Gransee
Flashlight Enthusiast
The single largest reason an Arc-LS is returned to us is for cosmetic reasons. As you know, cosmetics ranks low in my design philosophy. No surprises there. Sometimes people feel like the product is over hyped here on the CPF and the actual LS is disappointing when they get it. I have posted here several times what to expect and I don't use a lot of hype. We make a good light but it far from perfect. All this shipping back and forth to try to find a cosmetically perfect light is wasteful. I am going to try something different here in this thread. This post will hopefully give you a little more facts on what to expect when you order an Arc-LS.
Price:
First off, the price is going to be higher than probably most flashlights you have purchased. We make no excuses for this. It is what it is. These lights are hand made in the USA, the LED are hand selected, we put a lot of love into each light. They are expensive. No one is forcing you to buy an Arc. Owning an Arc will not make you cooler or more of a flashlight lover. These are tools, plain and simple. We make them work with as few surprises as possible.
Where to buy:
You can purchase from various dealers (listed on our website and also found here in the CPF) or direct from us. If the product just went through a revision (which we often like to do), the Arc website will usually have it first. It just takes time to ship stuff, no evil conspiracy here.
Shipping:
Most dealers (us included), will ship your order within a couple of days if they have it in stock. Arcs are frequently out of stock. We don't make a bunch of them and people snap them up fairly quickly. Sorry for the delays in advance!
Shipping, regardless of who does it in not an exact science. Sometimes it takes longer than planned. Sometimes it can be pretty expensive. Shipping internationally is fraught with complications and expense. Just know this going in and you will be less surprised if any hiccups occur.
Contacting Us:
If you have any problems with any part of the experience, we want to hear from you. We really do. We try to make it as easy as we can for you to contact us. We have this forum, you can PM, you can email me, you give me a call, and you can stop by and visit us. You can fax us if you want.
Since each light is hand made and we make only just a few, every customer is very important to us. I like to think of it as a marriage of sorts. Before you buy our product, you are just a stranger. But after you buy it, we are connected for better or worse. I will try to do quite a bit to make sure we are keeping our end of the bargain. I also am not afraid to tell you when you are being whiny or wasting my time. You money does not dictate our relationship. You owning our flashlight does. I try to be honest and straight with you guys every chance I get. People who know me know that I am very principled. This does not mean you can't walk all over me while dangling a $100 bill in my face. Keep you money and I will give our light to someone else.
We check our email during the work week and we try to answer messages within 24 hours. Sometimes we get a little behind. I have had messages age up to a week even. I try to make this rare though. Sometimes I get involved in the business of making lights and I am not keeping up with our email like I should. This is wrong and I apologize.
I am a consumer to. I know what it is like to be excited about a new purchase and get it home and be disappointed because it doesn't work. We check our product very thoroughly. Real defects are rare but they do happen. It is not a conspiracy to make your day awful. I understand that sometimes you just need to call me up and vent about it. I understand this. I do believe that every person has an opportunity to be redeemed. So I will try to make things right.
Warranty
We will repair or replace anything that has been made by us and has been sold as new. The exception to this is product we sell as factory returns, etc. Obviously, we would never be able to sell this product if people kept returning it for something newer. We discount the price on those items to account for the defects in those lights.
If we are unable to resolve a matter to your satisfaction, we may choose to refund your money. This is rare however, as most people just want their light fixed.
When replacing an item, we try to replace with the same revision, model, etc if possible.
--
OK, so what does the light look like when you get it? Let's uses serial # 883 (an LSH-P) as a "typical" example. Sorry for all the large images, I wanted to show the light as clearly as possible.
When you get the package, it will be either a padded envelope or a box. Depends on who shipped it and how.
When you open the shipping box, you will find this (battery separate):
Or this (battery installed):
In the past, we shipped the unit with the battery installed so the light would be easier for people to figure out. But some units have been turned on during transit and arrived with a dead battery. We will gradually start sending units out with the battery separate as shown in the first picture.
Also notice in the pictures above our use of fancy packaging. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif This is how they are shipped. We do not yet have any fancy packaging for the LS series although it is in the works.
The package is a zip lock plastic bag with the flashlight, Duracell battery and folded instructions. The bag is sealed by a QC (Quality Control) sticker. This sticker will have the MFG date, the serial number, the model type and who QC'ed it. It is normal for the bag to look a bit worn as these lights are in a bin together.
Ok, we have the light out of the package and we verified it works by installing the battery (positive "+" up towards the head) and pressing the tail switch.
Lets look it over... Here we can see the head and battery pack anodize matches fairly well together.
Sometimes you will see a mismatch in color between these two pieces. This is normal. HA (hard anodize) is a tough finish but it does vary a lot in color.
Also notice in this and other pictures that it is normal to have a gap between the head and the battery compartment with the battery installed. You don't have to crank it all the way down. Just tighten it up enough that the battery doesn't rattle.
Next, lets look at the lanyard attachment point. This is a lug cut into the battery pack with a split ring attached.
It is hard to see in this picture but it is normal for the anodize texture to be rough around the lip of the attachment area and in the scallops on either side. There also may be voids in the anodize on the lug itself. The rough texture is a result of the metal having a different texture because of the de-burring process. This texture translates through the anodize. It is durable and will last, but is not the most attractive. The scratches are usually from the process of installing the split ring. This is also a frequent cosmetic issue.
By the way, the rubber boot of the push button has a round mold mark on one side. This is normal. Also, the switch is removable and can be serviced (see the FAQ for more information).
Here is the tail view. I found a small dent/scratch on the lip around the rubber boot. You can almost see it in the bottom part of the lip in this picture. This is normal. The parts sometimes get small dents in them as they are shuttled from one contractor to the next for each process.
Here's the head view. No big problems here. Sometimes the bezel around the lens will have a different grain structure to the metal or their will be a ring effect. Inside the bezel, closest to the lens, there are usually two voids in the anodize for the HA racking process. This is normal and will not hurt the light. It isn't visible in this picture.
This is a close-up of the lens itself. The photo is not very good. With this particular unit, the protective plastic lens cover had bubbled up a bunch on one side. You can also see some farkle around the center of the LED image. Both are normal. Both are cosmetic and will not affect the output of the beam.
Note: the lens protector is for protecting the lens during shipping. You can pull it off or leave it on. It's your choice. Personally, I pulled it off of the light I use.
More pictures..
Next, we inspect the inside of #883. Here you can see the back of the PCB with the gold contact in the center. It is normal for the gold contact to have abrasion marks on it. We do test these lights before send them out and this involves putting a battery in the light. That contact will therefore have marks on it from the battery. These contacts are made of hard cobalt gold and will last quite a long time. Also, it is normal for the interior of the threads to be darkened, etc. The threads will require a break in period to get easier to turn. At first, the head will be quite tight but will smooth out and get easier to turn with use.
Also, there is a grove cut down one side of the threads. This is designed to facilitate the installation of the NX05 optic. You can almost see it in the picture.
Next, lets look at the battery compartment threads. It should have some grease on it and the o-ring should look fine. This is a nice looking specimen:
Finally, let's look at the beam. Since this is a high dome unit, it should have a squarish pattern with a round spot in the middle. You should also see two bond wire silhouettes on either side of the square pattern.
My camera has never been too good at taking beam shots. The real image is actually higher contrast than shown above.
Here's a picture of another LSH-P taken by CPF'er, "this_is_nascar":
Because we use an LED for illumination, the tint will vary from unit to unit. There are still people who don't know this! Each unit will be different. The beam will also look different depending on the target surface, other lights in the room, etc.
-
We want to be honest with our potential and existing customers on what to expect with us. We try to be fair and make a great product. It is not perfect, but we believe it is one of the most useful lights on the planet.
Thank you for giving me time to explain this.
Peter Gransee
Owner,
Arc Flashlight
Price:
First off, the price is going to be higher than probably most flashlights you have purchased. We make no excuses for this. It is what it is. These lights are hand made in the USA, the LED are hand selected, we put a lot of love into each light. They are expensive. No one is forcing you to buy an Arc. Owning an Arc will not make you cooler or more of a flashlight lover. These are tools, plain and simple. We make them work with as few surprises as possible.
Where to buy:
You can purchase from various dealers (listed on our website and also found here in the CPF) or direct from us. If the product just went through a revision (which we often like to do), the Arc website will usually have it first. It just takes time to ship stuff, no evil conspiracy here.
Shipping:
Most dealers (us included), will ship your order within a couple of days if they have it in stock. Arcs are frequently out of stock. We don't make a bunch of them and people snap them up fairly quickly. Sorry for the delays in advance!
Shipping, regardless of who does it in not an exact science. Sometimes it takes longer than planned. Sometimes it can be pretty expensive. Shipping internationally is fraught with complications and expense. Just know this going in and you will be less surprised if any hiccups occur.
Contacting Us:
If you have any problems with any part of the experience, we want to hear from you. We really do. We try to make it as easy as we can for you to contact us. We have this forum, you can PM, you can email me, you give me a call, and you can stop by and visit us. You can fax us if you want.
Since each light is hand made and we make only just a few, every customer is very important to us. I like to think of it as a marriage of sorts. Before you buy our product, you are just a stranger. But after you buy it, we are connected for better or worse. I will try to do quite a bit to make sure we are keeping our end of the bargain. I also am not afraid to tell you when you are being whiny or wasting my time. You money does not dictate our relationship. You owning our flashlight does. I try to be honest and straight with you guys every chance I get. People who know me know that I am very principled. This does not mean you can't walk all over me while dangling a $100 bill in my face. Keep you money and I will give our light to someone else.
We check our email during the work week and we try to answer messages within 24 hours. Sometimes we get a little behind. I have had messages age up to a week even. I try to make this rare though. Sometimes I get involved in the business of making lights and I am not keeping up with our email like I should. This is wrong and I apologize.
I am a consumer to. I know what it is like to be excited about a new purchase and get it home and be disappointed because it doesn't work. We check our product very thoroughly. Real defects are rare but they do happen. It is not a conspiracy to make your day awful. I understand that sometimes you just need to call me up and vent about it. I understand this. I do believe that every person has an opportunity to be redeemed. So I will try to make things right.
Warranty
We will repair or replace anything that has been made by us and has been sold as new. The exception to this is product we sell as factory returns, etc. Obviously, we would never be able to sell this product if people kept returning it for something newer. We discount the price on those items to account for the defects in those lights.
If we are unable to resolve a matter to your satisfaction, we may choose to refund your money. This is rare however, as most people just want their light fixed.
When replacing an item, we try to replace with the same revision, model, etc if possible.
--
OK, so what does the light look like when you get it? Let's uses serial # 883 (an LSH-P) as a "typical" example. Sorry for all the large images, I wanted to show the light as clearly as possible.
When you get the package, it will be either a padded envelope or a box. Depends on who shipped it and how.
When you open the shipping box, you will find this (battery separate):
Or this (battery installed):
In the past, we shipped the unit with the battery installed so the light would be easier for people to figure out. But some units have been turned on during transit and arrived with a dead battery. We will gradually start sending units out with the battery separate as shown in the first picture.
Also notice in the pictures above our use of fancy packaging. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif This is how they are shipped. We do not yet have any fancy packaging for the LS series although it is in the works.
The package is a zip lock plastic bag with the flashlight, Duracell battery and folded instructions. The bag is sealed by a QC (Quality Control) sticker. This sticker will have the MFG date, the serial number, the model type and who QC'ed it. It is normal for the bag to look a bit worn as these lights are in a bin together.
Ok, we have the light out of the package and we verified it works by installing the battery (positive "+" up towards the head) and pressing the tail switch.
Lets look it over... Here we can see the head and battery pack anodize matches fairly well together.
Sometimes you will see a mismatch in color between these two pieces. This is normal. HA (hard anodize) is a tough finish but it does vary a lot in color.
Also notice in this and other pictures that it is normal to have a gap between the head and the battery compartment with the battery installed. You don't have to crank it all the way down. Just tighten it up enough that the battery doesn't rattle.
Next, lets look at the lanyard attachment point. This is a lug cut into the battery pack with a split ring attached.
It is hard to see in this picture but it is normal for the anodize texture to be rough around the lip of the attachment area and in the scallops on either side. There also may be voids in the anodize on the lug itself. The rough texture is a result of the metal having a different texture because of the de-burring process. This texture translates through the anodize. It is durable and will last, but is not the most attractive. The scratches are usually from the process of installing the split ring. This is also a frequent cosmetic issue.
By the way, the rubber boot of the push button has a round mold mark on one side. This is normal. Also, the switch is removable and can be serviced (see the FAQ for more information).
Here is the tail view. I found a small dent/scratch on the lip around the rubber boot. You can almost see it in the bottom part of the lip in this picture. This is normal. The parts sometimes get small dents in them as they are shuttled from one contractor to the next for each process.
Here's the head view. No big problems here. Sometimes the bezel around the lens will have a different grain structure to the metal or their will be a ring effect. Inside the bezel, closest to the lens, there are usually two voids in the anodize for the HA racking process. This is normal and will not hurt the light. It isn't visible in this picture.
This is a close-up of the lens itself. The photo is not very good. With this particular unit, the protective plastic lens cover had bubbled up a bunch on one side. You can also see some farkle around the center of the LED image. Both are normal. Both are cosmetic and will not affect the output of the beam.
Note: the lens protector is for protecting the lens during shipping. You can pull it off or leave it on. It's your choice. Personally, I pulled it off of the light I use.
More pictures..
Next, we inspect the inside of #883. Here you can see the back of the PCB with the gold contact in the center. It is normal for the gold contact to have abrasion marks on it. We do test these lights before send them out and this involves putting a battery in the light. That contact will therefore have marks on it from the battery. These contacts are made of hard cobalt gold and will last quite a long time. Also, it is normal for the interior of the threads to be darkened, etc. The threads will require a break in period to get easier to turn. At first, the head will be quite tight but will smooth out and get easier to turn with use.
Also, there is a grove cut down one side of the threads. This is designed to facilitate the installation of the NX05 optic. You can almost see it in the picture.
Next, lets look at the battery compartment threads. It should have some grease on it and the o-ring should look fine. This is a nice looking specimen:
Finally, let's look at the beam. Since this is a high dome unit, it should have a squarish pattern with a round spot in the middle. You should also see two bond wire silhouettes on either side of the square pattern.
My camera has never been too good at taking beam shots. The real image is actually higher contrast than shown above.
Here's a picture of another LSH-P taken by CPF'er, "this_is_nascar":
Because we use an LED for illumination, the tint will vary from unit to unit. There are still people who don't know this! Each unit will be different. The beam will also look different depending on the target surface, other lights in the room, etc.
-
We want to be honest with our potential and existing customers on what to expect with us. We try to be fair and make a great product. It is not perfect, but we believe it is one of the most useful lights on the planet.
Thank you for giving me time to explain this.
Peter Gransee
Owner,
Arc Flashlight
