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.