Arc-P behind the times?

[Spence]

I've owned an Arc-P for a number of years and, frankly, I don't get its' popularity. Given, it's a solid little light and very well constructed and operates flawlessly. However, I think the emitter sucks with its' mediocre blue beam. When compared to the AAA, powerhouse, Fenix LD01 with its' Q5 and three settings or even the LOD and its' 75 lumens, there's no contest. I guess my question is why can't the folks at Arc put a better LED emitter in their lights?

 

[Mdinana]

I don't know, but I bought an Arc AAA on B/S/T. Put it back for sale in 2 days. Seriously, a $50 (new) 5mm LED? What the... ?

Let's be honest. It didn't feel much better built than a Gerber light.

 

[Patriot]

They are solid little lights and I still own two of them. At this point I think owning them has a lot to do with nostalgia since they are pretty weak performers in most areas. I'm a big LOD, LDO1 fan and always have been since it was first intro'd with luxIII emitter. It's not made in China so of coarse it's going to cost more.

 

[Robocop]

I still have 4 original versions with one of them being the very cool cyan green model. I do agree much of my current facination is due to nostalgia and thinking back to the "old times" however none the less I can not part with them.

Arc recently seems to be doing much better by todays standards and finally has introduced a bombshell product by way of their new Ti version. It took several years of requests by loyal fans however finally they took a chance and each run seems to have sold out quickly.

Maybe this will be the start of the "new" Arc with improved designs to follow allowing them to better compete with the many others in the AAA size products. I may be crazy for saying however I do believe that Arc will eventually experiment with other emitters for the AAA version and much like the Ti version it will probably be sold out before they are actually offered.

These type threads seem to sometimes spin off into heated debates however I do trust that this discussion can remain on topic as well as civil. This thread did spark me to once again break out my old shelf queens in the AAA Arcs and I must agree they do seem to be a little weak as far as sheer output is concerned....they do however still have that "look" I like and still feel just as nice in the hand as they ever did.

They may be behind the times as far as total output however I do not feel they are behind the times in as far as being useful is concerned. They still work everytime and do so for a very long time on a standard alkaline cell.

 

[270winchester]

I don't know, but I bought an Arc AAA on B/S/T. Put it back for sale in 2 days. Seriously, a $50 (new) 5mm LED? What the... ?

Let's be honest. It didn't feel much better built than a Gerber light.

the price for a standard one is 30. the 50 dollar one is a pretty bright one for those who wants it.

My AAAs have been to hell and back and they still work. 30 dollars wells spent.

The fact that it's American made makes a big difference to me.

 

[csshih]

of course, the age old argument about output will ensue, but we always have to remember: brighter is not always better..

the latest and the greatest is not always what you need.

practicality above power.

 

[derfyled]

It is a perfect backup light, the kind that you keep in your backpack "in case..." But, you can now have better brightness, better runtime and a better price with a E01, so I guess those little Arc might be outdated...

 

[mikekoz]

I do not own an Arc, but have wanted to for some time. They just cost too much for what they offer. My guess is that they are built for durability and runtime, not brightness. If I was going to buy a light to do what the Arc presents, I would buy a Gerber Infinity or a Tempo. I own three Infinity's and one Tempo, and I would bet they are made just as well as the Arc, regardless of where they are made (All of my Gerber's are Chinese made except one Infinity).

Mike

 

[Blue72]

Actually I think it is still a great design.

The LDO1 and LOD are brighter, but how long do they last on high on alkalines? not very..........





The Arc is a good compromise in all aspect such as brightness, runtime, durability, fit and finish, water resistance, ability to run on dead batteries,proven track record etc.....


A light for real world usage rather than catering to the enthusiast on these boards

 

[Oddjob]

I'm not a beam fanatic but I never like the outer ring of light caused by the emitter being so far forward. I sold my 2 Arcs because I found it distracting in use. If it was just going to be a back up light I leave somewhere it would not be as much of an issue but I was using them regularly. I also sold my Mako for the same reason. The new Ti model is great with the 3mm emitter. It has a nice even flood.

 

[parnass]

I do not own an Arc, but have wanted to for some time. .... If I was going to buy a light to do what the Arc presents, I would buy a Gerber Infinity or a Tempo. I own three Infinity's and one Tempo, and I would bet they are made just as well as the Arc, ...

No disrespect intended, but as an owner of several Arc AAA-Ps, a Gerber Infinity Ultra, and former owner of a Gerber Tempo, be assured that the Arc AAA-P build quality is considerably better than the other two lights.

As a matter of fact, I returned the Tempo not long after purchase due to intermittent operation. My Infinity Ultra is much larger, dimmer, and bluer than the Arcs.

 

[kelmo]

Maybe but I still love them. These days it seems no light stays on the bleeding edge very long. They are the perfect stash light. I've got them in all my 1st aid kits with a lithium cell. They also travel well because one can find AAA cells almost anywhere.

IMHO you don't get them for the beam quality or output, you get them for their reliability and respectable runtime. You would be surprised what 3 lumens looks like in a cave. The latest variant almost rivals the output of original LS models.

I will always have Arc AAAs.

 

[Sgt. LED]

Arc needs to increase the runtime and go with a Cree 5mm.

That's all that needs done.

 

[tsask]

Arc needs to increase the runtime and go with a Cree 5mm. That's all that needs done.

I agree! The build quality is superb; hold one and you will agree.

A Cree upgrade would have me contacting Mr. Peter Granasee about a purchase.:thumbsup:

 

[kaichu dento]

I'm not a beam fanatic but I never like the outer ring of light caused by the emitter being so far forward. I sold my 2 Arcs because I found it distracting in use. If it was just going to be a back up light I leave somewhere it would not be as much of an issue but I was using them regularly. I also sold my Mako for the same reason. The new Ti model is great with the 3mm emitter. It has a nice even flood.

Evidently this problem only affected a small percentage of Arc's because it also drives me nuts and I have not had a problem with it on any of the 8 or 10 that I've acquired, although I have seen it on many other lights, very notably the Mako.

 

[lrp]

I just gave mine to a good friend, I think they are really neat lights and built well and made in the usa, which is important to me also.

 

[JB5]

I've had an ARC AAAP for a couple of years now on my keyring. It's perfect for a keyring back up light. Small light well built and always there when I need it. Recently bought and infinity and took it back the next day. Can't see how the two can be compared. The infinity is way to big for a keychain, the beam is noticably dimmer and build quality doesn't compair. Primary light...no but a great back up light.

 

[WadeF]

I don't know, but I bought an Arc AAA on B/S/T. Put it back for sale in 2 days. Seriously, a $50 (new) 5mm LED? What the... ?

Don't forget about another $5 for shipping. I have had one of the early ARC AAA's on my keychain for years. It still works, and works a little better since I gave it a good cleaning. I even went as far as to polish the LED and reflector that had some scuffs on them from all the years of carry. Still, it's dim and purple.

I do have an emotional attachment to the thing, so I plan to keep it on my keychain as long as it keeps working, which could well be the rest of my life.

I decided I wanted to get the ARC GS so I could have their latest and greatest. $55 later I got it only to have it show up with a very tilted 5mm LED and some pretty obvious HA blemishes, etc. So I had to spend more money to ship it back to ARC and close to a month later I got a new one back which is fine.

If I had to do it all again, I'd most likely pass.

If you want to see what ARC sent me for my $55:

http://picasaweb.google.com/wadefulpng/ARCGS#

That's how it arrived, it was never used by me.

Here's my original ARC that has been well carried:

http://picasaweb.google.com/wadefulpng/Arc#

 

[deusexaethera]

I used the hell out of both Arc AAA's I used to have, and the older one (which I haven't yet lost) I refitted with a modified Peak Matterhorn 3-LED head, and it's once again plenty bright. Nice tight hotspot too.

That being said, I don't like the Matterhorn battery tubes, so if I were going to buy a new light, I'd still buy just the tube from Arc and just the head from Peak, and make myself another Frankenlight.

Once I got my hands on a Fenix P1D and an Arc6, though, I knew I could never go back to the dim LEDs. Ultra-dim modes on bright LEDs are fine, but an LED that can't be bright when I need it to be bright is useless to me now.

 

[Owen]

A Cree upgrade would require a lot more machining, o-ring, window...it's not so simple, but I'd be ok with it. I could see buying an updated Arc AAA. I see it as a quality tool vs. the toys that most of the inexpensive brands strike me as.
I don't really need more output from a keychain light, or more runtime, or multiple modes. As far as I'm concerned, they got the Arc AAA right the first time. Doesn't mean I wouldn't buy something that's indeed better, though.
The newer ones are supposed to have double the output and the same runtime as my earlier version. If I were buying another keychain light today, that's what it would be, unless I got one of Fred's Killer Ti AAAs.