ARC4 vs DEET

I was wondering if DEET (found in Muskol, Off, etc.) will eat into the rubber switch cover or the Lexan lens. I have dissolved many Swiss Army Knife scales, and left finger prints dissolved into Bic pens, while having DEET on my hands. I would hate to take this light camping and find the rubber switch cover dissolved on my thumb, or a nice big thumb print embedded in the lens!

Somewhere in the depth of the Arc forum here is a long thread discussing the details of the switch. It's a low power "strip" switch or something if I remember correctly. There were links to the manufacturer as well as the 100k testing cycles and such to prove that it would be a good switch. I'm sure that the manufacturer pages also have info on what the boot is made of.

I know that peter uses the more expensive fancy O-Rings that you can slather up with anything, so I'd be surprised if the boot on the switch was anything less. But I can't find the old thread to check it out for sure. Perhaps someone remembers or can find that thread so we can figure out the details on the switch boot.

I have no idea about the lexan, but I'm sure someone around here has some old lexan and some deet and would be willing to try it out /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

If the switch boot is made of the same stuff as the o-rings (which are nitrile I think) It should be fine. I have had deet desolve a little of the switches on my surefires before, but it won't desolve all the way through unless you soak it in the stuff. I don't think there is any danger from deet to the switch boot. And even if you did manage to dissolve the boot on your light, I am sure Peter would replace it for you.

The lens is a different story though. Lexan WILL be affected by deet! I have seen a lexan lens after deet was inadvertantly sprayed on it, and it isn't pretty! It will eat into the lens, and it produces a bunch of little surface cracks that are nearly impossible to polish out. My suggestion to you would be to get yourself a borofloat 22.6 mm lens from flashlightlens.com to replace the lexan lens in your arc4. I already have a pyrex lens in my arc4+, and lexan's aversion to deet is one of the reasons I switched to pyrex.

Thanks for the reply guys. I guess that I'll have to try a pyrex/borofloat lens /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Bricksie, I also have found deet will eat into plastic objects. I always use a wet wipe on my fingertips after putting on deet. That way the top of my hand is protected by repellent, but my fingertips are safe to handle plastic.

how does the thickness of the 22.6 borofloat compare to the stock lexan?

bwcaw...is the E2 pyrex the same thickness and diameter?

You guys are using 2 side AR coated borofloat, right?