Maglight solitaitre v LED flashlights

I'm sure this is one of the most stupid questions asked in this forum but why should I consider buying a LED flashlight when I have got a maglight Solitaire? Should I combine these 2? Forget about one of them? What has one got the other hasn't? As you might have noticed I know very little about LED flashlights.<br>thanx<br>reinhardt

If you go to this web site and do a search for modifications, the solitaitre can be converted to an LED light. Pete<br><br>http://www.candlepowerforums.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi

LED are tough little bulbs (100,000+ lamp life) and they "sip" battery power rather than the "gulping" that incandescent lamps often do. <br><br>Those conversion kits for MagLites are interesting. <br><br>Pete is right. CandlePowerForums is a great place to go for ANY info on flashlights/torches.

I carry a mini mag in my camera case kit for when a bright light is needed and a night vision saving red LED similar to the Photon. I also carry a blue LED photon style light on my keyring with a Victorinox SAK.

In my experience many LED lights last much longer, are brighter, handier, and more durable than the Solitaire. <br><br>I'd look seriously at the Inova micro light. If you need AAA power, there is the ARC AAA, but it's more expensive. The CMG Infinity is similar but uses an AA battery and is thus larger, and the newer ones have a brighter LED. For travel and imposed scarcity scenarios, AA power is a must. <br><br>Once you look at larger lights, LED's advantages stand out less, but still matter in many circumstances. <br><br>Generally, LEDs last much longer than bulbs, both in the life of the element and in battery power. They also maintain their maximum brightness longer. However, overall brightness and range still go to bulbs, esp. high pressure blubs such as in Surefire lights. <br><br>Hope this helps.

I carried a Solitaire on my keyring for several years, but this light is now retired in favor of a Photon 2. LEDs rule. My most used light now is a Petzl Tikka. For heavier use (caving vs. just walking around at night) I use a a Petzl Duo with a LED in place of the original low beam bulb. My battery costs for lighting are now insignificant and I no longer need worry about spare bulbs.

I have both a mag solitaire and a photon2. I use them both depending on what I am doing. It is good to have both types. I have had the solitaire for almost 9 years and it has never failed me. I have only had the photon2 for 9 months. Only time will tell. I would say have both. They are inexpensive and you have the best of both worlds.

I also have both the Photon II and Solitare. I consider the Photon to be a revolutionary design making the older technology Solitare obsolete. The principle benefits of the Solitare are exceeded by the Photon. The photon is smaller, lighter, burns far longer on a set of batteries, provides more even illumination, works at more extreme temperatures and has a more reliable bulb. Absolute brightness might just barely go the the Solitare with a fresh battery, but the light is not nearly as even and dims quickly.

Everytime I've dropped my maglight the bulb broke. I've dropped my LED Photon dozens of times and it has not failed yet.<br><br>Bruce

I would once again encourage individuals with a Solitaire to check out converting it to an LED. It appears to be one of the easiest incandescent to LED conversion possible. One advantage to using the Solitaire over Photons or Photons look-a-likes is the ease of obtaining and replacing the batteries. I have both lights and like the construction and on/off design of the solitaire. Also if you have a Mini-Mag light, the 3 LED Opalec replacement (http://www.brightguy.com/prod_results.tpl other companies also have the LED conversion module). It works really well and is real easy to do. I bought 2 recently and bought 2 new (my older ones were not compatible for conversion) Mini-Mags at a Target store that put on clearance the silver version for around $6.00, so for less than $30.00, I have a 3 LED light, that is great. Pete

Pete,<br><br>I was considering buying one of the Tektite LED flashlights, but the conversion of the Mini-Maglite seems like a great alternative. A couple of questions though. Does the light seem brighter since replacing the bulb with LEDs? Also, sometimes you need the correct circuitry for the flashlight to take advantage of LED's low battery consumption, is the battery life extended in your opinion? Thanks.<br><br>John McIntire

There is no need to change any of the circuitry, the drop in <br>"LED pill" is the remarkable easy to use. They give complete instructions, it took me about 5 min. to complete. In a nutshell, here are instructions from the CandlePowerForum:<br><br>1) Unscrew the head assembly, set flashlight aside.<br>2) Pick up head assembly, unscrew the bezel from the head assembly and remove the reflector.<br>3) Laying the bezel top face down with the bezel still inside, drop the o-ring in, then the optics. Screw the base to the bezel carefully keeping the optics centered in the o-ring as it is screwed back together. Set head assembly aside, this part is now done.<br>4) Remove the Lamp and set aside. Carefully pry off the plastic top cap that the lamp plugged into that sometimes says, "Do not remove".<br>5) Remove tail cap and drop out the batteries and plastic insert.<br>6) Drop in module LED first into the battery tube. Drop in the two batteries and screw in tail cap. The module should be blinding you now. This is candle mode.<br>7) Screw back on head all the way down to turn off the flashlight. Backing off the head will turn the flashlight back on. Always turn it at least another 1/4 turn to ensure the module is firmly pressed inside the battery tube.<br>8) Enjoy the light.<br><br>The module will make max. use of batteries and will go to a "moon" mode when the low. A small red LED on the module will come on when the batteries should be changed. This light is great to use those AA batteries that are too low for other lights. Pete

Pete,<br><br>I had a little trouble finding the darn thing. For others interested, here is the exact link I eventually found.<br><br>Tom

The Opalec New Beam looks like a good upgrade for MiniMags. Now if they could just put a tailcap switch on the thing.<br><br>Sorry... it's tough to NOT compare flashlights to SureFire standards. Now that I have an E2eHA, my Photons and soon an Inova X5T, there's no need to bother with the rest. A purchase of the NewBeam will be for friends with Mini's.

If I remember correctly, someone does make a tailcap for a min-mag that has a flashing LED. Pete

I too like the Inova X-5, but my favorite is an ARC LSs, many battery options and well made. Pete

nt

In general, LED lights have a couple of nice advantages. <br><br>- low power usage<br>- fairly white (not yellow) light<br>- even beam quality<br>- rugged! hard to damage by impact (no filiment to break)<br>- last more or less forever <br><br>Disadvanatges<br><br>- mostly a flood beam meaning they have no "throw"<br>- when you want BRIGHT, they can't compete with<br> incandecent or HID lights<br><br>If you are comparing the Solitare with LED lights, you want to look at the Arc AAA light:<br><br>http://store.yahoo.com/flashlight/arcaaa.html<br><br>This light is supior to the Solitare in all was, except price. Much sturdier, same size and operation, brighter, better beam, better waterproofness,. Best of all, it is a "regulated" light which means it keeps (about) the same brightness over time so as your battery runs down you still get good light.<br><br>As people have suggested, www.candlepowerforums.com is a great place for info on this kind of stuff.<br><br>Also as people have suggested, the CMG Ultra is also a great light, about the same brightness (design approach, etc) but running from a AA battery so much longer runtime. Since you can get lithium AA batteries which have a 10 yearlife it also can make a great emergency kit light.<br><br>Also as people have suggested, the Newbeam is a great upgrade for AA Minimags you might have lying around. It's main advantage is that it is also regulated, putting out a nice, white, even "flood" beam for about 10 hours. Due to it's design, it can get the most out of marginal batteries. <br><br>While you are upgrading your Minimag, you can add a tailcap switch for easier operation:<br><br>http://www.brightguy.com/detail.tpl?cart=1030259180161143&sku=KROAM2A666<br><br>In addition to Candle Power Forums, check out the ledmuseum.home.attt.net for great reviews.<br><br>Here are a couple:<br><br><br>Arc AAA:<br>http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/arclight.htm<br><br>CMG Infinity Ultra (still in progress):<br>http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/infultra.htm<br><br>Newbeam:<br>http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/newbeam.htm<br><br>Some cool stuff available these days.<br><br>-john

Thanks for the recommendations on the Newbeam. Just received one with a tailcap switch from Brightguy.com. I agree with Grim, it rules.

Could I ask for a clarification, here? We ARE talking about a<br>Maglite Solitaire? Not a Maglite Mini-Mag? I found many references <br>to modifying a Mini-Mag but none for modifying a<br>solitaire.

Greg,<br>The conversations tend to drift a little around here so this thread has had information on both the solitare and the AA mini mag.<br><br>If you are looking to modify a solitare try over at candlepower,<br><br>http://www.candlepowerforums.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=14;t=000247#000012<br><br>Hope this helps.

Try this site:<br><br>http://thelightsite.cruxial.com/mods/solitaire.htm<br><br>Pete