Proposed Product Time Line for Q1 2003

Ok, this is a proposed time line and not set in stone. Mostly because LED supply is uncertain.

First, I want to say our goal here is to simplify the product line so we concentrate on delivery of the best LED EDC lights. Right now, we have way to many LS options in my opinion. I would rather sell the LD or the HD, not both because they are pretty close in brightness and somewhat redundant. Problem is, the HD stock is more limited than the LD stock. So, we offer both for the time being.

January
LSL (premium only?)
LSH (standard and premium)
AAA black (white closeout and UV continuing)
TSP-123 pack
P-123 pack (continuing stock)
C-123 pouch (production version)
TSP-2AA (new design ready to ship)

February
SHOT Show
LSL (standard and premium?)
LSH (standard only?)
Remainder of AAA black (white, turquoise and UV)
Remainder of AAA LE? (still no confirmation on the LED delivery!)
LS3 (close out)
AAA standard and premium (introduce new design)
LS1 Hybrid seconds (closeout of remaining stock)
TSP-123 pack
P-123
C-123
TSP-2AA

March
LSL (closeout of any remaining stock, probally just standards)
LSH standard and premium
AAA standard and Premium
LS1 Hybrid seconds (closeout)
AAA black UV (closeout)
TSP-123 pack
P-123
C-123
TSP-2AA

April

LSH standard and premium
AAA standard and premium
TSP-123 pack
P-123 (closeout?)
C-123
TSP-2AA
New technology announcement?

Of course, this is just a basic outline and subject to change. I post this in an effort to try to simplify the understanding of our product lines. I hope this helps.

Peter Gransee

Peter,

when will the website be updated to allow the order of the TSP-2AA?

Regards,

Ed

With any new product, we try to allow preorders once we have a pretty good handle on when it will be ready. The last update on the TSP-2AA indicates that is may be ready in 2-3 weeks. I should have a better idea on monday.

Peter Gransee

Does the factory have the option of producting the P-123 packs on an as-needed basis?

Can you get small quantities of the colored LEDs when it's convenient and offer them as upgrades to the AAA line? I have no idea about the manufacturing process and how hard it would be to specify placing a different LED in the head, but if you at least considered keeping these options open for people willing to pay the upgrade, I think it would be worthwhile.

mmmmm....Just my $.02 worth, but I think the LSL puts out more usable light than the LSH.

What's the new design on the AAA? Is it a significant difference? Any hints?

Krept--Arc used to offer many different colored AAAs. An efficiency expert came in and made them chop it down.

Carl--The new "design" of the AAA is really just a different colour. They will only come in natural HA now. The Standards will be allowed to have blemmishes and, due to supply hiccups, have LEDs inferior to the current standards. The premiums will live up to the current standards set by, well, the standard black Arc AAAs.

Peter--speaking purely theoretically here, and I know that if thigns do change it's not likely to be soon but if the supply, er...hiccups ever stopped could we go back the the old grading style? For the AAA at least? And as long as I'm whining I'll just slip it in one last time (Promice) bummed to see black AAA go, hope it's back for 2004 but (Or even Q2 2003 ) but I'll just have to wait and see. Ok, done whining--I mean about that anyway...

Thanks for the info Saaby. Now if we can just get some info about the technology breakthru. Maybe a 3 stage dimmer tsp?

Peter- I wanted to echo the question voiced by Carl. I really like the AAA, wanted to know what the current plan is.

Carl and Mongo. Not sure exactly what you mean. I posted a 2003 product lineup here.

Peter

Peter,
I apologise-the verbage that is used regarding binning and flux are a bit new to me. Your description of these when discussing the new standard,versus the new "Premium" are a bit difficult to understand for a "newby".How do these (binning and flux) affect the color or intensity of the lights you will be making in '03.

Peter-mean the Arc AAA only.

I think I understand that the new design only means that there are no really big changes, just slight differences allowed in the color (white LEDs have slight color tints like light green or light blue in the outer edges of the white beam) and a new name "Premium". In other words, no big changes to the ARC AAA which does not really need any changes at its current refined state.

Yes, we are consilidating the housing color to natural since most people prefer natural. It also matches our LS. Natural is a more difficult color than black to manufacture but standardizing on one color should produce a net simplification.

The circuit is the same and the LED is the same or very close (depending on supply).

We have been planning on adding an accessory clip one of these days. I heard this week that our supplier finally was able to ship them to us. So we might have them in a week or two. If we do, they will be included with each AAA. They will also be free if you request them with an Arc (LS, AAA, etc) flashlight or accessory purchased from us. If you order them by themselves, they will cost $1 each and $8 to ship (domestic). I would not change our shipping system over a clip. We will also be selling them seperatly to the dealers.

I am also paying Henry to evaluate our Arc-AAA circuit right now. He is looking for ways to make it burn longer, brighter and cost less to manufacture.

We are also looking at possible private labeling of the Arc-AAA. Furthermore, We also paid to have a version of the Arc-AAA made in China and sold under a generic label. We know that people will knock this light off so we are already beating them to it. We would have had the China lights ready about 6 months ago but we are still having communication problems in the area of understanding our quality standards (4 article attempts to get them to put HA on the housing for example). The Chinease lights will appeal to the mass market and help fund the R&D on our USA made AAA and LS lights.

Peter Gransee

Gentlemen, we are in the presence of pure genius!
Another ARC first! Peter is making his own knock-offs! Wonder why no one thought of this before?

I'll be chuckling over this the rest of the day.

Good show, Peter!

Originally posted by Gransee:
of the Arc-AAA. Furthermore, We also paid to have a version of the Arc-AAA made in China and sold under a generic label. We know that people will knock this light off so we are already beating them to it. We would have had the China lights ready about 6 months ago but we are still having communication problems in the area of understanding our quality standards. The Chinease lights will appeal to the mass market and help fund the R&D on our USA made AAA and LS lights.

Click to expand...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Is this where the unbranded 33 ARC AAAs that just sold on E-bay came from?

BTW Peter, since you're discussing plans for the future, how does these design shifts affect plans for this years CPF version ARC? Is it still a go? What options are left to distinguish them from the Premiums?

BTW, I (and I imagine most of us) are dying waiting for the Premiums in Feb, any chance at all that shipment of them might be earlier?

As always, thanks for your dilligent attention to your craft.

The ebay units are definately USA made. I am eager to order from the Chinease, but they just haven't got it quite right yet. So, any AAA you see at this point is definately USA made. We will try to make the distinction very clear between the two units otherwise our brand perception may be confused.

Btw, I do have a great appreciation of the Asian work ethic. So many american companies come to them and ask for cheap things. So overtime, they might just get used to assuming we want something cheap. But these people are putting rockets in orbit so they can do just about anything if you want to pay for it. I think they can make a great AAA and I intend to do just that.

I am planning a 2003 CPF edition. We would like it to be blackish-red HA with a B1S or B2S LED (depending on what we can get). They won't be hard to confuse with our standard product.

We do plan on having some AAA premiums in February with the B2S LED. I am still yet to find any B1S to fill all of our LE back orders. I am checking a lead in the UK for a possible supply.

Peter Gransee

I don't understand the "made in China knock-offs". What the purpose? Does it lessen the quality? I guess it makes them cheaper to manufacture. Is ARC selling-out like many other companies have by using oversees labor? Tell me it's not true.

You will have to be very careful about the counterfeiting, too.

We recently sent some of our circuit board over to China with strict stipulations on the parts to be used. There were a handful of parts that have to be a specific Motorola part. No one else can match it. These boards started coming in faulty. We diagnosed it down to the Mot parts. Board manufacture sent over a reel of parts. Official documentation, perfect silkscreen parts printing, holographic seal, and yes, fakes.

It wasn't the manufactures fault. He bought them from the Mot distributor over there. Everything is just fake. And I believe the govt. supports them on it.

So be very careful of what you are getting. I've learned that anything that is a premium part, I.E. your nichia leds, will probably be faked.
The only way we could get around the parts issue was to ship the critical parts from the U.S. and let all the others fall as they may. (Which, in turn will identify your other, most critical parts.)

Sorry, but BE WARNED.

The Chinese are people just like us. If there is any significant difference (other than the government) I would say that their ratio of engineers to lawyers is a heck of lot better than ours.

But I live in this great country and I try hard to support my neighborhood. Also, it is easier to keep track of things and be responsible when what you are responsible for is right down the street. So I hope to always make our best product nearby where I can tweak it.

The whole reason to make a generic brand is to supply every market segment for this design. We went to the large retailers and they (and ultimately their customers) really want this light for a cheaper price or not at all. This leaves them two options: A light made in Asia or a light made by an American company (I won't say who I am talking about) that has invested so much in a large automaton for making one design as cheaply as possible, in the USA, that they can no longer easily innovate.

This is a very important time for the flashlight industry folks...



Peter Gransee