Coming Soon: New single-AAA LED flashlight!

[Gransee]

Coming end of April!

Name: Arc Flashlight
-Single AAA alkaline or rechargeable
-Key chain size (shorter than a Mag Solitaire, same diameter)
-Battery life with standard alkaline is about 5 hours (continuous use)
-Step-up inverter powering a single Nichia LED
-Black anodized Aluminum with polished reflector around recessed LED
-Knurled grips
-Key ring and loop
-water proof (3 ft)
-No tools required to replace battery
-Reverse polarity protected
-10 year warranty

LED Colors: green, white, blue and red (with more colors coming later)
Availability: End of April
SRP: $25

Web site: www.arcflashlight.com

The website will be open to the public starting the first week of April and you will be able to place advanced reservations for your flashlight.

Your are invited to email me at [email protected] if you have any other questions!

Peter Gransee
Arc Flashlight, LLC

 

[Chris M.]

Interesting- sounds quite like a little baby Infinity. How bright are these going to be, compared to the Photon-II? How durable compared to the Solitaire/AAA Minimag? I`m sure we`d all like to know

Sounds good though, I can`t wait to see one.

 

[Gransee]

Chris, as the manufacturer of course we want to say, "Our light is brighter".

First, the battery for the impressive Photon costs about 4-5 dollars while the battery for the Arc costs about 45 cents. As most "flashaholics" would agree, I would rather spend my money on more lights than on more batteries.

However, the Photon is brighter when you first turn it on. But as the lithiums in the Photon settle down (about 60 seconds) the two lights are indistinguishable

. Current to the Nichia is about 45mA with a fresh alkaline.

Naturally, we are sending units to Brock and Craig for their revue.

Durability? I would have to say that the Arc is more durable than the Solitaire, the type of aluminum and the thickness used is pretty similar while the length of the Arc is shorter (~1/2 inch less) and less joints are used. That should give you some idea.

We hope to have pictures of the finished product on the web site by the second half of April. I will post to this topic when they are available.

-Peter Gransee

 

[Chris M.]

Thanks!

I completely agree- I`d much prefer to spend less on batteries which is why I like my Infinitys so much, and my Photons are normally for occassional-use that I keep on my keyring. If your new Arc light is brighter then the Infinity and smaller than a Solitaire, then count me in- I can`t wait to have one!

 

[Brock]

I am looking forward to seeing it

Is the light dimmer on rechargable batteries? Or doesn't the battery voltage matter?

Brock

 

[Gransee]

Brock,

Yes, the brightness does vary with different batteries including rechargeables.

I wouldn't recommend rechargeables for a key chain light though because of their higher "self discharge". Some rechargeables can loose over half of their charge in a matter of months. There is a chance that your battery will be dead when you most need it!

The versatile Arc will run on rechargeables though and the output from a freshly charged cell is not much dimmer than an alkaline. If you do use rechargeables, I would recommend NiMh (good) or rechargeable alkaline (better) types.

Thanks for the questions!

-Peter Gransee

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Sounding good! I'll take one. Then you can make one that runs on one AAAA cell, please, and I'll take TWO of those, thanks.

 

[Badbeams3]

Sounds great, can`t wait to see the pic`s and reviews from Craig & Brock. This is one of the lights we have been pushing for. And if it`s brighter than a Infinity...even better.

 

[The_LED_Museum]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Gransee:
Chris, as the manufacturer of course we want to say, "Our light is brighter".

Naturally, we are sending units to Brock and Craig for their revue.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I was just going to ask about this.

Guess I don't have to after all... thanks!

 

[Cyclops942]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by KenB:
Sounds great, can`t wait to see the pic`s and reviews from Craig & Brock. This is one of the lights we have been pushing for. And if it`s brighter than a Infinity...even better.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yeah! What he said!!!!

 

[Gransee]

Brock, I found some more information about rechargeables.

According to Rayovac's web site, rechargeable alkaline retain 95% of their charge after one year. That's a lot better than I had thought.

Even though rechargeable alkalines are rated at 1.5 volt, their higher internal resistance causes a higher voltage drop under load than regular alkalines. This results in a comparable brightness to 1.2volt NiMH and NiCd. At this brightness level the output of the Arc is similar to the CMG Infinity.

Short answer: Yes, rechargeables will work in the Arc although the light will be slightly dimmer and will not last as long per battery change.

In the Arc I got the following burn times:

Alkaline ~ 5 hrs
650mAh NiMH ~ 3 hrs
Rechargeable alkaline ~ 4 hrs

Please note that Rechargeable alkalines are only good for a couple of dozen cycles.

-Peter Gransee

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Sounds great. The Infinity is a little too bulky to carry in pants pocket at work. This smaller size is just what I'm looking for. Can't wait to see some pictures! 5 hours on standard AAA a real plus. I think I'll need one of these lights too.

 

[vcal]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Brad:
Sounds great. The Infinity is a little too bulky to carry in pants pocket at work. This smaller size is just what I'm looking for. Can't wait to see some pictures! 5 hours on standard AAA a real plus. I think I'll need one of these lights too.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Second that!

 

[Gransee]

As promised, the web site is now up and runnning. You may read about the Arc flashlight (sorry, no pictures yet) and put your name on the list to get one of the first batch.

To reserve your flashlight, simply click on the "buy now" button and follow the link.

We are still on schedule to ship for the second half of April.

Peter Gransee

 

[Chris M.]

I just tried filing in the request form but got the message "we don`t accept orders from your location". Will you be offering the light for sale overseas (UK) in the future sometime?

 

[Gransee]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chris Millinship:
I just tried filing in the request form but got the message "we don`t accept orders from your location". Will you be offering the light for sale overseas (UK) in the future sometime?

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Chris! Sorry about that. It should work now and yes, we will be shipping overseas.

Thanks for spotting that.

-Peter Gransee

 

[Gransee]

Here's a sneak peek of an unfinished Arc next to a Solitaire. The final finish will be black anodized.

 

[Brock]

I can't wait to see one in person, looks pretty nice

Any date as to when Craig and I will see one?

Brock

 

[RonM]

I want! I want!

Very nice. Will it have something on the back to attach a keyring or lanyard?

Can't wait.
RonM

 

[Gransee]

Brock,

We're still on schedule for the second half of April. As you can see from the photo, the machining and the electronics are done and the next step is the anodizing. There will be a few more steps after that and then you and Craig will get the first units, "off the line". At the same time your units are shipped, people with reservations will get an email giving them an opportunity to place an order.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by RonM:
Very nice. Will it have something on the back to attach a keyring or lanyard?
RonM<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ron, You bet! You can't see it in that pic but there is a big lug on the end for attaching anything you want.