Arc AAA vs LE

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Saaby

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How much better is the LE vs the standard AAA?
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I ask because I am in denial that that's what I'll be stuck with...always thinking "if only it were an LE." Oh well, as long as I never truly know what I am missing out on I'll be happy as can be
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sunspot

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LE vs STD. I note that you state better rather than brighter. Very good and right on the mark. The LE is a better color rank. The hotspot on them both are a bit blue. On the STD, the corona is also blue but on the LE it had a very slight green tint. Very hard to see but the overall effect is a better color rendition on objects viewed. I will now go out on a limb. the STD rank is SB2, the LE is SB1. Mr ArcFan will correct me if I'm wrong.
Keep posting like this and you might surpass Darell.
 

Saaby

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It'll dive like a cliff when school starts (My posting I mean)

I will most likely only have access to a computer durring 1 class (Technology portion of School of Technology) and the disctrict kinda frowns on signing up for anything/signing in to anything at school

"It's not eMail it's a Bulletin Board"

Who knows though, they might be a little more lax over at the High School then they were at the Jr.High...we'll see
 

Darell

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Yo. Mr. Arcfan here.

Dana's got you covered. BUT "better" tint is quite subjective. Some people like the SB2 better than the SB1. I may actually be one of them, but I'm not sure. I tend to like whichever one I'm using at the moment. With the standard V3.1 out, there are many advantages of the standard over the LE now.

They are now both HA III, they have the same brightness of white LED, and they work the same.

The differences? The LE is the only way to get the "natural" color. But if you want black, the standard now features Chemkote throughout (like Surefire) and has a roll crimp at the base of the head for better grounding. The very last few LE's had their heads Chemkoted, but I have yet to hear of one that had Chemkote in the body as well.

Really what makes them valuable is that they're Limited (and say so, right on them!). The Standard AAA is a fantastic light, and is better in many ways. If you actually use the light, don't feel like you're missing too much. I say this stuff until I'm blue in the face, but few actually believe me.

When the LE first came out, the standard had a less-bright LED, and the standard was not HA III. The LE was a huge stand-out at the time. Now it has been surpassed in everyway except case color and LED tint.

Good enough?
 

Darell

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Hey, does this mean you own an Arc AAA now, Ryan? What do you think of your Solitaire now, my friend? A bit big and a bit dim, eh?
 

Saaby

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No but it is definatly my next purchase...Probably be able to dig enough change out of the couch cushons to order one the day I get back from scout camp (No I'm not there now...that would be nice though)
 

Darell

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If you ever liked the Solitaire, the $25 you spend on the Arc AAA will be some of the best money you ever spent. Don't sweat the LE. There could be more in the future, and they should even be better than the standards again.... (if and when)

If I had a light like this in scouts, I could have shaved *pounds* off my pack!
 

Saaby

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Good, this happens to be a stagnent organized camp that you have to hike in from (by that I mean hike in from the parking lot) and I am taking my FRS radios and rechargables for them and a charger because there will likely be power avelable at the dining hall where they are doing all the cooking for us
tongue.gif
. Accomodations were either to be my friends pop up tent (The kind you untie and throw in the air and they...pop up) or my familys 4 pole Trek tent but the group decited to take the scout tents...Springbars (They're only avelable locally but aparently famous nation wide...anyone heard of them). I know what you're thinking either

A) Now that's camping

or

B) That's not camping!!!

but trust me, this is roughing it...no internet
shocked.gif


Stop laughing...I'm serious here! Wait, no I'm not

Ok 1 more thing, if anybody here is interested in FRS radios Wal-Mart.com has some superb Panasonic units (They're my perfered radio of choice) for $25. This is a steal, like getting a Arc LS for $30. If you want more info I can provide it.
 

Saaby

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Almost forgot...I'd be more than happy to field test any lights
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, sign up soon though because space is limited!
 

Termac

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I agree with Darell. My late edition LE has some issues associated with the early ARC AAA production. I even caught it flickering the other day. The actual LED in the LE does strike me as superior, but I can certainly believe that the latest ARC AAA whites are better flashlights, taken as a whole.
 

txwest

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I've purchashed 5 LE's & only 1 standard AAA, in white. In my opinion, the brightest one was the AAA. I don't have it any more, but I compared it directly to the 3 LE's I had, and it was the brightest, but not by much. TX
 

Saaby

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Guess I'll have to buy one now...I got bored so I stuck my Nordic bulb in my Mag...no effect, so then I got really brave and even though I knew what it would do (I am so dumb sometimes, but aern't we all?) I put the Mag light in my Nordic...needless to say my Mag Solitare is now dark...spare bulb gone too, and at this point as far as I'm concerned replacement bulbs don't exist
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***Edit 5 minutes later***
Rummages through my junk drawer and found a brand new Solitare (Blue with Word Perfect on it...from my uncle) with 2 bulbs, so the Mag lives on...if only for a short while.

Theres proof I'm a flashaholic...I have lites I didn't even know I had!
 

geepondy

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You guys are killing me. Here I am hoarding my three Arc LE's because they are the best and may not be available again and now you're telling me the regular Arc AAA's may be better? I have to buy a couple Arc AAA's for gifts, how can I tell I'm getting the latest version.
 

Darell

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You can tell you're getting the latest version by asking the dealer, or simply by buying from TTS. In white, v3.1 is all he's got.

The LE is currently the only way to have natural HAIII finish, and the only way to have the SB1 bulb. But as I've said before, the standard gives you the roll crimp and complete Chemkote interior. And the standard is the *same* brightness as the LE. It wasn't always like that, and many folks are confused about that particular subject. I've certainly had some standards that were brighter than any LE I've owned. They all vary though.
 

txwest

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If you used one for 5 min, took a 5 min break & switched to another, you'ld never know the diff. Even side by side it's tough to tell the diff some time. The only reason I'ld recomend trying to get a LE would be if you liked the HA natural finish better. TX
 

Steelhead

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Steelhead:
Just a few minor additions to this thread:
1.)The LE was actually made with fully chemkoted interior and threads.
I purchased 4 from Texas Tactical and of the 4 only 1 was fully coated. The others were only thread coated. A limited limited edition I guess.
2.)The version 3.1 can be discerned from prior versions in that the packaging on the 3.1s' have French instructions on the back. Prior versions do not.
3.)Others on this thread are correct. The AAAs are as bright if not brighter than the LEs. The LEs simply have a greenish tint to the light beam.
4.)Also correctly stated is that the LEs are the only AAA to ever have the "natural HA3". The LE was never produced in black.
I personally prefer the AAA bulb color and IMHO it is a tad brighter although much bluer than the LE. Unfortunately, I also much prefer the "natural HA3" to the black HA3 of the AAA. Kind of a catch 22, however peter did mention in the recent past the eventual production the AAA in the natural HA3 as he is quite partial to this color as well.
Thanks,
Steelhead
 
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