i purchased my arc aaa in '05 or '06. it's always in my pocket. use it daily. all i've had to do is change the battery. i saw a series of photos showing a car running over one once - takes a lickin' and keeps on shinin'. sold me.

just checking the time stamp.

I've carried an Arc AAA light in a pocket with gobs of keys every day for many many years. It looks as good today as it did when I bought it - AMAZING. The only extra protection it has is I bought one of those plastic caps that go over the end of tubing and had to sand it down a bit to fit snugly over the LED end of the Arc. It stays on with no problem and removes any potential of LED damage.

Another light that I think is amazing, but consider it a tad too thick for pocket carry, is a Fenix single CR123A light - I don't think they make this specific model anymore. My wife carries one on her barn keychain, which has been tossed about in a pretty abusive way for years, and its still going amazingly strong - though it is pretty scratched up.

BTW, Arc's web site is http://www.arcflashlight.com

I'll throw in another vote for the Fenix E01.

I like that its AAA so spares are common and usually on-hand (for my lights, I run all AAAs too). Its also pretty bullet proof and has lasted for over 2 years on my keyring so far.

For wilderness use, I've started moving it from my keyring to a neck lanyard and it works well in that capacity too.

I have carried a PeakLED Matterhorn around for several years now. It has been dropped in water, run through the washer (and dryer), dropped, stepped on etc. so it is a tough little light. The Matterhorn uses a single AAA battery and I have the 3 LED which is a bit brighter than the single LED version. Overall very similar to the original Arc, though I think Peak gives you some LED options (color etc.).


- Eric

(my photo)

the new runtime king for 1xAAA is the ThruNite Ti.

it just kicked the 82-hr-runtime Revo out of first place, because the ThruNite Ti has been tested at 125 hours on low (and it also does 60 lumens with a simple twist).

low beam is just enough for roaming around a very dark house, use on a moonless wilderness night, caving or during black-outs.

i bought two at $16 each and couldn't be happier.

HERE is a review i did on it over at CPF.

having owned hundreds and hundreds of 1xAAA 'lights, ranging from $1 to $250 (including a dozen of the above mentioned Fenix E01 and a few dozen Arc AAA), i'd call this new one a best-buy. while the E01 is still a great standard of comparison and is rated for 11 hours runtime (and can do much more), the beam tint is just plain awful (purple-green). and the quality of the current run of Arcs isn't what the old ones were.

seller seems like a good one too: Illumination Supply's sale page for the ThruNite Ti

and new models with different levels, and in different body colors, will be coming out shortly.

===

ThruNite Ti light are designed for Key chain application. It is the first AAA light with super-low Firefly mode (0.04lumens)

Features:
• Uses Cree XP-E R4 LED with a lifespan of 50000 hours
• Uses one 0.9-1.5V AAA (Ni-MH, Alkaline) battery
• 7.2cm (Length) x 1.4cm (Diameter)
• 20-gram weight (excluding batteries)
• OP reflector
• Reverse polarity protection, to protect from improper battery installation
• Made of durable aircraft-grade aluminum
• Premium Type III hard-anodized anti-abrasive finish
• Waterproof to IPX-8 Standard
• Reliable twist switch. Tighten for super-low Firefly mode (0.04 lumens), tighten further for max Output (60 lumens)

===

Cauldronborn2: that said, the super low level might be too-low for you, so an E05 or E01 might fill your needs best.

LOL, 0.04 lumens, wow, that's low. But I can see its uses. Sometimes even the 0.3 lumen low setting of something like my Novatac seems too bright when your eyes are dark adapted.

Personally, I think 60 lumens is a bit too much output for a keychain light. To me, a keychain light is primarily meant for close range, arm's length usage, and 60 lumens seems like it would be a lot of glare in many situations, and certainly way too much for situations where you'd like to be somewhat unobtrusive (reading a menu at a restaurant, looking for something you dropped at the movie theater, etc.)

Still, for that price, I think I may need to get me one!

And you're right, wileycoyote, the tint of the E01 can be pretty disappointing if you're unlucky, which is another reason why I prefer the E05 over the E01, besides the output and flood optic.

i couldn't agree more Arney! well said.

for years i have been very happy with simple single-stage 10 or 30 lumens lights, but have been amazed at the Ti's utility of having both super-run-time for extreme dark, and having a burned to blinding things at a distance.

Speaking of small flood lights, check out the 1xAA Zebralight I have one and the beam is very smooth with no discernible hotspot, just a nice even light over a broad area -- good choice for close up IMO.

Looks very impressive. Thanks for the heads-up, I've ordered a couple.