A Good AAA Pocketlight?

I use my ARC alot, i find my surefire is way too bright for close up indoor use ! the ARC is spot on though !!!
 
powernoodle said:
The EO is arguably a better value at half the cost of the Arc. ($19 v. $39).

But the Arc is built like a tank. I think you could drive over it with your car and not damage it, whereas the Fenix may turn into a pancake.
Click to expand...

I'm willing to bet it won't. Being run over by a car actually doesn't exert that much force on it, especially something as small as a aaa light.

Heck I know many people who ran themselves over with their own truck, they all come out with just bruises, and I'm sure a tiny aluminum cylinder is more sturdy than their head/chest. :D
 
E0 for me .... :thumbup:

g10robin002.jpg
 
Jedi_Knife said:
Sadly though, the Arc company refuses to utilize current technology by not using high performing emitters in their lights.

Modern web ninja mythology has granted a holy status to the Arc AAA, but in reality, they fall woefully short in comparison with other AAA lights using modern technology.
Click to expand...

I just want to focus on one issue here - the idea that lumens are everything. I have an Arc AAA, and the low power is perfect at night when I come home from work at 12 or 2 AM. I lights up the house enough - without waking up everyone in it. The 60 lumen Rayovac, Surefire, or 6 cell Maglite would be overkill. I don't need a pocket flamethrower that gets too hot to hold, wakes sleeping wives, or has a run time of 1/2 hour total. I also don't need my night vision ruined by an over-application of light - which I rarely see discussed.

Overpowered lights are toys for those with disposable cash - and the rapid turnover of "who's hot" has surely shown me that the development curve on lights has gone beyond what is useful for a hand held light - except in the area of self defense. A light source that can turn an attackers eyes away has it's application, and it's time to consider high output lights as another force option, not a toy, along with a corresponding change in mindset recognizing them as a non-lethal weapon. LEO/Military is using the concept, and it's not just a Surefire ad campaign, it works.

I don't think the mall ninja crowd really worships the ARC all that much - precisely because that crowd, like Dark Ops knife buyers, seem to gravitate to the high powered lights with strike bezels, multifunction switches, and exotic power sources, most of which doesn't focus on what the light is supposed to do - provide adequate illumination for the task at hand.

And a little ARC AAA does that just fine, better than most lights we suffered with before.
 
Overpowered lights are toys for those with disposable cash
Click to expand...

Depends on intended use, much more often I find I need extra light in low light with non dark adjusted eyes, 7 lumens or 16 lumens just won't cut it. Besides Fenix makes multimode AAA lights that start out low->med->high, so if you want wimpy light you can have that too. ;)
 
DaveH said:
Depends on intended use, much more often I find I need extra light in low light with non dark adjusted eyes, 7 lumens or 16 lumens just won't cut it. Besides Fenix makes multimode AAA lights that start out low->med->high, so if you want wimpy light you can have that too. ;)
Click to expand...

Right - the Fenix Digital L0D (CE or RB80) go from default/Medium (~20lumens) to Low (7lumens) to high (~50-60lumens).

This is the spec of the L0D-RB80 -

Five output types: 21 Lumens (3.5hrs) -> 7.5 Lumens (8.5hrs) -> 60 Lumens (1hrs) -> Strobe -> SOS

On low of 7.5lumens the runtime claimed is 8.5 hours -
this looks better than the ArcAAA's (accurate) 5 hours to 50% for the 5.5lumen ArcAAA-P - and on par with the 9lumen ArcAAA-P(DS)

Fenix L0D CE runtimes

Fenix L0D-RB80 Comparison Review

Fenix L0D-CE Comparison Review

--
Vincent
http://UnknownVincent.Shutterfly.com
http://clik.to/UnknownVT2006
http://clik.to/UnknownVT2005
http://clik.to/UnknownVT2004
http://clik.to/UnknownVincent
 
I got a Fenix E0 yesterday (while I wait to get my arc). Took it out into the forest on the outskirts of campus and it was plenty bright. As much as I like the high output lights, I just cant afford to keep up with advancement because I don't have the money for it. Still, my L1P has yet to fail me and the reason why I haven't gotten another high powered light is because the L1P has handled everything I've thrown at it so far.

Sooo basically you cant really go wrong with the arc or fenix. Loads better than the maglite stuff in my opinion.
 
I've several of the Arc AAA's, and they are tough.

I switched to the Fenix E1 jsut to try out the product line after some hogs at the Indy show kept showing up with them touting the Fenix virtues.

For the price, output, and cost to feed, I will now use the Fenix products more often.

The ARC's are now in my kits, along with my old CMG Ultra's (pre-Gerber)....

I like reliability, sturdiness, and something easy to find batteries for....:cool:
 
Why not have the best of both worlds? I've got an Arc AAA-P on a carabiner/belt loop that I use for moving around the house after my wife has gone to bed and turned out the lights. It gets used several times a night. I also have a Fenix P1D-CE single CR123 multi-mode on a belt holster. It's always with me too, but only gets used when I actually need that much light. And I second the others saying that the Arc-AAA is a great piece of kit. It's really well made. I can't say the same of my Fenix lights. They're adequately made, but nowhere near as solid as the Arc products.
 
tirod3 said:
I just want to focus on one issue here - the idea that lumens are everything. I have an Arc AAA, and the low power is perfect at night when I come home from work at 12 or 2 AM. I lights up the house enough - without waking up everyone in it. The 60 lumen Rayovac, Surefire, or 6 cell Maglite would be overkill. I don't need a pocket flamethrower that gets too hot to hold, wakes sleeping wives, or has a run time of 1/2 hour total. I also don't need my night vision ruined by an over-application of light - which I rarely see discussed.

Overpowered lights are toys for those with disposable cash - and the rapid turnover of "who's hot" has surely shown me that the development curve on lights has gone beyond what is useful for a hand held light - except in the area of self defense. A light source that can turn an attackers eyes away has it's application, and it's time to consider high output lights as another force option, not a toy, along with a corresponding change in mindset recognizing them as a non-lethal weapon. LEO/Military is using the concept, and it's not just a Surefire ad campaign, it works.

I don't think the mall ninja crowd really worships the ARC all that much - precisely because that crowd, like Dark Ops knife buyers, seem to gravitate to the high powered lights with strike bezels, multifunction switches, and exotic power sources, most of which doesn't focus on what the light is supposed to do - provide adequate illumination for the task at hand.

And a little ARC AAA does that just fine, better than most lights we suffered with before.
Click to expand...

Very well put, tirod!

All too often a piece of really good eqiptment will get put on the obsolite list because its not the latest hot lick thing to come down the road. Sometimes the latest lights actually give out too much light, as tirod pointed out. Exept for the cop running down an alley after a suspect, how much light is needed for the Harry Homeowner just trying to find his way to the circut breakers when the lights go out, or giving the dog the last walk of the night before bed? Those with lots of disposable income can afford to play with the latest toys. Some of us on retirement fixed incomes have to get the most for our bucks. The ARC is too proven to discard, and rugged long lastting construction will keep it going. Heck, I've used the cheap little Dorcy AAA and gotten by very well.

But then I'm one of those old farts who still uses a revolver.:D
 
The ARC is too proven to discard,
Click to expand...

Not meaning to cast aspersions, but the very first arc I had was the most reliable, all others that came later were not reliable. I have not owned an arc since the company failed and subsequently reopened a couple of years ago. Are the new ARC's 100% reliable?
 
How does a light such as the aaa arc compare to something like a photon micro-light?
I had a micro-light freedom on my keys, but lost em. I now carry a fenix p1 on my keys and it's a sweet light. A little bulky though. And sometimes I find myself putting my thumb over the lense to dull down the light. It seems like a solid light though. Has anyone had specific isues with a fenix not being reliable or tough enough?
 
+1 for JETBeam JET-μ

I keep mine on the lowest setting so that it lastover 5 hours, but if i need to I can light an entire room on high. I have actually found the strobe to be quite useful for getting people's attention in high noise areas at work. It's the same size as the arc aaa, just about the same build quality (arc has it beat by a little). It's been riding on my keychain for a few months now and shows no wear, very good HA. Only problem is that they are no longer being produced. I hope when it comes back out it is even better... seems like a trit vial or three would fit
 
Even my G2 was not 100% reliable. I never suffered a problem again after I changed bulbs, replaced it back with the first, changed batts, then replaced them - something was interupting the circuit, and the disassembly cured it. But it is an electric device subject to corrosion.

I understand the newer ARC's are treated in the interior with a corrosion inhibiter. Reliability of the newer lights doesn't seem to be an issue as much as whining for more lumens.

I do agree non dark adapted eyes need more light. I was going to mention it earlier, but I'm not sure I need a Surefire L1 to cure the problem - maybe just a P upgrade on the ARC. Being able to toggle up to 15-20 lumens so I won't die walking through the boy's bedroom to get to the garage has value - a bright sunny day will leave me at a disadvantage entering The Dungeon, so I am keeping up with what could provide a solution.

With the speed of new product introductions and shortened development times, I'm sure I'll be labeled an old fart, too, when I pick up a fire sale bargain on the discontinued version that can provide two power levels. It'll be considered an antique, but then again, black powder hunting hasn't gone away yet either.

And like more mature male adults, my income for toys is kinda restricted too, what with the responsibility of a family and all. So I'll let those with disposable cash help underwrite the cost when I buy the toy they get tired of.
 
I bought my Arc-P AAA many years ago, before the company disappeared and reappeared. I lost the flashlight for over a year in my front yard, where it endured the cold of an Upstate New York winter, and the heat and lawn mowing of summer. I finally tracked it down with a metal detector. I picked it up, turned it on, and it was fine. No rust or cosmetic damage whatsoever, and the battery was still good.

I have since continued to carry that Arc-P every day in the change pocket of my jeans. I've gone night fishing with it, and dropped it into 4 feet of water many times. It has been thrown, accidentally washed with my clothes, and attacked by a miniature dachshund. There is nothing that this flashlight cannot survive.

On average, I get about a year of use out of a single AAA lithium battery. It isn't exactly a beacon of light, but it's plenty of light for crawling under a desk and repairing a computer, or finding my way up the stairs to the bedroom at night.

It's small enough, bright enough, strong enough, and long-lasting enough for everyday life. I can't ask for much more than that.

Arc.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top