best battery for Maglite Solitaire?

[xamoel]

hello to everyone!

i'm quite new to flashlights in general, and i'm looking to upgrade my equipment.
i've got a Maglite Solitaire, until now it was running on duracell alkaline AAA batteries, i never really cared.
but i've read some tests that show that the lithium batteries perform generally much better than alkaline, so i plan to buy Energizer Ultimate Lithium AAA batteries for my tiny toy.

is there anything i should pay attention to, or will the Ultimate Lithium somehow damage my light?
i'm not into rechargables, so can you recommend any better battery for the maglite solitaire than the Energizer Ultimate Lithium?

with best regards from germany
xamoel

 

[ampdude]

Shouldn't cause any damage, just expect a little brighter light and more runtime out of the lithium.

 

[Point Source]

In all honesty, your battery budget might be better spent on one of these -->http://www.batteryjunction.com/itp-a3-eos-upgrade.html

 

[Brigadier]

I still use an incan solitaire. They are great for navigating the house at night. I use NiMh AAA rechargables.

 

[Brian321]

In all honesty, your battery budget might be better spent on one of these -->http://www.batteryjunction.com/itp-a3-eos-upgrade.html

Or one of these.

IMHO its not worth the cost of lithiums to use in a solitare. But they would benefit in one of the above lights.

 

[was.lost.but.now.found]

The emitted light is also going to be a little whiter, indicating the bulb is being run harder. So with frequent use you will notice a shorter bulb life.

Like others, I agree that there are other options you will be MUCH happier with. I have two E01s, and for $5 more the ITP A3 EOS (which I also have) is WAY brighter.

 

[ampdude]

The stock Solitaire is a nice stealthy little light. I knew people would be along shortly though to recommend some LED lights.

I returned the ITP A3 I had because the threads were so poor the head would jiggle with it screwed all the way on. It was pretty bright, poor blueish tint though.

 

[xamoel]

thank you for you answers already.

for you information, the maglite solitaire is part of a victorinox travellers kit, and i don't know which other lamp will fit this particular set.
i don't want to shorten the bulb life, so do you recommend staying with alkaline?

i'm also planning on buying a LED light, either the Surefire E2D Defender, the LX2 or a Insight HX200.
any opinions on these?

 

[TITAN1833]

I returned the ITP A3 I had because the threads were so poor the head would jiggle with it screwed all the way on. It was pretty bright, poor blueish tint though.

I think you were a bit unlucky there mine is quite the opposite
I have a solitaire too

 

[carrot]

I can't recommend you spend on expensive batteries for your Solitaire when there are many inexpensive options that will run on cheap batteries for much more satisfying output and runtime, such as the aforementioned E01.

 

[McAllan]

+1 on the E01.

It's everything that the solitaire was supposed to be. Just remember to lube the thread and keep out dirt when changing battery. My favorite lube is Super Lube grease.

Or if one for some obscure reason wants to keep with Solitaires then get an upgrade like this for example. But IMHO way too expensive when there's better alternatives like E01.
Not to mention all the cheaper alternatives to E01 like this. Probably many other places lights like these are available too at comparable prices.

 

[Brian321]

And remember the E01 is $15 shipped and a 4 pack of lithiums for your solitare are $10.

1 alkaline in an E01 with last as long if not longer than 4 lithiums in your solitare.

Brian

 

[aim54x]

I am retiring my Mag Solitaire....but that link to a LED replacement is tempting me...expensive cost and all.

As for batteries, I would agree, dont waste your money on Lithiums for a Solitaire...stick with the what your using, or get some Eneloop or Imedion rechargable AAAs.

 

[OCD]

The best use of the solitaire would be to use it as a spare battery carrier for a AAA light with better output. I have a solitaire (actually had two) that I cut the head off (to make it as short as possible) and put on a rubber cap on it to make it a spare battery carrier for my Maratac AAA.

 

[TorchBoy]

The best use of the solitaire would be to use it as a spare battery carrier for a AAA light with better output.

Sadly I think you're probably right there. A few months ago a friend loaned me a 2xAA aluminium incandescent torch to investigate modding it to LED and I eventually came to the conclusion that it just wasn't worth it in money terms alone. I found it would cost less to buy a 1xAA LED torch with much better performance and a much more effective zoom head.

But to answer the original question, AAA Eneloops work very well.

 

[xamoel]

how about the Fenix LD01? the specs sound great!

 

[Russel]

It may seem kind of funny, but I have both the E01 and the LD01 and carry the E01 around all the time while the LD01 sits on the shelf most of the time collecting dust.

Both are economical when it comes to draining batteries. I alway seem to think that for all that I have used them since their last recharge (Eneloop AAA) that they would be needing a good recharge. Only to find that when I recharge them they are 25% depleted at the most.

Most of the time the E01 has just the right amount of light for what I need. Usually looking close a something, but also good at navigating the house at night without turning on any of the lights. The LD01 is capable of much more light and has three light levels as well as strobe, and if I remember correctly, SOS. So, I would prefer the LD01 if I could only have one. But, having both the E01 gets used a lot more. On top of that and doesn't cost as much.

 

[Egsise]

hello to everyone!

i'm quite new to flashlights in general, and i'm looking to upgrade my equipment.
i've got a Maglite Solitaire.....

Try TNT, then go and buy a new flashlight, iTP A3 EOS upgraded is great.
~25€ delivered from http://www.flashaholics.co.uk/itp-light.html

 

[xamoel]

well i just bought the Fenix LD01, and omg, what an awesome light! i love it!

 

[rumack]

Glad to hear you like the LD01. Fenix makes some very nice lights. My biggest gripe against Fenix AA/AAA lights is that I wish the low setting was lower, but that's just personal choice. If you do want a lower low in a similar style light, check out the Mini AA from 4Sevens. A little bigger but not too bad.

As for your original question on batteries, I agree with others that lithium primaries are an expensive way to feed a Solitaire. I highly recommend eneloop rechargeable batteries. They are far superior to old style NiMH rechargeables. Also, some wise soul here at CPF pointed out to me that they got more enjoyment out of their lights by using rechargeables because they didn't feel like they needed to minimize use of their lights because of using up batteries. Now that I use rechargeable batteries I use and enjoy my lights much more.

BTW - :welcome: and may your bank account forgive you for joining.