# Maglite Incan Solitaire



## sharpnails (Aug 16, 2018)

Any other ican bulbs online preferably dimmer than stock, that can fit the maglite incan solitaire?


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## Bullzeyebill (Aug 16, 2018)

What is your plan? Dimmer than dim, you want? 

Bill


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## gurdygurds (Aug 16, 2018)

Take some sandpaper and rough up the plastic lens really well. It will lessen output and clean up the beam.


sharpnails said:


> Any other ican bulbs online preferably dimmer than stock, that can fit the maglite incan solitaire?


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## sharpnails (Aug 17, 2018)

Thought there were dimmer bulbs than the stock xenon like krypton bulbs or dimmer flight panel type bulbs that fit


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## spaceminions (Aug 17, 2018)

Is it really too bright for you?


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## InvisibleFrodo (Aug 17, 2018)

spaceminions said:


> Is it really too bright for you?



My EYES!! The goggles do nothing!!


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## chillinn (Aug 17, 2018)

spaceminions said:


> Is it really too bright for you?



Exactly what I was thinking.. if you were thinking like me, is it the brightness or the color temperature.

MagLite used to sell Krypton lamps with Solitaire, then eventually you could only find the Xenon. The output is remarkably different, as you would expect. Sometimes you can still find the Solitaire krypton lamps for sale, but they are getting very rare. I personally find the stock mag Solitaire Xenon lamps distracting, too blue, blinding. I bet the stock 1-cell Xenon lamps are more durable than the stock 1-cell krypton lamps, but they both spec the same lamp life.

For a while I tried Lamptronix LTX2429JT as a replacement for LM2A001 (for 2xAA MagLite), but I use the lamps in Solitaire with an Efest IMR10440, which is maybe half as bright as the stock 2xAA mag lamp in Solitaire with LiFePO4 10440, but runtime is tripled with the Efest. I don't mind the 2xAA stock Xenon lamp nor the Lamptronix lamp as much as Mag's Xenon for 1xAAA, and I really like the reduced output (8lm?) of Lamptronix on a single IMR10440 compared to the LiFePO4 on LM2A001 (Efest 10440 flash stock 2xAA LM2A001, and 1xLiFePO4 Solitaire is brighter than a 2xAA MagLite for 20 minutes)... but I keep melting lenses and reflectors. I need a glass Solitaire lens and some day hope to acquire an aluminum reflector, if not a ceramic socket replacement for the Solitaire plastic socket. Saving my Lamptronix for then.

OP, the lamp will be dimmer in Solitaire on 1xAAA with a stock LM2A001 bipin lamp for 2-cell AA MagLite, or with a stock LM3A001, for 2-cell AAA MagLite. Also, a AAA NiMH cell will produce output in Solitaire at 1.2V rather than 1.5V of alkaline cells. Combining ideas, a Krypton 2-cell lamp + NiMH cell will produce a remarkably different output than the same light with stock Xenon lamp and fresh alkaline cell, but also a dimmer Solitaire. Lamp life will increase, but you will see lamp darkening in both krypton and xenon mag lamps, probably especially so if run at half spec voltage or lower.


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## bykfixer (Aug 17, 2018)

eBay may still have some Brinkmann Legend 1aa kryptons. Streamlight keymate bulbs are pretty scarce but if you can find those they'd be good.


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## InvisibleFrodo (Aug 18, 2018)

I will agree that running these on a Ni-MH really does take the brightness down compared with a fresh alkaline.


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## spaceminions (Aug 18, 2018)

I actually have a solitaire, but mine is definitely a warm white color - so there's a different version out there, in addition to the new led ones?


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## sharpnails (Aug 18, 2018)

thanks guys, good idea i will try a aaa nimh and see how dim it gets. Looks like other incan bulb types are rare for this one. 



spaceminions said:


> I actually have a solitaire, but mine is definitely a warm white color - so there's a different version out there, in addition to the new led ones?



You probably have the xenon solitaire. There is a maglite solitaire LED 1 AAA & maglite 1 AAA solitaire Incan (xenon). I dislike the LED no focus, but better battery life. Both are the same size. 

If you like small incans, I would recommend this. I don't know if they are still producing them. Only 2 Lumens! I think at one time they put a krypton in it, who knows.

These small incans are good for a medium sized room if pitch black, although I think their life if for smaller areas like car interiors, computer cases, map reading etc. spot light works good outside in pitch black with no weather 30 meters away.


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## sharpnails (Aug 18, 2018)

spaceminions said:


> Is it really too bright for you?



Nope, just checking what's out there.


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## spaceminions (Aug 21, 2018)

sharpnails said:


> thanks guys, good idea i will try a aaa nimh and see how dim it gets. Looks like other incan bulb types are rare for this one.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Got it about 10-15 years ago; used to read by it at night, it's not amazing but the candle mode (ie remove the front fully) was neat, I suppose. And when I'm dark adapted, it's still too bright at short enough distance, but it's somewhat easier to muffle and less glaring. It's not amazing, but it's neat enough to hold onto.


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## iamlucky13 (Aug 21, 2018)

That's 2 lumens on a fresh cell, I believe.

Mine is sitting in a drawer. I'm sure I've had it for at least 15 years. I don't use it much, but I can't bring myself to get rid of it. Fortunately, it takes almost no room to store.

It will be one of those things I'll enjoy showing to the kids when they're older so they can appreciate a small piece of what life was like in the old days.


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## sharpnails (Aug 21, 2018)

Like the minimag AA but a lot smaller, I don't think it is outdated or unusable by any means. I don't mind that it is *not* LED. It is rated all weather outdoors and drop proof also being anodized aircraft aluminum it's strong. You can use the 2-3 lumen incandescence to adjust to daylight better while waking up early in the morning. Batteries are cheap for it, AAA packs of 6 at the dollar store shop or a rechargeable nimh/nicad for even dimmer light.


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## bykfixer (Aug 21, 2018)

When you only need the output of a birthday candle the incan solitaire is great. A focused birthday candle amount of light without the fire part.

If you can find them Sigmalite had a 1xAAA that was not very bright. But they were only made for about 1 year.


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## xxo (Aug 22, 2018)

I'm not sure, but the original Solitaire may have used vacuum bulbs before Mag started using krypton filled bulbs - I have some vacuum bulbs for the 2AAA Mini Mag from the late '80's right around the time the Solitaire came out. I am assuming that vacuum bulbs for the Solitaire (if they exist) might be a tad dimmer, though at 2 lumens for the current bulbs, you might not notice it. Of course finding bulbs that old likely won't be easy..... unless maybe someone still makes or at least sells equivalent vacumm bulbs?


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## sharpnails (Aug 22, 2018)

Looked at different bi-pin types off mouser but volts are too high https://www.mouser.com/Optoelectronics/Lamps-Holders/Lamps/_/N-5g6r?P=1z0ysbuZ1z0ys5r


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## ampdude (Aug 25, 2018)

This is funny to me because I've never seen a thread anywhere about a Solitaire being too bright. But I had a funny experience the other night where I used a Surefire E1e with beamshaper as my trip to the bathroom light and finding it way too bright for my dark adapted eyes. I was wondering where my Solitaire was!


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## xxo (Aug 31, 2018)

If you can't find a dimmer bulb, a bit of Scotch tape on the lens will dim it down and diffuse the beam.


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## JohnMcD348 (Sep 12, 2018)

I keep the Incandescent bulbed AAA solitaire on my keys for the very reason they aren't as bright as the newer, cooler models. I have a couple of the LED versions that I keep with some of my other things, but I like the old models for a little more usefulness for my day to day activities. I'm a nurse and find the old models better for checking pupils, where the LED would be quite blinding. I also like the old model for being able to give, just enough light, to do your job without seriously ruining your night vision.


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