Maglite Solitaire Review

[Ken_McE]

I post some beamshots from my solitaire. Slightly modded it puts out around 300 lumens.

300 lumens? That's nothing. I'm working on my solitaire/HID combo, working name, Roar of the Pipsqueak. I had to install a bigger head, and the bulb contacts keep arcing between those two little pins, (I want it to be a reversible mod) but I'm working on that. In testing I've got it to run for almost a second at a time before the stock innards melt down!

 

[MikeSalt]

Here are my beamshots of a Solitaire compared to a 5mm generic LED flashlight. The camera does not have auto-exposure, so it is pretty much like-for-like.

Generic 5mm LED flashlight
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w11/MikeSalt/DSCS0005.jpg

Solitaire (Spot focus)
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w11/MikeSalt/DSCS0010.jpg

Solitaire (Flood focus)
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w11/MikeSalt/DSCS0009.jpg
Yes, that is a beamshot, not just a blank image. Adjust screen contrast, brightness etc. and you can JUST make out the ring beam with hole.

Oversized images removed

 

[defusion]

Here are my beamshots of a Solitaire compared to a 5mm generic LED flashlight. The camera does not have auto-exposure, so it is pretty much like-for-like.

Generic 5mm LED flashlight
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w11/MikeSalt/DSCS0005.jpg

Solitaire (Spot focus)
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w11/MikeSalt/DSCS0010.jpg

Solitaire (Flood focus)
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w11/MikeSalt/DSCS0009.jpg
Yes, that is a beamshot, not just a blank image. Adjust screen contrast, brightness etc. and you can JUST make out the ring beam with hole.

i can see stars in that last picture (well, alright, in all of them), you sure your not pointing that solitaire up in the air?
(jk, it's probably dead pixels in the camera)

Oversized images removed

 

[MikeSalt]

I can see the beam in the last picture, using a Toshiba laptop screen.

 

[Bror Jace]

Owning one of these exotic wonders, I figured the review was a joke but I didn't connect the April Fools dots until I read down a few posts.

I can't wait to find someone who wants mine.

I must admit, though, that I took mine out of the container I three it in and tried to figure out what size button cell I could stuff in there just to get a lil' output.

 

[iNDiGLo]

Carrot,

Thank you for this review. I just got back from Target and purchased no less than 5 of the Maglite Solitaires. I was hoping they would be on sale but they were not. Its ok, i was so excited after reading your review i just had to buy 5.

I feel like a true flashaholic with my little collection. Thanks for the review. Keep em coming.

iNDiGLo :goodjob:

 

[AnimalHousePA]

may the fleas from a thousand camels, nestle in your crotch!

 

[LightInDarkness]

Carrot,

Thank you for this review. I just got back from Target and purchased no less than 5 of the Maglite Solitaires. I was hoping they would be on sale but they were not. Its ok, i was so excited after reading your review i just had to buy 5.

I feel like a true flashaholic with my little collection. Thanks for the review. Keep em coming.

iNDiGLo :goodjob:

Son, You've been had.

 

[rscanady]

somehow I think you are the one who has been had.

Ryan

 

[cutlerylover]

LOL...great thread carrot, bravo...Whats even more funny is I had no idea it was april fools day until I read this thread...lol...

 

[Casual Flashlight User]

Thanks Carrot...I think I'll have to sell off all my Arc-AAA's to fund some purchases of these new fangled "solitaire" lights.

CFU

 

[LightInDarkness]

somehow I think you are the one who has been had.

Ryan

If you were referring to me, I would appreciate you're explaining why you think that.

 

[cutlerylover]

I think what Ryan means is that iNDiGLo was being sarcastic in his post...meaning that you think he actually meant was he was saying instead of joking...Am I right iNDiGLo? With 677 posts I would think you know its just a joke...

 

[LightInDarkness]

I think what Ryan means is that iNDiGLo was being sarcastic in his post...meaning that you think he actually meant was he was saying instead of joking...Am I right iNDiGLo? With 677 posts I would think you know its just a joke...

That could be correct. I didn't consider he was joshing when he said he bought 5. I appreciate your perspective on this. Thanks.....

I think I'll wait until April 2nd before I assign to much credibility to anything said.

 

[JetskiMark]

Funny stuff. When I first read the title, I thought that this was a really old thread that had been revived. Then when I saw that the first post was from today, I thought for a second that maybe Mag had updated the Solitaire with a Cree. Then I got to the second paragraph and I saw Krypton and I knew it was an April Fools Day joke. Good one, pretty humorous.

Regards,
Mark

 

[LightInDarkness]

I WAS the one who had been had. I just reread the entire thread and realized it was a joke from the beginning. I took it seriously. Sometime ago, when I had heard ARC was in litigation with Mag Instrument over 'similarity' issues I wrote Mag as a consumer and let them know how I felt about the Solitaire. I had owned several of them and when the ARC came along -actually the Infinity Ultra first-I no longer had any use for the Solitaires. Still don't and I have three of them. To me there was NO comparison between the Solitaire and the ARC lights other than they were created to be flashlights.
Mag replied to my letter and said it was not taken well by them. I would think not nor did I care that it wasn't. The only credit I could give the Solitaire was that it was a reasonably good container. But what it contained was long overdue for improvement. Mag didn't send me any coupons in appreciation for my assessment.

 

[Illum]

Thanks Carrot...I think I'll have to sell off all my Arc-AAA's to fund some purchases of these new fangled "solitaire" lights.

CFU

I'll trade my solitaires for your arc

its still feburary on my watch...so I never got the joke after reading two cpf april fool threads...

I thought carrot had flew over the ****oos nest at first oo:

 

[iNDiGLo]

I love April Fools.

 

[rscanady]

Light,

No hard feelings, I did not mean any insult and Cutlery perfectly explained what was meant by my statement, funny stuff none the less though, gotta love April Fools.

Ryan

 

[Rob187]

Nice review!