How do you deploy your Arc AAA?

[PhotonBoy]

Well, I've finally ordered myself an Arc AAA and have begun to think about how to EDC and use it. I started to think: how do others already use it? What do you use to attach it to your glasses? Do you hold it in your teeth? How do you attach it to your bike helmet or hat? If you have it around your neck, what's the best? (leather?) How long is it? Have you made gadgets, clamps or devices to hold it on tables or walls or steel (magnets?) Could its design be different to make this easier? Any ideas would be appreciated. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[paulr]

Mine's on my keychain. I just use it on my keychain. I took the pocket clip off after a while. When I first got it I played around with different ways of deploying it, but now I just use it like a normal keychain light. There's just one trick I use sometimes. If I'm trying to light a keyhole to put a key in it in the dark, it's hard to point the light and the key both in the same direction, because the keyring tab is at the wrong end of the light. So instead I just point the light at my chest, and use the reflected backspill from my shirt to see where the lock is. At close distances that works fine.

Oh yes, when I put it on a table I usually want it pointing at the ceiling. I do that by just plopping it down in my wad of keys, jiggling it so that it's pointing up and surrounded by keys and the keys keep the light from falling over.

BTW, the AAA is nowhere near bright enough to use as a bike light, if you were planning to use it that way. Because a bike moves so much faster than someone walking, you need to see things further away so you can react in time. So you need a pretty bright light.

 

[Mark_van_Gorkom]

For candle mode: remove split ring (don't need it anyway), reverse clip, slide clip almost all the way off, stand on clip. For hands free use: hold between lips (don't like to chew on alu) or stick behind ear, cigarette-style. For momentary on-off: screw head allmost all the way in, till pushing back on the head will turn the light on.
For finding keyholes: use your fingers!
Adding gadgets/clamps/whatever seems to defeat the purpose of such a small light, IMHO.

 

[hideo]

omce I got over the idea of "deployment" and the "neck carry", the one I use hourly is around my neck with a teeny folding knife (Gerber Micro LST) and (just added) a P38 GI can opener with a needle and safety pin aluminum taped under the blade--just enough paracord so the three hang just below my sternum (breastbone)

for hands free use, I pull the threesome out from under my shirt, then pull just the light up which causes the other items to slide to the back of the lanyard... I put the light next to my adam's apple and the other two items hang between my shoulder blades and keep it there (counterweight)

I usually carry a brighter pocket lite, but find that when I don't and need a light or sharp edge for some stupid little task, this setup save me much cursing and work stoppage /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

my turquoise resides next to a teeny SAK on a Berkeley Point mini clip and another rests by itself next to the bed

I like the idea of putting the light behind the ear /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I have used Jakstraps as well.

for all the tweaky, ultra bright lights I own, these are the most often used.

hideo

 

[gyverpete]

I wear mine on a 1/16" nylon paracord 24/7. It's the light I use most. I carry it that because it's very difficult to lose something that is attached to you 24/7. I've tried clip-carry but I would tend to misplace it. I use it most often held in my teeth, but on occasion I'll remove it and hold it. I shrink-tubed the AAA to keep it from chewing the Photon II yellow and small SAK that also rides there 24/7, and to avoid having to bite down on aluminum.

 

[PhotonBoy]

I agree that the Arc AAA is way too small as a bike light, but I think it would fill in the dark between the the front of the bike and where the main beam pointing forward begins. It would help to avoid those small obstructions at the last millisecond.

I've seen a headband with some Velcro that you can hold a mini-M*g with, but it might be too big for the Arc.

I'm guessing that a lot of people with the lanyard around their neck hold the light between teeth and gums while making midnight sandwiches, so a neck chain would need to be long enough to do that.

Has anyone found a way to clip it to the brim of a baseball cap (perhaps with a gimbal, ala the ClipLite) so that it can be pointed as needed? How about on eyeglasses?

Now that I'm thinking about it, I seem to vaguely remember a small clamp at Radio Shack that you can hold stuff while you work on it. Might help at the desk holding the light.

 

[GearGuy]

I added a small noose (Chris Reeve Knives) style lanyard for using when off the keys. It really makes a difference if I end up using the light for extended periods. I don't have to use my bulky keys as a handle. These are great little lights!

 

[Roy]

I also keep my AAA on my key-ring. My key-ring is the type that seperates into two seperate key-rings. I keep the AAA with the car keys on one ring and the house keys on the other ring. No problem finding key hole in the dark...light in one hand and key in the other.

 

[Kentucky Rifle]

I usually put my CPF Arc on a "break-away" lanyard every time I strap myself into a plane. But, I've noticed that sometimes I put it around my neck (like right now) without thinking about it. I've also got a gray "LE" triple A that I keep in different pockets. It still has the pocket clip on it and a short lanyard (about 4 to 5 in) with a St. Jude Medal on the end. The lanyard and St. Jude makes it easier to hold in my hand. I've got a travel jacket and some vests with pockets just EVERYWHERE. So, THIS time when we go to Switzerland, I'll probably take my CPF triple A on the lanyard around my neck and my new LSH-P in the small leather pouch in my watch pocket. HUMMmmm. That reminds me. I'll have to remove the Leatherman S4 "Squirt" and the fingernail clippers from the pouch. (I guess it'll be just a little pill vial and the LSH-P.) Probably a PALight too in my "carry-on" bag. for the "strobe" feature. I'm a big believer in having LOTS of flashlights around since my night blindness got so much worse. Oh, one white Photon 2 on my keychain. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif (Just in case.)

Will

 

[tech]

At this point I keep it on a front belt loop on whatever pants I wear...using the clip.

Seems to work right now, and grey goes with everything...though the clip isn't _that_ tight...might need to do something about that....

T.

 

[PhotonBoy]

I like the lanyard idea since it allows you to carry the light in a different manner, freeing up your hand for other things.

This got me thinking and I came up with this little idea. Costs pennies to make and about 5 minutes of time using 2 cable ties and a pair of pliers:

I found the thinner ties to be more comfortable. Since nothing is around your finger, there's no restriction on movement (typing is easy). If your hand bumps into something, the light will just fall off instead of painfully yanking your finger (or worse). If the light drops to the floor, the ties stop it from rolling around.

'Scuze the beaten up old M*g Solitaire, but I'm still waiting for my new Arc AAA to arrive in the mail. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[rodmeister]

Mark, great idea, using the clip as a stand! Why didn't I think of that? Peter should make the clip band wider to ease it's use as a stand and make it a selling feature.
BTW I always detach and point the clip toward the head - that seems more natural, to point the head into the pocket.

 

[MrThompson]

While I don't have an Arc AAA yet, (will be ordering a couple next week), regarding the Sebenza lanyard, my wife and I use home made versions of this lanyard on our Sebenzas. I suspect we will do the same with the Arcs.

 

[PhotonBoy]

Using the clip as a stand for candle mode is definitely cool. I just noticed that the M*g Solitaire has a flat tail with the split ring through a double notch (see above). One wonders if that feature is patented by M*g. It would be neat to see this feature in future Arc AAAs, since you could stand the light on end without the clip (which many people remove.)

 

[Tomas]

The ring attachment on the Solitaire is almost identical to the ring attachment on the original Arc LS 123 before the Kroll switch was added ... (The original "123 Twistie")

 

[tardis]

How about this ??

 

[Penguin]

Whoa, nice Tardis..

My Arc AAA rides safely on my neck with one of TSG's Lanyards /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif They're the best!!!!

-Josh

 

[tardis]

Thanks Penguin. It's actually for a SAK Manager but the Arc fits real nice after a bit of stretching /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Frangible]

Ok, call me crazy but I don't see any point whatsoever of putting stuff on my keychain, I think it makes the keys more awkward to use, and it certainly makes whatever you attach more awkward to use.

I carry my Arc AAA and a Leatherman Micra in the watch pocket of my jeans (the small right-hand front pocket above the normal one).

 

[tsg68]

I wear mine on one of my lanyards too Josh!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I do like the lanyard wear as you can shine a light directionally and then drop it to your chest still lit for hands free illumination of something in your hands. If you like to hold it in your teeth for hands free directional illumination you can add a piece of non toxic tubing around it ( I prefer to bite down on the lanyard ring flat).

TSG /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif