small - CMG Infinity vs Ultra vs Sonic

[ps56k]

I currently have a X-light coin light on my keychain,
and am looking for comments on swapping to a CMG Infinity, the CMG Infinity Ultra, or the CMG Sonic...

 

[Echo63]

just my .02 but the infinity is a little too dim unless you really need a long running light - the infinity ultra is pretty bright for a single 5mm led (about the same as what you have now i guess)
i used to edc a ultra on my keys for ages, it now rides loose in my jacket pocket
i have no experience with the sonics

 

[gorlank]

Of the three the Sonic is the only one I'd call a keychain light. The Infinity's are pretty thick to be put on a keychain. I have an old style Sonic that has the led recessed, have read in the new Gerber ones the led protrudes a bit. Light output is good but not quite as bright as the Arc AAA.

BTW, Peak makes a AAA prototype in brass for $19.95 in their discontinued section that might be a nice alternative. Mine are on the way, so I can do a quick review once I get my hands on one.

 

[Mags]

Nothing can Match the Arc AAA. I never owned one, but as far as key chain lights go, that is the best one EVER. Wish I have one /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif. I was really looking forward to my first Arc so you can imagine what I went through when I read a thread saying Arc was going out of business....

 

[greenlight]

Get them all already!

 

[UnknownVT]

[ QUOTE ]
ps56k said:I currently have a X-light coin light on my keychain, and am looking for comments on swapping to a CMG Infinity, the CMG Infinity Ultra, or the CMG Sonic...

[/ QUOTE ]

Of the lights you named I like the Ultra-G version from CountyComm best.

However having said that I think the Ultra-G is WAY too big for my keyring - of course YMMV.

I used to EDC the Ultra-G but in my "other" pocket - but I still kept a Photon yellow on the keyring - just because it was so small and almost-not-there.

I currently EDC the Dorcy 1AAA - easily available at local WalMart at under $6 - it may be a lottery to get a good one - but they are mostly good, judging from the enthusiasm here -

Please see:
Dorcy 1AAA #2 (vs ArcAAA vs Ultra-G vs Dorcy #1)

 

[MikeLip]

Maybe a Streamlight Keymate. I have both an Arc AAA and a Streamlight Keymate on my keychain, an Infinity Ultra in my pocket, and the Streamlight is brighter than the others, and extremely well made. Not quite nuclear-war resistant like the Infinty (which has gone through the wash cycle more than once with no problem), but still very, very nice. You won't get the runtime liek you will out of a AA or AAA battery, but you WILL get a lot of light out of it!

 

[bhds]

The infinities are waaaaay too big to hang on a keychain for most people. please note that "most" is not the same as "all" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif The sonic is much smaller and cheap but the output is very dim and blue. My preference would be to spend a little extra and get a peak aaa or n cell with a snow white led "ultra" hi power

 

[cratz2]

Hrmm... of the lights listed, I like the Ultra or Ultra G if you prefer. The nice large smooth spillbeam is what wins it for me. In a completely dark room, the Ultra does a very nice job of lighting up a very large portion of it. The ARC AAA is equally nice, if having ever so slightly less total output. As others have said, the Ultra is a bit large for keyring use... At least a bit too large for my keyring.

And the Dorcy AAA will be 95% as good as either in 95% of tasks. But certainly isn't as 'nice' as either the Ultra or the ARC. But in the real world, you're looking at $6 for the Dorcy vs $18-ish for the Ultra vs Lord knows how much for the ARC.

 

[Niteowl]

[ QUOTE ]
gorlank said:BTW, Peak makes a AAA prototype in brass for $19.95 in their discontinued section that might be a nice alternative. Mine are on the way, so I can do a quick review once I get my hands on one.

[/ QUOTE ]

Worth looking into. I've got one in white/standard that I'm happy with. Not a lot of spill, but does the job. The brass is a little heavy, looks sharp. It's got the Arc AAA body style. Look here. Not bad for $20.

Mark

 

[ACMarina]

For keychain I'd take the peak over the Ultra-G, but I like the Ultra-G better for pocket use. How small do you want??

 

[Sub_Umbra]

I think that the Ultra-G is the 'Best of Breed'.

I use old Infinities with green LEDs more than any other light in this class. The green ones are all about 70% brighter than the white Infinities, which puts them very close to the Ultras in brightness -- except that they run 40 hours. 7:] In any comparison the green Infinities will smoke the white ones -- except tasks which require color recognition.

I don't like the ergonomics of the Sonic.

I think that they're all too big for keyrings.

 

[ACMarina]

I don't think the Sonic is too big, but it's no Peak to be sure. .

 

[Codeman]

I'll second the SL Keymate. For the size & price, it's a great light with an amazing amount of light for such a small package. Still, I'll probably use my Ultra G more simply because I can feed it used batteries from other devices. For my use, though, it's not a keychain-sized light.

Another possibility you might want to consider is a Coast Fisherman's Mini Flex Light (model FT7578CP). It puts out about the same amount of light that the Keymate does, but in a nice, diffuse beam with no hotspot. From about 6-8 ft, the beam is about 4 ft in diameter. It's the most uniform beam I have, except for my Surefires.

 

[Big_Ed]

I think the Infinty, and the Ultra G are too big for most people's keyrings, but it certainly is doable. The Sonic is a good fit. The Ultra G is a great light to just throw in your pocket. It's built like a tank, and will run for several days straight. I just ran one for over 6 days with useful output. Heck, I even took a AA out of a MiniMag that was so dead it wouldn't even make the filament glow at all, and got 12 hours of useful light in an Ultra. Simply awesome. It's too bad the Sonic wasn't designed to be just a smaller, AAA version of the Ultra, with the same looks and everything. It would be as good or even better than an Arc AAA, in my opinion.

 

[Codeman]

[ QUOTE ]
Big_Ed said:
It's too bad the Sonic wasn't designed to be just a smaller, AAA version of the Ultra, with the same looks and everything. It would be as good or even better than an Arc AAA, in my opinion.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've never seen an Arc AAA, but the notion of a AAA version of the Ultra would get my money. Or now that they are becoming a little more available, a AAAA version of the Ultra!

 

[bhds]

[ QUOTE ]
Big_Ed said:
It's too bad the Sonic wasn't designed to be just a smaller, AAA version of the Ultra, with the same looks and everything. It would be as good or even better than an Arc AAA, in my opinion.

[/ QUOTE ]

Couldnt agree more. Amazing that cmg never thought of that. The Ultra has a very nice and smooth flood beam and built like a tank. The best in its class. The Sonic... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

 

[paulr]

Gerber has recently redesigned the Ultra to be sort of a bigger version of the Sonic. The Sonic had some problem that the new Ultra might or might not have. Some people like the new Ultra while others think Gerber took a good light and meed it up. I don't have a new one yet so will reserve judgement.

The closest thing to the Arc AAA right now is the Peak LED 1AAA lights. Those have similar machining but inferior electronics. Peak has shown more willingness to try things out than Arc had, and more ability to implement and ship different models of lights, so maybe they will upgrade their electronics sooner or later.

 

[gorlank]

I think the Ultra G is one of the handiest lights around, just a little thick for pocket carry. I'd get a couple just to stash in a backpack or glove compartment. Superb stocking stuffer as well.

 

[Sub_Umbra]

I often carry an Ultra-G in a belt pouch. People fall in love with them when they see/handle/play with them. These will be missed when they are gone.