Arc AAA issues

After reading up about the ArcAAA here, I finally got mine yesterday. Standard edition with pocket clip. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

But I have these 3 issues with it:
-The knurled grip on the head is too smooth compared to that on the body. It makes switching it on/off difficult with one hand.
-The bottom edge of the head (when screwed into body) seems to have an unsatisfying sharp edge. Almost like you could get cut if you twisted it just right.
-Sometimes it doesn't turn on! After sitting for a few hours, it can fail to come on when you twist the head. It seems to happen more easily if you SLOWLY twist it: turn, slowly turn some more, and it's fully tightened, but the light's not on!

The first two of these probly aren't even issues, but I wanted to see if these are normal, especially the last one. Thanks.

The last one are called flickering. There has been some discussion about this on how to cure flickering; however, most of the flickering cannot be fully cured and will come back. I don't want to suggest anything, so let the maker give some speech.

Hello Beckler and welcome to the CPF!

Congratulations on your new Arc-AAA. My apologies that is has not been an entirely statisfying experience!

1. Knurling on head seams too smooth. The knurling percentage should be the same on both the head and body. Of course the length of the knurl is less on the head than the body, but I doubt seriously this is what you are referring to since this is a result of the head actually being shorter than the body.

From the description provided, I am assuming this is a situation where either A) the knurling is the same but it just not enough in your opinion. IE, the knurling has to be increased on the head beyond the grade found on the body. Or, B) the knurling is actually defective. IE, there are patches missing or the knurl is simply not found anywhere on the head. Another possibility is that the knurl has been erroded away by the plating process and is therefore much thinner than the knurl on the body.

2. Sounds like you are referring to the lip of the battery compartment. You said, "head" but the bottom edge of the head (closest to the the head/body joint) is beveled and I doubt this is the cutting edge you are referring to. The battery compartment lip however is sharp. I could see how it might cause some concern. That is entirely valid. If you are concerned about being cut with that edge, you have every right to be concerned! That is not a defect in manufacturing but a choice I made in my design. If it is any consolation, that edge is slightly rounded and placed close enough to the nearest edge to mitigate any bodily harm. I have not heard of anyone cutting themselves on this edge. The thousands of people who read this forum are welcome to chime on this.

3. Failure to turn on. This is the most serious issue in my opinion. There are fixes and things you can try, but I would feel a lot more comfortable is you would just let us replace the light with a new one. That would be the simpler route in my opinion.

Again, you have my apologies. Please give us another chance to make this right.

Peter Gransee
Arc Flashlight

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif Welcome Beckler, The response from Gransee is one of the reasons I have bought 4 arc lights.

sorry about your issues beckler, but peter will do everything to make it right, he's a great guy /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

and no, i haven't cut myself with the arc (though i have taken several jabs at my sister... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif )

Thanks for the instant replies & welcomes. Yeah I guess the people here weren't exaggerating when describing the Arc customer service.

Gransee:

1. The knurling is definitely shallower on the head. I took an image of it and it's quite clear in that (but discovered I can't attach images here and I don't have webspace set up /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif)

2. The edge I'm referring to is in fact the one on the head, and to be precise, 7 mm below the top of the head. It seems about as sharp as the battery compartment edge. I seriously doubt it poses any risk of massive injury however. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

3. Would I return it to you or to where I bought it (one of the places linked on your website)? Yes if this is an issue that was fixed & somehow I got an old head (seems like the issues are all head-related), I'd prefer a new one too.

Thanks!

Yes, we will replace the entire light. I would like to see the sharp edge you referred to. Maybe it is a machining error?

All defective Arcs can be returned to us directly at:

Arc Flashlight
1835 E. 6th St.
Suite 21
Tempe, AZ. USA

Thanks!

Peter

interesting, mine doesn't turn on periodically. I can have it turned on one minute, and the next minute it doesn't turn on. I have to fully unscrew the head and screw it back on again and it usually turns on then. I've only had this light for less than a month and only use it occasionally.

When mine does the intermittent on dance I unscrew the head, remove the battery, clean the threads (they are always dirty?), and lube the o-ring sparingly. Then it is good to go until I have neglected it and allowed it to crud up again.

I's say I do this once every three or four months or so. I also fiddle with it constantly as it's on a neck chain and easy to get at.

On my side, I find the knurling too rough that it is unsuitable to hook the ARC-AAA together with my keys. The keys are all right but not the plastic on the car's remote control. The plastic has nice uniform scratches all over now. I now use the ARC-AAA by itself in my left pocket where I stash my coins plus the fear of losing the little bugger.

IMHO if ARC-AAA is intended as a key-chain light, then the body should be smooth. Otherwise, the knurling is great! Like a surefire body, I wouldn't mind LS4s come with that /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

peter: two new arc AAAs i bought for some friends have had the problem of not turning on all the time. i noticed that this problem disappeared if the foam retainer is removed. it's my theory that when the foam retainer is compressed, some of it squeezes out in the way of the +ve contact of the battery and prevents it from making proper contact with the solder blob.

as for the knurling, i too noticed that the knurling on the head of the light is noticeably different from that on the body. the knurling on the body feels much more rough to the touch (i like that) and seems to have a more aggresive geometry whereas the knurling on the head appears to just be cut into it similar to the knurling found on the barrel of a mini maglite.

Two Questions for Peter:

1) I have an Arc AAA UV light that has the intermitent on/off issue. I would be willing to try the "remove the foam retainer" fix if it will not void the warranty. OK?

2) If I do need to return it, do you know if USPS will handle it in a standard envelope [with a couple postage stamps]?

Thank You.

Hmm,

I'm experiencing similar problems turning the thing on myself and this is an "ARC AAA LE". This is after about a month of good use (still on the original battery thou). Somewhat depressing when you consider I had to wait 1/2 a year to get this thing since it's one of the last LE orders. I'm going to e-mail ARC to see what they can do for me. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif

My four standard black Arc AAAs all have the larger knurling on the head compared to the tube. It's both visibly and tactily different. I can file my nails on the tube but not effectively on the head, where it isn't as abrasive. I wish the head had the finer, more aggressive knurling of the tube since that's where the area is small and extra grip is needed to turn the light on.
My first Arc, which I've EDC-ed for 4 months, has never failed to turn on. Very reliable. But a recently ordered spare failed to turn on once but I haven't been able to get it to fail again.

flashlightocd & foxalopex: just peel the retainer off; it will not void the warranty, and arc will send you replacement foam rings if you mail them a SASE /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

first try cleaning out the threads on both the head and barrel with until there's no more black residue. make sure the solder blob on the head is free of any obstructions such as lint or bits of the foam retainer, then use a thin pencil erasier to clean the -ve contact at the bottom of the barrel. this never fails to fix any flickering my arc AAA might have.

I am going to take a closer look at the foam retainer issue. Maybe a larger hole is in order?


Peter

peter: that sounds like a good idea...let us know what you find out /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif btw, i received some replacement foam retainers for my arc AAA a while ago because the original one had gotten too shredded up due to hard use. i noticed the newer foam retainers sent were thinner and more robust, being less spongy and prone to getting shredded. consequently i'm guessing the foam isn't squeezed out as much, and i've had no problems with the retainer. all flickering problems with my arc AAA are easily fixed by a good cleaning of the threads and contacts.

[ QUOTE ]
chamenos said:
...make sure the solder blob on the head is free of any obstructions such as lint or bits of the foam retainer...

[/ QUOTE ]

My trusty Arc-AAA began flickering a bit and I had trouble occasionally turning it on. After close examination, I discovered a small loose bit of foam retainer that would sometimes squeeze out and interrupt battery contact.

After cutting off this little stray piece of foam, problem solved and there was much rejoicing, yeah! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

So I recommend checking to make sure you have a nice, clean hole in your foam retainer with out any stray strands of foam. Also be sure to clean up any excessive lubrication.

Good luck,
Pat

I have the problem that my little Arc AAA's don't always turn on on the first try too.
I have surmised that the pad that cushions the battery and keeps it from rattling
just gets crushed or collapsed in such a way that the battery doen't make contact. I
may be completely wrong but that is what it "feels" like. Twist the head off a little
further then twist it on. This minor idiosycrocy seems to solve the problem for me and the
light will come on.

I'd just like to say that I agree with the foam cushion theory! I've experienced the same problem and the foam cushion appeared to be the culprit. As Chamenos said clean the threads and points of contact and you will not have a problem!

Doug