Arc-AAA Dead After 8 Years. The Best Place To Find A Replacement?

Finally died a couple nights ago. I've had it, I think 8 years, on my keychain as a back up? Where's the best place to pick up another one?

I know Arc had thier troubles but you can't agrue the quality. I'll have to post some pics up.

Arc is in business, and they just recently replaced one of their AAA lights that failed. http://www.arcflashlight.com/
Glad you had such good luck with yours. In the past I purchased 5 or so, and two failed with little use. Personally I much prefer the Fenix E01, but if you like the Arc they are available.
Regards,
Jerry

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B-4 you TOSS it .......

Clean it ....... and be sure to use the same brand of battery it had when it died.

(When it died ... did you put in a different brand of battery ?)

I found out ... They can be a little sensitive to the differences of deminsions in cells.

Just try it ...... before you toss it . I'm just sayin .

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I would contact Arc, they might replace the bulb for you. I use my Arc AAA for just about anything. Great light!

If nothing else a dead ARC AAA makes a fine spare battery holder.

Fenix E01 or Sunwayman R01a are great replacements if you decide on something else. I've never owned an arc

ARC is still covering the lifetime warranty on the older ARC's AFAIK. FYI, they'll want $5 shipping for the replacement if you send yours in. It's worth it IMO, if you are looking for something different you can always sell the NIP replacement ARC on CPF/MP.

Nice to know they're still covering their lights. Guess I'd assumed they were gone.
My AAA-P is 9(?) years old, occasionally makes a trip through the washing machine, and still works fine.

I believe the cost of replacement was shipping and that was $7 if I remember correctly. Considering the cost of shipping to them the total cost was greater than the Fenix E01. I did it, but don't think it is a good deal. I would rather have the E01, but I realize everyone will not agree.
Jerry

Have the light gutted and modded?

bmstrong said:

Finally died a couple nights ago. I've had it, I think 8 years, on my keychain as a back up? Where's the best place to pick up another one?

I know Arc had thier troubles but you can't agrue the quality. I'll have to post some pics up.

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What does "die" mean? Did it stop working? Suddenly? Slowly? If you had it for 8 yrs., this is the older version (non-tapered head), and does have some issues that were fixed by Peter in the later revisions. Try boiling the head (actually put the head in water till it boils, and then take it out and clean it. If you post the pics of the head (especially the thread-side, and the inner solder blob), I might help - have tried many tricks to get these working.

JerryM said:

I believe the cost of replacement was shipping and that was $7 if I remember correctly. Considering the cost of shipping to them the total cost was greater than the Fenix E01. I did it, but don't think it is a good deal. I would rather have the E01, but I realize everyone will not agree.
Jerry

Click to expand...

You could re-use a small bubble mailer, and ship it first class for about $1.50. I do it all the time for small things like this. It's already broken so no need to worry about keeping it pristine. Assuming they are in the US that is.

No, ARC charges you something like $5-7 for shipping the replacement - they call you for a credit card # prior to shipping the replacement light. IMO it is a somewhat-reasonable (albeit substantial) fee for shipping & handling. It would be nice if it was free, but the policy specifics are up to them. It seems excessive for us hobbyists where our time isn't costing us, but for a business it is a real cost.

Arcs are pretty tough lights, so i am curious as to what exactly happened. Did you notice any significant dimming over the past 6 months?

~Deicide~ said:

Arcs are pretty tough lights, so i am curious as to what exactly happened. Did you notice any significant dimming over the past 6 months?

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In my case I never carried the lights routinely, but only if I was to be out after dark. The two that failed were little used, and just did not turn on. Since I had a couple more I found that the head was OK when I switched them with other bodies. I placed some al foil at the bottom of the tube and that worked for a short while, but quit in time. It seemed obvious that there was some lack of completion of the circuit. The Arc folks replaced them, but I would not buy them again with the availability of the Fenix E01 and its price plus greater output.

I realize the Arc lights were considered about bullet proof, but mine did not pan out that way. I have one that I have on my dresser, and a couple in the plastic that I'll give away in time.
Jerry

I have restored a couple Arcs by cleaning the negative contact with a pencil eraser, the threads with rubbing alcohol (or better yet DeOxit). If that alone doesn't work I have also re-crimped the area where the aluminum head wraps around the circuit board. Use a small screwdriver perpendicular to the center to push the aluminum down against the circuit board trace.

Did you replace the battery? Eight years seems about right.

Clean the threads and contacts, on the head AND inside the tube. My Arc AAA is still working, nearly nine years now.

Like everybody else, I'd like to know the circumstances leading to its demise.

Mine has been handing off my keys for about 5 years now, and it has never not worked for me. I think i use it about once a week. I try to clean the insides every few months (when i remember lol). If it ever fails and Arc is still around, ill order another one.

I just sent in a few of my Arc AAA's back to Arc a few months ago. They repaired a some of them and replaced what they couldn't repair. I paid shipping there, but they paid for the shipping back.