Arc6 Impressions + Picture Thread

I heard a knock on the door today and was delighted to find the Fedex man

I was supposed to get delivery on Friday (I won from the first round of auctions) but much to my dismay I found the Fedex tracking site had posted that the address was undeliverable. I called up Maria and asked what was happening. She ended up calling Fedex and got things sorted.



There's the problem...whoever told Fedex my address did not include the apartment number

Opening the package, you find this:



The arc box is pretty nice, but nothing special. The front of the box has the Arc logo embossed. You also find a rather large packet with the instructions: 7 pages printed on regular computer paper.

What I did NOT find was the guarded sleeve I called Maria and she said she would overnight me one

Unscrewing the head was very tough. Lube was VERY sparse and definitely not enough to protect. O-ring was basically dry.

The contact ring looks "burnt." I don't know of this will have an effect conductivity or not.




The HA seems to match the body to the head pretty well. The HA on the head is well done, as well as the logo/lettering.

The unguarded sleeve, however, has some obvious HA problems. Near the tail of the light, there seems to be a "wave" of HA where it is darker than the rest of the body. Refer to the pictures:




This is also apparent on the front of the sleeve at the very tip. I don't know if it was dunked into the anodizing machine wrong or what I hope the guarded one was done better.

EDIT: The "wave" of discoloration seemed to rub off after a lot of rubbing with my thumb :shrug: The finish is a lot more consistent now.

The machining of the Tritium slot is a bit rough...not as smooth edges as the one in my Lunasol Ti.

Here are some pictures with other lights:





and a shot of the emitter


Operation wise, it is very hard to depress. Much harder than the Lunasol (which was harder than my S27-PD)

The tint on my unit is very unique. it looks to have A LOT of red. Inductor whine is present on higher levels.

For how much I paid, I'm a bit disappointed with the HA "splash." Perhaps I can get another unguarded body once the are released.

I'll get some outdoor beamshots possibly later today.

wow those burn marks would scare me , hows the output..and for the red could it be the red reflection in lens of that ring

Nice pictures and good to hear you couldn't find anything major wrong with the pre-production unit.

The fedex problem apppeared to be on our end. I think Maria forgot to enter your apt number. I see you entered it on your ebay account and that is where it is transcribed from. Sorry about that. Glad you got it eventually.

Sorry Maria forgot to send you the guarded sleeve. Every ebay auction gets both sleeves. Just an oversight on her part. You should get it soon.

Now for some anti-hype.

O-ring dry. You know, I wonder. People recommended I get this expensive Krytox grease (something like $80 a tube). So I bought a tube of #GPL201. I lather it on the threads and o-ring and several days later it looks like it has evaporated. So I apply a second coat. I am finding I am adding 2 or 3 coats before I give them to Maria for shipping. I have gone through most of a 8oz tube already. Maybe I just have to put it on really thick. The cheap silicon grease I used on earlier LS models seemed to fair better. You may want to use the cheap stuff instead.

"burnt" ground ring. Cosmetic. There is no current traveling through the ring. It is a switch contact only and an wiping one at that. The discoloration comes from how it is soldered to the pcb using a solder pot. You could hand polish it if you want but you would not see any difference in performance.

All the current goes through the kilroy and center bead.

Discolorations in the HA. Oh brother... The HA happens to be so cosmetically nice on these parts that small variations in tint and grain are more visible. HA is not supposed to be a cosmetic finish. It is there to protect the metal. There is no better replacement coming. Refund is your option. People are used to smooth anodize on cheap flashlights that only use the soft Type II or a very thin type III. Sure, you can get better cosmetics going with a cheaper finish.

If any thinks that spending $700 on a flashlight automatically means they are going to get a shelf queen that looks like man-jewelry, you got the wrong craftsman here. Move along. The Arc6 may look nice, but by accident. Those flutes look nice? Whatever. They are there to help grip the head for twisting. The Arc6 is designed to be a tool. My goals where bright and durable not pretty and dainty.

Yes, the high switch pressure (about 6lbs) is by design. It can be reduced, but the action becomes less confident in my opinion.

The tint of the emitter. To each their own. I happen to think that these K2s are the best LED available right now. People are so used to the blue cast. And blue is fine too, but your CRI is higher with a more natural tint such as this bin of K2s.

Capacitor whine at higher power levels. Yes, that is normal. Should be present on at least levels 6 and 7, if not more. These are power levels that most 1x123 flashlights don't have. Want your Arc6 to sound like other flashlights? Don't use the power levels they don't have. Same deal if you don't like the shorter runtime of a higher power level. Don't use it. Me? I would rather have a choice.

peter

kenster's NG sleeves look to have that splash effect too....guarded, not so much that i can tell

Good post Peter, I concur on ur thoughts regarding HA/looks...ITS A TOOL!

Mayo

Edit: I'm really liking the size of the no clip/sleeve version...compact lil bugger!:devil:

That looked like a pretty [SIZE=-1]haphazard attempt at damage control. I don't have one, but all of those years and years of "r&d", jeez! If the cheap silicone grease works, it works. $4 from Lowes, for say..."50" lights vs. 80 for one? K.I.S.S.! Oh, I will just stop there. Cosmetic!? I would expect a xhundred dollar light to address those issues.
[/SIZE]

Thanks for the reply, Peter.

I did not intend to come off as overly scrutinizing the light...I just wanted to let others know what to expect when they receive theirs (as well as future buyers). Is that wrong?

The reason I mentioned the tint of the emitter is because another member mentioned he received one with a yellowish tint. Mine is red. Do I have a problem with it? Nope. Just once again letting people know what to expect.

Light is now malfunctioning and I'm waiting on what Peter says. From the beta testers thread:

cryhavok said:

Thanks for your reply, Peter.

I just was testing the light again and noticed something interesting.

When I put the light in stage 2 (set to level 3 or 4, I don't remember), the inductor whine is quite loud.

Now, if I go into stage 3, the inductor whine is present for about 1 second then it slowly fades away.

This correlates to my current readings taken from the battery. Stage 2 has about 1.2A.

Now if I go to stage 3, the current reads about 2.4A for .5 seconds then the current shoots up and settles at 3.8A. While the current is shooting up, the inductor whine diminishes until it is gone (at the same time the current settles to 3.8A)

What are your thoughts? Shall I send in the light for evaluation? If so, tell Maria not to Fedex the sleeve yet, as you could save money and send the package all together.

Click to expand...

cryhavok said:

Just playing with the light some more and now the light is malfunctioning. Stage 1 works fine (set to level 1). Stage 2 (set to level 3 or 4) engages ok, but flashes off to level 1 after about 1 second. Stage 3 does the same thing (goes on, but then flashes off to level 1 after about 1 second). The light is room temperature.

I thought it might be the protection circuit on the battery, but it does the same thing with the duracell ultra.

If I let the light rest for 30 seconds, it will engage to stage 2 and 3 for maybe 3 seconds before kicking down to level 1. Basically, I cannot get the light to raise above ambient temperature because it kicks down almost immediately. Shall I send it back to the address from which it was sent? Or do you have another address you like?

My e-mail is cryhavok (at) bellsouth.net

Thanks!

P.S.
You not having PM's enabled is killing me

Edit: I let the light rest for a few minutes and now it seems that the 2nd stage works and it is able to heat up the light. The third stage seems to be working normal as well. Of course, this is only how the light is operating right now.
However, the capacitor whine still goes away after about 2 seconds and the current from the battery still jumps to 3.8A as the whine diminishes. I think it still needs an evaluation. Thoughts?

2nd Edit: Light is operating as it did in the beginning of the post (shutting down to level 1 after less than 5 seconds on level 2 and 3)

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Beautiful man-jewelry that is functional imo. Do not see a problem with anything I see in these pictures.. The heat discoloration is proof that it was a hand built torch, and the HA looks to be some of the best from the pics. If it disgusts you you can mail it to me

cryhavok, I will check out your observations you posted in the other thread. Of course I am happy to look the light over and see if it acting differently than when I sent it.

peter

Gransee said:

...a shelf queen that looks like man-jewelry...

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That made me laugh out loud. Metro Males need not apply.

On a more serious note, wow thats a small light. I can't wait for it to go on sale to the general public!

Warhead said:

T......[SIZE=-1] Cosmetic!? I would expect a xhundred dollar light to address those issues.
[/SIZE]

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Expectations on cosmetic issues of a finish that is not a cosmetic finish.

In the early days of CPF, one of the pioneers of high power LED lights placed cosmetic value and judgment on type III anodize which has never been qualified or defined in cosmetic terms, to my knowledge. There may be a new mil spec in the works where comparison to fabric swatches is part of the criteria but I doubt it. This pioneer actually sold some of his lights as seconds based purely on the appearance and mis-match of the anodize film. :green: A stage was set and I dare say there has been a lot of grief over the looks of something that isn't about looks. The good news to those who care is great pains have been gone to by some in attempt to get better looking hard anodize. Then there are others who refuse to even mess with a quality and durable finish because of the cosmetic expectations. Inferior films may look nicer and get the go ahead.

Warhead,
What are your feelings of the cosmetic issues of the object in your avatar and how they might relate to its price? :nana:

Hey Mcgizmo, I resemble that remark about setting high expectations for HA in the early days!

I think one of the problems back then came from a mis-interpretation of our satisfaction guaruntee. You can return for any reason. What some people did was return it for cosmetics. After awhile, some people felt that we where taking the unit back because it had cosmetics. The real reason is the original reason which is, you can return it for any reason, even ones made up or imagined. UFO's, night sweats, whatever.

This falls under the heading, "no good deed goes unpunished". We provide a guarantee for any reason, people then start to imagine that we agree to the logic of whatever reason they had for returning it.

Oh wait, you said we sold cosmetic blemishes as seconds. Umm. Yeah you are right. That did seem to be another vote for the cosmetic way of thinking. At least with the tiger stripes I still think it was a fairly good decision to mark them down.

So I a guess I am guilty as charged but my defense is that I had good intentions and I am too much of a softy.

I am reformed now...

peter

If any thinks that spending $700 on a flashlight automatically means they are going to get a shelf queen that looks like man-jewelry, you got the wrong craftsman here. Move along. The Arc6 may look nice, but by accident. Those flutes look nice? Whatever. They are there to help grip the head for twisting. The Arc6 is designed to be a tool. My goals where bright and durable not pretty and dainty.

Click to expand...

Ok... now I'm definately confused!! Didn't you say earlier on in the first set of auctions that these lights being sold on ebay were designed to be collectibles and the choice to sell them on ebay was to ensure that they were properly matched up with the right people? I'm paraphrasing, of course... but I'm sure someone else remembers this as well? I know I referred to them as "special collectible flashlights" here for a reason... I didn't just pull that term out of the air. :shrug:

just my 2 cents collectibles can be used still as a tool right BUT collectibles should be in pristine condition...i wouldnt be buying a collectible show car if it had cosmetic blemishes unless it was meant to look that way aka rat rod .... btw greta your avatar is too sexy and quite distracting

Greta said:

Ok... now I'm definately confused!! Didn't you say earlier on in the first set of auctions that these lights being sold on ebay were designed to be collectibles and the choice to sell them on ebay was to ensure that they were properly matched up with the right people? I'm paraphrasing, of course... but I'm sure someone else remembers this as well? I know I referred to them as "special collectible flashlights" here for a reason... I didn't just pull that term out of the air. :shrug:

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Not sure where you got the term. I didn't use it. In one of my posts back on 5/16 I did say that some may be buying them to put them on the shelf, even more so than regular production, but that has never been my wish.

btw, the 5/16 post was one that answered a lot of questions that kept being repeated even after I posted the information. Chalk that one up to, "forum fog".

peter

From a post back in 2002 ...

I shudder to think that somewhere there are Arcs sitting bored in a display case.

From the old faq...

In keeping with our design philosophy, we will emphasize utility over aesthetics. We prefer that our lights be in your pocket, ready to go and not in a museum display case.

Of course, people can use them how ever they want. But I do have an ideal use in mind when I design something.

Btw, like I said before, the primary reason for the auction was not to get a special serial number. I am bit put off in fact to see apparently the biggest effect on price for the auctions is the serial number instead of the tool aspects. The primary reason for the auction was to get the maximum amount of money for these pre-production units. This reduces the barriers to regular production, which is what I really want. Of course, there were other benefits which were mentioned too, like matching the serial number to people who want them, but minor issues imo.

Lots of good reasons for regular production. But I digress.

peter

Gransee said:

I am bit put off in fact to see apparently the biggest effect on price for the auctions is the serial number instead of the tool aspects.

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What other parameter is there to go off of in the auctions? That is the only unique factor between auctions that all end at the same time. Perhaps if there was a 10 min space between them people could simply attempt to get any light but as it is you have to pick one you want out of the batch and hope for the best. Perhaps you should list the vf of the led that went in that torch or some technical testing info on each torch.. Just some ideas, but as it stands the only one so far I was interested in was 86 because it was my football number. But it went for hundreds more than I was willing to spend. So be it, but until there is some other factor...

The pictures posted by cryhavoc that show the circuit board on the Arc6 brings a big question to mind. It appears the largest black rectangular item on the PCB is a IC chip socket but it does not appear to have a chip in it. Is it missing or is this a socket used for programming the unit? Or am I just mistaking it for something else? I'll assume if a chip fell out the light wouldn't work at all...

Gransee said:

Btw, like I said before, the primary reason for the auction was not to get a special serial number. I am bit put off in fact to see apparently the biggest effect on price for the auctions is the serial number instead of the tool aspects.

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Then the auction should have been for "A Light" and not a specific serial number. This may have been a better indication of the tool aspect value of these if that was your true intent.

Eric_M said:

Then the auction should have been for "A Light" and not a specific serial number. This may have been a better indication of the tool aspect value of these if that was your true intent.

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I guess this is where I've always had a problem with this. The light(s) have been marketed as being limited in number... (the auctions say only 50 made)... and we've read Peter's posts that say they have an LED that will NOT be in the production lights. Everything about all of this smacks of limited edition, collector's item. (And I am sticking by my previous post that I did not come up with that term for these lights). Statements may have been made in the past regarding Peter's wishes for the useage of the Arc flashlights but I think it has been made very clear that those statements do not apply to these 50 (give or take a few). And I think that it is very unprofessional and downright RUDE of Peter to be so patronizing with his post... "If any thinks that spending $700 on a flashlight automatically means they are going to get a shelf queen that looks like man-jewelry, you got the wrong craftsman here. Move along. The Arc6 may look nice, but by accident. Those flutes look nice? Whatever. They are there to help grip the head for twisting. The Arc6 is designed to be a tool. My goals where bright and durable not pretty and dainty." under these circumstances.