Maglite Solitaire LED or competitor?

[Santos]

Whatever decision you make will at least have been an informed one

And if you do get a maglite led let us know how it goes!

[rhinolith]

The Fenix LD01 is the brightest I have seen for 1x AAA, but it is probably 2.5-3x the price of the Maglite Solitaire LED.

http://www.fenixlight.com/ProductMore.aspx?id=50&tid=10&cid=1#.Uc1BHKGBSgg

I have the Maglite and it is good enough.

[Quartz]

I have the Maglite and it is good enough.

You have a Solitaire LED?

[Cupboard]

Well, I've just bought a Solitaire LED so assuming it arrives in time I'll do a quick comparison of that, the E05 and the original Solitaire for you.

[Santos]

Well, I've just bought a Solitaire LED so assuming it arrives in time I'll do a quick comparison of that, the E05 and the original Solitaire for you.

[RamoN]

Great! i have a solitaire led and love it, i think is great in every aspect, but i dont know much about flashlights so i dont know how does it fare against similar models.

[Quartz]

Great! i have a solitaire led and love it, i think is great in every aspect, but i dont know much about flashlights so i dont know how does it fare against similar models.

Question: It's supposedly focusable, right? Does it actually have a useful range, or is it like traditional incan maglites where its just something they made up to flesh out a bullet list?

[Quartz]

Also: the Solitaire LED isn't regulated as far as I know. What's your layman's opinion of the brightness dropoff over time? Does it like, drop down to a quarter brightness over the first 15 minutes and then stay there for the next hour, or does it seem like a continuous gradual slope, or whatever...

[Gareth]

looking forward to the comparison mate.

[RamoN]

Question: It's supposedly focusable, right? Does it actually have a useful range, or is it like traditional incan maglites where its just something they made up to flesh out a bullet list?

Yes no regulation posible,  you just turn the upper part for on/off. For me it has a very useful beam pattern, its what i most like about it, for its size i think is great. It has a center circle full of light (which is pretty big) and an outer circle which is more dim but adds a lot. Havent tried how far it reaches yet but only because i wouldnt need or want this one to light further. I think i can iluminate 10 meters ahead of me without problem, but i should properly test that.

I actually use it a lot because i currently have no light on my bedroom or patio and didnt have to replace the battery yet and didnt find any light loss yet.

I could try taking some pictures tonight and upload them to show it.

[Cupboard]

looking forward to the comparison mate.

I'm going away on Friday for a month, so I hope it will arrive before then!

[Quartz]

It has a center circle full of light (which is pretty big) and an outer circle which is more dim but adds a lot.

I meant, how well does the focusing work? It was basically a joke on traditional incan maglites.

[TracySchmidt]

My current EDC is an old-ass 2xAA maglite I've had forever, but with an added Nite Ize upgrade. I'm very happy with the NI, but I've decided that a 2xAA is too big and I'm sick of dragging it around all the time. I'm looking for a 1xAAA size equivalent. Looks like I can pick up one of the new Maglite Solitaire LEDs for about $15-20 range, but before I bite I'm wondering if there's anything better out there. I don't want anything fancy: nothing with a chip and half a dozen modes, just a simple cheap basic reliable LED with a battery and some metal to hold it together. I'd prefer twist-on if possible (last longer than buttons in my experience) and it needs either a clip or be thin and smooth enough to be rammed into a sharpie holster (ie; Maglite Solitaire). This will be exclusively for home/office work so I'm not terribly concerned with overall brightness or runtime as long as they're reasonable. The main thing I want is a near guarantee that I can get a solid 10+ years of use out of the thing as I have my current one.

Any suggestions?

Hello friend which one you got? I am in similar dilemma so can you sort out my problem with your experience?Please reply thanks in advance:)

[Quartz]

I haven't gotten around to buying one yet. I decided to wait a couple months to see if any more reviews of the Solitaire LED come out.

[Raukodur]

Since my Olight i3 failed following a drop on the ground, I am after a new flashlight, and having come across this thread, it seems my requirements are identical to Quartz's. Having said that, reading the recommendations in this thread, the Fenix E05 seems perfect.

So, for those who live in the UK, any suggestions on where to purchase this light?

[Quartz]

You're probably a lot better off starting a new thread than bumping this one.

[Raukodur]

I'm sorry, I did not mean to hijack this thread in any way; but I had thought it had become dormant since your decision to delay purchase, and since I was after something quite similar, it would be fitting to carry on with the same thread 

[Quartz]

I don't care personally if you hijack this thread or not, it's just that two other similar threads I had going on other forums turned into trollfests, and this one was starting to wear on people. Also: I was trying to figure out which flashlight to get, whereas you've already decided and are trying to find a retailer, which is a lot more specific and easier to answer. For your own sake, I'm suggesting starting a new thread because I don't think you'll get any responses posting in this one.

[enki_ck]

While I agree with Quartz that starting a new thread might have been a better idea I'll say that for most Fenix flashlights eBay is your best bet. You can get any choice of colour for $20,50 shipped which should be a bit over £13. I avoid buying flashlights locally, the mark up is just too

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=fenix+e05&_sop=15

[Gareth]

While I agree with Quartz that starting a new thread might have been a better idea I'll say that for most Fenix flashlights eBay is your best bet. You can get any choice of colour for $20,50 shipped which should be a bit over £13. I avoid buying flashlights locally, the mark up is just too

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=fenix+e05&_sop=15

I cannot think of a UK based seller that will do a better price than that.  Mostly they sell for around £18 here.

[Raukodur]

While I agree with Quartz that starting a new thread might have been a better idea I'll say that for most Fenix flashlights eBay is your best bet. You can get any choice of colour for $20,50 shipped which should be a bit over £13. I avoid buying flashlights locally, the mark up is just too

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=fenix+e05&_sop=15

I cannot think of a UK based seller that will do a better price than that.  Mostly they sell for around £18 here.

Not worth paying the extra amount for the warranty?

[enki_ck]

What warranty? You are replacing the broken olight i3 although it's still under warranty, right?

And as I told you in that other thread, I got a warranty repair from a Hong Kong based seller. Actual repair, not replacement, as I got my old flashlight back with all the dings and scratches but working. Don't think any UK based seller will be doing any repairs. They'll probably just ship it to China or claim it's your fault and do nothing. So why pay 30% extra for a non existent service you probably won't ever even need to use? That's just my personal opinion though and you might disagree.  

[Raukodur]

  well, when you put it like that...

I bought my Olight in December 2011, so more than 1.5 years old. But even if it needs hipping to China to get repaired, I would be willing to pay the postage to get it working again, even though I have my heart set on the Fenix E05 now. It would make a nice gift.

So how do I find out whether I can get this repaired or not? Contact Olight directly?

[Raukodur]

Hmm, so cheapest I can see in the UK is for £17.95:

http://www.fenixtorch.co.uk/led_torches/fenix-e05-r4.html

Fenixtorchuk have this on the website:

Warranty and Returns

All torches carry a full 24 month warranty against defects. We now test every torch before it is dispatched, so you can be assured the item you receive is in full working order.

Quicker delivery, 2 year warranty, worth paying the extra £5?

[enki_ck]

It's up to you. Mine developed contact issues due to use, not after a drop so I'm not sure how it would be considered in your case.

Here's olight's warranty statement:
http://www.olightworld.com/en/Support_show.aspx?SupId=584

and the Fenix official one:
http://www.fenixlight.com/Service.aspx

Buying locally gets you your light faster as shipping from Hong Kong can take weeks. It's a decision you have to make though, I have "a few" flashlights around so waiting for the next one never was an issue for me.

[Raukodur]

So surely in a case like yours, where there was a fault with the light, you would have been able to take advantage of the 24 month warranty from Fenixtorch.co.uk

But like in your case, it does seem you can return the product directly to the manufacturer, in China, or wherever that may be. Do they pay for the shipping cost to them?

[enki_ck]

You're responsible for the shipping costs to them. They pay the return shipping.

[Raukodur]

Well many thanks for all your advice; I have contacted Olight about what can be done if anything about repairs, and think I will order the Fenix E05 from Fenixtorch.co.uk.

[Cupboard]

A little while ago I offered to do a comparison of the LED Solitaire and the Fenix E05. This was to be done with an LED Solitaire bought from Go Outdoors.

When I received my order, it turned out that they'd send the incandescent version despite the packing slip saying the LED version. I wrote to them and complained, heard nothing back until this morning when I got another package with an incandescent Solitaire 

I'm now going to contact them again and see what's up, but I foresee a rather dim giveaway!

[enki_ck]

What's up with the Maglite dealers in the UK this year? Gareth had the same problems with his Maglite purchase. I don't think he got the correct version yet.