Arclight AAA = Photon Microlight Killer

PsychRN

PsychRN

Joined
Sep 29, 1999
Messages
545
I just picked up 4 white ones from Tripleaught. These slay the Photon microlights. CMG infinity tasklight? I don't want to even go there. I'll have to buy a few more of these. The manufacturer is thinking of producing a version with HA III hard anodized finish. I'll have to buy at least two of those.
 
I am so far unimpressed with the Arclight. The only advantage it has is the use of the AAA battery. The white and turquoise models I have are about as bright as the comparable Photons, but they are much bulkier, and the twist on switch is a pain to operate.

On the other hand, the Photon 3 blows the Arclight away. Easy to change batteries, push button on/off, auto shut down, three strobe speeds and three light levels. Cool, convenient and still the best.
 
I don't have the photon 3 so I cannot comment but I've compared the white photon II with fresh batteries with the Arclight AAA. In this respect, I see that the Arclight AAA is the superior product in terms of brightness. If you are comparing these two, I beg to disagree.

Yes, the Photon III with its water resistance and many operating options are impressive over its older brethren, but the cheaper battery supply and I feel, more robust construction are the better buy. Saying this, I must say that I plan to pick up about 3 or 4 of the Photon III's anyway...especially if the answer to the next question is, yes.

Question: Did you mean to say that the Photon III is brighter than the Arclight AAA?
 
I don't have an Arc AAA yet, but it's the only single-LED light besides the photons that tempts me at all. The photon's superior form factor will guarantee that it won't be "killed" by the Arc, and the III series is waterproof to boot. But, the Arc's great performance on cheap AAA batteries, and rugged construction, makes it a contender.

Joe
 
Phych, Visually they appear equal for both the white and turquoise lights, but for some reason the turquoise Arclight has dark circles in the beam. I'm planning a burn test on Monday to see how the lights hold up to extended use, when lumens start to drop, etc. I'll see if I can throw a light meter into the mix as well, but there seems to be little discernable difference to my eye.
 
The Photon III is quite cool. The only problem I have with it is that you have to cycle through the modes to get it back to constant on (brightest) and there's no way to get rid of the auto shut off - but these are very minor annoyances. It's small size and variety of options make it a welcome addition to my keychain.

We don't stock the Arclight yet, but I'm looking forward to the new LS model...

Kevin
 
I have tons of photon IIs, and have been pondering a photon III. I understand all the complaints about having to cycle through the options. Realistically, though, the only two options I really want are: momentary full brightness, and constant-on full brightness. I understand that momentary full brightness is supplied by the front part of the switch. I'm assuming that provided I never mess with the options on the back part, it will be convenient. That is, whenever I hit the back part of the switch for constant on, it will always use the last mode I was in, which will always be full brightness. Is that the way it works? I've been figuring that as long as I use it that way, I don't have to worry about cycling through the options.
 
Hi Guys,

I've been playing around with 2 ASP LED lights since a couple of days (thanks again James :) ) one has a white Led which throws a very smooth white that is comparable to my Photon II that I always carry.
The second color was Teal (Green with a hint blue? in my opinion) which as James said has some very visible concentric rings but also is very bright.
In my case it produces equal even a little more light then my green Photon II with 2 3V CR2016 batteries instead of the normal one.

However a recent experience which involved a canoe and the river Ardeche (South of France) made my preference go over just about to the ASP light.

What happened, well a 20 mile downstream canoe trip with some "rapids" and a son who never canoed in his life. Everything went well until we ran into a rock in a rapid (big a a car) and he tried pushing himself and us away from it and in doing so tipped over the canoe.
Nothing happened the Etrex Vista kept working perfectly afterwards and we dried up quickly only I discovered that the Photon II had autoswitched on and I couldn't switch it off.
Only after we reached home at the end of the day I managed shutting it down but by then it had been using up energy from the lithium cells.
I didn't have with me a Philips 00 screwdriver and also no replacement batteries so I used my wifes travel hairdryer to heat up the photon II to evaporate the water and after a couple of minutes and some manipulation of the switch it shut off and started working normally again.

I have had my ASP light for the last 7 hours in a glass of water at first I had it turned on (30 minutes) then I turned it off and left it in the glass and just half an hour ago I took it out and it still turned on perfectly.
Also upon opening I found no water had crept inside.

Also in case water should get in it is easy to open and dry it and even to replace the cheap AAA cell.
In Holland we pay $4-5 for ONE CR2016 battery so that's $8-10 for a fresh battery set compared to $0.75-$1 for a AAA cell.

I normally don't really prefer a twist to turn on switch but the ASP works very smoothly and combined with the very good knurling of the case and head it's very easy to turn the ASP light on with one hand just by rotating the head with your thumb.

I heard the Photon III will be easier to maintain battery wise and will be more waterproof. What do these babies cost?

Best Scouting wishes from Holland,

Bagheera
 
I normally don't really prefer a twist to turn on switch but
the ASP works very smoothly and combined with the very
good knurling of the case and head it's very easy to turn the
ASP light on with one hand just by rotating the head with
your thumb.
Click to expand...

The last time I saw the ASP it was a thin, rectangular, flat keychain light. When did the design change?

JK
 
Originally posted by Bagheera
Hi Guys,

I've been playing around with 2 ASP LED lights since a couple of days (thanks again James :) ) one has a white Led which throws a very smooth white that is comparable to my Photon II that I always carry.
The second color was Teal (Green with a hint blue? in my opinion) which as James said has some very visible concentric rings but also is very bright.
In my case it produces equal even a little more light then my green Photon II with 2 3V CR2016 batteries instead of the normal one.

However a recent experience which involved a canoe and the river Ardeche (South of France) made my preference go over just about to the ASP light.

What happened, well a 20 mile downstream canoe trip with some "rapids" and a son who never canoed in his life. Everything went well until we ran into a rock in a rapid (big a a car) and he tried pushing himself and us away from it and in doing so tipped over the canoe.
Nothing happened the Etrex Vista kept working perfectly afterwards and we dried up quickly only I discovered that the Photon II had autoswitched on and I couldn't switch it off.
Only after we reached home at the end of the day I managed shutting it down but by then it had been using up energy from the lithium cells.
I didn't have with me a Philips 00 screwdriver and also no replacement batteries so I used my wifes travel hairdryer to heat up the photon II to evaporate the water and after a couple of minutes and some manipulation of the switch it shut off and started working normally again.

I have had my ASP light for the last 7 hours in a glass of water at first I had it turned on (30 minutes) then I turned it off and left it in the glass and just half an hour ago I took it out and it still turned on perfectly.
Also upon opening I found no water had crept inside.

Also in case water should get in it is easy to open and dry it and even to replace the cheap AAA cell.
In Holland we pay $4-5 for ONE CR2016 battery so that's $8-10 for a fresh battery set compared to $0.75-$1 for a AAA cell.

I normally don't really prefer a twist to turn on switch but the ASP works very smoothly and combined with the very good knurling of the case and head it's very easy to turn the ASP light on with one hand just by rotating the head with your thumb.

I heard the Photon III will be easier to maintain battery wise and will be more waterproof. What do these babies cost?

Best Scouting wishes from Holland,

Bagheera
Click to expand...


Hi Bagheera,

I just got 4 Photon III's in from
http://www.deptservices.com/Flashlights.htm at $16,84 each + shipping
and they are the best Led lights I own.(got the Photon II, CMG Infinity and PAL light).
I can get the CR2016 and CR2032 batteries for something like FL 4,-
if I take 5 or more. I live in Holland too :)

The battery change is very easy on the Photon III just use a thin
knife or screwdriver to lift the lid, its a good fit so I guess
it will be waterproof in real life use. I had 4 to compare and they
were all pretty much the same in light output and quality overall.

If you buy one, read the label ;) I didnt so I squeezed the button
and the light worked fine but I wasnt able to get into the hold mode
or the other settings(strobe etc). I took me *some* time to find out
that you have to remove a little plastic thingie in the battery
compartiment to get the button in full working order.
I did feel quite stupid. Maybe you know the sinking feeling when you
order stuff from abroad and discover its no good and you want to send
it back and realise that its better to just throw it away because the
shipping costs and trouble are higher than the cost of the product.
Thats what I felt after the first light I tried. When I found out that
all 4 didnt work properly I started to read the label. LOL

Not related:If you like the stuff they sell at Bever Zwerfsport go to
http://www.globetrotter.de/ and check their "hot offers". They are
having real good prices but its going "ausverkauft" quickly. The
shipping fee is fixed at DM 10. I got a Mountain Hardwear Ethereal
jacket for DM 499 (FL 965,- at Bever). If you buy from them make sure
that its not send COD or else you will be charged FL 53,- extra by the
PTT. Globetrotter will refund but its a hassle you can avoid by checking
their delivery terms.

Flipper
 
The big differnce between the Photon line and the Arc is size, mainly due to batteries used. The second differnce is the Arc will hold its brightness for about 4 hours, just about 12,000 mcd. While the Photon will drop steadly over the life of the battery, but after only 15 minutes of use the Photon will be below 12,000 mcd (dimmer then the Arc). With fresh batteries in the Photon you get about 18,000 mcd and a fresh abttery in the Arc you get about 16,000 mcd. So if you use the light regularly I would suggest the Arc, if you want something small and don't use it regularly I would suggest the Photon III. Having said that I carry both, and find myself using the Arc more often.

Hope this helps
 
The
manufacturer is thinking of producing a version with HA III
hard anodized finish. I'll have to buy at least two of those.
Click to expand...

The above quote was in reference to the Arclight- can anyone provide any additional information on the above? That would definitely increase the "cool factor".

JK
 
Originally posted by Jedi Knife


The above quote was in reference to the Arclight- can anyone provide any additional information on the above? That would definitely increase the "cool factor".

JK
Click to expand...

I mentioned that and actually I misrepresented...the manufacturer is has historically been very open to the suggestions of end level users. So, although the manufacturer has NOT made an official announcement whatsoever, my guess is that it is entirely within the realm of the possible. Try www.candlepowerforums.com to read about the latest developments and where Brock is a big cheese there.
 
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