Arc LS

[recercare]

I have been reading about the Arc LS, which seems like an extraordinary light. However, almost 100$ (2AA powerpack) for a 1-led light!?!? I know it's a bright led, and the flashlight do have many nice features, but still....geee!

Maybe my opinion would be different if i owned the Arc AAA

 

[Quickbeam]

To be honest, you're not the only one with doubts.

However, Peter's work makes his lights clearly superior to any other light in it's class.

Now, I know I'll be branded a "heretic" for this, but I bought the Arc LE, and although it is a GREAT light and it gets a 5 Star rating on my site, I prefer the Photon 2 for an everyday carry LED.

In everyday use, the Photon is just plain smaller and more convenient for me to use with the momentary on switch. I can get it on faster when I need it. But then, I don't use it in constant on mode hardly at all, so this light "fit's the bill" for me. The Arc now sits in a drawer with it's battery removed.

I can see the Arc working very well for people who need a small, close range, full-size-flashlight replacement. So I guess it just comes down to what you need and how you use it.

I suspect the same will apply for the Arc LS.

(P.S., Before anyone asks, no my Arc is not for sale! I said I don't use it, not that I don't just love the little bugger to death!

)

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Well theres always plenty o people out there with disposable income who want the lastest cool gadget. I think its the allure of having something that fits in the palm of your hand which purportedly has the power of a 7 or 8 LED light. Very high cool factor. I want one too

As far as the ARC LE. It bothered me at first that I couldnt switch it on as quickly as a photon but after a bit of practice I can twist it on with my thumb and forefinger pretty easily. When I want continuous light it absolutely cant be beat because it maintains its intensity much better than a photon and its so easy to pop in another AAA when you need more juice. I love it.

 

[vcal]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Quickbeam:
To be honest, you're not the only one with doubts.

Now, I know I'll be branded a "heretic" for this, but I bought the Arc LE, and although it is a GREAT light and it gets a 5 Star rating on my site, I prefer the Photon 2 for an everyday carry LED.
In everyday use, the Photon is just plain smaller and more convenient for me to use with the momentary on switch. I can get it on faster when I need it. But then, I don't use it in constant on mode hardly at all, so this light "fit's the bill" for me. The Arc now sits in a drawer with it's battery removed.

I can see the Arc working very well for people who need a small, close range, full-size-flashlight replacement. So I guess it just comes down to what you need and how you use it.
(P.S., Before anyone asks, no my Arc is not for sale! I said I don't use it, not that I don't just love the little bugger to death!

)<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'm pretty much the same on 3 (personal) keyring lights.
1. Photon II-just dissappears on ring.(and sentimental favorite).
2. Pelican L1-(spec.optics) by far strongest output (except for my UKE-2AAA and quickest tail button-"on".
3. Arc-LE Just great little light.(to use on my unlit

PDA screen).
I've just given up on deciding my favorite one, so I just carry 'em all

 

[sunspot]

"heretic" He's a witch, burn him. I was thinking of running Stingmon out of town on a rail but he'd might like the free trip with four guys carrying him. "Wait, turn over there, I want to stop for a Coke. Damn it, can't you guys see which way I'm pointing my green laser?"

 

[recercare]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by EmmetFitzhume:
I think its the allure of having something that fits in the palm of your hand which purportedly has the power of a 7 or 8 LED light. Very high cool factor. I want one too

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hmm...so the Arc LS is equal in brightness to C.C expedition 300??

 

[Brock]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by recercare:
Hmm...so the Arc LS is equal in brightness to C.C expedition 300??<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yup, it is very close to the expedition 1400.

 

[Chris M.]

The Arc now sits in a drawer with it's battery removed.

I`m shocked! Consign the mighty Arc to such a fate? Call yerself a reviewer?!

(just kidding! It`s to keep it in perfect condition cos you like it so much, right?!

)


Ok....you`ve actually completed 11 reviews so that`s 9 more than me....(embarassed, goes back to HTML editor with a can of beer in one hand and the mouse int`other)

 

[recercare]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Brock:
Yup, it is very close to the expedition 1400.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

How is this possible. Are they overdriving the LED?

 

[Gransee]

Hi Recercare!

The Arc-LS uses a new LED from Lumileds called the Luxeon Star. So far, the Arc-LS is the only flashlight made for it right now (I am sure we will see many others in time

). The LS LED is several times larger and can handle much more current than the LEDs used in other LED flashlights. That is why one LS LED outputs about 10 times what a normal 5mm LED does.

Basically an "apples and oranges" type deal.

Peter Gransee

 

[recercare]

Thank you for the info. I have just visited Luxeon's website, and got a bit confused when reading about the "star" leds. The redcolored led has very high lumen output. I thought Cyan and Amber was much more bright than Red?

 

[Badbeams3]

Now Recercare, shame on you

You need to read up on the Arc posts. Most Lights use the Nichia bulbs. The Arc will be the first to use the new Luxan Star type led. And actually it will be a little underdriven duo in part to it`s tendancy to overheat.

I think everyone will agree it`s a high price...even Gransee...but I have come to trust him, and believe the price needs to be where it is to cover the large outlay of money he has had to put out. And make a profit. Some day perhaps the Arc co will be bigger and will have more to spend on research and development without the extreme risk he`s taking now.

The Arc LS will be the cutting edge technology in led lighting right now...it will be the one to beat...and someone will...maybe in price...maybe in features...but the Arc quality will still be number one. If you are willing to wait I`m sure you will someday find a led light useing the LS at Wallyworld for under thirty bucks...are you willing to wait? If not get your wallet out and stand in line with the rest of us.

 

[Gransee]

Recercare, another good question. If I may...

Yes, red and redish-orange parts produce more lumens than any other color (for now). But the eye is less sensitive to red. Whereas the cyan and amber appear brighter to the average eye.

Btw, those specs are good to reference since they are the quite close to the specs for the Arc-LS flashlights. This is because, depending on the pack, we run the part close to the recommended current and also use the stock lens.

Some things to notice in the specs. Look at the beam angle versus the candlepower rating. The tighter (smaller) the beam angle, the higher the CP will be for a fixed amount of lumens. Notice how the high dome parts produce more lumens than any other part yet have a lower CP rating. This is caused by the fact the beam is wider.

Peter Gransee

Btw, I noticed Ken B posted the same time I did and beat me to it.

Ken, all the packs either underdrive or run the LED right at its specs. However we have found with 2AA lithiums, the LS can in fact be slightly overdriven. As you pointed out, it also makes a nice hand warmer in that configuration.

 

[recercare]

If eye sensitivity is that important, then it's quite strange that they don't calculate this difference in the spesification tables.

When comparing flashlights with white color I understand the importance of lumen. However, if 1 lumen red is different from 1 lumen white.....then these tables are pointless unless they have a column which states the actual brightness for the humen eye, or some kind of table that converts the difference between lumen and "actual lumen for the humen eye".

Another thought: The Surefire M6 and UK Light Cannon have almost the same lumen (500 and 450) output. But considering that the UK is a HID it would be brighter than M6 due to the color...right?

 

[Gransee]

You would think the lumen scale is corrected for the human eye. I honestly don't know on this and factual data is hard to find on this area.

In this case, I rely on my own "real world" subjective tests. The cyan seems to be the brightest or at least the most effective at causing "retina burn". The red does look suprisingly bright, but just not the same as the cyan, blue or amber. The blue seems to throw about as far as the cyan but makes details seem noticably blurry to my vision. The amber is easy on the eyes and is a good choice but doesn't seem as bright as the cyan. To my eyes, the cyan seems to be a light green in tint. It may also be the batch that we got from lumileds. The green part number is pretty close to the cyan in tint but slightly darker and noticably dimmer.

Chris M. I think has all the LS colors so he might want to share his thoughts on them as well. He also posted a nice series of pictures comparing them to each other.

Peter Gransee

 

[vcal]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Gransee:
You would think the lumen scale is corrected for the human eye. I honestly don't know on this and factual data is hard to find on this area.

In this case, I rely on my own "real world" subjective tests. The cyan seems to be the brightest or at least the most effective at causing "retina burn". The red does look suprisingly bright, but just not the same as the cyan, blue or amber. The blue seems to throw about as far as the cyan but makes details seem noticably blurry to my vision. The amber is easy on the eyes and is a good choice but doesn't seem as bright as the cyan. To my eyes, the cyan seems to be a light green in tint. It may also be the batch that we got from lumileds. The green part number is pretty close to the cyan in tint but slightly darker and noticably dimmer
Peter Gransee<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Mr. G;
What would be your personal preference between the White and the Amber??

 

[Gransee]

This could change as I play with them more, but right now I personally prefer the white over the amber. Before I saw them both side by side, I preffered the amber because of its better specs.

If you only own one, I would definately recommend the white LED. If you have more than one, you might want to try out the cyan, amber and other colors. Their application is more limited but they make up for it in sheer brightness.

Peter

 

[recercare]

What is Arc-LS' run time using the 2AA litiums or alkalines?

In the luxeon star's spesification table I read that the leds have 10 degrees beam angle with the PMMA optics (star /O). Does the Arc LS have the same beam angle or are you making your own optics to narrow the beam?

 

[Gransee]

Yes, we use the stock optics so the beam angle is the same.

Run time with 2AA lithium is about 4-5 hours of sun mode. Check out Craig Johnson's preview of the Arc-LS.

Peter Gransee

 

[Doug]

Peter,

I take it the "high dome" is what is used in the Arc-LS? What IS the beam angle on the Arc-LS?

To the reviewers out there, what is the beam angle on lights, like the Expedition 300? Thanks.

Doug

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Gransee:
... Notice how the high dome parts produce more lumens than any other part yet have a lower CP rating. This is caused by the fact the beam is wider... <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>