This is the history as I have it published on most of my Arc web pages:
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The Arc Company of Tempe, Arizona was started in May of 2001 by Peter Gransee.
This is a very rare prototype Arc LS; only three are known to exist on the face of the planet.
Peter has one, I have one, and Chris M. in the UK has one.
The original 'First Run's or 'Rev1's
First announced in June 2001.
This was the first flashlight on the market using a Luxeon Star Low Dome LED.
Also called 'LS1 rev1'.
These have the laser engraving "First Run" and have a 2 piece body (bezel and body secured with Loctite).
Fatter than the current "one piece body". 123 tailcap is fat too.
Came with 123, 1AA, 2AA 'twisty' battery packs. The 1AA was slimmed down later.
ver 0.9
First shipped in December of 2001. Voltage regulated.
Low Dome Luxeon
Retainer optimized for the AA pack.
ARC offered an upgrade to Ver1.0 or a 30$ coupon.
Available in 6 colors White, Cyan, Green, Blue, Red, Amber (and ??2 Orangish Red and Royal Blue ???)
[CCW from front row left, orange/red, blue, red, cyan, amber, green, white]
ver 1.0
March 2002
Redesigned battery retainer
Raised knurling plain
New threads
Improved manufacturing standards
Retainer optimized for AA and 123
New NX05 optics
"Factory Seconds" are announced</b> March 2002
ver 1.1 ?? 2002
123 guide chamfer added to solve 123 crushing problem
ver 1.2 Jul 2002
Retainer optimized for 123 cell
Cleaner HA
Rev 1s have a flat gold positive contact. Later versions have a raised 'button' contact.
LS1 Rev 2 and LS2 Announced August 2002
The models engraved "LS1" are low dome, "LS2" is high dome. The LS2 was the first flashlight on the market to use the Luxeon Star High Dome LED.
Low Dome Luxeon (LS1 rev2)
High Dome Luxeon(LS2)
New one piece housing
Smaller diameter than Rev1
NX05 optics protected behind AR coated lens
New efficient heat sink
Gold raised button contact
1AA bat pack discontinued
1.4v cutoff
New PCB circuit by Dat2Zip
Current regulated
Higher output
Thermally protected
Waterproof
Pricing LS1 Rev2 $120
ver2.1 Flex washer
LS3 (5W 2x123) announced
First flashlight on the market to use the 5 Watt Luxeon Star driven at 2 Watts. Rev2 technology. 2x123 battery. Waterproof.
Kroll clickie announced
Rev 1/2 Hybrids
Announced Sep 2002 Shipped Sep 2002
These look exactly like "First Runs" or Rev1s, but have a Rev 2 heatsink and circuit(Dat2Zip). Lowdome Luxeon.
The only way to tell them apart is to look at the positive battery contact. Hybrids will have a raised button contact, Rev1s will have a flat contact.
There were 2 types of Hybrids made, a 400mA version (actually set for 330mA, mistakenly reported as 400mA), and a 500mA version (actually 400mA, mistakenly reported as 500mA). The 500 version resulted from a wrong resistor being accidentaly installed and was not intended.
The 400s have a green PCB with raised gold positive contact. The 500s have a brown PCB with raised gold positive contact.
LS2 Seconds (SLS2) start shipping Dec 2002
LS1 rev1 Announced to be discontinued Dec 2002
Twisty 123 (P-123) changed to Kroll type (TSP-123)on all models late 2002
LS3 Discontinuation announced before product ships
Small number to be offered in Jan 2003
Lineup Renamed and upgraded to ver 2.1
LS1 rev2 renamed LSL (low dome)
2 grades
LSL aka LSL-S : standard
Low Dome LED with M-N Flux and 3-4 Tint. $120 Retail
LSL-P : premium
Premium version of LSL with P-Q Flux and 3-4 Tint for a brighter beam. $150 Retail
LS2 renamed LSH (high dome)
2 grades
LSH aka LSH-S : standard
High Dome LED with M-N Flux and 3-4 Tint for a more focused and whiter beam. $130 Retail
LSH-P : premium
Premium version of LSH with P-Q Flux and 3-4 Tint for a brighter beam. $160 Retail
Dimensions on all LSL & LSH variations are 3.2" long x .95" diameter and 2.2 ounces with TSP123.
Note: "Second" quality versions (w/o warranty, sold at a discount) are sometimes described by an "S" before the model (ie: Arc SLS)
LSHF-P Announced June 2003. Becomes available in Fall 2003.
Special Edition Arc LSH-P w/Tight Focus Beam High Dome Luxeon LED. Premium built with P or Q flux Luxeon only. Includes TSP-123. Independently tested to produce 22-26 Lumens regulated. This Special Edition design appears the same as the top of the line LSH-P on the outside, but inside uses the "Fraen Low Profile" optic to produce a more tightly focused beam but with less spill. The difference is clearly visible, producing 745 lux vs 614 lux at 3 feet. $160 Retail
The earlier batch had the same engraving as a normal LSH-P, later units had LSHF-P laser engraved.
LS3 Approx 3 dozen units offered Sep 2003
Arc4 (LS4) start shipping Feb 2004
Arc4 Forensic Kit offered
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