28.2.2013

This is my favorite small flashlight. It is perfect for my pocket, shaving kit, backpack, flight carry-on bag or etc.This may sound odd, but as a flashlight "geek", I have been waiting for this LED light to come out ever since Maglite announced it. I have looked intently for a comparable pocket LED flashlight, and to be honest I have had no luck at an affordable price. This flashlight seems a great blend of features and price.I wanted a flashlight that had the following features, this light does them all well.1) LED (currently the brightest and longest lasting technology for a small size)2) Bright (the Maglite Solitaire LED is 37 lumens compared to 2 lumens for the conventional Maglite Solitaire incandescent bulb)3)Small size (takes up minimal room in pocket)4) Runs on a single AAA, for inexpensive and easy to find battery5) Twist on/off, this is so it is not turned on accidently in a pocket like a push button6) Rugged construction7) Has a lanyard hole, for keychain, etc.8) Easy to find, i.e. not a custom product or special factory run9) Fairly inexpensive. Some competing pocket lights fit the bill above, but came in at $35 to $60 or more! Yikes!This Maglite Solitaire LED AAA fit my wish list perfectly. There are many, many small lights out there. Some are excellent in different ways, but looking through my feature wish list, all that I looked at came up short in some way.One note: A company named Fenix makes an LED model E01 that was the best affordable runner up to this Maglite LED Solitaire. However, it is not nearly as bright at 10 lumens (compared to Maglite's 37 lumens).Regarding brightness, according to Maglite this light has a 37 lumen LED. That is more than twice as bright as a larger incandescent flashlight by Maglite. The commonly found 2 AA Maglite regular INCANDESCENT flashlight is 14 lumens according to Maglite.For size comparison, this light is the same size and weight of the "old" traditional Maglite Solitaire AAA light.Added pros of this Maglite LED Solitaire:1) It can be used in candle mode. That is, aim up and rest on tail cap to illuminate a room. While this light isn't going to give you reading light, it will allow you to see the furniture or etc.2) Made in the USA (according to the Maglite website).3) This light has a lens instead of just the bare LED like some other pocket flashlights I've seen. This is nice for a pocket/bag as it protects the light from getting a lot of lint and obscuring the light.4) The light goes on when the head is twisted just shy of half way (maybe 45%). This seems a nice balance between too little (could turn on in pocket accidentally) and too much (could prove tedious).Minor con:The light rolls easily when on a flat surface like a nightstand or table. But this is easily and cheaply fixed by attaching a key ring or similar clip to the lanyard hole. It doesn't even need keys on it, virtually any ring will do. A ring came in the Maglite package I got this in.UPDATE:I tested how long a "normal" off-the-shelf alkaline AAA battery would last in this flashlight. After an hour it dimmed ever so slightly and the flashlight itself got very slightly warm, but both were hardly noticeable. Then at 2:16 hours (aka 136 minutes), the light quit abruptly, and the flashlight did not give any more light. These "new" LED flashlights regulate the power so you get the max light for the max time out of the battery, but then when it gets below a certain level, it can't give you any light at all. Immediately after the light quit, I pulled the battery and it measured 0.9 volts (a new one is approx 1.6 volts). So it will do well on diminished batteries (in a pinch), but very dead batteries will give you nothing; not even a slight glow.Bottom line, this is a great small flashlight. For slightly larger flashlights, see these other two I like below. My reviews on both are also under the pseudonym "Spiced Rum":Maglite's XL50-

17.6.2015

I bought it here to replace my EDC (every day carry) flashlight, that is non-Maglite, but also LED and 1 AAA, with button on the end of the torch, I think it s Streamlight brand. Mag-lite has advantages: brighter; way smaller (almost the thickness of AAA and a bit longer than AAA) - Streamlight much-much more thicker and a bit longer (both use one AAA); you can change focus of the light; you can make it a candle (completely remove head and put it straight on the table - all Maglites can do this). So, Streamlight is opposite - dimmer, no focus, no "candle mode", much bigger (you really feel the difference in the pocket) while using same battery; button is comfortable, but it "clicks" pretty loud,

14.1.2014

Of all the everyday keychain-carry flashlights I've used over the years, the Solitaire was always my favorite. When LEDs came on the scene, Maglite was slow on the uptake and let the competition eat their lunch. One of their last lines to finally get the LED upgrade, the Solitaire finally received LED goodness and didn't disappoint me. Unlike so many small, adjustable focus AAA lights, Mag still retains the tighten-to-turn-off feature. I can't stress enough the importance of this. Many other lights use a loosen-to-turn-off scheme, and on more than a couple occasions I have lost the reflector end of the flashlight or had the thing come apart on my pocket. The Mag stays tight and stays turned off until I need it.

22.2.2014

Update: If your flashlight flickers or shuts off randomly, change the batteries. Unlike unregulated flashlights, this light will not get noticeably dimmer as the battery depletes. Upon reaching the cutoff point, the light will simply turn off.I purchased this flashlight for $10 on Amazon with free 2-day shipping. The package was marked as delivered on time, but did not arrive. Amazon kindly sent me another flashlight, which arrived one day later.The flashlight arrives in a package containing the flashlight, a Duracell Duralock AAA battery, and a keychain lanyard. The battery, flashlight body and lanyard are made in the USA. The Luxeon C LED module that powers this flashlight has mixed origins (probably Japan and USA).

2.2.2014

l purchased several different micro / miniature flashlights as stocking stuffers before Christmas. Needless to say the quality from different manufactures varies significantly and price is not always an indicator.I have owned a number of small and large Maglite flashlights over the years including multiple Solitaire units. I am always impressed with the Maglite quality as it is 'commercial grade.' When I noticed Maglite now offers the Solitaire with LED technology I purchased several at $14.06 with AP, Amazon Prime. The Solitaires are twice the length of the the micro models below and more expensive. However the Solitaire is by no means large. Also the Maglite LED upgrade included makes this an excellent buy.

24.1.2014

ProsSingle AAA poweredFocus-ability allows this light to project a diffuse or spot focused beam, and every variation between. Its part of what made Maglite famous in the 1990s. Most of Mag's competitors have a fixed beam shape and simply adjust the brightness by supplying variable power to the LED. Focus allows the Mag to shoot it beam out farther in a straight line or intensify a single spot, or dim it out so that the light is soft. When first turned on, the beam is mostly a spot, but can be further concentrated before being diffused out.The head can be removed completely to make a candle like light.History of reliability. The Mag line has been known for durability,

4.4.2014

We've all been there. Trapped in the dark with no way of safely navigating away from the tent when nature calls in the middle of the night. When an engineer strategically placed the cruise control module wiring harness in such a place that your poor eyes cannot tell the difference between the brown with black stripes wire from the black with brown stripes wire. When the power goes out and you have to find the extra blankets in the dark because your house temperature is rapidly dropping to an uncomfortable level of coolness. Or when you need to add a few bucks to your Amazon order to get free shipping.Having owned a couple of the original incandescent Solitaires that put off a pitiful glow no matter how fresh the batteries were,

2.11.2013

The Maglite Solitaire is a small and lightweight single AAA LED flashlight. I've used the Fenix E01 and it is way too dim. I've used MX Power's 3W Cree LED flashlights and they come pretty close in performance to the Solitaire LED, but with a heavier package.The Solitaire LED is the same style and shape as the regular Solitaire, but the LED is much brighter at an advertised 37 lumens. My digital lux meter showed that at point blank it is around 80,000 lux max. The color temperature is definitely more yellow than the Coast HP7TAC which I felt is somewhere between a 4500K and 6000K while the Maglite XL200 is definitely a 6000K cool white LED color.

15.1.2018

Seems to be of the quality I've come to expect from Maglite, in other words, very good. The Solitaire is also inexpensive enough to have several stashed around the house and cars. One for the nightstand, one in the end table by the sofa, one in the kitchen junk drawer (you know you have one) and one for the glovebox of your vehicle. I like the single mode instead of the 3, 4 or even 5 modes common on so many flashlights these days. It is actually getting harder to find single mode lights of good quality. I guess having a small everyday light with high, medium, low, strobe and SOS modes is the current fad, but for 98.6% of us, simply one mode/one brightness on or off is all we require.

20.2.2014

The Mag Solitaire LED doesn't have the nicest beam or the longest runtime or the smoothest threads compared to my other single AAA lights, but it definitely keeps up in brightness, and is one of my least expensive LED lights. I measured it at 760cd on my lux meter with an Eneloop cell when fully focused, which is a respectable figure for a 37-lumen AAA light. It lasted about 90 minutes on a charged cell, but instead of dimming to low output, it just abruptly shut off. The focus adjustment system is convenient to have, and loosening the head all the way produces a relatively smooth flood beam. Also the head can be removed, turning the flashlight into an area illumination light.

3.9.2014

UPDATE: Many have had problems with the flashlight going out after some use, and thinking the spring or connection is bad, causing the light to flicker. I had this issue, and changing the battery solved it. I think MagLite did something really cool with this flashlight, where it maximizes battery output as long as possibly, and when it is getting low, rather than getting dimmer and dimmer, it flickers out. I was really worried when I had to tap or whack the end to get it to come on, and then it went out altogether. I took it apart and tried to figure out if it was an electrical connection issue. Finally I changed the battery and the light worked again.REVIEW: I am a gearhead, flashlight fanatic,

11.7.2020

I have had a few of these over the years and I have only ever had to replace them because I lost them. Theyre durable, have an adjustable beam, surprisingly bright considering they use a single AAA battery, and they're waterproof (way more than the 3 feet they recommend, I have dropped it in 8 foot deep water in winter and come back for it in spring only for the light to have a few drops in the lens and it still worked).Using a single AAA battery makes this flashlight ideal for everyday use because they're cheap and widely available. This light plus a 24 pack of AAAs at Northern Tools is about $20 altogether, the number of hours you get for the price is incomparable,

9.9.2014

I wanted a small flashlight to carry everyday. I spent about two weeks reading every review, visited every website and watched every video I could find on small flashlights that used a single AAA or AA battery. I looked at everything from 3 dollar flashlights up to flashlights that cost almost $100. After assessing what I needed from a small flashlight, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Maglite updated their Solitaire flashlight and fitted it with an LED. The new LED model hit's a price / performance sweet spot that other flashlights have missed. Because it's a Maglite, it's more readily available, a design I'm familiar with, and It's made in the USA. For about ten dollars,

29.2.2020

Most importantly, it's unobtrusive and doesn't turn on without my knowledge. The battery has lasted for a couple of years now with sporadic (but somewhat minimal) use. In a fairly rural (re: dark) environment, it works fine for illuminating things at under 7-10 yards. If you regularly need more light at a longer range, you'll need a bulkier flashlight than this. It's a little flash light, so it's always with me for when I have nothing else readily available. Being small facilitates it's constant presence. Hence its place in my on-body EDC.I really like that it's supposedly "made in the USA" by an "American company". How those terms really square up with reality? IDK.Does it sometimes flicker off - yes.

18.2.2014

I bought a Maglite Solitare and a Fenix EO5 mini led flashlights because I had heard good things about both of them. I wanted something good that would fit in the side tube on my leatherman nylon sheath. The Fenix is bright and focused with no stray black rings. The Maglite has a larger adjustable beam that's bright also but at some points there are minor black rings. Maglites curse! But the truth is that it is minor it's no bother and the brighter, wider spot is nice. The Maglites battery last 90 minutes and the Fenix EO5 lasts almost 3 hours. The Maglite is 37 lumens and the Fenix is 27. They're both waterproof. They both fit in the sheaths tubes but the Maglite stretches it less.

Maglite Solitaire LED - Reviews

Info

Analysis