ARC P AAA First Impression

Just bought a ARC P AAA yesterday and I have mixed feelings!

First off, I can see why this light has a strong following. That said, I do have a few concerns.

Pros:
- Fit & finish of this light is very good.
- Fine knurling and HAlll coating is nice.
- One hand twisty operation works great.
- Beam shape is nice.
- Claimed Run Time

Cons:
- Blue tint. (I knew this prior to purchase)
- Wimpy cheap ball point pen clip is not a match to the rest of the build.
- Brightness is a little weak. (Still have to use it more to conclude this)
- Keychain hole seems to thin at it's thinest point .020

So... with all due respect. The question I have: Is this a well made AAA light with great industrial design (except that keychain hole issue) that has the light output and beam quality of a $1.99 button cell light?

I have read and understand the philosophy of this light, but it's hard for me get excited as some of you about this light. Maybe it's one of those things that grows on you?

Although I'm not Flashaholic rated on this forum, I have a several dozen flashlights and I have been useing light as a photographer for the last 20 years.

frisco

Keep it on your keychain a while, let it grow on you It'll be there when you need it, and its so small, it'll dissapear when you don't! I've convinced my roomate to plop down 80 dollars, one for him, and one for his brother, he's very happy with his purchase. The AAA really shines when you get some quality dark, I know its hard in SF, but the Nichia CS goes a LONG way when your eyes are fully dark adapted.

-Josh

I have not had mine long, however, the 1.99 (and other price) coin cell lights have not held up for me very well. I've had about 6 or 7 in the last two years, ranging from cheap no-name lights to inova microlights ($6.99). Changing batteries in those gets expensive--I can get a 2-pack of the batteris for about $5 (they need 2 batteries at a time) or 2 single packs for about $3 each. Over the past 2 years, I've spent MORE than the purchase price of an arc on cheap keyring lights and batteries--and they do not satisfy me. The inova is the best coincell I've tried--and they keep coming on in my pocket (drains the batteries and is embarassing).

For me, the arc is the clear winner--the cheap lights are not so cheap when you add up battery replacement and failure.

If you want a different type of light, there are competitors--just be sure you know what you're getting.

Frisco, I agree with Penguin, keep the AAA on your ring, when a seriously dark situation occurs you will see the Arc will blow away any coin cell light. Like different types of cameras, a medium format is best at what it does and a point and shoot is best at what it is designed to do. In serious dark I would rather rely on an Arc than coin cell powered illumination.

On the issue of the Lanyard Lug wall an extract from the Arc FAQ. http://www.arcflashlight.com/faqs.shtml

Thickness of Lanyard Lug wall From time to time, we have people ask us if the lanyard hole on the back of the flashlight has too thin of an outer wall. They are worried that it will break or wear through in time. The hole is designed to be that distance from the rear surface and with that thin of a lip for two reasons. One is to provide enough internal room for the rivet and the other is to reduce scratches when installing the split ring. It also reduces the chance the split ring will be bent out of shape during installation.

Lug failure is highly unlikely but possible of course, but we feel that this part is reasonably designed.

Update: An engineering friend did a finite element analysis simulation on the lug and it indicated a max pressure from a split ring type load of 38.5lbs with no failure. Of course, a typical split ring will unravel before that type of load was reached but some people may find this information useful.

Click to expand...

The keychain hole is really a non-issue as it seems to hold up fine but would be covered under warranty if there was a problem.

I love my ARC-P's but there is always something on a purchase that i find a short coming. I would agree, try it out till it's 2nd nature, or as a nightstand light for lavatory visits, or to go to another room for a book you forgot to take with you.
for me the brightness is as much as a freedom 2x, without the fast batt drain,easy batt change and popular batt type, and definately better at taking abuse. My only down side is compared to my two Peaks, I think the peaks are a bit better machined, and bettter fit and finish, and the anti rattle donut mounted in the bottom is a much better placement.
None the less, the ARC is my most used 1xAAA 1XLED i own.VDG

I used to neck carry the old Arc AAA LE until the new Arc AAA- P come out. The new Arc is much brighter, and sustains that brightness for all the runtime.
The tint is not an issue; the old Arc LE had that blue rings in the beam, while the new Nichia CS have a better diffused, and brighter beam.

The size of the light is very important; in that specific mode of carry, even a fraction of inch counts. And so far, the Arc AAA P is the smallest light available.

Reliability of the Arc AAA-P is a non-issue; it turns on everytime without glitches. Also, as opposite to all other 1.5 V lights on the market, the Arc AAA-P keeps the LED on - even when the voltage of the battery drops below 0.8 Volt.

I tried to neck carry a Fenix L0P. Its the higher mass and length can be beared, and the higher brightness is nice, but I found myself with a drained battery most of the time.
So, for that mode of carry (as last-chance light) the Arc AAA P is still the best compromise of size, brightness, runtime and reliability.
If there is a modification to the Arc AAA that I would like to see from Peter, is a two-stage mod, similar to the MM of the LOP; but only if doesn't affect the 100% reliability of the light.

The new Peak Pacific, due to its new "smart" power supply, may be the best trade-off for runtime and brightness using a Luxeon. I don't see, however, how I could neck-carry the Pacific.

Anthony

Well about 10 days now...... I gotta say..... I really like it now..... for some reason it wasn't till a couple of days ago when I put a Energizer Lithium into it that I realized I have become very fond of my new ARC AAA P. The Lithium is a tad brighter than the Copper Top and a bit lighter. I've been doing the Neck Carry thing with it and find it very handy for daily use!

I recently got one as well and I have to say that I'm well pleased with it. I own 4 of the older Arc AAAs, 2 whites, a green and a red. The green is incredibly bright, painfully so in fact, but color isn't much use for day-to-day and the old whites just aren't bright enough for an EDC.

The new model though is satisfactory in just about every way for a daily carry light. Great run time, excellent brightness and traditional Arc quality make this an unbeatable package. This is the first white Arc I've owned that I feel is fully suitable as an EDC.

I also own the Finix L0P along with just about every other single AAA light available, and in the final comparison, the Arc comes out on top. The Finix, easily the brightest single AAA out there at the moment, does beat the Arc in brightness and throw, but after carrying the Finix for a month and using it daily, I've gotten used to packing extra batteries; long run time isn't its forte.

The Arc is not as bright as the Finix L0P with a fresh battery, but the two are pretty much head-to-head brightness wise after maybe 15 minutes and the Arc beats it at the 1 hour mark by quite a margin. I am also pleased with the beam color, there's very little blue and almost no artifacts.

Well done ARC! – A really good product, my older Arc light pretty much sit on the shelf, this one won't.

Traveling with an arc AAAP

I've been on a few trips lately, have another one this weekend. The arc is awesome. I use it to check the kids and navigate the hotel room at night. Perfect. A bit bright for checking the kids but that's ok.

Just got back from Disney with the arc--wonderful for reading maps at night!

Once you've held, carried and used an ARC for a long period of time, you get to realize why people are big fans. There is no one magic area where they are the best... but you'll grow to count on it like you do any other tool. It's flawlessly designed and always ready when you need it. After various ARCs over several years, I've yet to have a problem. I can't say that for any other purchase I've made.

Removed

Removed

Removed

I frequently blind my First Officer as a joke (ok....we're at cruising altitude with the autopilot driving) and it's always been received well. Actually, when I least expect it they blind me back, but with some inferior incand. It's all good fun!!!

...................OoooooooooooKkkkkkkkkkkkkkkay........................well......at least you guys aren't doing shots up there!

Mine has a bluish center with a yellowish/brownish side spill. Its a characteristic of a Nichia led so there's nothing wrong.

Mine has a light blueish tint to it. You notice it from time to time but it doesn't bother me. When I mess around with my Maglight it all seems orange in comparison. Humm. Whatever.

Still, I'd like a 5W Lux that runs off a C battery or two. Man that'd be a nice little toughie, provided we get good run time (which seems almost laughable)...

@ mridude:

We all gotta have some fun, ya know? Just like mechanics making jokes about horn temperature switches, belt buckles, radiator covers, oil bypass kits, etc.... :lolsign:

GopherthefunhelpsroundouttheworkGopher

...........like when I scan somebody who tells me they've never had surgery.....and I see all kinds of hardware in the scans....and I ask them how long it's been since they've been taken to the mother ship....kinda like that?

BeamJunkie said:

Holy Cow!!!! This world.wide.web is smaller than I thought. What's up Winged Brother. We need to buddy bid next month so we can compare beam patterns on the winglets at FL230 on a dark starry night. My many pocket torches do a better job of identify ice on the wings (like we have that problem in Florida) than the installed FAA certified ice lights. If only the customers knew what we we're doing in the cockpit!

Raleigh it's nice to know there are "others" that will waste a perfectly good Saturday browsing CPF for Entertainment. Got Popcorn?

See you at Work!

Click to expand...

Now the customers do know what you and the rest of the Gulfstream cretins are doing in the cockpit. Gulfstream and and Pinnacle (dba Northwest airlink) are two airlines that my family will never ride on. Check out Pinnacle flight 3701. http://www.ntsb.gov/Events/2005/Pinnacle/default.htm
Both pilots were from Gulfstream.

To keep this sort of on-topic.....
I edc the ARC AAA (old style) on my lanyard alongside my FAA ID's. I have one of the new AAA premiums on my keychain. They are both great lights. The older one is a bit prone to flickering.