Why buy ARC LE?

[huh]

I am just curious why so many people buy this single LED flashlight. Don't take me wrong, I am trying to persuade me to get a LE. But given its price around $35, adding another $10 and you can have a Inova X5T, which gives brighter output and stronger construction(maybe), and it's just a little bit bigger than LE.

 

[Darell]

First off, you can save $10 or more, and just get the standard Arc AAA which is the same brightness and just as durable as the LE. Next, the AAA is quite a bit smaller and lighter than the X5. Follow that up with the cost of feeding them batteries, and you'll see that the Arc AAA has its place.

Sure there are brighter, bigger lights out there. One of the things you're paying for in the Arc is the miniaturization and the voltage step-up that allows for 1.5V power. Oh, and the more durable anodize....

Quit beating yourself up - get an Arc AAA.

Buy the X5T tomorrow.

 

[dilettante]

Are you talking about the ARC AAA LE?

If so, I think people buy them because they are small and light enough to carry every day, really bright for a single LED light of their size, and the regulation and cheap, easy to find AAAs provide a lot of useable light. See http://www.uwgb.edu/nevermab/battery.htm.

I used the search function in the LED forum before I bough mine and decided to get the regular model.

 

[huh]

hmmm, is the regular AAA as bright as the mini MAG-Lite? And is the regular also built with Type III Hard Anodize (HA) finish as the LE? If so, I think I am gona to get one.

 

[logical]

The LE is no brighter than the standard but acording to Arc it is a "whiter" LED. As for the $10 extra the way I see it I'll have this thing on my keychain for the next 5-10 years.....and for 3 or 4 pennies a week it can be something a little more special than the standard black Arc AAA. Is it "worth" $10 more...of course not but I never considered not buying the LE. Geeze I spent $10 on a few beers after work today and have nothing to show for it.

 

[MicroE]

My Arc AAA LE is in my pocket now. It almost always is. I was skeptical, once. Now I own three. It is the perfect back-up EDC. Small, uses one common AAA battery, very powerful for its size, no bulb to break or burn out, bright enough to navigate around a dark house or dark path at night.

The only real downside to the AAA is that sometimes I forget that it's in my pocket and then I have to go rescue it from the laundry. Yes, it's that small and unobtrusive.

Now, don't you feel better about buying it?

I knew you would.---Marc

 

[ramptapult]

Brighter than my arc. Brighter than my ultra, I

really like it.

 

[Darell]

huh - You just can't compare incandescent and LEDs directly. But for a data point, I find the Arc AAA to be FAR more useful than the Minimag ever was... and I used to carry a Minimag every day. Yes to the type III HA. Guess my fist post wasn't clear enough. You should watch this for my personal comparison of the Arc and the Minimag:
http://darelldd.com/led/magdrop.wmv
Then you can read about my first experiences with the light here:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=3&t=001346
(no, I don't get any kick-backs for this - thanks for asking

)

Logical - "whiter" is a subjective term. The bS1 LED is a bit greener while the bS2 LED is a bit bluer. Neither is really white, of course. The bS1 of the LE seems to be a bit closer to what incandescent users consider to be "white."

MicroE - Don't worry for a moment about the laundry. Mine have gone through countless times. Sometimes I even throw them in on purpose - they come out squeaky clean. Haven't had one fail from that treatment yet, though I think they may be scratching the epoxy coating on the laundry tank.

 

[Rothrandir]

the only differences are the color of anodize, and the tint of the led.

they are both equally bright, both equally waterproof, and both equally indestructable.

which ever aaa you think is best suited to your needs...get one...or two...or (insert number here)

 

[huh]

Wow! darell's videoclip is fantastic! I am gona to get one immediately...maybe with a second one for my wife.

 

[Carpe Diem]

I carry alot of flashlights... just because it`s fun to do, and I always enjoy being able to show them to people.

BUT, if I had to carry just one, it would be the Arc AAA LE.

Simply a great "must have" flashlight.

 

[Empath]

Moved to Arc Flashlight forum