Just ordered an Arc aaa P

Reason I bought it:
Small
Tough
Regulated

What are the bad things about this light?

Some people don't like the beam color - a bit blue in the center surrounded by a yellowish-green - looks bad on a white wall, but in the real world it's not a problem.

The "wait" to get one is a problem if you're in a hurry.

It's getting a bit "dated" with respects to the emitter and overall output - BUT - you do get a rock solid light with great run time that is practically indestructable. If I could only have one light - the ARC AAA-P would probably be it.

Like Randyo said, the beam is not the prettiest thing you will ever see. Compared to your Dorcy 1 watt (I'm goign by my cr123 version that I lost), the beam will be blueish center with a yellow/warmish sidespill.

The wait nowadays isnt that long, I had to wait 2 months. I hear they mail it out in a week or two now.

I guess you could say the emitter is dated, but considering Nichias are the best 5mm LEDs to overdrive as well as their brightness...

Bad parts? other than the beam color, aint much bad about it. Its bright, very useful and is so small on your keychain you'll never notice it. :-D

One point though, it isn't "Regulated" in CPF terms, more semi-regulated. You will NOT get the same amount of brightness and then suddenly none. Instead you will get decreasing brightness (still quite bright though), and then a rapid decline in brightness. Minor point but, eh.

The bad part about the Arc AAA-P is that I keep buying all these new lights that come on the market and still haven't found anything to replace the one flashlight that goes with me everywhere. The Arc still has the combination I like best in size, runtime, useful brightness, water resistance, durability, dependability and weight. Darn that Peter anyway!!!!

I just purchased an ArcAAA-P on B/S/T last week...I held off for a while on getting one because of all the negative things I heard about the beam tint. While YMMV when you do get yours, mine has the best tint of any Nichia CS LED light I own (...the others I have are: Inova Radiant 2XAAA, new model Inova X1, and a Tektite 1X3.7V lithium cell light modded with a Nichia CS LED). It does have the blue tinted center with the yellowish corona, but in "real" use the beam color is NOT an issue. I'd been sorta spoiled by the tint of Peak's snow LED's, but the Arc has MUCH more spill light than the Peaks. Don't get me wrong, the Peaks are some excellent lights, but I've found that I much more prefer the wider beam of the Arc. The ONLY regret that I have about buying an ArcAAA-P is that I waited so long to get one! IMHO, I think you'll be quite pleased with yours when it arrives!

PJD

I really spend a lot of time looking at my white walls from about a foot away. But when I am not fretting over the weird tint when wall watching...........................

Come on, This thing is fantastic. I use flashlights to see where I am going or to look for things that are in the dark.

Today, "true story" I am driving to a local eatery in my Mustang Mach1 with a friend in his 2002 Specter Werks limited production Corvette convertible following behind. We had just left a small car show. I received my Arc AAA-P just yesterday and was wearing it under my shirt on a neck chain. As we pulled into a couple of parking places outside the restaurant, I looked over at his car and smoke is pouring out of the hood. His car is supercharged and from the smell, I thought it was the belt which he just replaced yesterday.

Now, we parked a good 100 yards from the restaurant to protect the cars. When he opened the hood, the smoke was pouring out so bad you could not see the source of the smoke. I looked down on the side of the engine and could see an orange glow down in the smoke next to the exhaust manifold on the passenger side. He said he had the oil changed at the same time as the belt, so I was starting to think it was an oil spill that was igniting.

He started running to the restaurant to try to get some water, and at that moment the smoldering changed to small flames. I knew it would not be long before it would grow out of hand. I remembered my new "Arc" around my neck and reached for it and turned it on with one hand. I was able to see from the beam of the Arc through the smoke that there was a rag on the exhaust header and it was that which was burning. The flame was still small enough at that point that I was able to reach down and grab the end of the rag that was not burning and pull it up and out and throw it on the ground.

It was maybe 2 minutes more before he came running back out with two 32 oz drinking cups sloshing water as he came, only to find that the emergency was over. He was one relieved Vette owner. There was no damage.

While I was peering over the fender into the smoke into the beam of the Arc, I admit, it looked a little orange. But I don't think it was the light that was causing the orange tint. Were it not for the Arc, I would not have been able to see the rag and grab it. I doubt very much he would have had a car two minutes later. My friend was also so convinced of this that he swore he was going to get one to carry at all times.

By the way, I ordered my Arc last Monday and it arrived on Friday. I did select FedEx 2 day shipping though. Get at least one, you will never regret it.

I really feel sorry for the tech that changed his oil. I think someone is in for an earfull come Monday.

To sum it up, I don't think there is a thing wrong with Arc flashlights.

I carry an Arc AAA-P, a Chapstick, and a Mnandi in my front left pocket ... so light you barely notice. I use each about 5 times a day. Not to downplay how good the flashlight is, but the best thing about the Arc AAA-P is that you always have it with you.

I dont think there is anything bad about the light. I ordered two from Lighthound and got them 3 days later. One for my wife and one for myself. I love it, wonderfully functional. It is on my keychain. I use it to open the door at night since we are usually get home from work after dark. Use for lots of other things as well. The color doesnt bother me. I have lots of other lights, usually at least on Surefire or an HDS U60 XRGT in my other pocket but more and more I find myself reaching for the Arc since it is easy to grab since it is on the keys. Great light, you will be delighted (hehe!) with it.

The bottom line is that if you could have one light, you bought the right one.

Mrd 74 said:

The bottom line is that if you could have one light, you bought the right one.

Click to expand...

Amen!