Arc AAA LE replaced after 6.5 years keyring duty

..with an L0D Rebel (natural finish) from EliteLED. Well, maybe "replaced" is the wrong word here; I just wanted to grab a Rebel L0D before the availability dries up. After searching posts here for a replacement EDC for the keyring, I saw that ones who had L0D Rebels really loved them.
The Arc's been on the keyring since Jan. 2002 when I bought from Peter; has been dropped, beaten, thrown (don't ask!), and all of the "HA" is gone from the finish; even the knurling really isn't knurling anymore, but it's never failed me. Yeah, it's gone a few months at a time without actually being used and I've put less than a dozen Alkaline AAA's into it since I've bought it, but it's been hammered along with the keys the entire time. I hate the idea of actually removing it from the keyring! I can only hope the L0D can withstand the same amount of abuse.

Or you could leave both on there.

That way you have a back-up for your back-up keychain light, which is backing-up (I assume) your primary light. :laughing:

I've got both on my keyring.

I've been using the Arc-AAA since 2001.

The Rebel L0D is about a year old. The black finish is nicked and scratched, but I don't really care about the appearance of the light. It's held up to use and abuse and works just fine.

As shomie911 suggested, the L0D is my primary keychain light, and the Arc-AAA is reserved as backup to the backup. Hey, you can never carry too many lights, right? (Cue the picture of JTice)

I've found that "hard anodising" is a bit of a joke when it comes to keyring carry. I now carry a brass Peak LED Matterhorn which has shown no wear in several months, and also has a nicer tint and beam pattern than any other 5mm LED light I have seen. Another alternative would be a AAA light made out of a hard-wearing plastic, like the Photon Micro-Light or the SureFire G2. Why won't anyone make one of those?

No pictures? I want to see an Arc AAA after 7 years of keychain carry!

I second that. Please post a picture!

zipplet said:

I second that. Please post a picture!

Click to expand...

Me to

bullterrier said:

Me to

Click to expand...

Fourth!

Sure, I'll post some pics soon.
Now I'm thinking I should've posted a WTB for an HDS and kept the Arc (design)tradition going on the keychain :/ I guess I can always grab a Ra Twisty though. Oops, there I go again.. I haven't even received the L0D yet lol.
Truth is, I've been away from CPF for a LONG time... it's amazing how much has changed and advanced for the better.

Here is my Arc AAA after a long time on my key ring. I can't remember when I got it, probably around 2001-2002, but it seems longer than that:



More hi-res pics here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/wadefulpng/Arc

Maybe someone can date my Arc, it has the foam piece inside.

I took some photos, but don't see any options for adding them.
What am I missing?

you have to host them elsewhere like photobucket.

OK, here goes:

Doesn't look too bad, Arcs certainly hold up well over time.