Arc AAA

My apologies in advance. I'm a new user and don't know any better:

I have read all the praises and accolades for the Arc AAA as a "must have" and/or an EDC.

However, the only Arc AAA I have been able to obtain is with a green LED. The beam is full of rings, and not very impressive. My little Dorcy AAA appears to have a much "cleaner" beam (not sure of the correct terminology) Is this normal? or did I just get a bad one?

Also, since the ARC's are so highly recommended, it is frustrating to a new flashaholic that there seems not to be a ready supply of them available for purchase. Is this another normal market condition?

JB

You can order the AAA off the arc website, right now....and get on the list, atleast.

[ QUOTE ]
Anti_candescent said:
You can order the AAA off the arc website, right now....and get on the list, atleast.

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually I do not know if you can get on the backorder list. On one page, Arc states "accepting no new back orders", but when you click to add to cart, it allows one to be added. I recall a period in the past where the software did not allow any to be placed in the cart if Arc was not accepting back orders.

The point of my question is if the beam of the other Arc AAAs is similar to the one I have (full of rings), I really don't want to be on the list. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

JB

I like the Arc AAA but cannot say that I LOVE it. I do appreciate the small size. But I would like it much better if it had an exterior that is less abrasive. I find that it scuffs / scratches anything else it accompanies in my pocket (phone, swissarmy knife, key fobs, etc), and it makes it uncomfortable to hold by the teeth. It takes two hands (for me) to work the switch. And many (including me) have had reliability problems with their Arc AAAs. So I don't EDC it anymore.

I found the Dorcy AAA to be a better EDC solution for me. Although it is slightly larger, the beam is basically the same , and I like the combo momentary/twisty switch, the smooth body, and the lower cost. If I loan it out, give it away, or lose it, I'm not out much.

To each his own.

Cheers,

Dave

All of the colored LEDs have rings and other artifacts in the beam. The white LEDs tend to be much smoother. What you are seeing is normal for a colored beam. The white Arc AAA tends to be much smoother, but it will be similar to your Dorcy. In each case, it is the LED casing that is creating the beam pattern.

In the case of a color LED, the emitter puts out the desired color directly. It's not a perfect, smooth emitter, and any imperfections iin it or in the epoxy casing (the clear plastic blob on it) are magnified. White LEDs actually emit blue light (or UV in some cases, but I think these are blue) and are covered by a phosphor layer. The blue light exites the phosphors which emit a yellower light, and some of the original blue escapes as well. If the balance is right, you get something approximating white. Overdriven LEDs (like the Arc AAA) put out more blue light and have a bluish tint. Plus there's variation from LED to LED. A nice side-effect of the phospher layer is that it smooths the beam out a lot, so the beams don't have nearly as many rings and dark spots as a color LED.

In larger lights with reflectors, the design of the light (and the reflector in particular) can smooth out the beam, so people pay a lot of attention to it. In a light like the Arc AAA that uses a single 5mm emiter, there is no reflector, so the beam is determined completely by the LED itself. Since (almost) all top brands use the same LEDs (made by Nichia) the beams are roughly the same.

Hope that helps,

Russ

r2, thanks for the helpful explanation.

I was comparing the beam output of my green led to the beamshots in the reviews on Flashlight Reviews, and the LED Museum, and wondering why there was such a big difference.

JB

The white Arc AAAs have slight to moderate artifacts, but not bad. An average quality beam IMO, (i.e. satisfactory but not good). The Arc AAs IMO have a little bit better of a beam, as each of my AAs has smoother beam with less artifacts than the AAAs, but I still wouldn't call it a good beam. Satistfactory beam. The tint is definitely blue (even my premiums have heavy blue tint, I honestly can't tell the difference between the standards and premium AAAs). Most nichias have blue tint in the center of the beam, so I can't fault the Arc AAA/AA (its just part of the course of using Nichias).

The Arc AAA and AA are made mostly for EDC, they are not really made for great beam quality, tint, or brightness. As an EDC light, the Arc AA and AAA excel IMO.

If you want the best beam possible from an Arc, you need to get an Arc 4+ (excellent beam, IMO). IMO, the LSH series have good beams, but suffer from the optics a bit (I think a reflector in the LSH would improve the beam a lot).