I want an Arc AAA!

alright, i was initially considering getting a newbeam led replacement module for my mini maglite that ive had for almost 6 years now, but after some careful consideration, i decided to go with the arc aaa, after hearing all the good stuff about it. both cost about the same (~US$25), but i get a brand new light if i get the arc.

but now i have a problem. how do i go about getting one? i live in singapore, and i'm not aware of any local dealers that sell arc flashlights. i'm looking to get the standard black version 3.1. add to that the fact that i don't have access to a credit card, and any payment i make to an overseas dealer would have to be via money order.

so, is anyone here willing to ship a new arc aaa to me in singapore? or better yet, is there anyone in singapore who has a new arc aaa for sale?

btw i've been lurking around for almost 5 months, and this is my first post. i initially registered with another nick, but for some reason the notification email never arrived so i had to get a friend to register a new account, which i'm using now. (my nick on the former SFDB is chamenos)

nihraguk,
U can try here

but cost S$30 extra, take a look and see if this is worth it.

I have seen you posting @ strategoes if you are the same chamenos. If you do not have a credit card then i wonder when u get your SFs? Dun tell me Sng Arms.... they are way over priced

Futurelights is run by Hotfoot. Maybe you can ask him for a slight discount? Don't expect too much though as he has to make a profit and I don't think he is selling enough volume to be able to get a quantity discount.

I could have helped you out as I scoop-purchased 5 Arc-AAA from TexasTacticalSupply when they had it on sale for US$16 and still have 2 left that I haven't give to my friends or family. Unfortunately, I am not currently in Singapore and will not be returning for a while.

Saint Tanic: How about from Sheares Marketing? Know those guys? I think their prices are reasonable considering all the costs they would incur when importing and keeping on shelf those lights. Of course if you can buy from an on-line dealer, it would probably be slightly cheaper as they wouldn't have quite as high overheads. But then there is the dilema that you are ruining your local brick and mortar shop which means you can't get to try before you buy.

Steelwolf,

wow it's like everything seem to be related in one way or another. Such a small world.

ok back to SFs, where's Shears Marketing? did an online search seem that they dun have a site. tell me pls, where they are, it's a pain to pull out the business listings

Man...$16 you snagged a good one! When was that?

Saint Tanic:
hey thanks.....i never knew about that shop before you told me about it its quite overpriced though, so i think i'll see if i can get a better deal.

well currently i have two surefires, and i'm getting an M2 soon. the first one was a 6P, which i bought from sngarms at more than $50 extra (i didn't know at that time), and the second one is an E2e HA, which i bought from this californian guy on the surefire discussion board, and i paid for it via money order

Steelwolf:
any chance you might want to sell one to me? if you're in australia now, it shouldn't take too long for mail from there to arrive in singapore, and i could simply pay you via money order. would that be ok with you? i would like to support our local dealers, but i'm a bit cash-strapped at the moment. if its ok with you and you don't mind going through the trouble to work something out with me, do let me know, thanks btw, are the ones you have the latest version (3.1)?

Saint Tanic:

the address of sheares marketing is:

43, Beach Road, Evershine & Century
Complex.

Tel: 63330136

Email: [email protected]

nihraguk,

thanx for the info

BTW juz last sat hotfoot organized a SG CPFer gathering. I didn't go cos i was having exams, if u are interested i can keep u updated

hi nihraguk (and other SG CPFers),

Futurelights is having a limited-time offer on the Arc-AAA's now in conjunction with Gardentech2002 Expo. The white-LED Arc-AAA v3.1 is now going for SGD$50.00. Stocks are limited (I think only 4-5pcs left).

If you're interested, please PM me or email me. You may also call the office no. listed on the website and ask for Mr Wong Meng Kong and mention this offer.

I shall stop plugging this now before I get booted off to the BS section!

Saint Tanic:

you're welcome

well...i can't go anytime soon anyway cos i'm having exams as well. i won't be able to go until december

hotfoot:

PM sent!

nihraguk,

PM reply sent - hope to meet ya soon

PocketLights.com ships internationally. We shipped five orders to Singapore thus far. We have plenty of Arc AAA flashlights in stock.

Pocketlights.com:

thanks, but hotfoot already sold me one at quite a bargain

hotfoot:
thanks for taking the trouble to deliver it to me, really appreciate it!

Originally posted by nihraguk:
Pocketlights.com:

thanks, but hotfoot already sold me one at quite a bargain

hotfoot:
thanks for taking the trouble to deliver it to me, really appreciate it!

Click to expand...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">My pleasure, nihraguk! I'm only sorry I didn't hang around to chat a bit. Maybe next time. Anyway, I hope you enjoy your Arc-AAA as much as many of us here do.

PS. Good luck with the exams!

Wow, go to sleep for a while and come back to so many messages. Let's see... address for Sheares marketing, answered. Buying Arc-AAA... done. (BTW, nihraguk, I couldn't have sold you the Arc-AAA. It is in a box in my home in Singapore. A bit hard to get to. )

What the heck was this GardenTech2002 expo? Sounds like the latest and greatest in gardens like lighting, plants, outdoor setting, waterfalls, etc. If it is, Singapore is a funny place to hold it seeing that around 3/4 of the population live in high-rise apartments.

The US$16 Arc-AAA were bought over a year and a half ago. I think TexasTactical is still the cheapest on-line source at US$20, but at Hotfoot's special of SG$50, that would be better for those buying less than 3 pieces due to the shipping and handling costs.

Of course, with Hotfoot, you get so much more. Personal delivery and a great guy who is willing to take the extra effort.

I hope that when I get back, we can all get together for a drink, some chit chat and plenty of show and tell.

enjoy? i love it! its simply a perfect product. reasonably priced, cheap batteries, no need to replace any blown bulbs, sufficient light output for most uses and very bright for its size! though most people feel the runtime is a bit short, for someone who has gotten used to the 1 hour one time on surefires and the 30mins useful output of minimags, 5 hours of constant light output that doesn't yellow or dim is more than enough. i know this is pretty much standard for most LEDs, but i'm new to led lights (not counting those small keychain leds that run on button cells and are too dim to be useful) so bear with me for a while

i know surefires are bright and small too but they're expensive, they use expensive lamp assemblies and batteries, and the runtime makes it suited only for tasks whereby the factors of cost and runtime are thrown out the window, like in tactical situations, etc

in fact i like it so much, and its SO perfect, that right now i'm seriously reconsidering my upcoming surefire M2 purchase! the design of the arc aaa is simply very sensible and practical and as a result of the above two factors, very reliable, robust and hardy. one thing that really soured my experience with surefires were the finicky lamp assemblies (my first surefire came with a defective p60 LA), the high cost, rather short runtime, and the poor water resistance. my E2e frequently had water leak in through the lens o-ring seal. this is after having paid more than $100 each for those two surefires (6P and E2e). all this while, most of not all the features i have wanted in a light, could be found in the arc aaa, save for the extremely bright light that surefires produce.

the arc aaa is the first light i've bought that i really feel extremely satisfied with! previously, it was the maglite 3d, as it coupled reasonable cost of purchase, reasonable light output (not counting the ringy beam) and reasonable cost of batteries. the arc aaa, though it puts out less light, puts out light that does not yellow or fade at all, and the light output is still more than enough for most uses like navigation, close-up work, etc. and the batteries? dirt cheap AAAs!!! not to mention the arc aaa is smaller than both the mag3d and surefires

all in all and at least for my needs, the arc aaa has just made every other light i have completely obselete and useless!

and thanks! been going there everyday to study lately....my second paper is next tuesday

Peter Gransee: thanks for a great product!!!!

Steelwolf: well its ok now that i have my arc aaa which i think you would know by now i'm very satisfied with and i completely agree with your opinion on hotfoot

nihraguk: If you were planning to buy an M2, think about saving up your money for either a Arc-LS1 (1 watt LS), or the Arc-LS3 (5 watt LS)instead. The LS3 will be more than a match for many of the SureFires, but the problems that the LED manufacturer have been having with making the LED means that Arc doesn't have a product to sell yet.

The current Arc-LS (1 watt LS @400mA) is a great product though and outshines the SureFire E1 in that it is as bright as, but lasts longer than, the E1. I'm guessing the 5watt version, when it comes out, should be a match for the M2.

As for non-LED lights, I prefer the UKE stuff over the Maglite stuff. I have a 4D Mag and a 4C UKE and although I can't focus with the UKE, the Mag with a xenon/halogen bulb at the tightest focus was barely a match for the UKE. And the form factor of the UKE and watertightness allows me to use it in the field with little worry.

*sigh*... Steelwolf - I wish as much as you do that the LS3 will be a 5-watter.

The LS3 will indeed host a 5-watt LS, but it will be underdriven at 2W in standard 1x123 config. It can optionally be "overdriven" to 3W when used with a 2x123 pak. At a 3W peak, I'm doubtful that it'd thoroughly take on an M2 with a HOLA

And with the situation on the 5W whites, its not known when we'll see (if ever) white LS3 firsts. Something tells me PG won't accept a 500-hour LED in his planned flagship product. Honestly, something is tickling in my gut telling me that Lumileds is doing a massive overhaul of the 5W design and that the ones we see may be those of an obsoleted design. And there are well-informed rumours of a 10W in the works.

Perhaps, this is why nichia has kept silent. Laying low and watching the results as the real world plays around with these new hi-power LEDs... what a lab.

Oh yeah - BTW, thanks for the plugs and character references, guys! I'm blushing....

hmm but the arc ls would be way out of my budget...