Solitaire Single Cell AAA Flashlights Solitaire AAA Replacement

I got a lot of jokes and comments from friends, family, co-workers during the "Great Blackout of 2003" about how it probably didn't affect me too much. Everybody alluded to my "training" and the fact that I was probably prepared for it. To an extent they were right.

I'll admit, be it habits developed in the military, or experiences gained from travelling, Elena and I weathered it fairly well. We had plenty of canned and other preserved foods, and enough bottled water for several days if needed. There was of course our small propane BBQ and a couple of extra tanks to ensure that we didn't anything cold, melting ice cream aside.

There were plenty of candles, including a couple of boxes left over from 2000, just in case, and matches naturally. A first aid kit, a battery operated radio, and spare batteries and four flashlights scattered about the apartment. Our power was only off for one night, but we probably could have held out much longer.

Friday after getting home and collecting all the stuff from it's various crevices around the apartment I even went out and stocked up on some perishable food from the corner store. Friday with an impromptu day off I spent the whole day tearing around the city loading up on more stuff just in case there were more blackouts. I replaced anything we'd used up the night before (candles, propane, batteries, food) and added to our stocks of these items. I also picked up two more flashlights, both Maglite Solitaire Flashlight Single AAAs.

Now why you ask would I bother grabbing two more flashlights, since I already admitted to having four in the place. Do I own stock in Maglight, or was it simple paranoia. Actually neither, but the operative phrase there was scattered about the house.

Elena and I both travel a lot and neither of us are strangers to being in places where a constant regular source of electrical power, or even flush toilets for that matter, is not a given. Hence all four flashlights along with a lot of the other survival supplies were with our travel gear. One of the flashlights, a Maglite Mini Flashlight 2-Cell AA was in my bedside drawer. The other also a Maglite Mini was with our travel stuff.

The other two, both Maglite Solitaire Flashlight Single AAAs, were in the first aid bag and a small survival pouch I have that goes most places with me. Most places unfortunately this day did not include my office. That of course was where I was when the blackout hit on the afternoon of August 14th.

I made it home ok; it's only a short walk. Once in the building though I discovered something I've really never noticed before in the ten plus years I've lived there, both stairwells are extremely dark when there are no lights. By extremely dark I mean pitch black as they're sealed fire exits and there are no windows.

I can assure you that climbing 13 flights of stairs using only the flickering light from my Zippo will go down as one of less pleasurable thing's I've every done. To make matters worse I had actually stopped to pick up my dry cleaning and was burdened with that as well as my briefcase.

Well at least I wasn't alone. I was leading a small group of my neighbours who didn't even have a lighter. (They must have been non-smokers.). This group included a small child who made it clear in no uncertain terms that he didn't like the dark and "wanted to go home." Poor kid after six floors I knew exactly how he felt.

We looked like some surreal vignette from Jules Verne's Journey to the Centre of the Earth, linked together as we ascended with only the flickering light of the Zippo to see by. That is when the wind didn't blow the flame out.

Every couple of floors the main body was left on the landing while I led of someone down the equally dark halls to their door and then returned to the main group to claim some more. Eventually some kindly candle equipped neighbours found us and I was able to make for my own apartment. The first thing I did was grab one of the flashlights and spare batteries and shove them in my pocket.

When she finally got home, she was stuck in the below ground shopping concourse of an office tower, Elena also got to enjoy the joys of climbing in the darkness. She got to do it alone, and without a lighter. I couldn't come down to meet her, as we were unable to contact each other due to the overloading of the cell phone systems.

This was the reason for the purchase of two more flashlights the next day. Hey once is fun, well not really. Twice though is just plain stupidity. I don't smoke near as much as I used to and have a bad habit of forgetting to fill my Zippo up. This is not a major problem when I discover I'm out of fluid at the local bar when I go to spark up a cigar. The waitress just smiles and hands me a pack of matches. Other times well, you can use your imagination.

The original two Maglite Solitaire Flashlight Single AAAs were quickly returned to their respective travel and first aid pouches on Friday. Failing to do that would have probably meant their not being there the next time we were away somewhere and really needed them. The two new replacements were immediately clipped to both of our respective key rings where they remain now and forever, or at least until we move and get new keys.

I first started using Maglites years ago when I was in the Army. I quickly acquired and fell in love with the Maglite Mini Flashlight 2-Cell AA. Anyone who has ever used the standard issue bulky inefficient army issue angle head flashlight will understand that right away.

Over the years I've owned several. It's not that they wear out, but more so that others seem to succumb to the "shiny kit syndrome" and permanently borrow mine, often without asking. Later when I was looking for something even more compact for my survival and first aid pouches I stayed with a brand I already trusted and chose the Maglite Solitaire.

There are three reasons I use this flashlight (well actually both of them) and recommend them to others.

First of all it's small. The Maglite Solitaire is only 8cm (3inches) long and 5mm (1/2 inch) in diameter. That's an important factor. The smaller and lighter something is the more likely you are to bother carrying it around with you. Mine is hardly noticeable on my key fob and therefore as I said it's always with me. Fancy kit is only useful if you actually have it around when you need it.

It's rugged. The Solitaire like all Maglites is made of high-grade aircraft aluminium. Cheap imitations are made of equally cheap plastic. Good kit only works in an emergency if it's not broken. The simple cylindrical shape with no little bits to get broken off is also an advantage.

It's simple to use. I'm a firm believer I the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) rule. To turn it on/off just twist. To replace the battery, screw off the end. If it takes a fifty-page instruction book and/or demo video to show you how to use it, odds are you want be actually using it at the spur of the moment. How many of you (honest answers now) still have your VCRs blinking 12:00?

I'll even toss in a simple trick to help preserve battery life. To prevent the light from accidentally being turned on which considering there is no protruding switch is almost impossible but still could happen simply reverse the battery. When you need it you can unscrew the cap and reverse the battery back the correct way. This is easy to do, even in a pitch-black stairwell.

The Solitaire is actually quite stylish with its simple clean lines. For those who must simply coordinate everything, there's even a choice of colours, all bright metallic aside from basic black. In a pinch you could probably even use it like a Kuboton as a self-defence weapon. Mind if you find yourself it that kind of a situation with nothing more than this, you obviously packed the wrong kind of emergency gear.

The Solitaire is not perfect I'll admit. The light it throws off is nowhere close to the quality of its bigger cousin the Maglite Mini. That one tosses out a light equally to one from a much larger double C cell flashlight. The light though is good enough for emergencies, which is the purpose.

There are similar sized LEDs on the market that do toss out a better light. They're just as small and clip onto key rings as well. Mind I've yet to find one as rugged as the Solitaire. What's the point of having a better light if it's broken when you need to use it?

Odds are the main thing you'll be using this for is such mundane tasks as looking for the key slot in dark parking garages or front doors with burned out lights. For this and any real emergencies it's far superior to a lighter, trust me.