Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

you would think that someone that buys a solitaire wouldn't be serious about lights, but i am. as a steamfitter, my job requires me to carry just a few tools with me at all times and weight adds up fast. i can use this light 20-50 times per day. i try to carry the lightest tools possible. pros: -made in the usa. -takes an aaa battery. those button cell lights are worthless to me. -at 37 lumens it's almost too bright inside small pipe. luckily, i'm a green fella and i like nimh batts. and at 1.2 volts, they take a little bite off the brightness while still leaving a very bright light. -focused beam!!!! yep! if i fancy a flood to walk around the yard, it's there. if i wanna tighten up the beam to see across a big pipe or an otherwise longer distance, i have it! oh, joy; oh, rapture! -great price. around 15 smackers is a dandy price and it should last years. -aluminum construction. plastic lights melt on hot pipe. -pretty tough, yet not described as "tactical". what is the deal with everything painted black being described as "tactical"? whatever. i'm up to my knees in cheap, imported, "tactical" trash. i wish this stupid marketing trend would end. -it has a lens to ward off lint. cool. cons: -the threads are poor. when i unscrewed this baby, the bottom threads were loose and rough and the top threads were about the same. personally, i always tighten up the top (bulb end)threads of any maglite by wrapping them with teflon tape. do this at your own risk. i likes my threads smooth and tight. the problem with the bottom threads was mitigated with some very high-dollar never-seize. this also should be done at your own risk. a person could also use a tiny amount of silicone lube. once again, this is at your own risk. *edit: i actually found that this stuff is the best lube for the threads if you don't want to make a mess with teflon tape. works really good and makes the thread action very smooth:: Silicone Grease 2 0 oz Jar * edit 2: lets ease up on that con. my light has never failed due to the treads or anything else. still, lube ain't a bad idea. -with 37 lumens coming from a single aaa batt.,somethings gotta give...and today that something is battery life (i'm comparing this light with my trusty fenix e01 here). the fenix, while only putting off about 10-13 lumens, has a batt. life of way over 20 hrs....this solitaire shuts off at around 2 hrs. with a stout alkaline and at about 90 minutes with a 800 mahr nimh rechargeable. i would really like to see this light knocked down to 20 lumens to bring an alkaline up to 8-10 hrs. but it's american made and we like hot-rods and hot-rods eat fuel, huh? well, i can deal with it with decent rechargeables because everything else about this little light just plain rocks. -not a huge big deal, but a had to find a pocket clip to fit this. no biggie. a clip from a regular 2 aaa maglite will also work and keeps the light from rolling. to end, this light was worth the wait. maglite did such a great job with this product. sure the threads need help, but that whole problem was fixed in a few minutes for me. the poor threads and the low battery life is what cost a star. if i could give another half star, i would. the battery use is just fine for me. i figure i can pop in a fresh nimh cell every 2-3 days and my world will keep spinnin'. Mag instruments just got my business back. good job, folks :) *update 11-5-13* this baby has been through hell and it still performs flawlessly. sure, when i turn it on it sometimes flickers, but that's the nature of the switch and it doesn't really affect anything. this light is always on my person and it does not get babied. some other guys that i work with have bigger and brighter (too bright imo) lights, but theirs are bigger and harder to carry on their person...so guess who is always loaning out his light? this guy! i put a fresh battery in it every week and i have not had one go completely dead on me. i always carry an extra battery in my lunchbox, but i haven't had to break one out. perfect luminosity. perfect build (after the thread mitigations described above). this is it. this is the light i have been searching for and i'm glad its an American company that makes it...it has earned it's name....and did you see the price? deal of the century. *update 8-29-15*: still. going. but man is it ever beat up. i average 1 battery charge/week out of this baby. i don't even bother with a big trouble light when i have to crawl inside of a pipe for a repair (many times it's someone else's weld). the guys that have the flash lights with a click-switch always have to buy new lights, but my silly little maglight just keeps on going. after i bought this on, i bought some more because i figured i'd lose it (to a borrower, most likely), but i'm still using the same one. because the battery lasts about 90 mins.(rechargeable nimh), i carry a fully charged battery in my lunch-box. i"ve never had to change batteries during the work week, so i guess 90 mins. is long enough. the people that built this need to congratulate themselves. *update 5-18-2017* still works, but i bought a new one. i had beat this poor girl up for years and the lens was just to dirty/messed up to use anymore. i removed the lens and use it around the house now. it surely isn't maglite's fault. the amount of abuse the poor light went though was way above and beyond (also, it still works!). here's to years of faithful service from the new one. *update: 9-24-2020* still carrying the 2017 one and the original one still works. i beat the heck out of this poor light. it's not intentional; i get into my work and sometimes things just get abused. at work, my maglite is always on me and always ready to grab and use. it's just nice to have one thing that can be counted on. it gets dropped, lent out, forgotten, and sweated on but it just keeps going.