Arc-AAA vs the Mag Solitaire: efficiency

[PhilAlex]

I can top that story.

A pal of mine used to use a Mag Solitaire to discharge his NiCd AAA batteries. Once in a while to do a deep discharge and then recharge them

He was going broke buying bulbs for his Solitaire, since the long run time was burning them out.

I told him about the Arc AAA.

Solved his problem, right? Wrong!

It runs so long on an almost dead battery he's said to hell with it and now just recharges 'em whenever.

 

[Eugene]

I still have yet to break or burn out a buld. I have had one in my pocket so long that it wore completely to bare aluminum and it wasn't untill it went though the wash and leaked enough that the bulb pins rusted that I finally had to replace the bulb due to poor contact.

 

[Dave Wright]

The Solitaire's long bulb life is actually a minus. Long incandescent bulb life = running cool = putting out very little light per watt. The Solitaire bulb lasts because it's doing such a bad job. I think most, or everyone, here will agree that the Solitaire is a marginal design. It was worth buying on account of its small size until the Arc came out. Time for the Solitaire to go the way of the vacuum tube radio.

 

[Empath]

When I see things like "I think most, or everyone, here will agree", flags go up. I start wondering what motivational factors are involved in wanting an inanimate object to disappear. I like the Solitaire. I also like the Arc AAA. They aren't competitors. They aren't even the same tool. They're each unique and useful devices.

 

[RevDavid]

Good point Empath.

On the other hand, I also agree with Dave. The Solitaire has been eclipsed by newer technology, and I, too now find it to be a marginal design.

I think the best feature of the solitaire is its awesome marketing. It gets into the hands of (perhaps?) millions of customers who seem to like it. If they tried the lights side by side, I suspect they would buy the Arc. Chances are, most of them will never have the opportunity.

Be glad we are all members of CPF, and can choose from the best if we wish.

David <><

 

[paulr]

The Solitaire is actually kind of a technical marvel. Take one apart sometime and look at how many pieces and machining operations went into it, compared with an Arc AAA. And yet they manage to sell it for a third of what an Arc costs. There are some serious economies of scale and automated production going into that thing. It would be great if Arc could expand its customer base enough to apply similar methods to its AAA.

 

[Dave Wright]

Oops - I didn't mean my comment to have a negative tone or be personally critical. Eugene, please accept my apology. I just meant to point out that the Solitaire bulb lasts a long time because it is being underdriven.

This is the same as buying a 130 volt bulb at Lowes and using it in your 120 volt house. It will last much longer, yes, but puts out less light and burns more yellow. The difference isn't 120/130 (92%) either. It's more like 75% of the 120's output. The 130 volt bulb's longer life is dramatic; the difference isn't 130/120 (108%). It's more like 250% - 300%. That's the silver lining.