Which ARC AAA

Is there a big difference in performance between the "premium" version and the standard version? Im looking at picking one up, and im wondering the the extra 15 bucks is worth it, or if the regular one will suffice.

This is getting very pricey...between picking up an A2, two L2D's, a Mag 3d drop in, and two LED drop ins for my SF 6p and friends G2 I running out of money!

Get the Arc P or the Fenix E0.

What do you plan to use it for?

Btw not sure if you saw, but someone posted beamshots of P vs regular Arc AAA.

Your basic choices are:

1) standard version (AAA-CS) that was the premium version til a few weeks ago. Around 6 lumens with the familiar Nichia blue cast.

2) premium version (AAA-DS), 15 bucks extra compared with standard version, and about 50% brighter, and maybe not quite as blue

3) snow version, 10 bucks over the standard version, about the same brightness, more beam artifacts but much nicer tint, close to neutral white.

The usual CPF motto in this situation is "buy 'em all". However the Arc AAA reality is that it's a KISS light that you can bring with you everywhere, that is a reliable source of close-up lighting that doesn't attempt high brightness. Therefore, paying the 15 buck premium for the DS led seems to me mostly like a connoisseur's choice. Of course as a connoisseur I'll probably do it sooner or later, but I've so far resisted (I got the CS and snow versions). I think there is a plan to drop the DS price by 5 bucks once the DS leds are less scarce.

I'm possibly in the minority among Arc AAA users but I'd say if lumens are that critical to you, maybe you should rethink whether this is the right light for your requirements. So I'd get either the standard or snow version depending on how much you care about neutral tint.

I buy lights with specific roles or purposes in mind - the Arc is a "built like a tank" light that is small, very bright for the size and excellent run time.

It's now my emergency use light for gear and medical bags - you can clip it just about anywhere without any noticeable impact and have plenty of light for close proximity work (1-3 feet).

As someone else said, if you want brightness over almost absolute reliability, go for the Fenix. Unlike the Gerber "Tactical Trio", I don't regret buying the Arc. :thumbsup:

And a random thought - is it just me, or does the "sssh" smilie look like he's flipping the bird?

-Medina

I had the CS and now I have the DS. The CS is planty bright, The DS is only slightly brighter and not worth the extra money IMHO.

I was so very surprised by the improved brightness and the tint of the DS when I received it. I would spend the extra money to get it rather than the CS. That being said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the CS AAA-P; plenty of light for a long time attached to your key chain in an ultra high quality package.

I was looking at just a general tough EDC light for a keychain type use, that could take a beating from being in a pocket or thrown around. The Fenix while a great light, doesnt seem that tough to me. Is there any discounts on them through the CPF?

Yes, there is an ongoing Fenix-store.com discount for CPF'ers. Try entering CPF8 (8% discount) as the coupon code. If that doesn't work, try CPF5.

You don't mention which Fenix model you're interested in. Unfortunately Fenix no longer makes the L0P which was their closest counterpart to the AAA-DS. They have the L0D CE which has (depending on your point of view) either the flexibility of multiple levels or the annoying tastelessness of a complex computerized UI. If you want a very bright tough Fenix, I suggest the P1CE, which is easily pocketable though still a bit large for keychain use. However, it's not really a general purpose edc light; it uses 123 batteries with not such long runtime. It's more of a high powered backup for a smaller and less powerful light. Note Fenix also has some multimode 1x123 lights but I'm not enamored of them.

Not to thread drift here, but I just took delivery of Peak Matterhorn, Arc style body $23.95 with the 20% Christmas sale, would be interested in knowing how it compares to the Arc? I am way impressed with this little light.

The Peak HP you got will use a lot less battery power than the Arc so it will have much longer runtime, but the Arc is a lot brighter. It's a classic tradeoff. Both are well made lights that are similar to each other. The Arc DS is somewhat more efficient in lumens per watt than the Peak, but that is a new development since the DS led was just introduced. The Peak will have more neutral tint than the Arc CS or DS. It uses the same or similar led to the Arc Snow. The Peak (lug tail version) is a tiny bit larger and from a stylistic point of view I like Arc's knurl pattern better, but this is minor stuff. Peak also has some different body styles available ("key chain" with a removable post that makes the light noticably bigger, and "pocket" with no lanyard hole) but I don't recommend those.

I like the CS myself because I tend to use that light for low lumen applications and sometimes it's on for hours at a time. If I ever lost that light I'd probably replace it with the same thing since I own so many brighter, shorter run-time lights already. I get about 5 hours of bright light out of it and then another 5 hours of low book reading light with a standard Duracell.

+1 for the ARC AAA-P DS

Im familiar with the Fenix lights, I own a P1D-CE and have a Q5 l2d on the way. I was refering to Arc having a CPF discount. I really like the small size of it in the pics i have seen.

Would these work better if they cut off the lens on the 5mm LED and polished them ? Like those SMJLED's ? Or is the reflector too small to matter.

Well i ordered a DS or premium and a the UV light. Im done spending cash on flash lights..........till next pay check.