Question for original owners of first LS.

As I am, run #10, received shortly after New Years, this year. You may recall that later on, Peter offered either an exchange for an updated LS1 or a $30 coupon towards future Arc products. Have any of you taken up on the offer and had your ARC LS exchanged for a first run? If so, is the beam much improved? I like mine for nostalgia's sake but I find myself using the CMG Reactor more because the beam is significantly better and that's a shame because I like the smoothness, reliability and mechanics of the Arc. Therefore I'm considering asking Peter if his exchange offer is still valid but it wouldn't be worth it unless beam quality is improved. My Arc beam doesn't have a green corona but it is sort of violetish and a quite big yellow/brown corona. The Reactor beam with lithium's is much whiter and brighter with just a small green corona. Please post your thoughts on whether the newer first run Arc LS's are better. I am not even sure Peter will still honor an exchange or not.

I don't know about other whites, but the arc I received in January with old optics outshines my Cyan SLS, and also my Amber LS first. I was kind of disappointed when I received the Cyan, because everyone said it was significantly brighter, but after receiving the Amber, I am forced to conclude that I just have some kind of mutant white. It's an unfocused beam (not much of a hotspot) but it is pretty pure white, and I can barely see any amber, and almost no cyan if I shine the two lights at the same spot. Does anyone else have the problem that their original LS white is just so bright it puts everything else to shame? These tests are all within the bounds of my apartment; I haven't tried to see how far it "throws," since when you live in a city it is actually non-trivial to find somewhere dark enough to do that, ridiculous as that may sound.

I can say my CMG Reactor with lithium AA's is noticably brighter then the Arc LS with lithium AA's. A bigger whitespot as well. Both beams have their flaws which is why I got so excited when I saw high dome pictures in which they used lesser amounts of phospher coating in the LED.

I received first run #54 after New Year's, and have subsequently received two of the newer "firsts". There is a definite improvement in beam quality. My old LS has a more violet tint, and also has irregular splotches within the projected beam. The new LS's are exactly alike, and have a very smooth beam (similar to an AAA Arc but of course much brighter). I think the quality of this beam, plus a 123 pack that doesn't have to be tightened with vice grips before battery activation, are worth purchase of the new firsts. Hope this helps.

John

Yes John, that helps. You described exactly the beam on my first LS. I also have the 123 pack problem although it isn't as much of a concern as I use the light with the 2AA pack. I think I'll enquire about exchanging it although from Peter's last post, they are still having production problems.

If Peter does honor the upgrade/credit offer, I wonder where the cut off point is for "first runs"?

Geepondy...

IMHO, the beta units are well worth keeping. They are nice units, and have a sense of history that can never be replaced.

The newer Arc LS`s have a brighter and whiter beam, and all, but they`re not the same in a more magical and mystical sense.

In any event, if you do choose to keep your beta unit(s), I`ve found that Peter will let you "buy them back" by simply paying the cost of a "second" Arc LS for a new first-run Arc LS.

Best wishes.

Originally posted by Carpe Diem:

In any event, if you do choose to keep your beta unit(s), I`ve found that Peter will let you "buy them back" by simply paying the cost of a "second" Arc LS for a new first-run Arc LS.

Best wishes.

Click to expand...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">That may have been before the recent price hike. You may recall we had the choice of having the unit replaced or a receiving a $30 discount on a future Arc order. Hence when the price was still $100, and using the discount, you can get a first for $70. Now that the price has been increased to $160, I wonder if he would still sell a new first to an original owner for $70.

Originally posted by newg:
These tests are all within the bounds of my apartment; I haven't tried to see how far it "throws," since when you live in a city it is actually non-trivial to find somewhere dark enough to do that, ridiculous as that may sound.

Click to expand...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">It's not rediculous at all. Where I live, there are places I can get to where it's dark enough, but that isn't the main problem. Gangbangers, crackheads, heroin junkies, and other assorted misfits who like to shoot first and ask questions later are the main issue here.
I've never actually been shot at, but I did have my wheelchair set on fire while on my way home one night.

As for my Arc LS, my whites have a roughly squarish, fairly wide-angle beam. The color is best described as that of a warm white fluorescent light bub, with little blue present. They both use the "old style" collimator with the large button in the center which you can feel.

I also have a royal blue LS; its beam has a more sharply defined hotspot surrounded by a fainter corona. It uses the "new style" collimator with the small center button and a flush or flat face, so you can't feel the button. The royal blue probably has a significantly higher total output power than any of the other Luxeon colors; but it's so close to the end of the visible spectrum that it doesn't look brighter to the eye. The color is very vibrant and unique, and it does catch the eye very well.

Hey folks,
I have a first run #333 LS, and on NiMH, it kicks the *** of my (Lithium laden) Reactor all over the place. It seems LS, or Reactor, that it's somewhat just the luck of the draw. Lumileds early products have lousy or no quality control. I have a couple of raw stars I bought from Peter (ARC LLC), one (very early model) is just a gem, better than the LED in my LS (what a shame) and the other is a dim, very blue P.O.S.. Not that I'm complaining, this is just what you encounter when you're playing around with new technology. Fun, ain't it?