Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Solidly built battery burner that doesn't really fit well to its intended function, November 30, 2005
The construction of this Mag-Lite Solitaire is really quite good. It's very sturdy and I've had one run over by my truck and had a 150 pound (68kg) Television drop on another without much visible damage (scratches).
I have received this as a gift and as a corporate tchotchke as well as having bought one and they do come in handy. The problem is that it runs through batteries pretty quickly if you use this for anything more than looking for your keys on the ground or the deadbolt on your door when you forgot to leave on the porch light. The lens cap tends to turn itself on in your pocket or bag... draining away the power. I haven't ever used it as a keychain device as I don't like a lot of bulk.
I haven't ever experienced the reported problem with the end cap loosening. The best task I've found for this light is to hang it on the keyring holder in my laptop bag. It's simply not well suited to a pocket or to a keychain, and I believe that was its intended purpose.
I found the light, itself, to be fairly bright at full power, but with a more robust LED, it would probably be a better unit. It does have a better light distance than an LED would produce, though. All-in-all, a bit of a miss, but I'm a flashlight hound, so I still like it. If you are looking for a good keyring light, get a smaller LED with an on/off switch. This would probably make a good light for a purse or in a glove compartment. I would recommend pairing it with a Lithium Battery (Technuity L92BP4 Battery, Lithium Aaa Photo Battery for example) - especially if storing in car or bag for long periods. Make sure you tighten the lenscap well so it doesn't accidentally turn on.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Well built, but useless, February 15, 2004
By A Customer
The Solitaire is relatively well built, but the poor beam makes it useless. Its not bright even with fresh batteries, and it QUICKLY dims. There is almost no sidespill, even when adjusted to wide beam. It eats up batteries, and has very poor beam quality. This is the only Maglite model that I rate as below satisfactory. It flat out fails. There are better options out there. Arc flashlights are very bright for their size, reliable, and have a good beam. They use LED bulbs that never burn out. Plus, they are semi-regulated so that they maintain their brightness for longer periods than the Solitaire. Other pocket lights worth looking at are Photon Microlights and the CMG Sonic (both use LED bulbs). Shop around, decide what works best for you and is in your price range. That said, I cannot recommend the Mag Solitaire regardless of price. Its poor beam and dim output make it all but useless.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Well made, but..., August 28, 2005
The Mag-Lite Solitaire is well designed and well made but simply isn't bright enough. However, if all you use a flashlight for is looking for your keys under the seat of your car or assisting with reading menus, it may be OK. It has a sleek design, and it's appeareance won't draw attention on a keychain. It functions like any other (large) mini mag light, by twisting the end where the light comes out to turn it on and off. Change the battery by unscrewing the other end. A spare bulb is concealed within the end cap.
Pros:
-It's small.
-it's well made, with all components fitting together smoothly, and a clean simple appearence.
Cons:
-it's just not that bright. Some of the newer LED flashlights are of a similar size but much brighter.
Overall, I'd have to give this one a pass, unless I developed a fetish for small, well designed gadgets (like watches, watches are SOOO cool! and miniature sextents, those things are SOOO neat!). OK, so I have this fetish, and this would explain why I have a Solitaire in my toolbox.
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