Arc AAA LE or Infinity Ultra ?

I'm new here (be gentle with me) and happy to find this fine forum.

I've read some reviews that said both the Arc LE and the Ultra had an annoying loose battery rattle in the OFF mode. Anyone have any comments or experience on this?

Thanks.

Al

Annoying is in the ear of the beholder.

You can fix it by putting a sticky note on the battery before you put it in. I have both and have never bothered to do this (although I can sometimes detect the "rattle", its never bothered me enough to worry about it).

More recent versions of the ARC have foam on the bottom of the LED module that effectively prevents this.

Wrap the cell in a Post-it,no more rattle

You really gotta shake the Arc hard and listen to it to detect battery rattle. For my (regular) Infinity, it's a bit more pronounced as overall dimensions and tolerances are bigger but for both lights, battery rattle has not influenced my purchase decision whatsoever. If you are really picky, perhaps the Infinity could be tightened up a bit and maybe they have with the Ultra.

Welcome to CPF!

I don't care for battery rattle either, but my Arc 3.1 LE has never exhibited it. Just now I discovered it takes almost a full turn (past 3/4 anyway) before any rattle can be detected (That's with a supplied Duracell AAA). It seems to be designed just right, as I never turn off more than a 1/2 turn.
I've got business cards or matchbooks stuck in most of my other flashlights.

Jim

Thanks guys for the information.

One more question, are there any national retail stores (sporting goods, discount, etc.) that carry any of these lights: Infinity, ARC, Surefire, etc.? I'd sure like to see/touch some of them before I buy.

Alberto, in if you are near Atlanta, REI is known to carry the Infinity line. In Buford and Kennesaw there is Gaylans who also carry it. Just an fyi. My cuz lives in Augusta and when I visited her last, she brought me to a Mall somewhere within 30 mins, can't remember the town it was in but it was a Gaylan's and the had the Infinitys in several colors incl white. Have never seen ARC in retail outlets yet. And for SureFire, I just called their 800 number and the CS rep, Maureen, was very helpful in locating a dealer for me locally. I was actually surprised at how many dealers there actually were in my area. They just werent in Malls or retail chains, just small stores along the highway that were along the lines of Sporting Goods, Gun Shops, etc...

Hope this helps.

Ed.

Eastern Mountain Sports is a store that's present in most of the major malls in the northeast. It carries the Infinity (regular, not Ultra yet), Reactor, plus Princeton Tec Impact and Attitude. Also some headlamp Led lights. Prices are about average.

Welcome alberto.

With the ARC-AAA one does not need to see it or touch it before the sale. It's a must have. In fact, one is hanging around my neck on a lanyard at this moment. I do not believe that anyone here on the fourms was displeased with the ARC. I am pleased with the Infinity also. It's great to use at night in the woods without affecting your night vision. The runtime is sooooo loooong. Texas Tatical Supply web page offers good pricing. I have ordered from them many times.

R. Brock

Arc is a must have. It's almost exactly the same size as a maglite solitaire, but has a nicer finish with what seems to me to be real, rather than stamped, knurling. Beam is very much like that of a good LED keychain light.

The Infinity is OK, as long as you don't mind carrying something the size of a roll of quarters around with you all day long. I have one, and it just seems to be 3 times bigger than it needs to be to do the same job as the Arc.

I agree, the ARC "AAA" is a must have light. I can't speak for the Ultra yet. Once you get used to having an "AAA" (or a few) with you all the time, you will wonder how you ever got along without it (them).

I think the battery rattle is a small thing. It is hard to hear on both the regular "AAA" and LE. The Post It note idea is a good, I usually took a small piece of electrical tape and wrapped the body of the battery to a good fit.

Ditto all the comments on the ARC AAA, it's a GREAT/MUST HAVE pocket/keychain/around the neck light!

I like the Ultra because you can put an AA lithium in it and store it in the glove box, first aid kit, etc. and forget about it for years and it will still work.

(Albany - the Ultra is more like a shortened roll of nickles...)

"Why yes, that is a flashlight in my pocket!!"

Liked my signature huh?

oops, never mind. i see that lambda beat me to it

Well it certainly applied to the "shortened roll of nickles"! Then again...I've got several rolls of half dollars in my pocket (never mind...)

Welcome to CPF, Alberto.

The Arc AAA and Infinity Ultra are both Excellent flashlights. I prefer AA over AAA, but that is a personal preference. The battery in my Ultra rattles a bit when it is turned off. I think the inside daimeter of the battery tube is larger, to allow for a bit of swelling, and be able to get the battery out. What matters, is that it does not rattle when turned on. The advantage of the Ultra is being able to use Lithium, which only comes in AA for 1.5 volt cylindrical cells, at least for now.

As other people have said on this thread, the Arc AAA and the CMG Infinity Ultra are both excellent LED flashlights. I personally carry a white LED Arc AAA in my front pants pocket because it is very small and lightweight. I carry my CMG Infinity Ultra in my jacket pocket.

OK guys, I'm getting in and it's all your fault. I've ordered the Surefire E2E w/KL1, a couple of Inova X5's (one's a gift), and some stuff from Inretech for my MagLite. More to come later.

If my wife threatens to divorce me, I'm laying the blame on this forum and all you guys. You made me do it.

Originally posted by Sigman:
Ditto all the comments on the ARC AAA, it's a GREAT/MUST HAVE pocket/keychain/around the neck light!

(Albany - the Ultra is more like a shortened roll of nickles...)

Click to expand...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">I just checked and the ultra is almost exactly the size of a stack of pennies 3 1/4 inches high

Well I was close! I asked my wife what she thought...

she said "about 6"...I won't tell her the truth!

I just got an Infinity Ultra at Galyans, which is the only retail store I could find locally that carried them. Put a lithium AA in it. Love the feel of it, the heavy-duty construction, and the light seems to be plenty bright (although I don't have anything just yet to compare it with). I'm getting something later with a Luxeon Star in it and am anxious to see the difference.

BTW, the battery does rattle a little when the light is off, but a small piece of card paper down the side cured that little problem.

Not so sure how the clip will work. I haven't tried it yet but it looks like it might slip up and down on the body when in use. Can the green finish on the light be scratched? Any comments?

Thanks for all the comments, it helped a lot. I think I'll be very happy with my choice.