trouble deciding which arc aaa to buy

[dmatic]

after my maglite 2 aa broke down i decided to search for a flashlight that has the durability of a tank, one that will never fail me, and i have found the perfect one. now the question is, which arc, i am seriously considering buying the original arc aaa due to it being better quality and durability than the new gs, i would buy the gs in a heartbeat had i not heard so many stuff going wrong with it. basically the arc aaa i want is the most durable and reliable and i dont want to compromise durability with a brighter light, so original arc aaa? or Arc aaa gs? also what are good dealers to buy from, or should i buy from arc.


yes i have searched the site for threads already posted

 

[Flying Turtle]

Welcome to CPF, dmatic. Durability should be the same with any Arc AAA, and that's excellent. I only have an ancient one (2003 vintage), but it's still going strong. My only reservation about a newer GS might be the life of the LED, but in reality you're probably never going to come close to it's lifetime. I'd buy it from Peter at Arc. If there's a problem he'll make it right.

Geoff

 

[dmatic]

is theled still sticking out past the head or is it just like a regular arc aaa

 

[dmatic]

is the gs led still sticking past the head, what about the o ring is it stable like the original aaa

 

[dmatic]

srry double post when i checked if it the post came in there was nothing there

 

[Tranx]

Hello,

I've got an arc aaa gs (natural HA, not black) for a couple of months now and am very happy with it.

With the first GS arcs there were problems reported on CPF about protruding leds, and o-rings, and the natural HA. It made me doubt about buying one. Prior to buying the arc I sent a couple of e-mails to arc with questions about the problems, if they were resolved. It was nice dealing with them. BUT! just have some patience when mailing with them. It took 1 to 2 weeks for receiving an answer.

Those production problems should be solved as far as I know.

At least the GS I received was totally OK. Only problem was that it turned on and off a little difficult. A little bit of silicone spray solved the problem.

I carry it in my pocket and frequently use it with no problems. I must say that I am not abusing the light, so I didn't test how bomb-proof it is. (total price including shipping one arc to europe is quite steep, so I am not inclined to abuse it). I wish I ordered 2 at the time.

I did go swimming with it several times with no problems at all (no leaks or other problems).

To sum it: I am happy with this reliable "always carry light".

PS: I am a "apprentice flashaholic". The arc aaa GS is my first CPF-light. I have some petzl lights, one pelican, several no-name, maglite solitaire. I plan on buying a fenix LD01 for when needing more light, but the arc will be my always with me light.

greetings
and good decisions
Vince

 

[dmatic]

but is the cs more durable than the gs? are all the arc aaas made in the same factory as the original bs?

 

[Flying Turtle]

I'm pretty sure there have been some changes in the location of manufacture since the early BS varieties like mine. Maybe two or three. I'm sure someone elso knows for sure.

Geoff

 

[kitelights]

but is the cs more durable than the gs? are all the arc aaas made in the same factory as the original bs?

Your questions would require posting the history of ARC, which is available if you'll do a search for it.

The 'original' ARC company used different vendors to produce parts and assembled them in house. The present ARC company (completely different) does the machining and assembly in house. They still use vendors for things like boards and anodizing.

The 'issues' with the original GS have been resolved. I just read that the GS will soon completely replace the DS. Durability isn't an issue, although the last 3-4 generations have eliminated some potential problems as they evolved. Small improvements have been continuous, so I guess you could say that the current offering is the best one yet.

You've got a 30 day no questions asked return policy and a lifetime replacement warranty. How can you go wrong with that?

 

[dmatic]

can i get a cs and gs comparison recieved very recently?

 

[paulr]

The Arc AAA's are well-made lights and the production problems of the early GS units seem to have been sorted out, and the CS and GS should be about the same in durability. Remember though that any light ever made is capable of failure, especially lights containing complex electronic circuits with inductors (this includes all 1.5 volt-powered LED lights no matter who makes them). If you're doing something (e.g. caving) where illumination failure is absolutely not an option, then you need a backup light, there is no way around it, it's irrelevant how rugged your primary light is. Which brings us to the CPF motto of choosing between two lights: "buy both".

 

[dmatic]

soon to be set with my 2 main lights, just ordered a surefire g2 led and now saving up for the arc aaa led, arc for long run time, and g2 led when i need something real bright.

 

[MKLight]

dmatic - have you ordered/received your Arc yet? Has it met your anticipation and requirements?

 

[Haz]

At twice the output, i personally will go for the GS. The form factor of the ArcAAA is the one of the smallest available AAA lights, if not the smallest.
Of course, you can go for the Titanium ArcAAA as well, if you want something more exotic.