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MagLite Solitaire vs. Photon II,III
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Bronco
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I'd recommend taking a look at a Photon with a white bulb before making any final decisions between it and the Solitare. The white and green bulbs will certainly appear brighterAssuming each is equipped with new batteries, the Solitare may be a bit brighter at the center of its beam, but for me, that's pretty much where the advantages of the Solitare end.
I personally don't rely on this class of light for much more than keychain duty. And in that role, the compact size and feather weight of the Photon puts it head and shoulders above the Solitare, IMHO. It has no real bulb to burn out, and the batteries have an extremely long shelf life and tremendous burn time, especially considering their diminutive size. I even use the Photons for zipper pulls on some of my backpacking equipment.
I personally don't rely on this class of light for much more than keychain duty. And in that role, the compact size and feather weight of the Photon puts it head and shoulders above the Solitare, IMHO. It has no real bulb to burn out, and the batteries have an extremely long shelf life and tremendous burn time, especially considering their diminutive size. I even use the Photons for zipper pulls on some of my backpacking equipment.
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There is no comparison. The Solitaire tends to turn on in your pocket, leaving you with a dead battery. Another problem is that the switch tends to crud up, so when you turn it on after a period of inactivity, it will not light up. Thus you think you have dead batteries. A few on and off cycles of the switch will determine what the problem is. It is a piece of junk.
If you need a waterproof hard use metal key chain light, check out the ASP. Go to candlepower forums for all the info on this great new light which uses a single AAA battery with a step up inverter.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi
Otherwise, the Photon is the greatest. The PIII is great with its' ability to flash at different rates, and stay on at three different levels of brightness, the lowest of which will yield something like 1000 hours of constant on. The PII is still a great light, although not waterproof like the PIII. It is a lot easier to use, with the switch governing the modes of operation of the PIII being somewhat awkward to use.
Hope this helps. Walt
If you need a waterproof hard use metal key chain light, check out the ASP. Go to candlepower forums for all the info on this great new light which uses a single AAA battery with a step up inverter.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi
Otherwise, the Photon is the greatest. The PIII is great with its' ability to flash at different rates, and stay on at three different levels of brightness, the lowest of which will yield something like 1000 hours of constant on. The PII is still a great light, although not waterproof like the PIII. It is a lot easier to use, with the switch governing the modes of operation of the PIII being somewhat awkward to use.
Hope this helps. Walt