Maglite Solitaire - Incandescent - Do you still use them?

[lefteye219]

I bought one over a year ago and it hasn't left my keychain since. I know we have better options but i picked one up for less than 4 bucks.. It has been helpful number of times for picking fallen coins in my car or finding keyhole when I get home. Heck it is even useful when I get up at night want a low light without disturbing others.
I may move on to veleno design quantum d2 now. but that light had served me very well.

 

[N_N_R]

So, eventually, I did end up buying both the incandescent and the LED versions When you don't know which one to buy, buy both - problem solved

 

[Fireclaw18]

Got my Solitaire around 1990. Back then LED flashlights pretty much didn't exist, exist for a few very rare lights, which used red LEDs.

Even back then, I pretty quickly concluded that the 2-lumen output was useless. In spot mode it was just light enough to see the keyhole in a door 3 feet away. The flood mode, produced an extremely dim "donut" of light with no hotspot and was completely worthless.

I loved the size and shape of the Solitaire, but usually carried around a 2xAAA minimag instead. Bigger, but way more useful.

 

[Hallis]

I see no use for an Incan solitaire other than nostalgia and "2nd type of cool" as Nutnfancy would put it. And honestly those are 100% perfectly viable reasons. You like what you like. I've got a little 2aa Pelican Mighty-Lite in my drawer here. input is fairly horrible but it was a gift from a friend and fellow CPF flashaholic so i'll never get rid of it for the same reasons.

But functionality wise the solitaire incan is garbage. I haven't used a solitaire in a very long time. probably going on 15 years now. There are just better alternatives for similar or just slightly more money.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

I see no use for an Incan solitaire other than nostalgia and "2nd type of cool" as Nutnfancy would put it. And honestly those are 100% perfectly viable reasons. You like what you like. I've got a little 2aa Pelican Mighty-Lite in my drawer here. input is fairly horrible but it was a gift from a friend and fellow CPF flashaholic so i'll never get rid of it for the same reasons.

But functionality wise the solitaire incan is garbage. I haven't used a solitaire in a very long time. probably going on 15 years now. There are just better alternatives for similar or just slightly more money.

I took a 2AAA mightylite and a $3 2AAA LED light I bought on ebay and transplanted the module from it and now have an LED mightylite that is better but still a little clunky. I quit using it long ago because when I got it there was only alkalines and it ate a pair every 2 hours or so runtime. I love the plastic type lights but they got rather expensive. They need to make a 2 stage 2AAA plastic light with a 120 lumen/ 12 lumen output version but the heat probably wouldn't work on the 120 for long enough.

 

[JedSmith]

I've got one of these 'around somewhere' that I bought years ago. Though I don't know where it is at the moment, I do recall trying that particular one out a few years ago (pre flashaholic) and not being very impressed.
My L3 Illumination L10 lights (have them in 3 and in 4 mode) offer a CRI 92 twisty light that starts out in .09lumens or 3 lumens - depending on what version you buy. The beam is far superior to the incan solitaire and you have access to higher modes going up to 120 lumens. Its a 1xAA light but still keychain size.

Despite this, I'll still likely pick up a solitaire incan if I don't find my light. Its very cheap and well made. And besides, I like incans.

 

[ragweed]

The incan solitaire is crap. It does have its uses for inspecting things without blinding you with reflection. Thats why I keep mine.

 

[Mr Floppy]

I have never bought a solitaire as I usually acquire them for free from somewhere. They are usually added on with some other product, such as in a gift set. I have noticed that they aren't being given away like they used to though. Seeing more generic LED AAA's being bundled in the gift set.

 

[LanthanumK]

"The MagLite Solitaire Single Cell AAA Incandescent Flashlights feature a Linear-Focusing adjustable beam that twists from an intense spot to a brilliant flood with a turn of the head assembly."

I wonder who wrote that description.

 

[Swedpat]

"The MagLite Solitaire Single Cell AAA Incandescent Flashlights feature a Linear-Focusing adjustable beam that twists from an intense spot to a brilliant flood with a turn of the head assembly."

I wonder who wrote that description.

Whatever who wrote it. According to the description Solitaire must be a clearly underrated light! :laughing:

 

[ven]

I bought a silver one many years back for a key chain,i can put my hand on heart and say its beyond useless..............

Its crap at best,horrible focus of a ugly spot/beam or what ever it is(just swirls all over).

I would recommend one for reading a book at night(like a moon light mode) providing the page had less than 30 words on it as the battery would go:laughing:

Now i dont like to come across too negative so + points,when the bulb goes after a couple of minutes :laughing: you have a spare in tail cap........

Its still working now,scarred,battered,jangled with keys for ages,dropped,thrown and now somewhere in a draw..........so it lasts thats for sure!!

To upgrade to led is pointless imho(unless you love the light of course) as the cost is more than a decent AAA light to start with.........

 

[mcnair55]

I just put two AA,s into a shelf queen and switched it on,what a pile of pony poo,really makes me laugh how they still sell them.

 

[vicv]

Bought three of them a couple years ago in three different colours for my kids. They play with them in the bath tub. Run them on envelops. They liked them till I let them play with my light instead. Want to try to find a 3v bi pin that will fit in there and run it on a 10440

 

[ampdude]

I just put two AA,s into a shelf queen and switched it on,what a pile of pony poo,really makes me laugh how they still sell them.

That's almost as funny as the fact you've never seen one in use until now. Your post count and age would seem to indicate that you've used or seen flashlights in use before, so you should be familiar with the output of a two AA battery incandescent flashlight.

 

[ampdude]

The incan solitaire is crap. It does have its uses for inspecting things without blinding you with reflection. Thats why I keep mine.

Yep, that's exactly why I have mine. It's a nice little high quality incognito light for certain situations.

 

[flashfan]

I had a Solitaire eons ago, when Gaglite was king of the flashlight world. Also purchased some as gifts (what was I thinking?!?). Don't remember how it performed, nor what happened to it.

When you don't want to ruin your night vision, my choice would be the Photon Freedom (covert version if glare/reflections are a concern). Actually, I prefer the Photon Rex, but that's no longer available... Yes, I realize this is an incan forum, but for utility and preserving night vision easily, it's a winner.

The Freedom and Rex run the same way. Click the light on for max bright, OR press and hold to turn the light on at its dimmest setting. If you continue to hold the button, it will gradually increase in brightness and "blink" when it reaches full brightness. Can't get any easier than that to reach your desired level of light. The light has different strobe levels, too, but I never use those.

Flashlight snobs like us probably turn our noses up at the Photon Freedom, but I think it really deserves more recognition than it gets.

 

[Conte]

I have one. I don't think I've ever used it for any practical purpose.

I actually just happened across it the other day while looking thru' my collection.
It fired right up, which surprised me as it was loaded with a NIMH AAA Cell that I put in there years ago and haven't charged since.

 

[magellan]

I have many Maglite and other incans that I've bought or collected over the years but have only had one Solitaire and that was decades ago. It served as a keychain light mainly for helping me find the keyhole of my old apartment late at night instead of fumbling around in the dark and for that it was fine. But these days my EDC is an LED type usually with at least a 300 lumen max output and a medium and low power mode when I need to preserve my night vision. The little Solitaire also worked pretty well as a short Yawara stick although fortunately I never had to use it in that capacity.

 

[ven]

Mine in the 2nd best place after the bin

 

[YBCold]

i dont, i still keep the one in my sheath with my swiss army knife but it doesnt get used. the other two i have are now stash containers