My new aquisition ARC AAA

Posted by: CJK

My new aquisition ARC AAA - 01/21/08 10:08 PM

For the longest time I had used my mini mag AA flashlight. When the LED drop in became available, I put that in. I enjoyed many long and hard uses of it. Alas after about 20 years of hard service....it died. Thus began my search for a replacement. It had to be LED for the battery life. It had to be small. I will admit that I grew tired of the size of the mini mag and wanted something smaller....

I already knew of many of the ETSers thoughts on their preferences so I checked out the Candle Power Forums for suggestions.....I figured when about 99+% of the forum members all gave a thumbs up to the ARC, it would be good. After all, how often do all the members of any forum actually AGREE on a single point grin.

Got it the other day and have been playing...er using...it often. I love it.... laugh. My only complaint is that I had it on a lanyard around my neck (inside my shirt)....the problem? The clip would rip out hair blush. Ok so I need a new way to carry it.....but OMG is it bright!!!

I did find out one 'trick' with it....for those of you that had access to 'blood tubes'...the kind hospitals or labs use to draw blood.....take one of the smaller tubes (green top, blue top or purple top) and take the top off the tube. Push out the rubber stopper (that is inside the plastic top). Place a colored (your choice) piece of plastic inside the tube's plastic top. The plastic top from the blood tube will fit snugly over the front of the ARC. With the colored plastic in place, you now have a colored light too. It works great.
Posted by: Rusty

Re: My new aquisition ARC AAA - 01/21/08 10:16 PM

CJK,

I'm glad you like the ARC LEDs!! I have both the AA and the AAA version and i love them both! Did you buy the regular AAA edition or the slightly more expensive AAA Premium edition? ARC AAA tech specs

I think mine is the premium edition because it was around $44. But then again my AAA is 2+ years old...

Does anyone have any experience running Lithium batteries in ARC lights? Does it increase burn time/ battery? Is it worth putting Lithiums in the ARCs?

Fenix Digital L0D vs. Premium ARC AAA.....
Posted by: KenK

Re: My new aquisition ARC AAA - 01/21/08 10:18 PM

Congrats!! I carry an Arc AAA every day and it comes in very handy.

I'd worried about damaging the bulb, so I picked up some little plastic pole caps (I know there is a better name for them but it escapes this old brain right now) from Ace Hardware and sanded the inside down so one fits snuggly over the end of the Arc. Has worked well for quite a while.
Posted by: CJK

Re: My new aquisition ARC AAA - 01/21/08 10:30 PM

Rusty, I have the 'low end' (if it could be called that) AAA. It was about $35 plus shipping.....If this is the low end and the premium is brighter.....then wow....the premium would definitely be WAY TOO MUCH for me.
Posted by: LED

Re: My new aquisition ARC AAA - 01/21/08 10:51 PM

Rusty, lots of people use lithiums in their ArcAAA because its runs brighter with flatter output. (and because alkalines sometimes leak) I use alkaline because they're so much cheaper and its already bright enough for me. I hear Eneloops work well too.
Posted by: Eugene

Re: My new aquisition ARC AAA - 01/22/08 12:48 AM

yes the eneloops give a slightly brighter output, I can verify that.
Posted by: bsmith

Re: My new aquisition ARC AAA - 01/22/08 01:05 AM


i went through the same process you did, about three years ago.

carry it daily - attached with a piece of paracord to a leatherman squirt p4. both about the same length, and i don't find them uncomfortable.

friends and family laugh when they see what i carry, but they are also the first to ask to use it in a dim restaurant!

love mine and use it frequently.

nothing has ever bothered the bulb.

Posted by: lukus

Re: My new aquisition ARC AAA - 01/22/08 03:48 AM

I've carried one in my change pocket for the last year and a half. It's small enough that it just disappears. The type III hard anodizing is so tough that it shows no signs of wear.

Actually, it's small enough that I would have to fish around amongst the change and sometimes keys to find it. I made an orange paracord lanyard, nothing fancy, just a loop about 4" long. It makes it easy and fast to find in the pocket.

I use lithiums in it. Mostly for the peace of mind to not have an alkaline battery leak.
Posted by: atoz

Re: My new aquisition ARC AAA - 01/22/08 01:35 PM

I always get excited about these suggestions for a new flashlight, I am a light junkie like a lot of folks, but then I see the price UGH!!!!!!
cheers
Posted by: BillLiptak

Re: My new aquisition ARC AAA - 01/22/08 04:37 PM

Hmmmmmm.....anybody knows how they compare in size to the mag-lite solitaire?
Seems I might be switching flashlights soon in my S.O.S. pouch if it'll fit. I use a gerber infinity on my keys and love it but this might be just the ticket to get the misses to carry a light on her keychain.... Only took me a year to convince her to carry a knife........bah!

-Bill Liptak
Posted by: bsmith

Re: My new aquisition ARC AAA - 01/22/08 05:30 PM

Originally Posted By: BillLiptak
Hmmmmmm.....anybody knows how they compare in size to the mag-lite solitaire?

-Bill Liptak



my solitaire measures 3 3/16".

my ARC-P measures 2 3/4".

Posted by: haertig

Re: My new aquisition ARC AAA - 01/22/08 07:25 PM

I used to really like my ARC-AAA. But then it crapped out on me. Went into a really annoying flicker mode. Replacing battery, cleaning contacts, crimping the head did not work. I gave up on it. My wife managed to drop hers, which should not have been a problem, but somehow the barrel got bent and the head became almost impossible to turn.

I am now EDC'ing a Gerber Tempo single AAA light. It's a bit bigger than the ARC, and had my ARCs continued working I would have liked them better than the Tempo. The Tempo can be operated one-hand whereas the ARCs couldn't be.

I really liked the ARCs. But in my limited experience, they cost too much for what they actually delivered (for me).
Posted by: BillLiptak

Re: My new aquisition ARC AAA - 01/22/08 07:41 PM

Looks like it may be too short for me, just I'll just get the one for the misses....for now. See if it will work for the pouch with minimal alterations before I commit. Thanks a million bsmith. That's what I like about all you fine people, founts of untapped knowledge and always willing to share. Peace.

-Bill Liptak
Posted by: xbanker

Re: My new aquisition ARC AAA - 01/22/08 08:20 PM

haertig -

Have you tried to get at least yours replaced or repaired under ARC's lifetime warranty? Considering you took all the right steps to remedy the flicker, to no avail, in my view that falls under the heading of "defect." And considering the (usually) well-deserved reputation for being bulletproof, a "simple" drop shouldn't have damaged your wife's like you describe.

I had a modest under-warranty repair done on one of my two, with no hassles or arguments.
Posted by: haertig

Re: My new aquisition ARC AAA - 01/23/08 04:18 AM

Originally Posted By: xbanker
Have you tried to get at least yours replaced or repaired under ARC's lifetime warranty?
I thought ARC went out of business, then rose from the ashes, but now wouldn't honor warrantees from earlier purchases. I thought I read this somewhere (Candlepowerforums perhaps), so I didn't even try for a warrantee repair. Am I mistaken?
Posted by: xbanker

Re: My new aquisition ARC AAA - 01/24/08 08:22 AM

I should've asked if yours were from the "original" company. That notwithstanding, from a post by Peter Gransee on CPF:

"My new patron has agreed to provide limited service on lights my now defunct company had made. If the service requires a replacement of a part and the part is for a light we don't make, we don't have the part. In that case, we can offer people a store credit. I hope people can see that this is a very very generous offer on the part of my employers.

Send me an email please peter@arcflashlight.com (to initiate service)."

Since the "new" ARC still makes the AAA version, I would think your odds of a repair/them having a part are fairly good. Granted, there was a version change at some point, but I was under the impression changes, other than upgrading to the newer/brighter Nichia LED, were mostly cosmetic, e.g. slight taper to the head and stainless steel battery contacts. Certainly nothing to lose by sending him an inquiry.

Good luck!
Posted by: ratbert42

Re: My new aquisition ARC AAA - 01/24/08 09:44 PM

I've carried a AAA-P on my keychain for almost two years now. Except for one scratch that somehow happened when I dropped it the first week I had it, it barely shows any wear.

I picked it over something like the brighter Fenix AAA lights for the battery life, but with my typical usage of the Arc light, I'm not even using a battery a year. So I'm considering a Fenix instead. (I have a AA Cree Fenix but it's a little big for keychain carry).
Posted by: JRJ

Re: My new aquisition ARC AAA - 02/18/08 02:28 AM

Ive had my ARC-AAA Premium for a couple days and all I can say is WOW. This tiny flashlight is unbelievable. I initially turned the light on with the bulb pointing towards my face and nearly blinded myself. It was hard to imagine that the arc-aaa premium (smaller then my pinky finger) was so powerful.

I wanted to bump this thread because arc flashlights has a new Arc-AAA Premium w/GS LED.

The GS LED version is actually brighter then the original premium, 10.5 lumens compared to 9 lumens. I only wish It had come out a before I purchased mine. As soon as I can I'll be picking up the new one and keeping my just purchased premium in my BOB.


-JRJ
Posted by: dd61999

Re: My new aquisition ARC AAA - 02/18/08 01:55 PM

I love my Arc, It should be the official light of this website. It has a proven track record of durability. Here is one that survived 5 years in a river and still works.




here is one that fell from a mountain





They are small enough to mount on the shoulder strap of my back pack (camelbak mule)




I used to be a big fan of the photon but I ran into problems with them because they were not waterproof and replacing batteries was a pain. The batteries where also expensive if I could even find them when traveling.
Posted by: massacre

Re: My new aquisition ARC AAA - 02/18/08 08:06 PM

I've got the DS Premium - picked it up a couple months ago (one for a gift, and one for me). It's fantastic. Has great light output and it seems built to take a beating. It replaces a Coast light that was "okay" which I used mainly for the form factor. It used 4 button cell batteries though, so I didn't like it for EDC. The new Arc fits in my EDC Leatherman TTi case (in the side pouch that fits it perfectly as did the Coast light).

I'm considering getting a second one to keep in my pocket with my other gear. I see they have the new GS-LEDs for $50. Would it be pointless to get that vs. waiting for the new LS model or is that something completely different? Also, has anyone tried the 14500 Lithium batteries in this thing to see the output at 3.6v? :-) I don't want to wreck mine or break the warranty, so I thought I'd ask.

Posted by: LED

Re: My new aquisition ARC AAA - 02/18/08 09:12 PM

I'm pretty sure 3.6v would seriously shorten the life of your ARC. I'm guessing it might be a little brighter but at a very high cost to the LED. Besides, 9-10 lumens for a 5mm LED is pretty darn good considering my original AAA-Premium was around 3 lumens!
Posted by: JRJ

Re: My new aquisition ARC AAA - 02/18/08 11:43 PM

From http://www.arcflashlight.com/faqs.shtml
Quote:
Rechargeable cells will work in the Arc-AAA and produce a slightly dimmer output. The self discharge common to NiCad and NiMH cells may cause the flashlight to not be ready if left unused for an extended period of time. Because an alkaline will last for several month of normal use, we recommend an alkaline cell over a rechargeable.

1.7v, non-rechargeable Lithium AAA cells will work and have been tested in the Arc-AAA. The light will be slightly brighter and the run time will produce a more flat discharge curve. Runtime may actually be less because of the flatter discharge curve. They also work better at sub-freezing temperatures. Other advantages include less weight and less likely to leak than an alkaline. These cells can be 4-5 times the cost of a good alkaline. For most people, they are probably not worth the extra cost.

Caution: there is a type of AAA lithium cell on the market that is rechargeable and rated at 3.6v (nominal). These cells are not recommended for use in the Arc-AAA as the voltage is too high. Using them would likely burn the LED out and void the warranty.
Posted by: massacre

Re: My new aquisition ARC AAA - 02/19/08 04:34 AM

That's good to know.
Posted by: CJK

Re: My new aquisition ARC AAA - 02/23/08 07:17 PM

A little while ago at work (EMS) while in station, I was in the bay (at night) and rather than light up the place with the overhead really bright lights, I figured that I would just use the ARC (the least powerful one)....a FF walked into the bay and came around the bus and was, "Shocked that all that light is coming from THAT!"

It is funny to read everyone's thoughts on how bright the ARC's are....I say this because I see people saying that they have the 'premium' or are 'thinking of getting the newer/brighter ARC'....I have the 'least expensive model' and I can't tell you the number of times I consider it OVERPOWERED for the task at hand......I can't imagine needing something brighter.......