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Mini-flashlights

Arc AAA all the way. This light kicks a lot of ass. It's bright, regulated, waterproof enough for anything except scuba diving and uses easy-to find batteries. The hard anodizing is quality, too. The CMG light is OK, but it looks mildly obscene and will attract a lot of scratches after a while in your pocket.
 
http://www.backpackgeartest.org/rev... Micro Light 2/Owner Review by Shaun Branden/ :

"The one major problem I have with these torches is that in my view they are ridiculously expensive. I now have three micro torches, but will never again buy a Photon. You see, the torch consists of a lithium 3 volt battery, a plastic case, a switch (just a sliding wedge to push one of the LED's ires onto the battery) and the bright LED. Similar torches can be bought or made for under $US4.00 locally and so a good quality torch that does the same as the Photon can be constructed for 1/5 of the cost. I would think about this before buying, keeping in mind that I really have got my moneys worth out of this torch over the last year."
 
if it will be in your pocket all day, the photon II is probably your best bet. otherwise the Arc AAA is the best light available.
 
Without question go with the Arc AAA.

The photon may become disposable due to its plastic construction and its power source. If it happens to run out of batteries in the middle of the night you won't likely find photo cells at the 24 hour convenience store, so into the junk drawer to be forgotten it'll go.

I've gotten AAA's at a bodega at 3AM, and the rugged materials make the Arc highly survivable. Plus, it just feels high-speed and Arc is one of those customer oriented (a la Spyderco) companies! You can't go wrong.

www.candlepowerforums.com

-For all your flashlight research needs. :)
 
Originally posted by mistakaroo
:confused:

This the same Al on CPF? This is FNG.
Click to expand...

I noticed a long time ago that quite a few usernames on Candlepower match up with the ones here on Bladeforums! There must be some strange link between knives and flashlights;)

Guy
 
Originally posted by Apokrif
Which one do you prefer:

CMG Infinity
Photon II or III
Arc AAA
Click to expand...

CMG Infinity Government model is very good on a neck lanyard. I like the common AA baterry as well.

Overall though, the ARC AAA LE models is my favorite and most used light/torch of the models listed.
 
I have all three lights listed; but, for key ring carry I go with a both a Photon II and an ARC AAA. My Photon II is yellow (softer on the eyes for quick close-up tasks,longer battery life than a white LED, and easier to use one-handed ). The ARC AAA is my choice for all other tasks. I find I use both quite often. The Photon is both small and light weight enough that it's hardly a noticable addition to a key ring. The ARC AAA is also a real emergency light -- water proof, rugged, and has a good usable 5 hours of light output on a fresh, inexpensive and easily changed battery. Get both!
 
:D

This thread made me realise I hadn't used the PhotonII on my keys in a long time. So I used it to see the key hole to get in just now. I'm gonna see if new batteries make a difference. I must have been round 5W Luxeons for too long...

Al
 
I tried putting a new cell in my red Photon II today to see if it would get any brighter. It did.

Looking at the insides of it, it's hard to see why it costs so much. The plastic body and switch look like flashlights that cost a dollar or two. The replacement CR 2032 cell cost me $2.99 so that brings the price up to 4 or $5 retail ... the LED costs more than the bulb in a dollar flashlight, I guess, but how much more? I still like it, but ...
 
Originally posted by Denix
I noticed a long time ago that quite a few usernames on Candlepower match up with the ones here on Bladeforums! There must be some strange link between knives and flashlights;)

Guy
Click to expand...

I would use my handle from CPF but someone already had it. it's "FNG" but apparently, he got banned.
 
First let me answer the question that was asked. ;)

I think the Arc AAA is by far the best light of the bunch, but if you aren't really going to carry something that size you are better of with a Photon II. I carry one of each, but my AAA gets nearly all the work. The Photon II is just an emergency backup.

Now let me address something else that came up...

Originally quoted from Shaun Branden by Apokrif
"The one major problem I have with these torches is that in my view they are ridiculously expensive. I now have three micro torches, but will never again buy a Photon. You see, the torch consists of a lithium 3 volt battery, a plastic case, a switch (just a sliding wedge to push one of the LED's ires onto the battery) and the bright LED. Similar torches can be bought or made for under $US4.00 locally and so a good quality torch that does the same as the Photon can be constructed for 1/5 of the cost. I would think about this before buying, keeping in mind that I really have got my moneys worth out of this torch over the last year."
Click to expand...

There is a gap in this kind of logic that I think we tend to overlook. Yes, it is probably true that you could buy components and assemble something similar for a much lower price. If that's true, why don't we all do it? ;)

Part of the reason is that most of us don't actually have the knowledge, equipment, and skills to put together something that is truly comparable. And for those who really could do it, how much of your time would it take? And how much is your time worth otherwise? We aren't just paying for the parts; we are paying for someone to assemble it.

Then there are all of the other hidden costs. Packaging costs money to produce and more money to design. Manufacturing requires that someone rent or buy a building, heat it, light it, and maintain it. Someone has to keep track of finances and inventory. Someone has to market the product and pay to advertise it. Someone has to take and process orders. And anything other than direct sales from the factory means that at least a retailer, and probably also a distributor, will be taking cuts of whatever final price the consumer pays away from the manufacturer.

And before any of this can begin, someone has to do the really hard parts: come up with an original idea, design it into a product, prototype it, and test it. All of which costs money before it's even clear that there is money to be made by selling the thing. Then they have to come up with the additional funding to set up all of that stuff in my previous paragraph.

There is no question that some products are overpriced, in the sense that the manufacturer could operate and make a decent profit with a much lower margin. However, a lot of apparently overpriced things have much narrower margins than you would ever guess. I don't know, but I would be very surprised if the Photon people get more than $5 per unit from their distributors.

I feel particularly strongly that we have to honor intellectual property. It not only seems fair that inventors should profit from their inventions, but it is not in anyone's interest to discourage them from coming up with new inventions and bringing them to market. If Sal Glesser hand't thought he could make some money off of his peculiar ideas we would all still be carrying slip-joint knives down at the bottoms of our pockets. :eek:

--Bob Q
 
Arc AAA all the way.

Knives and flashlights have such a synergy just as french fries and ketch-up I guess. :D
 
I'd already decided I was going to pick up a couple AAAs (one for the wife) - Where's the best place to get 'em?

One of the dealers in the 'For Sale by Dealers' forum had them on August special for $19. Their webpage had them for $25. I emailed and asked if they still had the special on(near the end of the month but still in August!), but they never responded.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=267054

So I'd prefer not to order from them.

Thanks!

Grim/Don
 
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