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Without a doubt, this issue should have been revealed to the public by Arc before they sold ANY cosmetically defective lights, whether Premium, First, or Second. The customer should know what to expect before they buy. The fact that the issue was kept hidden, is DISHONESTY, plain and simple, cut-and-dried.
People who are not happy with cosmetic defects can return their lights, but they should be made aware that if they purchase a replacement, they will get the same poor quality.
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I think the line looks like horse manure, but OTOH its NOT the end of the world. I could live with those lines on a "second" light--priced in the $50 range. A first (in which you pay over $100 usually) should be as cosmetically perfect as possible. Slight variations in HA tint is one thing (I wouldn't complain at all for normal HA variations), but an ugly as heck huge black line that stands out like a sore thumb is another.
I don't think Arc is dishonest, I think they just are use to customers that are easy to please. Customers that have higher expectations (i.e. wouldn't be happy with obvious QC flaws) for a product that sells for $100 plus seem to be the minority.
Arc is a great company, but how can you blame them for making these firsts when the *majority* of buyers are satisfied with obvious major cosmetic flaws.
Yes, I do think function should go before cosmetics, but for the price of an Arc it seems reasonable to expect both. Arc, the company IMO is very honest and has great customer service. But, until buyers consistently demand cosmetic quality that reflects the price, how can anyone blame Arc for pricing those units as firsts?
Heck, my Maglites (as junky as they are in terms of beam quality) have never had such an ugly cosmetic flaw out of the box. I realize type II HA is easier to apply than type III, but still I think this says something. If a company can sell a flashlight that works and is cosmetically pleasing at around $20, is it *really* unreasonable to expect the same from a $100 plus flashlight? That doesn't mean slight HA variations can't be overlooked, but having a MAJOR and NOTICABLE series of ugly black lines is a far different matter, IMO
As always, this is just an opinion and I acknowledge that not everyone shares it, and I can be wrong. And in addition, everyone sees it differently, and IMO there is no correct way to view it.
And yes, I love Arcs flashlights. I will still buy them often. I'm not even going to return any with that black line (I don't believe in returning products that work but have cosmetic issues), but I still won't be happy if I receive one of those units. I hope this is a temporary setback in this batch, and it doesn't become a long term pattern.
