I assume this means the Soli reflector is supposed to be removed, but I didn't do so in order to play with the focus feature for a while.)

 

[Bertrik]

Re: Mag Solitaire: stock bulb vs Arcmania LED dropin

I don't think the reflector needs to be removed, after all the module is supposed to be a drop-in, not a mod.

The spot of my modified solitaire (bulb from Lighthound) is much tighter than in your picture. When turning it on, it starts with a spot then turning farther makes it more of a flood.

 

[theamazingrando]

Re: Mag Solitaire: stock bulb vs Arcmania LED dropin

I found the beam from thta tiny solitaire reflector quite surprising with the new drop-in. It has decent throw (considering) and a very nice spill--and it actually is somewhat adjustable.

The best surprise to me was the tint. Compared to white 5mm leds I have on hand it is noticeably warm tinted. Sure, it's still a bit blue in the center, but much warmer--a very pleasant light.

 

[Phaserburn]

Re: Mag Solitaire: stock bulb vs Arcmania LED dropin

I like mine. You get good output/spill, better than bare 5mm led throw, adjustable focus, and Maglite build quality vs Dorcy etc. Seeing good amounts of non-fading white light emanating from a Mag Solitaire is kinda of a fun goof, too. And this from a 3mm emitter, NOT a 5mm!

ArcMania had a choice; go with a bare emitter for a Dorcy AAAish output, or retain the character and design of the Mag and use the reflector as it was meant to be. The drop in does a GREAT job of producing light. Remove the head of the Soli, and you'll see that the led is emitting light in almost a true 360 degree fashion, as an incan bulb would to take advantage of a real, albeit tiny, reflector. So, you get the foibles of Mag's smooth reflectors, but with a superior light engine with superior output, nice runtime and color. Headless, it makes a great led candle; one of the best.

With this drop-in, the Mag Solitaire is now a contender for keychain duty once again. I won't ditch my Lux modded Arc, mind you, but the Mag is a nice light.

Comparison with the E1 may or may not be favorable; I don't know as I don't have one. But I didn't get this drop in for shootout purposes in the single AAA class; I got it to breathe life into a good looking shell that really never had life before. I feel some of the criticism of this unit is undeserved, as it's the character of the Mag itself that is mostly questioned. This will be the same criticism of the larger 3W Magleds, too. Either you like the style and design, or you don't. I know they are not optimized by today's cutting edge CPF standards, but I still have a place in my collection for updated, modern Maglites.

My only disappointment is that the head doesn't screw all the way down as advertised. I don't remember who posted it, but I thought it would. It's 2mm away from the body and doesn't effect any functionality, but it's not what I expected. Still, amazing work, ArcMania.

 

[Illum]

Re: Mag Solitaire: stock bulb vs Arcmania LED dropin

no contest for the soltaire..

 

[voodoogreg]

Re: Mag Solitaire: stock bulb vs Arcmania LED dropin

I don't think the reflector needs to be removed, after all the module is supposed to be a drop-in, not a mod.

The spot of my modified solitaire (bulb from Lighthound) is much tighter than in your picture. When turning it on, it starts with a spot then turning farther makes it more of a flood.

Modified soli (meaning you modded it) or just stock soli with lighthound module? It's been quoted that the lighthound is the lamda drop in. VDG