There wasn't a lot of keychain options for flashlights when the original release of the Maglite Solitaire came out. It was good for it's time. It would get you out of a total dark situation in a pinch.
I picked up the same exact mini maglite led pro solitaire pack that you got on for $20. I am very happy with it the solitaire is good to take out the trash and to walk to my car. And the mini maglite led pro is very bright and Maglite is The best flashlight brand.
Just recently picked up one of the newer Solitaires 47 lumen model. Definitely a big improvement over the older incandescent. The older solitaire is weak but as a keychain light it was perfect for seeing locks.
I've always had a maglite solitaire on my key ring for as long as I've been driving (about 14 years). I l went through a couple of the old incandescent ones and at the time I thought they were OK (LED one wasn't out so there's nothing to compare to). Couple years ago I bought the LED version and WOW! it's soooo much better. Also not having to replace the bulbs is nice. I had to replace the bulbs in the old style a few times.
+Neal Leavitt Hey there, thanks for watching and commenting! You are so right, it really isn't even fair to compare the original incandescent Solitaire to the new LED Solitaire.
I do to. I like the bright dot they have in the middle which is great for pointing at stuff without the need to zoom in the lens. Also, brighter is not always great in some situations.
In the words of Pippin Took: I'm getting one! Years back I kept a Solitaire on my keychain. Two lumens seems about right. Main use was shining it on the keyhole of the house door or car door at night while you fidgeted with the key. At 40 lumens (current gen, 47 lumens) this become a real compact beast for EDC, given the price point of about ten bucks (Amazon). One of these is going in my man bag for sure.
I used to be a hotel Desk Clerk /Bellman a long time ago when TWA was still in business and I would have to drive a van out to the airport to pick up the flight crews . We had some pretty regular crews I got to know pretty well and I would do stuff like stop off at a store so they could buy beer for their layover . Anyway one day when they were all paying their tips one of em gave me a few bucks and a maglite solitare with a bad bulb and said ," Don't say I never gave you anything . " I bought a new bulb for it and I still have it .
Thanks for the review. So many options in the mini torch market. In the end i think they all pretty much do the same - but we all want to think we are buying the 'better' one. If it is anything like pocket knives i will probably have 10 of them before long
Thanks for watching. Yes, most of these little lights a quite similar. at least with this little Maglite Solitaire, we're getting the light for about a third of the price you'd pay for some of the other quality single AAA lights on the market. But I agree with you, that this light is among many other lights (knives and other EDC items) in my collection. Thanks again for watching, and commenting.
Would have been good if they offered a upgrade package for the older model also. I like the solitaire, have both older a new model. It come in handy from time to time but the newer version out shines it but a mile.
The new led solitaire is $4$ is the best keychain light out there. Maybe not quite as bright as some of the pricier single AAA lights from other companies, but no power leaking, excellent battery life with no over heating. Solid throw, and brightness to be useable.
I myself bought an origional AAA mini maglite way back in 1996 or 1998 and still have it today, the newer led maglite mini still can't compete with say an olight i3 or similar... love my maglite's but some things you can't compare outputs or ergonomics.
I have purchased 4 of the maglite solitaire pros. Loved the light output. That being said, all 4 lights became inoperable within a couple of days. The on/off twist mechanism has failed on all 4. I have tried everything to make them operable but nothing works. My research indicates this as a common problem
Hmmm, maybe it's the LED circuit. LEDs can overheat which affects the circuit. But the LED itself isn't dead. MAGLITE usually make really durable torches, but maybe the older models which use Incandescents.
My solitaire got ran over by a Mac truck… twice… Left it in my truck in the summer with a battery and that actually almost killed it but it still works. Works great in total darkness
Hello does maglite sell led bulbs for this? I have the 4 d cell maglite and I recently purchased led bulbs for it and its a HUGE difference, was wondering if they also make them for these little maglites
Thank you for viewing and thank you for your comment/question. I would check the Maglite website for any parts; but that said, where the Maglite Solitaire LED is so inexpensive, I would just buy the new one.
XSatampraZeirosX Ah, well I completely understand sentimental value. I am not sure if this would work, but maybe you could buy a new Solitaire LED and try switching the Inner workings to the body of your old Solitaire. If you try this, please let me know how you make out.
XSatampraZeirosX you can put a normal led right in the old spot of your old solitaire, look up on RUclips solitaire mod it's very easy, hope this helps
Sure, the Maglite " LED " Solitaire is a nice little flashlight, but I'd still like to find another incandescent version. Reason: We had a medical emergency ( seizure ) at mine & my wife's home tonight with a house guest and when I reached for my incandescent Solitaire so we could check the individuals pupil dilations my Solitaires bulb was shot ( the flashlight was 29 years old with the original bulb, so I can't gripe ).
+ReneeNme Hi ReneeNme! Thank you for watching and commenting. At first, I was a little confused by your comment as to why you wanted to deal with the incandescent version of the Solitaire, but as I thought about it, I suspect that you feel that the LED version of the Solitaire is too bright to shine into someone's eyes to check pupil reaction. I agree, I think it is too bright to shine directly into a person's eyes. Yet, I still feel the reliability of LED a better option. I would either use the Solitaire LED indirectly (shine the light on my hand near the person's eyes), or suggest getting a different light where you have multiple modes, and lower mode that is below 5 lumens. Just some suggestions, but nonetheless, thank you again for watching and commenting. By the way, I hope your guest is okay following the seizure.
She's doing fine now. Regarding my old Solitaire ... Good news. Checked out eBay and there's a myriad of sellers offering official Mag-Lite replacement xenon bulbs for the older Solitaire's for as little as $4.75 for a set of 2. I suspect that's the problem with my flashlight as everything else is intact. Side Note: I didn't know Mag-Lite offered an LED Solitaire until I found my old one inoperable so I rushed right out to my local Wally World and purchased one. It's a neat little unit :)
ReneeNme That is great, I am glad she is well. I am glad you are pleased with your new LED Solitaire. It definitely is an impressive little light. you won't be disappointed.
@Speedy McGee LEDs can fail too. Though not the LED itself but the circuitry. Incandescents are very simple. Electricity goes up through one wire, through the filament, back down the other wire, LIGHT! LEDs as simple as they look actually have a more complex circuit which can fail due to overheating from the LED.
I did find your video quite interesting, but there's something not quite right about your old Solitaire flashlight. Back around 1993, a buddy and I got a job working in the maintenance shop of a commercial truck leasing outfit and the shop didn't have any drop lights. What my friend discovered was that the Maglite Solitaire of that time was perfect for working under these large trucks. He could hold the flashlight in his mouth easily, while he worked on the truck and it put out a pretty strong and wide light beam. I've since acquired one (mine's a little less than 25 years old now) and it sits on the headboard of my bed, should I need it if the power goes out. The strength of the light of both mine and my friend's (both flashlights made some time in the 1990's), looks like the same beam you show with the Solitaire LED light. A very powerful light and that I can use to easily navigate around the house when the power's out. Either you've got a bad battery in your old light, or there's something else wrong with it (so good thing you got the new one!), because the beam should be much brighter than what you showed us. ...however... The LED is a jump forward in flashlight technology. The single biggest problem with the Solitaire was the low capacity of the small battery it uses. The Halogen light, which is what makes a Maglite so powerful, eats that little AAA battery up like its an afternoon snack. That was my buddy's biggest complaint about his, He was always having to change out the battery in it. With mine, the problem is, if you shut the light off too hard, it will reconnect and put out a very dim little light that will also drain the battery in no time. In fact, it looks like the beam shown in your video. I'm sure mine is just a quirk of my particular light, but with the LED, battery life should be much longer, since LED's use such little power. Either way, thanks for posting this video. That was interesting to see how much light technology has changed over the years (btw, if you think your old Solitaire is bad, you should compare it to one of the old pen lights from the 60's or 70's that used 2 AA batteries! EEE-Gads!)
Thank you Dean for watching and commenting on my video. I am sorry this response back to you is so late (life happens); nonetheless, after I read your comment I started wondering about my old Solitaire and whether it was defective from the start. Believe it or not, however, Maglite still offers the Solitaire in its original incandescent version (why is a mystery), but on their website they even list the lumens for that incandescent version at 2 lumens. So my old one that I showed in the video was about right. I am wondering if the lights you and your buddy had were somewhat modified to produce more light but at the cost of battery life as you had mentioned. Once again, thank you for watching my video and commenting. I enjoyed reading your comment. Also, I appreciate your suggestion to do a comparison to one of the old penlights from the 1970s. That is a great idea that I want to do... I still have an old Eveready light that would be fun to show.
@@woodchuck70 You're welcome. The light I have and the one my friend used on those trucks are both stock Maglite Solitaires. Halogen lightbulbs are known battery eaters. I'm actually wondering if I couldn't replace my halogen with a new LED (might just be easier to buy a whole new light. They're not that expensive). The EverReady light you have....is that the chrome one with the ribbed sides? I think we still might have one around here somewhere. I grew up with those. I remember playing with the little button on the light switch when I was a kid. I thought it was cool that I could make the light flash like that. More fun than a cardboard box! =)
they beat all the trustfire type replicas which are always let down by the switch ,you know the cheap but very bright one's on the online shopping bay,ahem,but don't last like the mag.
I own the little Fenix which is a better light but the Solitaire i own has the right length for the hand and i can turn it on and off with one hand...i prefer the Solitaire because of that still have to buy a LED version though. I looked on several sites which often states a LED version of the Solitaire being 47 Lumens btw
+HunterKiller Thank you for watching and commenting. I unfortunately need to agree with you to a degree. I have always been a fan of Maglite, but they definitely seem to be slow in making new developments and bringing new products to the market.
But aren't they really durable? I've had LED torches that failed after a few years. But hey, if there is another brand that makes really durable torches that last you over 20 years, great.
The shaft of the light (the knurled part, not including the battery cover or the lens casing) is a few millimeters wider than a roll of duct tape You can wrap some around the light, for an easy way to EDC it. I used gorilla tape, but the added thickness reduced the length I can carry, so now I use Duck tape (granted, not the best tape, but you can carry more of it than Gorilla tape.)
The Olight S mini is the best keychain light out there. 550 lumens and it is shorter that the maglite. It is a little expensive but will kick Surefires ass.
+Swami Vivekananda Thank you for your comment. While I haven't had an opportunity to try out an Olight S mini, it certainly has impressive specs and customer reviews; that said, it is unreasonable to compare it to the Maglite Solitare. The light you mentioned costs about $45, and is powered by a 3 volt CR123a battery, while the Maglite costs less than $10, and powered by a 1.5 volt AAA. A more reasonable comparison would be to compare the Olight i3E to the Maglite Solitare (a comparison I'm planning on doing a video on in the near future); they are both in the same price range, and use the same battery. Once again, thanks for watching, and commenting.
Yeah, the lumen race is a bit silly, I don't want so much power that I blind myself at night, some people need powerful inspection lights and that's fine but thankfully Mag Instruments make lower power models for those that require longer life and easier night vision preservation without having to cycle through 5 modes to get there each time. I have the new 97 lumen - 25 lumen Mini Maglite LED and it's bang on where I need the power level.
There wasn't a lot of keychain options for flashlights when the original release of the Maglite Solitaire came out. It was good for it's time. It would get you out of a total dark situation in a pinch.
I picked up the same exact mini maglite led pro solitaire pack that you got on for $20. I am very happy with it the solitaire is good to take out the trash and to walk to my car. And the mini maglite led pro is very bright and Maglite is The best flashlight brand.
I ordered mine off eBay. I just had to look for A while to find it.
Just recently picked up one of the newer Solitaires 47 lumen model. Definitely a big improvement over the older incandescent. The older solitaire is weak but as a keychain light it was perfect for seeing locks.
I've always had a maglite solitaire on my key ring for as long as I've been driving (about 14 years). I l went through a couple of the old incandescent ones and at the time I thought they were OK (LED one wasn't out so there's nothing to compare to). Couple years ago I bought the LED version and WOW! it's soooo much better. Also not having to replace the bulbs is nice. I had to replace the bulbs in the old style a few times.
+Neal Leavitt
Hey there, thanks for watching and commenting! You are so right, it really isn't even fair to compare the original incandescent Solitaire to the new LED Solitaire.
I still really love incandescent bulbs
I do to. I like the bright dot they have in the middle which is great for pointing at stuff without the need to zoom in the lens. Also, brighter is not always great in some situations.
You can get led flashlight with the color too.
In the words of Pippin Took: I'm getting one! Years back I kept a Solitaire on my keychain. Two lumens seems about right. Main use was shining it on the keyhole of the house door or car door at night while you fidgeted with the key. At 40 lumens (current gen, 47 lumens) this become a real compact beast for EDC, given the price point of about ten bucks (Amazon). One of these is going in my man bag for sure.
+Jordan Quinley
Thanks for watching and commenting! Yes, this is a great little EDC light, or a backup light.
I used to be a hotel Desk Clerk /Bellman a long time ago when TWA was still in business and I would have to drive a van out to the airport to pick up the flight crews . We had some pretty regular crews I got to know pretty well and I would do stuff like stop off at a store so they could buy beer for their layover . Anyway one day when they were all paying their tips one of em gave me a few bucks and a maglite solitare with a bad bulb and said ," Don't say I never gave you anything . " I bought a new bulb for it and I still have it .
so of them have spare bulb in the bottom.
Thanks for the review. So many options in the mini torch market. In the end i think they all pretty much do the same - but we all want to think we are buying the 'better' one. If it is anything like pocket knives i will probably have 10 of them before long
Thanks for watching. Yes, most of these little lights a quite similar. at least with this little Maglite Solitaire, we're getting the light for about a third of the price you'd pay for some of the other quality single AAA lights on the market. But I agree with you, that this light is among many other lights (knives and other EDC items) in my collection. Thanks again for watching, and commenting.
Would have been good if they offered a upgrade package for the older model also. I like the solitaire, have both older a new model. It come in handy from time to time but the newer version out shines it but a mile.
I just made a vid on this and in my recommend was this great vid thanks was very inttesting keep up the good vids
The new led solitaire is $4$ is the best keychain light out there. Maybe not quite as bright as some of the pricier single AAA lights from other companies, but no power leaking, excellent battery life with no over heating. Solid throw, and brightness to be useable.
Thank you.
I have a little LED Solitaire on my keychain. I love it. ☺
+LOVEIsDasani
Thank you for watching and commenting. It is a great little light; I am glad it serves you well.
I myself bought an origional AAA mini maglite way back in 1996 or 1998 and still have it today, the newer led maglite mini still can't compete with say an olight i3 or similar... love my maglite's but some things you can't compare outputs or ergonomics.
I have purchased 4 of the maglite solitaire pros. Loved the light output. That being said, all 4 lights became inoperable within a couple of days. The on/off twist mechanism has failed on all 4. I have tried everything to make them operable but nothing works. My research indicates this as a common problem
Blindfinger makes me think twice to buy the led. I have the original still works I will just wait till it blows out
Hmmm, maybe it's the LED circuit. LEDs can overheat which affects the circuit. But the LED itself isn't dead. MAGLITE usually make really durable torches, but maybe the older models which use Incandescents.
My solitaire got ran over by a Mac truck… twice…
Left it in my truck in the summer with a battery and that actually almost killed it but it still works.
Works great in total darkness
The LED version of this light will suddenly stop working with about 2/3rds of battery power remaining.
As long as I can still use it as a bottle opener I'm sold!
Joseph Zugoola
How are you able to use it as a bottle opener? I am very curious about this! 🤔
I assume the same way people open beers with a lighter. If your search RUclips for 'open beer with lighter' you'll find some good tuts.
Hello does maglite sell led bulbs for this? I have the 4 d cell maglite and I recently purchased led bulbs for it and its a HUGE difference, was wondering if they also make them for these little maglites
Thank you for viewing and thank you for your comment/question. I would check the Maglite website for any parts; but that said, where the Maglite Solitaire LED is so inexpensive, I would just buy the new one.
:( it actually has sentimental value, Im gonna go check it out at Sears today, thanks for answering though.
XSatampraZeirosX
Ah, well I completely understand sentimental value. I am not sure if this would work, but maybe you could buy a new Solitaire LED and try switching the Inner workings to the body of your old Solitaire. If you try this, please let me know how you make out.
XSatampraZeirosX you can put a normal led right in the old spot of your old solitaire, look up on RUclips solitaire mod it's very easy, hope this helps
Sure, the Maglite " LED " Solitaire is a nice little flashlight, but I'd still like to find another incandescent version. Reason: We had a medical emergency ( seizure ) at mine & my wife's home tonight with a house guest and when I reached for my incandescent Solitaire so we could check the individuals pupil dilations my Solitaires bulb was shot ( the flashlight was 29 years old with the original bulb, so I can't gripe ).
+ReneeNme
Hi ReneeNme! Thank you for watching and commenting. At first, I was a little confused by your comment as to why you wanted to deal with the incandescent version of the Solitaire, but as I thought about it, I suspect that you feel that the LED version of the Solitaire is too bright to shine into someone's eyes to check pupil reaction. I agree, I think it is too bright to shine directly into a person's eyes. Yet, I still feel the reliability of LED a better option. I would either use the Solitaire LED indirectly (shine the light on my hand near the person's eyes), or suggest getting a different light where you have multiple modes, and lower mode that is below 5 lumens. Just some suggestions, but nonetheless, thank you again for watching and commenting. By the way, I hope your guest is okay following the seizure.
She's doing fine now. Regarding my old Solitaire ... Good news. Checked out eBay and there's a myriad of sellers offering official Mag-Lite replacement xenon bulbs for the older Solitaire's for as little as $4.75 for a set of 2. I suspect that's the problem with my flashlight as everything else is intact. Side Note: I didn't know Mag-Lite offered an LED Solitaire until I found my old one inoperable so I rushed right out to my local Wally World and purchased one. It's a neat little unit :)
ReneeNme
That is great, I am glad she is well. I am glad you are pleased with your new LED Solitaire. It definitely is an impressive little light. you won't be disappointed.
@Speedy McGee LEDs can fail too. Though not the LED itself but the circuitry. Incandescents are very simple. Electricity goes up through one wire, through the filament, back down the other wire, LIGHT! LEDs as simple as they look actually have a more complex circuit which can fail due to overheating from the LED.
@@ReneeNme Can you update us on the LED Solitaire?
Maybe get a bit more with lithium rechargeable im not sure, few lumens and longer run time.
If they added a pocket clip every guy would have one for edc. It would become a cliche lol. If they could only bump it to 100 somehow.
Surefire has a 300 lumen aaa flashlight that has a 1 hour runtime but it doesn't have a tail switch.
@@michaelweston6083 most people want a flashlight that has more than one hour run time
I did find your video quite interesting, but there's something not quite right about your old Solitaire flashlight.
Back around 1993, a buddy and I got a job working in the maintenance shop of a commercial truck leasing outfit and the shop didn't have any drop lights.
What my friend discovered was that the Maglite Solitaire of that time was perfect for working under these large trucks.
He could hold the flashlight in his mouth easily, while he worked on the truck and it put out a pretty strong and wide light beam.
I've since acquired one (mine's a little less than 25 years old now) and it sits on the headboard of my bed, should I need it if the power goes out.
The strength of the light of both mine and my friend's (both flashlights made some time in the 1990's), looks like the same beam you show with the Solitaire LED light.
A very powerful light and that I can use to easily navigate around the house when the power's out.
Either you've got a bad battery in your old light, or there's something else wrong with it (so good thing you got the new one!), because the beam should be much brighter than what you showed us.
...however...
The LED is a jump forward in flashlight technology.
The single biggest problem with the Solitaire was the low capacity of the small battery it uses.
The Halogen light, which is what makes a Maglite so powerful, eats that little AAA battery up like its an afternoon snack.
That was my buddy's biggest complaint about his, He was always having to change out the battery in it.
With mine, the problem is, if you shut the light off too hard, it will reconnect and put out a very dim little light that will also drain the battery in no time.
In fact, it looks like the beam shown in your video.
I'm sure mine is just a quirk of my particular light, but with the LED, battery life should be much longer, since LED's use such little power.
Either way, thanks for posting this video. That was interesting to see how much light technology has changed over the years (btw, if you think your old Solitaire is bad, you should compare it to one of the old pen lights from the 60's or 70's that used 2 AA batteries! EEE-Gads!)
Thank you Dean for watching and commenting on my video. I am sorry this response back to you is so late (life happens); nonetheless, after I read your comment I started wondering about my old Solitaire and whether it was defective from the start. Believe it or not, however, Maglite still offers the Solitaire in its original incandescent version (why is a mystery), but on their website they even list the lumens for that incandescent version at 2 lumens. So my old one that I showed in the video was about right. I am wondering if the lights you and your buddy had were somewhat modified to produce more light but at the cost of battery life as you had mentioned.
Once again, thank you for watching my video and commenting. I enjoyed reading your comment. Also, I appreciate your suggestion to do a comparison to one of the old penlights from the 1970s. That is a great idea that I want to do... I still have an old Eveready light that would be fun to show.
@@woodchuck70 You're welcome. The light I have and the one my friend used on those trucks are both stock Maglite Solitaires.
Halogen lightbulbs are known battery eaters.
I'm actually wondering if I couldn't replace my halogen with a new LED (might just be easier to buy a whole new light. They're not that expensive).
The EverReady light you have....is that the chrome one with the ribbed sides?
I think we still might have one around here somewhere. I grew up with those. I remember playing with the little button on the light switch when I was a kid.
I thought it was cool that I could make the light flash like that.
More fun than a cardboard box! =)
they beat all the trustfire type replicas which are always let down by the switch ,you know the cheap but very bright one's on the online shopping bay,ahem,but don't last like the mag.
Check out the Olight i3T it's a AAA flashlight that outputs 180 lumens
I own the little Fenix which is a better light but the Solitaire i own has the right length for the hand and i can turn it on and off with one hand...i prefer the Solitaire because of that still have to buy a LED version though. I looked on several sites which often states a LED version of the Solitaire being 47 Lumens btw
The Maglite is so behind the times.
+HunterKiller
Thank you for watching and commenting. I unfortunately need to agree with you to a degree. I have always been a fan of Maglite, but they definitely seem to be slow in making new developments and bringing new products to the market.
Every maglite I've owned has been reliable at least.
+Hilly Billy
Thank you for your comment, and I agree.
But aren't they really durable? I've had LED torches that failed after a few years. But hey, if there is another brand that makes really durable torches that last you over 20 years, great.
The shaft of the light (the knurled part, not including the battery cover or the lens casing) is a few millimeters wider than a roll of duct tape You can wrap some around the light, for an easy way to EDC it. I used gorilla tape, but the added thickness reduced the length I can carry, so now I use Duck tape (granted, not the best tape, but you can carry more of it than Gorilla tape.)
+bluesy92
Thank you for your comment and great suggestion. I want to try doing that; maybe even try using gaffer tape.
The Olight S mini is the best keychain light out there. 550 lumens and it is shorter that the maglite. It is a little expensive but will kick Surefires ass.
+Swami Vivekananda
Thank you for your comment. While I haven't had an opportunity to try out an Olight S mini, it certainly has impressive specs and customer reviews; that said, it is unreasonable to compare it to the Maglite Solitare. The light you mentioned costs about $45, and is powered by a 3 volt CR123a battery, while the Maglite costs less than $10, and powered by a 1.5 volt AAA. A more reasonable comparison would be to compare the Olight i3E to the Maglite Solitare (a comparison I'm planning on doing a video on in the near future); they are both in the same price range, and use the same battery. Once again, thanks for watching, and commenting.
Probably made in China... I'll stick with USA
@@digitalopt you're right o light china made mag light American made support America.
maglite are the mora of edc
+ratrod diesels
Thank you for your comment, and you're absolutely right; great quality at very reasonable prices!
Hell of a difference between the 2 - Honestly the original solitaire was p**s poor :)
40 lumens is more than ample for my uses .
Yeah, the lumen race is a bit silly, I don't want so much power that I blind myself at night, some people need powerful inspection lights and that's fine but thankfully Mag Instruments make lower power models for those that require longer life and easier night vision preservation without having to cycle through 5 modes to get there each time. I have the new 97 lumen - 25 lumen Mini Maglite LED and it's bang on where I need the power level.
Thank you.