Billson
Flashlight Enthusiast
I bought an Arc LS second last Thursday. It arrived yesterday. That was fast considering I'm half way around the world. They shipped the same day I placed my order. Not really surprised knowing the reputation on the customer service of Arc.
Thanks, Peter.
Anyway, I got an LSH-S. It was immediately obvious why it was a second. The color mismatch between the head and the TSP was very pronounced and the knurling was also different.
The beam was white with a slight tinge of purple on the corona of the spill. So I got my LSHF which I bought from Arc's Christmas sale last year to compare the brightness. Imagine my surprise when I shined them both on a white wall to find out that the beam on my LSHF is green tinted. Not just blotches of green but the whole beam. At first I couldn't believe it so I waited till I got home to test it again in a dark room. My results were confirmed. I'm really disappointed with this discovery because the LSHF's beam is inferior to an Arc LSHS and a second at that. It's obviously brighter but the tint really bothers me. I could live with blue or yellow but of all the colors, I had to get green which is not even on my list of acceptable tints. The LSHF was my first LS light so I never had anything to compare the beam to because it was the whitest I'd ever seen at the time.
If I were given the choice between the two, I'd choose the second for the nicer beam but the color mismatch of the HA bothers me too much. I bought the second to give to someone and I still intend to give it away but now I'm stuck with a light that doesn't live up to expectations. I certainly can't return or exchange it because it is way past the 30 day window. I also don't intend to purchase another one because it costs me $162 + more than 30% in duties and taxes to get the light here. I'm not willing to spend that much again to bet on the luxeon lottery because I thought that a premium would provide less risk.
I'm not blaming Arc or Peter for this. I just want to vent my frustration on my bad luck. I've never been lucky at gambling but I never thought it would apply even to flashlights. What a bummer. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
Thanks, Peter.
Anyway, I got an LSH-S. It was immediately obvious why it was a second. The color mismatch between the head and the TSP was very pronounced and the knurling was also different.
The beam was white with a slight tinge of purple on the corona of the spill. So I got my LSHF which I bought from Arc's Christmas sale last year to compare the brightness. Imagine my surprise when I shined them both on a white wall to find out that the beam on my LSHF is green tinted. Not just blotches of green but the whole beam. At first I couldn't believe it so I waited till I got home to test it again in a dark room. My results were confirmed. I'm really disappointed with this discovery because the LSHF's beam is inferior to an Arc LSHS and a second at that. It's obviously brighter but the tint really bothers me. I could live with blue or yellow but of all the colors, I had to get green which is not even on my list of acceptable tints. The LSHF was my first LS light so I never had anything to compare the beam to because it was the whitest I'd ever seen at the time.
If I were given the choice between the two, I'd choose the second for the nicer beam but the color mismatch of the HA bothers me too much. I bought the second to give to someone and I still intend to give it away but now I'm stuck with a light that doesn't live up to expectations. I certainly can't return or exchange it because it is way past the 30 day window. I also don't intend to purchase another one because it costs me $162 + more than 30% in duties and taxes to get the light here. I'm not willing to spend that much again to bet on the luxeon lottery because I thought that a premium would provide less risk.
I'm not blaming Arc or Peter for this. I just want to vent my frustration on my bad luck. I've never been lucky at gambling but I never thought it would apply even to flashlights. What a bummer. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif