Maglight Solitaire - Why not an LED?

[bnemmie]

I got mine on Friday. I was going to do a quick write up on it, but I don't think mine could compare to brted's.

 

[Photon]

Received mine today. Not the brightest light out there but all in all not a bad light. It has made its way to one of my keychains for the time being.

Ditto.

Thank you CPF for the heads-up on the availability of the LED Solitaire.

Got it from Brightguy. Excellent service. As usual.

 

[twl]

I would be most interested to see outdoor shots of the throw with the light focused down to a tight beam, vs the light focused wide for a floodier beam.

That would be the primary attraction to this light for me. I have a Fenix E05 which is 27 Lumens, and that seems fine to me for a little AAA pocket light. But it cannot re-focus to have a tight beam. It's floody all the time, and I like that just fine. But I would also like to have the ability to make it throw a bit further too, if I could do that with the Mag.

I will probably pick up one of these when they hit the shelves in the local stores like Lowe's.
I like to buy American made lights, and this might be a good one to try out.

The issue about other AAA lights being brighter doesn't concern me. I don't buy a single AAA light to be bright. I buy it for run time with a low/moderate output that fits my needs.

 

[CarpentryHero]

I'll be waiting till another company sells this lol.
Brightguy shipping to Canada ;
USPS Express Mail International $47.35
USPS Priority Mail International $48.25
UPS Worldwide Expedited $62.42
UPS Express Saver $65.xx

Ack lol

 

[ragweed]

That is steep shipping! I will wait until Wally World stocks them. I can't see it being much better than an E01 or E05 myself.

 

[CarpentryHero]

Im with ya there ragweed, I want one but I'm in no rush

 

[Robin24k]

Got an update from Maglite...they're still re-tooling the assembly equipment, which could take another month or two. Until that is done, they will only be producing small batches by hand, most of which will be going overseas. I may finally have a sample coming my way...

 

[The Shadow]

Got an update from Maglite...they're still re-tooling the assembly equipment, which could take another month or two. Until that is done, they will only be producing small batches by hand, most of which will be going overseas. I may finally have a sample coming my way...

Does that mean they're changing or improving them already? I wonder what the difference will be between those already released and the re-tooled lights?

 

[Robin24k]

It's going to be the same light, just mass produced in larger quantities.

 

[silver_bacon]

That's some mighty expensive shipping. I ordered enough stuff to bump my order over $50 so I wouldn't have to pay shipping, but I think that offer is US only. My Solitaire LED serial number is SL 00010025. It is the lowest serial I have ever had on a Maglite.

 

[tam17]

If I decided to wait till it's available at my local MI distributor, it might be in early 2014 and estimated street price could be well over 25EUR (US$34), based on local pricing of other new MI products.

Worth it? IDK :shakehead

Cheers

 

[El Camino]

I got mine today. It looks almost identical to the incandescent version. The reflector is different, obviously redesigned for the led. The led is very bright. I'd say 37 lumens is about right. It is focus-able, but only a slight turn gives you a spot, which is easy to do with one hand. Other than that, it's pretty much like the classic Solitaire, except it's actually usable!

 

[JCD]

I've had three fail on me. Including a 3D model that literally fell apart in my hands as I was checking the batteries. The only use it ever saw in 3 years was riding underneath the front seat of my car. Don't believe the hype.

When I worked on an airport ramp, we went through lots of 2D Maglites. Between the occasional drops and occasionally being run over by Tugs, a three month lifespan was typical. They were always replaced under warranty, though.