AAA light you prefer over the ARC?

[SilentK]

how bright is the peak-ocean-baltic? it says 500 candlepower which looks quite high compared to most of their lights. It is worth the money for the stainless? and what does the power level stand for??

 

[geepondy]

Any AAA lights smaller then the Arc? Although it doesn't seem like much of a difference, I found the LOD to feel noticeably bigger on the keychain and in the pocket. So I would only replace the Arc with something smaller or at least the same.

 

[WadeF]

If you like the ARC, and don't mind the tinted beams (my original Arc is very purple, my DS is blueish, my GS is purplish), the Fenix E01, as others have suggested, is a nice alternative to the Arc. I think the E01 is more idiot proof than the Arc, I've had the foam fall out of my Arc (easy enough to put back, but I don't know about for everyone, some people might throw it out not realizing it should be in there), I also notice I have to purposely crush the batteries in my Arcs so the o-ring will stay inside the body tube when the light is turned off and on. I don't have these issues with my E01s. The Arc GS is brighter, slightly smaller, comes with a clip, and probably has better HA. The E01 comes in different fun colors, has longer run time, less output (initially, but the Arc drops below the E01 after a few hours), it can tail stand, will power up on nearly dead batteries that the Arc won't, and it's only $15, and even less if you buy two or more from Fenix-store.com and use CPF8. So it's a great gift light, unless you want to give something with more output. Then I'd look into the Fenix LOD-CE as it is easy to operate. The Liteflux lights are awesome, but the user interface is very advanced. I wouldn't give one to someone unless they are the techy type that would enjoy figuring out the user interface.

 

[Crenshaw]

We should continue this conversation for the next three pages talking about how awesome the LF2x is :thumbsup:

yes we could....

but i agree that the programming part when you first get it is a PITA, once oyu get it down, its fine though..i would say this is the LAST light you'd want to lend out as a loaner...

Crenshaw

 

[2xTrinity]

yes we could....

but i agree that the programming part when you first get it is a PITA, once oyu get it down, its fine though..i would say this is the LAST light you'd want to lend out as a loaner...

Crenshaw

You're right. LF2x is a fantastic EDC for geeks, but there's a bit of a learning curve that most casual users wouldn't bother with.

I"m the only guy who uses my LF2x though. The fact that it's attached to my keys is a strong deterrent from it "walking away" because someone is a not likely to swipe someone's car keys inadvertently, whereas many people seeing a random flashlight sitting around, even a very expesnive one, treat like a pen or something else of negligible value.

I actually don't loan out any of my lights. I bought several hundred DX fauxtons a while back, they're about $0.30/each with bulkrate, and usually have about 10 with me at all times I'm carrying a backpack. If anyone randomly asks to borrow a light, I give them a fauxton to keep. I consider this my insurance policy, as giving away even hundreds of fauxtons is not a bad deal at all if you consider the following conversion rates for the following EDCs:

1 Lost E01 = 50 Fauxtons
1 Lost L0D = 150 Fauxtons
1 Lost LF2x = 200 Fauxtons
1 Lost 3Mode 2C Mag'61 = 550 Fauxtons*




*Yes, I actually do EDC this

 

[Snow]

The Peak Matterhorn is my AAA light of choice.

 

[Crenshaw]

If anyone randomly asks to borrow a light, I give them a fauxton to keep.

i do that too, it seems a great way, and whats more, they'll like you more, because you just "gave" them something, in my experience at least..

Crenshaw

 

[paulr]

.

 

[paulr]

I'm going to advise against the Fenix L0D, Liteflux whatever, etc., basically all the higher powered lights mentioned. As This_is_nascar explains, those powerful lights don't run well on commodity alkaline cells and therefore aren't good choices for non-flashaholics. Go for something lower powered.

If cost is an issue, the Fenix E01 is a great value in this type of light, but if you're willing to spend more then I think some of the other lights mentioned (including the Arc) are nicer. The initial run of Arc GS's apparently had some quality problems but the one I bought recently is fine and it sounds to me like the issues are resolved. Arc also has a "snow" version (available on the accessories page) which has a more neutral beam color, at the expense of some beam artifacts and slightly lower output than the GS, and maybe eventual dimming after some dozens (100's?) of hours of operation (more than most people use such a light). There is also the Peak Matterhorn series which is very similar to the Arc, that also uses the Snow leds by default but is available in more colors and configurations. With the "pocket" style body (basically like the Arc but with the lanyard lug chopped off) it is smaller than the Arc, but the result is there's no attachment point for a keyring, which doesn't seem right for this type of light. It also seems to me that Arc's electronics are set up a bit better than Peak's. Finally, I like Arc because its main designer is a CPF'er and a real flashaholic, and I see their lights as being more in the flashaholic spirit than the ones from other companies that are simply "product". (I like custom and modder lights for similar reasons). But I have 6 or 7 Peak lights and although the designs are a bit hit-or-miss, all of them are very well made.

The Peak Baltic series is bigger than the Matterhorn and in the higher powered versions has the same battery issues as the more powerful Fenixes and so forth. I have one in titanium (only available in the body style with the removable keychain stud) and IMO it's really too large for a 1AAA light, so I don't think of it as a successful design. However, that's a subjective matter. I do have a Pacific in the 1AA pocket body style in HA and it's actually one of my favorites these days. It's a clean design that fits my hand just perfectly and runs for something like 12 hours on an AA cell ("high" power configuration which is the 2nd lowest of 4 levels available) so I think it's an excellent choice for a non-flashaholic gift. Its lack of a lanyard hole is more forgiveable than the pocket Matterhorn since it's really too large to be a keychain light.

 

[parnass]

I have several Arc AAA-P and Peak Matterhorn variants.

My favorite AAA lights are the Arc AAA-P DS and the Peak LED Solutions 3-LED HP Matterhorn in stainless steel lug body, shown below.

The Arc AAA-P DS has much larger spill, but the Peak's snow LEDs are considerably whiter than the somewhat bluish-yellowish Arc AAA-P DS.

Both are built well in the USA, which I prefer.

 

[paulr]

I have a Peak stainless Matterhorn in the keychain style body (which I don't like at all because of its larger size, so I want to order one of the lug bodies). I agree with Parnass that the SS is beautiful and built like a tank. But, it weighs a ton. IMO, it's mainly appealing for style reasons, or for use in corrosive environments, or if you simply have to have a completely indestructible light. I believe they also made a few in titanium and maybe that's the most interesting setup of all, but I'm sure they're difficult to find by now, and cost a bundle.

 

[Crenshaw]

I have a Peak stainless Matterhorn in the keychain style body (which I don't like at all because of its larger size, so I want to order one of the lug bodies). I agree with Parnass that the SS is beautiful and built like a tank. But, it weighs a ton. IMO, it's mainly appealing for style reasons, or for use in corrosive environments, or if you simply have to have a completely indestructible light. I believe they also made a few in titanium and maybe that's the most interesting setup of all, but I'm sure they're difficult to find by now, and cost a bundle.

i might be interested if you want to get rid of it. Im a sucker for SS

Crenshaw

 

[bullterrier]

my favorite is JETBeam JET-μ but i also got Fenix L0D Q4,Peak LED Solutions Matterhorn Brass 3, ARC DS, ARC GS , Fenix E01 and LF2x.
LF2x was a disappointment to confusing to program.

So my 2 lights of choice is JETBeam JET-μ and Fenix E01:thumbsup:

 

[PhotonBoy]

Fenix L0D CE Q4. Life is full of compromises and this ranks as a good one.

 

[bltkmt]

This is where Lumapower needs to step up their efforts to correct the Avenger...I love my Incendio, and think the Avenger could be great if they fix the problems raised.

 

[paulr]

i might be interested if you want to get rid of it. Im a sucker for SS

Crenshaw

Hmm, maybe. Here's a review I did of it a while back:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/77713

 

[Al]

Microstream ... inexpensive, lensed, practical size, excellent clip, good output.

 

[GT42NV]

Man if you are buying for a gift why not just get them the KD Buckle V4? Its cheap and it breaths fire! Just got mine today actually.

I think as a gift you just cant go past it. cmon its $23 so you can afford to give gifts to many of your friends.

 

[this_is_nascar]

Microstream ... inexpensive, lensed, practical size, excellent clip, good output.

Yep, great light, however it's a terrible performer on alkalines. You need to use L92's for any decent amount of runtime.

 

[Blue72]

I'm going to advise against the Fenix L0D, Liteflux whatever, etc., basically all the higher powered lights mentioned. As This_is_nascar explains, those powerful lights don't run well on commodity alkaline cells and therefore aren't good choices for non-flashaholics........

I think Paul nailed this on the head.