Arc AAA, why so costly?

I don't mean for this to ignite a flame-war, but technically what makes this light worth the price when you can get an E01 or infinity ultra for considerably less?

curious...??

because its made in the usa?

Basically all the same reasons why Surefire's are so costly also...

I don't have a Gerber so I can't comment on that one.

But, compared to the E01, not that the Arc warrants ALL the extra cost, but, Arc-AAAs have been around for years and years longer than the E01 and have proven during that time to be ultra-reliable. If you buy an Arc you know there is a very good chance in 5 years it will still be working - the E01s are too new to know how they will hold up. Arcs also have a fairly decent limited lifetime guarantee as compared to the fenix. If made in America is important to you, score another for Arc. Arcs (the GS) are also noticeably brighter with, IMHO, much MUCH better spill and color. Lastly they are somewhat smaller than the E01 and I'm pretty sure significantly smaller than the Gerber.

In the end it comes down to preference - they are both great lights that work well. Its similar to the surefire/fenix debate...

I prefer my Arcs over my E01s and the additional cost doesnt bother me - other will naturally disagree.

If you can afford it, buy both and judge for yourself - everybody can always use more than one keyring light and arcs hold their value nicely if you wish to sell :twothumbs

I've had three Arc AAA's since 2003 and bought three EO1's this year.

The Arc's consume about 250 - 300 mA and output the same or less light than the EO1, which draws only ~80 mA.

My EO1's have smoother twisting heads and I prefer their more aggressive knurling which makes actuation easier than the Arc's. YMMV, however.

If a tiny decrease in size and weight are very important, the Arc may be worth its inflated price. Unless a reliability problem arises, the Fenix is a far better value for most users, IMHO.

Arc's were the first great LED lights: once on top with innovation and quality so we should appreciate that aspect, but others have learned quickly.

jayflash said:

I've had three Arc AAA's since 2003 and bought three EO1's this year.

The Arc's consume about 250 - 300 mA and output the same or less light than the EO1, which draws only ~80 mA.

My EO1's have smoother twisting heads and I prefer their more aggressive knurling which makes actuation easier than the Arc's. YMMV, however.

If a tiny decrease in size and weight are very important, the Arc may be worth its inflated price. Unless a reliability problem arises, the Fenix is a far better value for most users, IMHO.

Arc's were the first great LED lights: once on top with innovation and quality so we should appreciate that aspect, but others have learned quickly.

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+1

I think in the long run, the E01 design is much more durable also. It has a spring instead of being a battery crusher, and has a beefier construction. Not to mention anodized threads, making it more reliable there.

Because it's awesome! No, really, it is! I think you get what you pay for with it.

It's robust and almost indestructible, light weight, easy to find battery, looks nice, finish holds up for a long time and even old ones that have been abused still look nice, great smooth beam, MADE IN THE USA, and here's my favorite about Arc AAAs - really great guarantee. I had a thread problem with one after a year of use. Emailed Arc about it, sent the old one back, got a new one sent to me. That's service. Now about the spring versus battery crusher - springs can break and bend, crushers are nearly unbreakable. And if something happens you replace the battery and don't need the light repaired.

I give them as gifts and the people that get them can change the batteries themselves and they are strong and easy to use. People love them as gifts!

Is it slightly more expensive? Yes, but for many reasons. I think it could be a little cheaper, but the price is almost perfect for what you get imho.

They charge so much at Arc because they can. Obviously Arc is able to sell their inventory at this price, or they'd lower it. I have one, now for many years, but there seems to be no obvious reason why it should cost 3X an E01. Even figuring increased materials and labor cost, it's hard for me to justify this expense. If there was clearcut design superiority, okay, but even that seems inferior to the Fenix.

Geoff

While you can get a bunch of E01's for the same price as an ARC GS, I have no problem with ARC charging $50 for the Arc GS. It's made in the USA, it has great HA, it's smaller than the E01, it's brighter than the E01 (pro for some, con for others due to short run times), it's a proven design and very reliable. Some of it is also paying for the name. Many won't be able to justify the difference in price, while others will love their ARC's no matter what their price.

If Arc had to lower the price it probably wouldn't be worth their time and energy to produce them. So as long as people continue to want them, they'll charge whatever they want to charge to make them.

The Arc is smaller, brighter (for awhile), has a more durable finish, and has a proven track record of years of reliability vs the Fenix E01. They are also made in the USA which matters to some people.

I carry both on a pretty regular basis, my Fenix riding on my keychain, and the Arc on a titanium chain around my neck, but typically it is one or the other, not both at the same time. If I had to choose only one, it would be my Arc AAA-P, but they both have a place in my EDC rotation.

I also have a hard time with the price of the Arc AAA and cannot justify to myself to purchase another one.

I bought the very first model when they came out and also the first premium unit years ago (I think they were about $20 - $30 at the time and they were the only light like that around). There was nothing comparable for the size/runtime and brightness (unfortunately I since sold my premium and my original unit does not work and sits in a drawer).

Unfortunately now I think they are way overpriced (JMO) for what you are getting. The R&D has been paid for long ago, the materials and LED's are way cheaper than they were when they first came out. It is still a nice light. It would make me feel different if Arc had some special circuit or material that other lights did not have or if the light was more advanced that anything else available - but it is not.

On the other hand - I think the Arc is still number one at what it does. I like the super minimal size and decent runtime and brightness. You can definately get better bang for your buck elsewhere. You are paying a "high" premium for getting the little bit more that the Arc has to offer.

I wish I could say because it's made better. That wasn't my experience.

Instead, I'll say because it has a following of people that will pay the price. "It's a Jeep thing, you wouldn't understand."

Also, because it's made in a country with labor laws, human rights, environmental regulations, taxes, and worker benefits.

jayflash said:

The Arc's consume about 250 - 300 mA and output the same or less light than the EO1, which draws only ~80 mA.

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The arc current draw does not sound right. I think you are off by an order of magnitude. Even at the battery, the current draw should be around 70-90mA, give or take a few. AFAIK:thinking:

Edited the battery current draw. Can't seem to find the reviews that measured Arc's current draw for some mysterious reason.

Cause it feels goooood. Looks gooood. Virtually waterproof, heat proof (washer-dryer X3). IT's CLASSY. I've mostly replaced it with my MJ Extreme III, another CLASSY light. Somethings are just worth the extra money!!

Bill

I long for the days when Arc AAA's went on sale for $15.00

monanza said:

The arc current draw does not sound right. I think you are off by an order of magnitude. Even at the battery, the current draw should be around 70-90mA, give or take a few. AFAIK:thinking:

Edited the battery current draw. Can't seem to find the reviews that measured Arc's current draw for some mysterious reason.

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Yeah 250ma is way too high. I've measured e01 and arc aaa on the same alkaline, and both draw between 80 and 100ma.

I sorta felt "compelled" to respond to this post when I saw it...

I've owned a LOT of Arc products since becoming a CPFer almost seven years ago; everything from an original Arc LS to an Arc AAA P-DS, and just about everything in between. The Arc AAA, while being the "standard" by which a lot of flashoholics judge all other 1XAAA lights, remains my "bone of contention" as far as Arc products are concerned. I'm not a "white wall hunter" when it comes to most of the lights I own or have owned; I actually USE just about all of them! Just about every Arc AAA I've ever owned has had the emitter BADLY off-center, and that drives me up the wall! I know that it doesn't bother a lot of folks, but it drives me nuts!!! The last Arc AAA I owned (a P-DS) was no exception; It's emitter was so badly off-center that no matter how much I tried to ignore it during normal use, it was still obvious to me. Some folks seem to have pretty good luck as far as the centering of the LED's in their Arc AAA's is concerned, but it's not been the case with me. I think I paid $40 plus shipping for the P-DS, and at that price I found the lop-sided beam to be totally unacceptable. I've bought five Fenix E01's, and on every one of them the hotspot of the beam is almost perfectly centered. I really do like the quality of the Arc AAA, and I AM tempted to plunk down the $50 plus shipping for for an Arc AAA P-GS...but I'm NOT willing to risk another lop-sided beam at that price! And for all intensive purposes, the beam-centering issue is usually "brushed off" by Peter Gransee and the folks at Arc, even though it's been the topic of numerous threads and posts in the past (The response is usually something along the lines of "acceptable tolerances", blah, blah, blah...). IMHO, at that price, anything other than being perfectly centered or close to it is all that's acceptable. I AM a fan of Arc, and I DO like Arc products...I've shelled out a LOT of money on them in the past to prove it! I'm not trying to start an Arc lovers/haters flame session; but to ME, the centering of the LED (to be more accurate, not centering, but how STRAIGHT the LED is) is an issue at $50. Especially considering that it uses a less efficient driver and gets considerably less run-time per cell than the competition. It's still an Arc, with top of the line ano and workmanship...but to me, for "half a hundred", the lopsided beam IS an issue! YMMV...

PJD

This thread does a good job of comparing the power, current, and efficiency of the Arc aaa and the E01.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/197045&page=2

Darkaway said:

I long for the days when Arc AAA's went on sale for $15.00

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remember when they were discontinued and were going for over $100?
I have recently bought a few more E01s. I agree they are an excellent value. I've owned an Arc AAA-P for a few years. I love it. I still EDC an AAA-P UV on my keys. Sure, my L0DCE on a :naughty:10440 blows it away powerwise, yet the feel and quality of the ARC is noticable. IMHO An ARC AAA-P is a 'luxury item' that costs less than $50 to own. You can get 3 E01's for the price of an ARC AAA-P, so for less than $ 90 you could get ALL FOUR!

My experience with the ARC is that the HAIII is much more durable than the E01. The ARC is more waterproof as well. Matter of fact The E01 has not held up well in the ocean at all