# Maglite Solitaire Review



## carrot (Apr 1, 2007)

Imagine not being able to see your feet in the dark as you climb the stairs of a 100-story skyscraper. You’ve forgotten your favorite EDC light of choice, the lights are out, the emergency power has failed, and you are desperately wishing to see before you trip and fall and roll down the stairs.

Enter the Maglite Solitaire, the revolutionary keychain flashlight with a sleek look and Mag Industry’s legendary reliability. This keychain flashlight uses Krypton gas for almost unheard of output from a single AAA alkaline battery. Today, I will review this light.

*Usage*
Turn on the Solitaire with the bezel facing towards you, and you are blinded by the bright light. I’ve never seen an AAA light this powerful, besides the superior Maglite Mini 2AAA. The powerful Krypton bulb is replaceable, and behind the spring in the tailcap, you can find a replacement bulb, a sensational design advancement by Mag Industries. You don’t see a replacement bulb in the tailcap of the Arc-AAA, do you?

*Output*
The Solitaire is bright and surprisingly gratifying. Unlike the “benchmark” Arc-AAA, the beam is focusable, and you can even take off the head to put the Solitaire in “candlelight” mode. Take that, Arc Flashlight! The incandescent bulb gives better color rendition than the Arc-AAA, and has none of the strange blotchy blue that could give you a headache. Being able to focus the beam allows the Maglite Solitaire to throw a tight beam of light across a room, unlike the Arc which is too floody and fixed focus for such purposes.

*Build*
The Solitaire is manufactured out of high grade aircraft aluminum by a reputable company, whereas Arc is made by some mom & pop shop out of who knows what kind of aluminum. Arcs aren’t even shiny, so they must be some kind of poor grade aluminum. Also, the Maglite comes in a variety of colors, unlike the Arc-AAA which only comes in a boring grey. Someone shot an Arc-AAA out of a shotgun or something, and it failed on impact against a tree. I have not tried it with the Solitaire but I am sure that it would keep on working. Even then, you could replace the bulb, unlike the Arc-AAA where the LED is epoxied inside the reflector. It’s a solid little light.

Conclusion
I give the Maglite Solitare 5 out of 5 stars, where it beats the Arc-AAA in style, utility, and durability. Couple that with Maglite’s outstanding warranty, and you have a true winner. Make sure to lube the o-rings with KY or something, to ensure a watertight seal.


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## defusion (Apr 1, 2007)

carrot said:


> Someone shot an Arc-AAA out of a shotgun or something, and it failed on impact against a tree. I have not tried it with the Solitaire but I am sure that it would keep on working. Even then, you could replace the bulb


trust me, the bulb will die (miracles excluded), but your probably right that you can just put in another and use it again because of the overly simple design. I wonder about the lens tough.


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## Coop (Apr 1, 2007)

carrot said:


> I give the Maglite Solitare 5 out of 5 stars, where it beats the Arc-AAA in style, utility, and durability. Couple that with Maglite’s outstanding warranty, and you have a true winner. Make sure to lube the o-rings with KY or something, to ensure a watertight seal.




April fools!


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## gunga (Apr 1, 2007)

:laughing: Got me till I realized what day it was!


:lolsign:


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## LG&M (Apr 1, 2007)

Nice review Carrot. Are you going to start a group buy?


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## DM51 (Apr 1, 2007)

Wow, Carrot, that sounds like a sensational light. I'll have to get one. I've already got an idea of how to make it even brighter. If you take out the AAA battery and put in a whole bunch of deaf-aid cells in series to fill up the space, you might get about 10 in there which would give you ~15 volts. Then you could put a 625 or some other big-*** bulb on it and see it REALLY scorch things up. Run-time might not be great, but it would be terrific while it lasted.


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## frosty (Apr 1, 2007)

Oh no! I threw mine away. If I had realised what a jem it was I would have kept hold of it.


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## atm (Apr 1, 2007)

:lolsign:

Can you post an update tomorrow Carrot?


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## kurni (Apr 1, 2007)

Just realised what day it is.


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## carrot (Apr 1, 2007)

I must say, I have been playing with my Maglite Solitaire all day and I'm still impressed! It appears as if it is almost regulated, even! Imagine that!


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## Vickers (Apr 1, 2007)

I'll give you *ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS* for that Solitaire!


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## carrot (Apr 1, 2007)




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## pokkuhlag (Apr 1, 2007)

Solitaire can stand on tail unlike the arc aaa, but my solitaire can hang up side down. It has a rare magnet on it's tail making it far more versatile than my arc aaa. With it's spring battery support, the solitair is also much cleaner than the arc aaa's foam.


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## Alteran (Apr 1, 2007)

carrot said:


> I must say, I have been playing with my Maglite Solitaire all day and I'm still impressed! It appears as if it is almost regulated, even! Imagine that!


 
No, it's not regulated, it uses a new revolutionary technology by Mag Instruments! It's so dim, that you can't notice it getting dimmer because your brain thinks it isn't possible!


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## Coop (Apr 1, 2007)

Alteran said:


> No, it's not regulated, it uses a new revolutionary technology by Mag Instruments! It's so dim, that you can't notice it getting dimmer because your brain thinks it isn't possible!


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## LEDninja (Apr 1, 2007)

The Krypton gas must have leaked out on mine. I have to feel my way up the stairs.


carrot said:


> This keychain flashlight uses Krypton gas for almost unheard of output from a single AAA alkaline battery.


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## bridgman (Apr 1, 2007)

You have to light the Krypton gas with a match to get the "unheard of output" -- you think you're going to get any useful light just by turning on the switch ??


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## Sigman (Apr 1, 2007)

Whoooaaaaaaa...had me thinkn' what the heck you added to your water! :thumbsup:


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## Illum (Apr 1, 2007)

still shocked.... oo:

if this wasnt april fools you know what that'll bring to your reputation


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## reltor (Apr 1, 2007)

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






and uhh. doesn't even get warm after 4 hours of runtime, yeah thats it.


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## Ken_McE (Apr 1, 2007)

reltor said:


> 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!


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## MikeSalt (Apr 1, 2007)

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_


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## defusion (Apr 1, 2007)

MikeSalt said:


> 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
> ...


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_


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## MikeSalt (Apr 1, 2007)

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


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## Bror Jace (Apr 1, 2007)

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.


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## iNDiGLo (Apr 1, 2007)

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:


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## AnimalHousePA (Apr 1, 2007)

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


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## LightInDarkness (Apr 1, 2007)

iNDiGLo said:


> 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.
> 
> ...


 
Son, You've been had.


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## rscanady (Apr 1, 2007)

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

Ryan


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## cutlerylover (Apr 1, 2007)

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...


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## Casual Flashlight User (Apr 1, 2007)

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


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## LightInDarkness (Apr 1, 2007)

rscanady said:


> 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.


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## cutlerylover (Apr 1, 2007)

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...


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## LightInDarkness (Apr 1, 2007)

cutlerylover said:


> 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.


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## JetskiMark (Apr 1, 2007)

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


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## LightInDarkness (Apr 1, 2007)

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.


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## Illum (Apr 1, 2007)

Casual Flashlight User said:


> 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.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



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:


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## iNDiGLo (Apr 1, 2007)

I love April Fools.


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## rscanady (Apr 2, 2007)

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


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## Rob187 (Apr 2, 2007)

Nice review!


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## schiesz (Apr 2, 2007)

The funniest thing about this thread, I think, is that the solitaire is an AMAZING light after being treated to the LED upgrade module that was finally released a few months ago. I really do have 5 of those things sitting around here. I don't use them, but my daughters (4 and 5 years old) love them, in their favorite colors of pink and yellow. Two each of those colors, and a copper one I bought a while back for the kicks, round out my solitaire cache. Theirs have matching lanyards and go with them whenever we are going camping or to watch fireworks or whatever at night and they might need them. Amazing little lights, I think, even when its not april fools day.

schiesz


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## LEDpencil (Apr 2, 2007)

I also am the owner of the mag solitaire. After reading this thread I lit the gas with a match as mentioned eriler. I tripped over this powerful beam and fell down the stairs.


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## IsaacHayes (Apr 2, 2007)

Hmm. What to do with my mint black Solitare? I dare not turn it on as it would make my other lights pale in comparision!


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## Patriot (Apr 2, 2007)

LEDninja said:


> The Krypton gas must have leaked out on mine. I have to feel my way up the stairs.


 
ROFL!!! yeah, I think the same thing has happened to mine.


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## bridgman (Apr 2, 2007)

If anyone has not yet read the Google April Fools offering it's worth heading over there before they take it down. It's neither as inspired nor as subtle as the Solitaire review but they sure put a lot of work into it.

Google offers free broadband internet...


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## Oddjob (Apr 2, 2007)

:lolsign: I thought it was a joke right from the beginning expecting a punchline at the very end. When there wasn't one I had to think for a few seconds and then I realized what yesterday was. Thanks for the laugh!


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## TORCH_BOY (Apr 2, 2007)

My Solitaire was stolen, I was more than happy to replace it with the Fenix E0


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## SuperNinja (Apr 2, 2007)

LightInDarkness said:


> Mag didn't send me any coupons in appreciation for my assessment.


Unfortunately, coupons can't turn trash into treasure.


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## LightInDarkness (Apr 2, 2007)

SuperNinja said:


> Unfortunately, coupons can't turn trash into treasure.


 
That is for sure......Mag's arrogance was unbelievable.


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## LightInDarkness (Apr 2, 2007)

rscanady said:


> 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


 
I know you didn't. It was my misunderstanding of things. All is well....


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## carrot (Apr 2, 2007)

Thanks everybody for participating in this thread and making it a successful prank! I enjoyed reading all (most) of the comments!


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## LiteTheWay (Apr 2, 2007)

I think carrot produced some red faces! (pun intended)


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## Alteran (Apr 2, 2007)

SuperNinja said:


> Unfortunately, coupons can't turn trash into treasure.


 
No, but they can turn trash into cheaper trash!


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## sims2k (Apr 3, 2007)

Love the Solitaire after upgrading to the ArcMania Super MJ LED 3mm upgrade for Maglight Solitaire Flashlight SMJLED from Lighthound.com...


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## Vickers (Apr 3, 2007)

carrot said:


>



Aw man, I didn't check this thread until just now...unfortunately, I went by Target today and saw that they were only $124.00. 

Thinking that you might want to keep yours, and "a bird in the hand" and all that, I bought several of them on the spot...imagine my surprise when they rang up for $1.24 each!!!!!

They must have been mismarked, but I'm not saying anything.


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## Derek Dean (Apr 3, 2007)

Well..... I know it was a joke... but I had a Solitaire on my keychain for many years .... and most of the time it worked!

It was just replaced by a Miller Mod ARC AAA Cree.  Talk about stepping out of the past and into the future. :rock:


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## LG&M (Apr 3, 2007)

Does this mean their won't be a group buy?


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## LiteTheWay (Apr 3, 2007)

Only of masks to cover red faces


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## carrot (Apr 1, 2008)

BTT


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## Crenshaw (Apr 1, 2008)

I was wondering _why_ on earth...then i read it properly..:lolsign:

Crenshaw


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## kramer5150 (Apr 1, 2008)

The only solitaire I want in my pocket...


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## carrot (Apr 1, 2008)

kramer5150 your picture does not show up...


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## Illum (Apr 1, 2008)

what picture?


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## kramer5150 (Apr 1, 2008)

LOL... a young Jane Seymour as "Miss Solitaire". James Bond girl from Live & Let Die.

http://www.jamesbondwiki.com/page/Solitaire+Pics+&+Clips


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## GarageBoy (Apr 1, 2008)

Okay, burn him.. I don't care that its April Fools..


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## Dantor (Apr 2, 2008)

"Medication Time...Medication Time..."


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