Alternatives to kroll in Arc LS?

Does anybody know of an alternative to the kroll switch that the ArcLS uses? What I want is a clicky switch for my LS, with a rubber boot that looks like the Arc4 (or the one on the McE2S). Is something like this available, or could you point me to a mod?

In the spirit of full disclosure: I don't have a problem with my krolls (yet - and I've read on how to clean them).

in spite of all the well deserved complaints directed at kroll. I have not seen anyone come out with anything remotely better.

959G in contact points seems to cure any intermitten issues so far...

My Kroll was in an Arc LS 2xAA pack. After 2 of them failed, I replaced it with the tail cap from a 2xaa minimag into which I had wedged a metal rod to make the whole thing into a twisty. It has worked perfectly ever since.

I don't really like twisties. I carried my LS with a twisty for a while, and I kept having to use both hands to turn the light on... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif Oh, yeah, and it turned on by itself once while driving and I burned my thigh. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif Loved the smaller size, though...

If I could get a "flat" clicky, it'd be a nice compromise between the clicking action I like and the smaller size of a twisty.

I've never had a problem with a Kroll. I've read about the "problems" and simply put some of the lube that Cy referred to on all of mine and I've yet to experience a single problem with any of them.

I'd lube 'em and follow the advice, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Dug up this thread from my 'favorites' list.
If only there was a good source for the switch.

I've seen some try to use a Ram switch but I understand it's hard to find a good one. Also the last Ram I bought had odd threads and wouldn't go all the way into a MiniMag or an LS.

-LT

purchased three ram switches, two failed and last one is still in the packaging.

so not real pleased with performance.

Any chance you cracked open the dead ones to see how they tick?

-LT

greenLED said:

I don't really like twisties. I carried my LS with a twisty for a while, and I kept having to use both hands to turn the light on... Oh, yeah, and it turned on by itself once while driving and I burned my thigh.

Click to expand...

Curious. I "switched" to the twisty after my Kroll repeatedly self-actuated while being carried around in the belt pouch. It seemed most likely to happen while sitting in a car. After I went to a twisty, I never again had problems with it turning on by itself.

To each his own, I suppose.

I like the switch that's used on the Streamlight Luxeon Jr. It's a knoll type with the rubber boot, but it is aluminum instead of plastic. I'm pretty sure it will fit the ARC. Streamlight Part # ST-710006. Here's a link to get one online. http://www.flashlights.com/jr_lux/

I don't think the SL Jr Kroll fits the Arc (or the MM). The threads are subtly different. I've read that somewhere and I think I actually also verified it way back when I had a SL Jr in hand.

Lunal_Tic said:

Any chance you cracked open the dead ones to see how they tick?

-LT

Click to expand...

I opened quite a few of them up a long time ago, and posted some fixes for them. Don't know if I can still find those threads, must've been at least a couple years ago.

There's an actual micro switch inside the RAM, I think that part of it is pretty reliable. The failures that I've had are most likely due to the bad grounding of the switch connections to the body. The contacts aren't really connected to the body of the switch very well, so during use they have very little contact force providing a good ground path. The contacts are steel, and the body aluminum, so you can't solder them together either. To fix it, I soldered a steel ring with a slightly larger diameter than the ID of the switch body, then shoved the switch back in. The expansion ring then provides a good contact force to the inside of the body. I did a few minimag conversions like that, and never had problems with them again, but I also stopped using the lights once I bought other lights. But I'm pretty sure they still work. Once you open the switch up, it's pretty easy to understand.

To open the switch, just screw it onto a minimag until there's just about a 1/16" gap between the end, then use a flat blade screwdriver to pry up around the edges of the switch. The threaded part is just press fit or held together with superglue, so they come apart pretty easily. To assemble, I just used superglue and pressed it back together. You can also do this to a crooked switch to straighten it out.

The deal is that some fit and some need some tweaking to fit. If you check the specs on the RAM switch, it fits both the Streamlight Jr and the MiniMag. I've checked this and it does, so the threads are at least the same. On my Streamlight Jr switch, the O.D. of the aluminum threads was a little bigger, so I just sanded it down a little to fit the MiniMag. I got some of those RAM switches and they are junk. It looks like it will come apart if you heat it up...it's glued together. It has a really weak spring inside. I was going to see if it was worth trying to modify, but then changed my mind. I'll try to get one apart . I don't have an ARC4 to test the switch in, but I figured if it fits the MiniMag, it would fit the ARC4. Aren't the Knolls sold at the Shoppe the ones used in the ARC4?