My Arc6 just showed up!

I missed out on the Arc4 and the Arc-LS, so this will have to do.

It took about five minutes before I took it apart, cleaned out the waxy crap it was lubed with, and did it up with proper lithium grease -- the plunger action is much smoother now. Scared the hell out of myself when it wouldn't turn on after I washed it -- until I pointed it at my face, that is. High mode, Level 7, right in the face. Ow.

There's one thing that worries me, though; the kilroy switch rubs against the edge of the resistor that sits between the arms of the switch, and I can't decide if it's supposed to do that. I sent an email to the esteemed Mr. Gransee, but it was after-hours already, so no response yet.

It seems like it's too well-built to rely on something as shady as an electrical connection between the kilroy switch and the resistor that consists of nothing more than the two rubbing against each other. Is this really how it's supposed to work? If it's an unintended short, that would explain why it gets hot so much faster than my Cree Q5 lights.

EDIT: Holy crap, the LED has a rubber dome? I opened the head to clean a little speck of black dust off it, and I just about stabbed the damn thing! Why wouldn't it have a plastic/glass/quartz dome like Cree LEDs have?

Is your spring/piston super stiff. My fingers hurt from trying to hold the light on with the piston. The spring I have is poorly matched for its function; I can't believe a $250 light is sold in that condition. I know, I should contact Arc...

Is yours the same?

I believe it's a Seoul P4. Different manufacturers use materials. There were discussions about emitter materials in the past. I don't remember what and if there was a conclusion, but I think there are pros for each material.

Good luck,
Mike

Illumination said:

Is your spring/piston super stiff. My fingers hurt from trying to hold the light on with the piston. The spring I have is poorly matched for its function; I can't believe a $250 light is sold in that condition. I know, I should contact Arc...

Is yours the same?

Click to expand...

Yeah, mine is pretty stiff. But, it got a lot less stiff after I cleaned the original lubricant out of the flashlight and replaced it with lithium wheel-bearing grease. I use that stuff on everything (except titanium, which requires copper-based grease, FYI).

Anyway, I set Stage 1 on my light to Level 3 brightness, so the only reason I would crank it up to Stage 2/Level 7 is if I really can't see something. Level 3 is plenty bright for most purposes. That has eliminated a lot of the stress of pressing and holding the plunger.

deusexaethera said:

EDIT: Holy crap, the LED has a rubber dome? I opened the head to clean a little speck of black dust off it, and I just about stabbed the damn thing! Why wouldn't it have a plastic/glass/quartz dome like Cree LEDs have?

Click to expand...

SSC P4 has a rubbery dome. That's just how they are. Dosn't make them bad, in fact I much prefer the SSC beam in an EDC light than a Cree.

Crees have a glass dome.

I got my Arc6 a couple days ago too. And YES, it is really really stiff. However it seems a bit better now. Is that because my thumb got an extra work out? I believe my right thumb is stronger and harder ever..

"the kilroy switch rubs against the edge of the resistor that sits between the arms of the switch"

Mine is the same way too. Let us know what you find out when you get a reply.

I got a response from Mr. Gransee this morning. Basically he says it is technically a defect, but it doesn't matter because that terminal on that capacitor is always at the same voltage as the kilroy switch.

I think I'm going to bend my switch away from the capacitor a little, anyway. I'm a firm believer in the theory of what could possibly go wrong.