arc ls

I am looking to buy my first ls and quite frankly I am confused. I have read many good things about arc ls then I have read some disturbing reviews about ls2 or rev 2 it's got me confused if I purchase one now what will I receive and will it be as good as the ls1

Get the arc rev2 ls2 second on sale for $90. It should be the best except for tint and blemish on the anodizing. It should be waterproof. The only thing that worries me at all is the flex failure problem that the ls1 series suffered from. Maybe you'd want to email or post to Gransee and ask him if he has solved the flex problem in the ls2 series offered as seconds on his website. If not I know he'll guarrantee his work. It then becomes a matter of inconvenience to have to ship it back for repairs. But maybe he has solved all these technical failure problems with the new arc ls rev 2 ls2. Ask him. It should be the latest and the greatest money can buy. And at $90, very reasonable. You'd be crazy to buy any older model.
MMake sure to buy a 2AA battery pack holder so you can run the flashlight with inexpensive or rechargeable batteries or your wallet will hate you. Rechargeable 2000 mah maha powerex batteries and a maha c401fs 100minute recharger are highly recommended as this flashlight eats batteries quickly as it gets 1.5 hours I believe and it also is fun to play with and addicting. Here's the factory's sale page for the best version they have on sale.

http://store.yahoo.com/flashlight/blemishedls2.html

People were expecting the LS2 to be 50% brighter than the LS1 but it isn't. They are about the same brightness. The beam profiles are different though. Of the Arc LS's I've had, I like my LS2 (second) the best.

Starting with the LS2s in mid December and now the rest of the LS line, we have a new flex elimenation feature. It consists of a annualar ring around the PCB. So far, it appears to be working.

Peter Gransee