NewBie
*Retired*
Well, had a chance to use my ARC4 in the field for several days. Took it to various crystal digging sites and mines, in the Oregon mountains.
I have the Rev.2 ARC4+ with the switch fixes in it.
I find the switch mechanism to be lacking, and the menu interface to be cumbersome. The switch could definitely use alot more tactile and/or audible feedback to the user. It's marginal operation made it even more difficult to operate with ease, especially while occupied with other tasks at hand.
I find an extreme desire for the want of a spot and flood adjustable operation modes. It's beam does not throw that well, such as looking down a mine corridor. And the spot is quite overpowering when looking at light colored areas, and throws your vision out of whack in the mine. I found the primary and secondary mode to be useful in this case, bumping it down when looking at light colored areas on the walls of the mines.
Unfortunately, even the double-click was a pain to operate, especially with cold hands, and when coupled with clay/mud/ water, it became even more difficult.
I found myself constantly wanting to hold the flashlight in my teeth, to free both hands, but its diameter and lack of a biteable surface made it something I chose not to do.
I like the additional knurling of the Rev.2, but personally, I'd opt for a more aggresive knurling and over more of the surface. As my hands got cold and the skin more dried out, the ARC4+ became more difficult to hold without it slipping away on me. Right now, the knurling is more lines in the surface, with extremely smooth and slick tops (flat), instead of the more common diamond peaked knurling you'd find on decent tools. Additional knurling over more of the ARC4+ body would be useful to me.
The gap between the head and tail was a drawback for me. I found it collected mud and grit, that would get into the thread area during a battery change. I found myself using my drinking water to and my toothbrush to scrub out this gap, to clean off my flashlight before a battery change.
I'm older than some of the crowd around here, and believe I have a tendency to use my flashlight at a higher level than others might, plus I often need the level 1 for throw. With the frequent battery changes, I began to wish for alot more efficiency at level 1, so improvements here could be another area that would set this flashlight apart.
One advantage of the level 1, and its low efficiency was that the flashlight got noticeably warm, which worked fairly well to keep my fingers warm.
Will I take it to the field again? Yes. Will it be my primary? No! I'll use it as a secondary backup, or have my wife use it.
I have the Rev.2 ARC4+ with the switch fixes in it.
I find the switch mechanism to be lacking, and the menu interface to be cumbersome. The switch could definitely use alot more tactile and/or audible feedback to the user. It's marginal operation made it even more difficult to operate with ease, especially while occupied with other tasks at hand.
I find an extreme desire for the want of a spot and flood adjustable operation modes. It's beam does not throw that well, such as looking down a mine corridor. And the spot is quite overpowering when looking at light colored areas, and throws your vision out of whack in the mine. I found the primary and secondary mode to be useful in this case, bumping it down when looking at light colored areas on the walls of the mines.
Unfortunately, even the double-click was a pain to operate, especially with cold hands, and when coupled with clay/mud/ water, it became even more difficult.
I found myself constantly wanting to hold the flashlight in my teeth, to free both hands, but its diameter and lack of a biteable surface made it something I chose not to do.
I like the additional knurling of the Rev.2, but personally, I'd opt for a more aggresive knurling and over more of the surface. As my hands got cold and the skin more dried out, the ARC4+ became more difficult to hold without it slipping away on me. Right now, the knurling is more lines in the surface, with extremely smooth and slick tops (flat), instead of the more common diamond peaked knurling you'd find on decent tools. Additional knurling over more of the ARC4+ body would be useful to me.
The gap between the head and tail was a drawback for me. I found it collected mud and grit, that would get into the thread area during a battery change. I found myself using my drinking water to and my toothbrush to scrub out this gap, to clean off my flashlight before a battery change.
I'm older than some of the crowd around here, and believe I have a tendency to use my flashlight at a higher level than others might, plus I often need the level 1 for throw. With the frequent battery changes, I began to wish for alot more efficiency at level 1, so improvements here could be another area that would set this flashlight apart.
One advantage of the level 1, and its low efficiency was that the flashlight got noticeably warm, which worked fairly well to keep my fingers warm.
Will I take it to the field again? Yes. Will it be my primary? No! I'll use it as a secondary backup, or have my wife use it.
