So no one can make an Arc AAA for ~$50?!

These things are still going for frickin' $50+ on eBay. Used, non-white ones...I've seen some alternative lights, but each has been significantly larger--significant being 1cm or having a larger head than body.

No company has stepped up? How hard could it be to build one of these things? The market demand is clearly present...

Sorry, frustrated. Now that I have a keychain, I won't lose my AAA...but I have no AAA to lose again...

I hear you. Doesn't seem like rocket science, but there really is nothing to compete with the Arc AAA. Peter is back in the saddle now, so we'll see what happens. Until then, just bite the bullet and get yourself a couple of used ones. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

best regards

The Peaks are very, very close. Give them a try. I actually like them a bit better. *cowers*

I have one. New in the package. I'm going to sell in in a few years. I'll use the money to put my youngest through medical school... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif

I had a Peak 1 AAA 'High Power' w/ snow white LED's. It was HALF as bright as my Arc-AAA, and much bigger.

I sent it back.

You can look at the runtime plots to see that the Peak units run longer; about twice as long, so I shouldn't have been surprised about how dim it was, but I was.

And the particular unit I got had a **** yellow 'snow white' LED, to boot.

I have a 3 LED AA Peak 'high power' with the snow white LED's. The LED's are whiter than Nichia's, but 3 of them are about twice as bright as an Arc AAA on a lithium AAA cell.

Peak LED lights are underdriven, with a poor regulation curve, IMHO.

Peak LED is no Arc AAA, IMHO!

I have a feelng someone will come up with one.
The new Peak lug body "ultra" power single LED has gotten some real good review's and is brighter then the ARC, This should be good enough for the ARCazelot's,in a pinch.
But i think you will see someone come out with a production AAA KC light that will use the new "max" nichia or the 26,000mcd
with maybe some sorta feature,, low high, maybe a lux, or a way to activate it without having to twist the head and thus
wear down alumuium, or crush circuit's or batt's. face it from what i learned here at CPF is it a AAA infinity clone HA-III with good circuitry.
I think it's a matter of someone gearing up to make one well enough for people who want an arc AAA, or a light that betters it but still has the same form factor but brighter, or with "something" that sets it apart.

Believe me i want one too, but will not pay more then 30 buck's for one. VDG

LRI will be releasing their new AA Proton in the not to distant future which will change small flashlights as we now know them. Hopefully the AA will be followed by a smaller AAA version,which will render the Arc AAA obsolete.My feeling is it's time to let Arc go and move on.

um, except that it's still smaller than an aa cell. Some people may not need the extra 57 lumens- they just want something to carry so they can see incase of an emergency.

As was said, there's hope now that Mr. Gransee is back. But the state of the art has moved. See the Jil Direct Drive. It's smaller, brighter, has a better beam shape, and runs longer than my beloved Arc AAA.

W.

no one has mentioned the nuwaii

I think in the next year we will see something just as good if not better then the Arc AAA, they are great dont get me wrong but the technology is getting.... dated.

I hope Peters new company will make a AAA replacement just like the old one. Wouldn't that be something if he made the exact same model. I still think there is a good market left for a LSH-p style light with a twisty.

I think if Peters new company made only AAA lights that went 'main stream', like walmart main stream, he could make alot of money very quickly. Just IMHO.

Peak makes a better Arc AAA with it's lug style Matterhorn and Ultra-Power LED for $34.95. An Arc AAA flashlight generates 21 - 27 candlepower while the Peak LED Solutions Matterhorn with Ultra-Power LED generates 34 - 40 candlepower. The Matterhorn also uses a better computer chip that costs $1.00 instead of the cheap chip that caused switch problems in the Arc AAA/AA. Peak was the shop that milled the bodies and heads for the Arc AAA and designed the Arc AA.

I really like the new flat-back, pocket style Matterhorn AAA that I received a couple of weeks ago. It is smaller than an Arc and seems a bit brighter. It also can "tail-stand", a feature that I especially like. My one complaint is that the LED needs to be recessed just a tad to avoid a most annoying ring in the beam pattern that my Arc never had.

If I was dreaming about perfection, I would like this easily-carried small light to be offerred with an adjustable output.

Just my opinion.
John

I seem to recall that Peak's original AAA designs were needlessly large - as in around an inch longer than the Arc AAA.

EDIT - looks like they're still ponderously huge - 3.3" for the Matterhorn AAA.

In my book, a good AAA light is slightly larger than a AA cell; just right for a keychain so I don't have to buy 2016 coin cells that cost more than keyfob light they came in!

<<...needs to be recessed just a tad...>>

Same deal with the Gerber AAA light. Most of the guys I work with cashed in on the Arc AAA/eBay craze and sold theirs without stopping to think what they were going to replace them with. They have settled on the little Gerber, but the exposed LED is getting dinged up, and the rear rotary switch cap gets loose very quickly.

I haven't handled a Matterhorn yet, but as far as I'm concerned the Arc AAA is still the best in this class of light. I made a handsome profit on the one I had remaining new-in-the-package, but I kept the other two; one stays in my pocket and the other is stashed... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif If I managed to lose both, though, I'd get a Matterhorn to try.

I too wonder why no one has picked up this particular ball and run with it.

I wonder how many people actually use their aaa lights enough to benefit from the aaa cell verus coin cells. Ever since I edc'd bigger ligths I find myself grabbing those first. I used to have an aaa on my keychain but I never used it. If it had ten minutes runtime in one year that's a lot. I recently replaced it with one of KevinL's keychain lights which is much smaller and has more than enough runtime for several years. It also easily outshines the brightest arc aaa I've seen and is more than enough for backup.
On the other hand I really liked the peak body with screw-on tail for it's tailstanding ability and the ease of getting it of the keychain. The length never bothered me. Anyway I wouldn't go back to the aaa-form.

Chrisse

Chrisse

the only part of a arc aaa that may be out dated soon would be the led.

I use a Peak 3 LED "snow" AAA light and it works better than the Arc AAA that used to be my EDC. It is brighter, has a much whiter beam and I can take the tail ring off and stand it on end. The Arc did have better regulation but if I actually cared, I would through a lithium AAA in it for much better regulation. (I will when they drop in price!)

The 3 LED version is not available anymore /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif Peak is coming out with AAA and AA versions with LRI Photon rolling a 60 lumen AA version! The Photon has adjustable output which will be perfect to adjust the light output needed for the task.

Once the variable output, high brightness Peaks/Photons come out... the Arc AAA will look less pleasing. LRI Photon AAA 30 lumen version anyone?