Arc4 vs ? advice on small, regulated, & dimmable.

Hey folks-

YA newbie here. I was searching on bright LEDs and here I found myself- I didn't even know similar folk existed.. yeah, I have a lot of LED lights. Nothing fancy though.

I'd like to rectify that. I'd like a light which is:
1) small (cr123 size)
2) dimmable
3) potentially bright
4) well-built
5) COOL

Given these priorities, it seems that the Arc4 series is a serious contender. But you folks are the experts- what else is out there?

best, tia, fearing for wallet,
loa

I'm not an expert but my Arc 4, rev1 is my most used light due to its sixteen speed tranny... always the right gear for the job... wait, we're talking about flashlights but you get the idea. Anyhow I have enough confidence in my Arc to take it with me to the Yukon (in a few hours). But then it really won't be that dark there, will it?

But back to the Arc... it's too darn expensive but still worth it!

In production dimmable lights, I I can't really think of any other lights that fit your requirements. I have an ARC 4+ and really like it. Some people don't like the interface where you double click to change brightness, but once you learn to program it, which can be a tough learning curve, its a great light. If you buy one, go the ARC section of this forum, go to the ARC FAQ and download the instructions for the ARC 4. The one page sheet that comes with the light is not very good.
The ARC 4+ in production now is the rev. (revision) 2 and some have had problems with the switch being vague and mushy, but I haven't heard many complaints lately, and ARC has a super customer service policy, if anything goes wrong, send it back and they'll fix it.
Supposedly coming up is a line of lights from HDS, Henry used to work with ARC and he designed much of what is in the ARC 4+. His line of lights will be similar, but brighter than the ARC 4. But HDS is not shipping yet so you'll have to wait. Also coming is the ARC 5.
If you want a light now, I'd say try out the ARC 4+. I use my everyday and find it fits almost all my needs very well. I have my lights programmed to level 3 (where level 1 is the brightest) and level 9. That way, a single click turns the light on to the last used level, a double click toggles to the other level, a triple click toggles down to the dimmest level, and pressing and holding while the light is on turns the light up to the brightest level.

Re: Arc4 vs ? advice on small, regulated, & dimmab

look here

bernhard

Re: Arc4 vs ? advice on small, regulated, & dimmab

I have a Fire~Fly Rev. 2 in my pocket as I write this. It is an extraordinary light. Super light (1.8 oz.) and small (0.8" x 2.7"). Its 2 output levels perfectly cover my needs. It is 100% serviceable. Stiff? Lube the o-ring. Problems with the 2-stage switch? Take it out and go single level. Want different output levels? Change the sandwich or 2-stage switch. Battery not fitting properly? Pull out the soldering iron and change the blob height.

But…the Fire~Fly's 2-stage switch (at least mine) offers somewhat inconsistent operation. Sometimes light pressure, sometimes have to turn surprisingly hard to get to high output. The o-ring works very hard. Quite a few turns. You have to keep up with the lube but not so much that it comes out on your hand.

My Arc4, on the other hand, has aged quite well. It came from the problematic early Rev 2 batch. It went back to Arc for adjustment. I went through a phase where I was playing with the options and brightness levels quite a bit. Inconsistent battery contact problems went away after I got in the habit of filling the battery negative contact recess with a scrap of folded aluminum foil. I don't play with the settings these days. I have them set to serve my needs. I don't know if the switch broke in well, practice improved my use of it, or a combination, but I now have no problem with the switch or intermittent contact problems.

The Arc4's basic design has a major advantage: No rotating o-rings during normal use. This light is rock solid and reliable. No need to tweak the lube. It simply works cleanly, consistently, and reliably. My biggest criticism is that it runs quite inefficiently when on level 1 (brightest output). That's not as much a problem as one might think. The Arc4 has better throw on Level 5 (my most heavily used level) than the Fire~Fly on high. Less flood though.

Another Arc4 advantage is that it can be bought right away. No prepay & waiting. I recommend that you buy one. You have 30 days to return it for any reason and get a full refund. FWIW, I carry my Fire~Fly all day and around the house at night. I switch to the Arc4 when going outdoors after dark, when the throw matters.

Re: Arc4 vs ? advice on small, regulated, & dimmab

Thanks all- I went ahead and place a pre-order for one of the new HDS beauties. If I can't handle the wait, it'll be an arc4.

I feel like I should list all my LED gear here, but as I assemble the list in my head it just gets too damn long. Hopefully this will be the last major piece... bwahahahahah!

Re: Arc4 vs ? advice on small, regulated, & dimmab

I agree with those above on the ARC 4+ !!
I can not think of any other light that has the USER ADJUSTABLE brightness levels and is as reliable.

Now that I have it I would not want to be without one...or more. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Re: Arc4 vs ? advice on small, regulated, & dimmab

LOALIGHT,

Welcome to CPF. You should list some of the "Better" LED lights that you have etc.

Thanks.

Curtis

Re: Arc4 vs ? advice on small, regulated, & dimmab

OK, here ya' go: small, single LED, bright spot beam, bright and dim mode, candle-glow mode, strobe-able, sends SOS, 40 hour battery life on high, 200 on dim mode, stands perfectly on tail, drop on the floor and it'll bounce without damage, comes complete with lanyard, red/orange cone diffuser, has a bail on the tail so it is hang-able, all this for less than $70, how about less than $50, how about less than $20?!

Get yourself a PAL eLight. Real, real nice and useful little toy. Never thought I needed one until I got it.

Re: Arc4 vs ? advice on small, regulated, & dimmab

Oops, sorry, you said "regulated". I don't think the PAL eLight is regulated. Come to think of it, you won't care. I originally got it to drink the last drop out of 9v batteries, but now it sits on my night stand every evening while I'm on CPF merrily sending out it's beacon blast of light for hours on end through it's little orange diffuser cone.

Re: Arc4 vs ? advice on small, regulated, & dimmab

Curtis et al-

Well, my interest in lighting goes way beyond LEDs. One of my businesses is portable nightclub lighting, so I have a big pile of gear from multi-line Argon, orange and red HeNe lasers (no DPSS- ick), moving head and mirror lights to fiber optic, kaleidoscopic and oil projectors, rotating arc lights, color projectors, etc. And of course giant mirror balls. I do this indoors and out, and frequently in remote locations. Flashlights are clearly crucuial to the whole operation.

So, I like lights. LEDs are clearly the coming technology, so I have a bit of a buy-bias when I see good ones. I have a 1st generation Inova X5 in blue, and another in red. I have a Petzl Duo headlamp with the Modu'LED-8 mod, which is sweet. I have a most photon products, from the fusion headlamp to at least 50 Photon I, II, and IIIs. I have a few random Princeton tec LEDs of various morphologies, and some no-brand LED lights of interesting build. I have a 1st-gen bonfire, the orange thing that hangs in your tent. I have battery and AC operated LED xmas lights. I have about 25 Sauce lights from Color Kinetics, as well as a couple of their larger architectural units (you've seen them right?). I have a pile of bicycle lighting, including high-end stuff from Nite-Rider (the tail light is unbelievable). I probably have at least 30% more that I've simply forgotten about.

Lately, my interest has been piqued by bringing my 20" mirrorball to campgrounds and lighting it with no AC power (the Inovas rule for this), as well as festooning trees with Sauce lights. It looks quite nice for those outdoor festivals that go all night.. here is an example:

http://lonertown.com/vibrant2004/lonertown1.jpg
http://lonertown.com/vibrant2004/lonertown2.jpg

So. I like LEDs. While looking for more cheap inovas to add to my collection, I remembered Arcs.. that led me to google, which led me here, which led me to HDS and well it seems the rest will be history... in a couple months


best,
loa

Re: Arc4 vs ? advice on small, regulated, & dimmab

[ QUOTE ]
loalight said:
... as well as a couple of their larger architectural units (you've seen them right?)...

[/ QUOTE ]
I have a Color Kinetics C75 and a Color Kinetics ColorDial (including four C75 can lights) with regards to their larger architectural lights. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
They can be powered from 24 volts DC if AC power is not available. And they're LED lights, so this post is appropriate for this forum. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif