Black Dorcy AAA ?

After many years of playing with the Dorcy AAA I have never seen even 1 black version and have been to every Wal-Mart around. Tonight I finally found one mixed in with about 20 of the new style. This is most likely a left over from the older style as it has a reflector.

I am curious if this black one will end up being worth more due to how rare they actually are. I am asking this as I am really wanting to mod the body however do not wish to open the package if there will never be any more like this. I have never seen the black version in the new style either and wonder why this color is so rare.

Anyone care to guess why this style is so rare and also if I should leave the package intact or tear it up like I do all my other lights....hehe

From what I've read the black ones seem to still be available with the old reflector design or something. The black ones available here use the reflector instead of optic, and I don't remember ever seeing black ones before the ones with the optic became available.

Maybe someone misplaced all of the black ones back when they were all made with the reflector and someone at Dorcy found the box somewhere and decided they needed shipped out?

The reflector version in any color is starting to become hard to find and even when they were the only style available I never saw any black ones. I wonder if the AA 3-LED version ever came in black as well.

The newer style with optic seems to be the only new stock coming out and you may be right about the black ones being lost when they were made. It seems strange that the black color is the only one that has the reflector in it as of now.

I think I will keep this one in the package for now and just try and find another one to mod.

I found this one mixed in with the newer ones also.

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=137733

:laughing:

Hey Robocop ,

Concerning your black one ............

If you live to a ripe old age of 92 , the collector value might be up to $11.87 , if you can find it in all those storage box's out in your garage of prized possesions.

I think you should mod-it , use it , and enjoy it - rather than saving it for someone elses enjoyment . Many years from now - they might not even appreciate it - due to advancements in technology .

Enjoy it while you can ......................... TMG/

.

chevrofreak said:

Maybe someone misplaced all of the black ones back when they were all made with the reflector and someone at Dorcy found the box somewhere and decided they needed shipped out?

Click to expand...

LOL ..... You might be right!

I found my black Dorcy 1AAA at the same K-Mart that I bought my blue one at. Gave the blue one (with dome lens) to my mom, went back to K-Mart to buy another one for me, found the black one, bought it, like it better than the dome-lens blue one! :thumbsup:

and to think i had a black one and put it back!

Thursday I found one more with a reflector, a red one. It was also mixed in with lots of the "magnifying lens" models.

Anyone have a gold colored one? Not my favorite color, it's just that I don't have one and haven't seen one except a pic on Quickbeam's site. I would trade an unopened red one for a gold one.

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/dorcy_aaa.htm

Ken

Ken 222 said:

Thursday I found one more with a reflector, a red one. It was also mixed in with lots of the "magnifying lens" models.

Anyone have a gold colored one? Not my favorite color, it's just that I don't have one and haven't seen one except a pic on Quickbeam's site. I would trade an unopened red one for a gold one.

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/dorcy_aaa.htm

Ken

Click to expand...

Hey Ken

Now you're a Dorcy prospector. You sure have a nose for the current rare and coveted store models. Many thanks for our "trade." I would never have found a Black Dorcy let alone a modded one 50% brighter and whiter too! I know for sure I came out ahead and I owe you of course. You help make CPF better!

If I had a Gold Dorcy I would give it to you for your kindness. We should nickname you "digger". No reference to OZ members.:lolsign: CPF'rs please help Ken with the Gold Dorcy reflector Version.

I think it's similar to the Hunt for the Holy Grail, it's not about finding it, it's about the search and the Journey.................(into light?)

Thanks and cheers my Fren,
Marlite

Ken 222 wrote: "Anyone have a gold colored one? Not my favorite color, it's just that I don't have one and haven't seen one except a pic on Quickbeam's site."

I think the "gold" may also be rare now -
as I only saw them in the earliest Dorcy 1AAA's -

I posted this in the thread -

A Classic Revisited - Dorcy 1AAA

I had never seen a black Dorcy 1AAA in the flesh before.

I happened to be in my local Wal-Mart the other day - and lo-and-behold there was a single solitary black one amongst the Dorcy 1AAA's -
it was the only reflectored version (gen 2?) - the others were the lensed versions (gen 3)

Family portrait -

The original gen 1 Dorcy 1AAA had parallel ribbing on the rubber inserts, and Dorcy printed in white on the body tube.
Gen 2 - changed to diamond shaped texturing on the inserts.
Gen 3 - changed to the lens/spot beam.

This Black insert diamond pattern is slightly different - the diamonds seem slightly bigger and the inserts seems less matte than the red gen2 and silver gen3 I have.

The easiest way to distinguish the gen1 & gen2 reflector versions from the gen3 lens/spot beam versions is obviously to look at the heads -


Unfortunately I have not been able to unscrew the head of this new black one to look at the circuit.

Black may seem "rare" -
but I think the "gold" now is also somewhat "rare" too
since I haven't seen any since the earliest versions (gen1).

I bought one recently at Home Hardware for about C$8.97. For some reason, Dorcy has stopped using their brand name in Canada and all their lights are now branded as Reactor. It still uses the Gen 2 reflector. The rubber inserts in the body and head are smooth, i.e. there's no ribbing or molded texture. It also feels like it's made of a different material. The old material was poor, I found, since it would soften with use and the material would start to slide backwards toward the tail.

With all the different versions of the Dorcy AAA I have noticed all of the cosmetic changes however have not kept up with the circuit. I thought I had read here somewhere that the newer Dorcy had a reduced output circuit however can find nothing on it during a search.

Has the inside circuit of these Dorcy remained the same with each new style? I remember noticing that some of my many spare parts boards from the AAA had different numbers on certain parts.....did not know if this was important however just curious about the circuits that come with each version as well.

It may turn out that the old reflector version is more valuable to us as it had the better circuit......not for the reflector which was really not that well of a reflector.

Thanks for the link UnknownVT and those circuit pics are just what I was looking for. Each version has different components or so it appears and I am curious if anyone can tell which version is the better circuit?

Reactor is Home Hardware's house Brand. Just like Ganadian Tire uses Noma instead of Garrity. Sears calls 1/2 their lights Craftsman (the other 1/2 still has Dorcy on the package). The Source by Circuit City calls their's NexXtech.

PhotonBoy said:

I bought one recently at Home Hardware for about C$8.97. For some reason, Dorcy has stopped using their brand name in Canada and all their lights are now branded as Reactor. It still uses the Gen 2 reflector. The rubber inserts in the body and head are smooth, i.e. there's no ribbing or molded texture. It also feels like it's made of a different material. The old material was poor, I found, since it would soften with use and the material would start to slide backwards toward the tail.

Click to expand...

Awww. Id id not know gold Dorcys will be collector's items. Mangled mine to make a skinny Dorcy. Now I cannot find the unused bits to re-assemble a to spec gold Dorcy. Sigh.

EDIT
Found all the bits. Made 2 standard Dorcys - 1 all scratched up, 1 like new.