• The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
    Price is $300 $250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
    Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.

  • Today marks the 24th anniversary of 9/11. I pray that this nation does not forget the loss of lives from this horrible event. Yesterday conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was murdered, and I worry about what is to come. Please love one another and your family in these trying times - Spark

Mini-flashlights

Originally posted by Grim/Don
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
Click to expand...

I think New Graham has 'em for 24.95 and Texas Tactical Supply has 'em for 24.95, also . Good luck!
 
Originally posted by Cougar Allen
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 ...
Click to expand...

The Arc LSH ist still more expensive. Due to the LED, too ?
 
The ARCs have circuitry for voltage step-up and regulation, machined aluminum bodies, type III anodizing, etc. -- and they're innovative new inventions. It's not so difficult to understand why an ARC costs so much.

A Photon II has the simplest imaginable circuitry, just two stiff wires attached to the LED. One of them touches one side of the coin cell and the switch presses the other wire to the other side. I guess the bodies are a higher grade of molded plastic than 50-cent flashlights, but it's still molded plastic -- and simple coin-cell LED flashlights have been on the market for years; there's competition now. Of course the price of a Photon II has come down a lot since they first came out, but I think they still have a ways to drop.

I don't mean to steer everybody away from buying a Photon II. It's still smaller and lighter than an ARC AAA, and it has a switch. The price won't break you. If the price drops lower in the next few years, well, you'll have had it and been using it for those years -- that's worth something.
 
Originally posted by Apokrif
Which one do you prefer:
CMG Infinity
Photon II or III
Arc AAA
Click to expand...

I carry two of the named flashlights as my EDC.

Well......actually the CMG Ultra-G

[Note: the regular CMG Infinity is a dim light with long run time - whereas the (CMG Infinity) Ultra is rated twice as bright with about 1/2 the battery life]

and a yellow Photon.

The ArcAAA is a very, very popular light - very highly thought of - BUT for me it's a bit too large for comfortable keyring carry - and a bit too small for in pocket location. Although coin pocket carry (in jeans) has been suggested - but obviously not all pants have coin pockets.

Why two?
The Photon is small enough to be "almost not there" on the keyring.
[Get the Photon II for its simplicity and less to go wrong.]

Why yellow?
Yellow is rated at 120 hours battery life (vs. the 10-12 hours for most other colors) I also see well by low intensity yellow for close tasks - in terms aof contrast and definition - so it disturbs my dark adaption minimally - and it attracts less attention. But the yellow is not suitable/ideal for "everything"

That's where the Ultra-G comes in - it uses a single AA battery it's about right-sized for in pocket carry - ie: not too big to be uncomfortable, not too small to be fiddly or get lost in the pocket. It's bright enough for outdoors walking with confidence - perhaps a bit too bright for close tasks like reading in a dark environment - that's what the yellow Photon is for.....
 
Originally posted by Apokrif
Which one do you prefer:

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

I carry both the CMG Infinity Ultra (shoulderbag) and the Arc AAA (pocket).
 
but if you want the absolute smallest....

http://www.pocketlights.com/taglight.asp .

Me, i carry cmg sonic (like an arc aaa, see my review in this forum) and usually a photon as well. for a while i didn't carry a photon because i didn't like having paracord around my neck as i already wore a shell necklace but i found that by fasioning a loop out of paracord i could attach the photon to my existing necklace :D

Oh yeah, i almost got the cmg infinity ultra instead but it just seemed to big to share a pocket with something else around it's size and too small to dedicate a pocket to (i already carry a lot of other stuff), so i went with the sonic because as UnknownVT mentioned it fits in the change/zippo/5th/? pocket with enough space for a small lighter, a sparklite, and chapstick.

Pete
 
CMG Infinity Ultra, Arc AAA

Which one is brighter or are they about the same? Also how do they compare as far as run time? I'm interested in picking up one of these up. Thanks

Heath
 
The Ultra and AAA brightness are about the same. Nothing to be worried about. The Ultra will, on the average, run twice as long as the AAA.
 
The Ultra will, on the average, run twice as long as the AAA.
Click to expand...

Ahhh, but wait until the Arc AA comes out. It'll be much brighter than the AAA and, if I'm not mistaken, should have a run time of roughly ten hours.
 
Originally posted by Nathan S
Ahhh, but wait until the Arc AA comes out. It'll be much brighter than the AAA and, if I'm not mistaken, should have a run time of roughly ten hours.
Click to expand...

An Arc AA is on the way? Cool! I didn't know that. Time to add one more flashlight to my long want list. Grin.
 
I would dare to say that the AA will have a comparable light performance with the Ultra (same amount of brightness and runtime). What differentiates the AA against the Ultra is its smaller form factor and way better finish than CMG products. It is an ARC after all.
 
I recommed the Arc AAA for pocket carry and the Photon II to put on your key ring. I carry an Arc AAA LE every day in my pants pocket and the Photon II on my key ring.
 
Originally posted by heathen
CMG Infinity Ultra, Arc AAA

Which one is brighter or are they about the same? Also how do they compare as far as run time? I'm interested in picking up one of these up. Thanks

Heath
Click to expand...
I was carrying a green Photon II and a white Arc AAA. My Arc died, and I lost it somewhere before I could send it in, so I am carrying my CMG Infinity Ultra instead now.

My Arc got about 5.5 hours in "sun" mode and at least 10 hours in "moon" mode with greatly reduced brightness. My CMG gets about 12 hours with minimal loss of brightness. It then tapers off over the next 12 hours or so.
 
another possibility is the Streamlight Keymate or any of the custom made lights availible on cpf, many more technologically advanced than those commercially availible. like an "N" cell battery driving a luxeon (underdriven of course) for example.

Pete

oh yeah, if anyone does pick up any of those offerings i'd love to see a review posted over here.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top