Arc AAA or Arc AAA Premium

Is the Arc premium worth the extra $$$? Is there a big difference between the two?

The premium has, on average, more neutral color than the standard. Brightness is about the same. Functionally they are the same, but the premium's color cast looks a little nicer. You have to decide for yourself whether it's worth the extra $$.

Go with the standard. Very little difference.

My wife and I use the Arc AAA's for things that don't require us to distinguish colors. You know, keys in the dark, see where your walking in the dark, nice little light when the power goes out, etc. So, the basic one is more than enough for us.

Like Paul said, you're going to have to decide if the extra bucks are worth it to you. But you won't go wrong either way.

Mike

Welcome to the forum, sbebenelli. FWIW, I'm very pleased with my standard AAA.

What's in your lighting lineup and how long have you been interested in this crazyness?

hello good to see you here... this question has been asked before. I have several of each type and prefer the premium. The standards that I have seem to be a bit blue and have some 'rings' in the beam when you shine it on a white wall.
To quote Peter G from ARC:
"There will be some rings and other difference in contrast in a top rank Nichia. This is common for all 5mm types actually but the Nichias are some of the best. The tint will be blue in the center with green on the outside. This too is normal but the Nichias are less blue than other brands."

I typically either carry a UV or a premium. Seems like they are getting a bit hard to find. Here is a link to this question posted in the past.
click here

Hi jayflash, I'm not really a flashaholic like most on here. I'm into military and law enforcement weapons and gear and I came upon this forum looking for information on tactical lights. I have a SF defender and SF Aviator. I also have a mini mag that I have had for 15+ years and it still works great. I also have several other cheaper lights. I'll be purchasing a SF X200 in the near future. I learned about the Arc AAA from this sight and thought it would be something I might find useful. The only place I have found them is on eBay and they go for more than retail. Are they on backorder a lot from Arc?

They have been backordered a lot recently due to some problems getting parts made, but they are a great product and you can often find them for sale (usually used) here at CPF on the buy/sell/trade forum.

To answer the original question, the premium I got wasn't worth it. I got several of the normal AAAs to give as gifts, and if anything, the normal ones are a little brighter than my premium. There wasn't much difference in tint, the premium had some more yellow splotches in the beam, but not by much.

Maybe I just got unlucky on the LED lottery or something. No idea, but it wasn't really worth it over a normal Arc AAA.

Frangible,
Your experience mirrors mine. I own and use a premium daily, but I bought a standard for my brother and actually like it more. It's just as bright, if not brighter and it cost significantly less. I also tend to like the bluer beam of the standard more than the greener/browner beam of the premium. If I had it to do over again, I'd go with the standard.

Guess you can't use my chose to anything...

Because I always buy the best.

And the Premium is great.

I never look at the price when i select gear.

But...this definition of "best" depends on personal preference since the lights are functionally identical. If you like the premium beam better, it's the best. If you like the standard beam (or the lower price) better, then it's the best. A few years ago the differences were greater, but now the more accurate description of the two lights would be "bluer beam model" or "warmer beam model". I'm guessing the "premium" name and price won't be disappearing anytime soon however. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I want one of these too, I glad I saw this thread. I do like the Arc stuff. i Would IMHO rather have the light's be all "premium's" and have 2ND's to go for the lesser $$, since judging by these post's it's still a lottery.Personal prefernace is different for each owner, but I think there is a concrete difference between "whiter/brighter" and not "W/B".
especially when i think the site mention's 50% brighter (i think)for premium.

As a musician, i know when buying say tube's,(closest anology I can think of to a bulb) you get a hand tested matched set, or less matched but well working tubes. Having paid for a premium then have your std be brighter/whiter would put me off to a company.
again just a newbie opinion. This is one reason i deciding to get a KC-1, Q-III, or longbow micra, as my "gateway" CR-123 before buying a top line ARC 123.
That said,,i do plan on getting a AAA and AA ARC's. VDG

Premium all the way. The price differece is small when you are talking about something you will use for years and years.

OT, but /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/buttrock.gif for good tubes and amps. From a reputable source it can pay to get "selected" electronic devices. Sometimes you can get lucky with normal grade, however, and for some uses it just doesn't matter.

[ QUOTE ]
jayflash said:
OT, but /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/buttrock.gif for good tubes and amps. From a reputable source it can pay to get "selected" electronic devices. Sometimes you can get lucky with normal grade, however, and for some uses it just doesn't matter.

[/ QUOTE ]

absolutely! and well said. then there is aracane discipline of NOS, (new "old" stock, tubes made as long as 50 yr's ago during the golden age of the electron valve. these tubes are New, never been used.In this era,, quality, tolerance's and spec's, were tighter, tube life was much longer, and most sounded better) At least that's not a problem with LED's. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif

Again one reason I would like to have a lesser known "ford" of a Cr123 then move to a "ferrai" of a +4 or +5 (next yr?) and since i have a few AA and AAA light's now, I want to get a hold of ARC's AA,AAA's.
So jay Flash you a player? VDG

I still amuse myself on the Precision Bass I bought in 1972 - no band, however. I use an old Sunn S200 (Dynaco Mk. IV) and a home built speaker or through my stereo's dual 15", 400 watt sub-woofer.

I have several Arc AAA lights.

I do not really see a discernable difference between the Premium and the Standard grade. They are both overdriven enough to be tinted blue, and both have slight artifacts. With the price of premium white LEDs being under a dollar, there's no reason for a difference anymore.


Daniel

going slightly off topic, i'm new to CPF but have been reading a lot about the ARC lights.

Thinking about getting either the ARC AAA or AA. From what I can gather the only diff is the size and run time. Is there some place I can see a side by side shot of the two lights?

I have both standard and premiums Arc AAA. I can't tell the difference. Both have significant blue tint in the beam center. I can't say the premium is worth the extra $$$