Where is the perfect pocket light

[lumitoid]

I bought the l1 first, it was to stubby and short to fit in my shirt pocket(Kept falling out). Next I bought the baton light although the light was great it was simply to big and did not have a pocket clip. Then I bought a clip mate
the clip and head was to big to fit comfortably.The stylus don't look bright enough and its to long. I had a mity lite for years but it finally broke.Then I discovered LED. Wheres the perfect LED pocket light.
Thanks for any help

 

[Graham]

Well, I would say you can't go past an Arc AAA - compact, robust, waterproof, bright, and uses common AAA batteries.

Graham

 

[lumitoid]

Thanks,Does the arc aaa offer a pocket clip

 

[Graham]

It doesn't come with one, unfortunately, but the clip from a Mag Solitaire or MiniMag AAA will fit. Also, a lot of the clips which come with various pens with fit it.

Graham

 

[Unforgiven]

They don't offer a clip (yet anyway),but there are other places to find clips to fit it. (metal and plastic). The one I found works well and doesn't seem to scratch the surface, even though it is metal. It coms on the needle tip oiler from Radio Shack. Part # 64-2301A. There are also other threads on this topic that gives other suggestions for the clip. Here is one.
AAA clips

 

[Lantern Jack O.]

The Arc AAA white is my favorite. Small, tough as nails, waterproof, and 4-5 hours of good light on a single standard AAA alkaline battery.

Running a close second is the Arc AAA Turquoise. These are bright!, but they don't give you good color perception as white would.

Photon III's are very nice, and a bit smaller too. They won't keep up with the brightness of an Arc AAA for long. Their brightness drops off pretty quickly when run for very long. For short intermittent use though, they are fantastic keychain lights.

The Freelight sounds very interesting too, but I don't have one of those yet so I can't say for sure.

Note that www.1sks.com the Arc 3.1 White LE's in stock.

 

[RevJim]

Another vote for the Arc AAA. A great little light. It would even be worth the transition to carry in pants pocket (until you find the clip you want).

 

[sunspot]

I have to go along with the crowd on this one. The Freelight is nice but no constant on or clip. The Photon output falls fast and no clip. I have a Traser on my Arc-AAA so no clip needed for me. As stated before, clips are easy to find for the Arc. I always have one in my pocket 24/7.

 

[BuddTX]

I also love my ARC AAA! It is on my keychain all the time.

HOWEVER, if you want to go a little bigger, but still pocket size, check out these two lights:

Streamlight Clipmate (New product) 2.1 ounces, takes 3 AAA batteries, and "80 hour" run time (although people will say that the light will get less bright as time goes on.

It has a clip too!

Also, check out the Princeton Tec Attitude:

Takes 4 AAA batteries, 2.5 ounces, run time of "UP TO 150 Hours", 4.75 inches long. AND, the body is FLAT, not round so it would add less bulk to your pocket.

There is always the Opalec Newbeam Mini-mag AA conversion also:

EDIT - I just re-read your post, and you already tried the clip mate - sorry!

 

[Darell]

If you're just starting out in the LED world, please do yourself the favor of trying out an Arc AAA. They're like chips though... you can't stop at just one, so be warned.

 

[PocketLights.com]

Some other LED lights that that you might want to look into are the CMG Equipment Infinity Task Light, PAL Survival Light or the Tool Logic SL1 Survival light. The SL1 is a locking pocket knife that has a built-in LED flashlight and emergency whistle.

 

[r2]

If you are looking for a keychain light, the Arc AAA wins hands down. There have been many threads devoted to this topic, so a few searches may prove fruitful. I used the Photon III for a while but was frustrated with the poor battery life and the tendency to turn on in my pocket. The exposed LED tends to get scratched up, too.

I think you actually asked about a pocket light, though, which opens it up a bit more. Arc AAA is still a great choice (I'd echo Darell's comment--if you haven't tried one yet you should try it first). A new version of the infinity is due to come out "soon" which will be about the same brightness as the Arc AAA with a longer battery life (it uses a AA instead of AAA). The downside is it's a little bigger.

Of course, once you are to that size and off the keychain, the field opens up. The Arc LS with 123 battery pack is a very addictive choice. There are some factory seconds available right now (probably not for long) from the Arc website. The LS with 1AA pack is dimmer but also quite nice, although it is generally overlooked because of the 123 pack. The Arc LS is a bit fatter than the Infinity or Arc AAA, but if you are looking for a pocket light it's a compelling choice.

There are various incandescent choices, too, but I prefer LEDs at this size.

- Russ

 

[bwcaw]

I think you want a streamlight stylus. It is the best light for a shirt pocket made. It is brighter than the Arc AAA too. I carried one for about a year, and only changed the batteries once, so those AAAA batts. should not be much of a problem. However, if you want a light to put in your pants pocket, you can't beat the Arc AAA! It is very small, bright and TOUGH! I have yet to scratch the finish on my Arc AAA LE that I have been carrying for 6 months on a lanyard around my neck, and the easy to find and cheap batteries are a nice plus too. Dont't be turned off by the seemingly high price of the Arc AAA though, it is worth every penny!

 

[lumitoid]

OK everyone convienced me.I tried to order a le 3.1 yesterday from one stop knife. They were out but expect some in a week from now. Are there any beam shots compairing the le with other lights. How does it compare with the other lights I have (l1, batonlite,clipmate).
Thanks for everyones help
Trent

 

[sunspot]

I believe I saw a post that www.brightguy.com has the Arc-LE.

 

[pjenkins00]

texas tactical supply has the 3.1's too, for a good price.

 

[revolvergeek]

sunspot,

Thanks for the tip. I ordered 3 LEs yesterday!!! Now if Dale would just drive the big brown truck they might get here in time for the weekend

 

[lumitoid]

I ordered a le from bright guy.I should be set by tomorrow. Now does anyone have a mag aaa pocket clip for sale........Thanks

 

[this_is_nascar]

I ordered a couple pocket clips from Brinkmann the other day. Someone said the AAA clips with fit the AAA, so I'm going to try them and see.