- Joined
- Feb 4, 1999
- Messages
- 5,786
I got an Arc AAA LED flashlight (regular, not LE or Premium) and am ridiculously pleased with it. I happened upon Peak LED Solutions clearance page and saw what looked to be an identical light, so I bought it for $14.95 and I thought I'd do a comparison of the two. This is not a technical review comparing lumens and things, but rather a subjective review.
Ordering from Peak couldn't have been easier. The light was $14.95, no tax, and it went out 2nd day shipping at no additional charge. It was shipped the same day. I've never had such an easy online ordering experience.
Peak makes its lights in aluminum, but is best known for their machined brass bodies. I went with aluminum. The light was advertised as a prototype, so it has no anodization or other coating, rather it's just the bare aluminum. I believe on their normal lights Peak uses a Type III hard anodization process, but don't quote me on that.
I don't know if the Peak has a regulated circuit like the Arc or not. Looking at the bodies, I cannot see any difference. The size of the lights is identical, the knurling is identical, they are exactly the same to my eye. Either Peak and Arc order bodies from the same company, or Peak's prototype is meant to be an exact copy of the Arc.
The only difference I can see is that the Arc LED looks to be a little shorter and fatter than the Peak LED, which extends right up to the end of the lip on the head. If the LED was a hair longer it would stick out past the edge of the head (it would wobble around if you placed the light on its end, head side down).
The head on the Peak twists much easier than the Arc. They both have a rubber o-ring, but the Peak light doesn't have the foamy rubber insert inside like the Arc does, which gives it less resistance to rotation. I think this is on the Arc light to keep the battery from rattling around when the light isn't turned on. Because the Peak AAA light doesn't have this foam insert, the battery does bop around inside the light a bit when it is not on. Because it is a prototype, it is unfair to knock the quality on this light, as a full production version may correct this problem.
Beyond the aesthetics and the little foam rubber insert, the main difference between the Peak and Arc lights is the amount of light they give off. Peak is well known for intentionally underpowering its LED's to give them a much longer (as if we need that!) life, and get more out of the batteries. Arc cranks as much light as it can out of the LED, I think. Consequently, the Arc gives off a noticeably brighter and broader beam. I would say, subjectively, that the Arc may be 25 or 30% brighter, tops.
I think the Peak prototype is a great light for the money. The machining is great, the light produced by this little sucker is more than adequate, and the price is right on. I would like to see the production version get a foam insert to reduce battery rattle, and I assume the Peak light will be anodized for the production version, too, although the Type III HA on the Arc has been known to really chew up the rest of users' pocket contents!
Overall, you can't go wrong with either light. If you're looking for the toughest, brightest AAA LED around, the champ is Arc, but at half the price and with a great reputation, the Peak prototype is hardly bad. Get 'em both!!!
Ordering from Peak couldn't have been easier. The light was $14.95, no tax, and it went out 2nd day shipping at no additional charge. It was shipped the same day. I've never had such an easy online ordering experience.
Peak makes its lights in aluminum, but is best known for their machined brass bodies. I went with aluminum. The light was advertised as a prototype, so it has no anodization or other coating, rather it's just the bare aluminum. I believe on their normal lights Peak uses a Type III hard anodization process, but don't quote me on that.
I don't know if the Peak has a regulated circuit like the Arc or not. Looking at the bodies, I cannot see any difference. The size of the lights is identical, the knurling is identical, they are exactly the same to my eye. Either Peak and Arc order bodies from the same company, or Peak's prototype is meant to be an exact copy of the Arc.
The only difference I can see is that the Arc LED looks to be a little shorter and fatter than the Peak LED, which extends right up to the end of the lip on the head. If the LED was a hair longer it would stick out past the edge of the head (it would wobble around if you placed the light on its end, head side down).
The head on the Peak twists much easier than the Arc. They both have a rubber o-ring, but the Peak light doesn't have the foamy rubber insert inside like the Arc does, which gives it less resistance to rotation. I think this is on the Arc light to keep the battery from rattling around when the light isn't turned on. Because the Peak AAA light doesn't have this foam insert, the battery does bop around inside the light a bit when it is not on. Because it is a prototype, it is unfair to knock the quality on this light, as a full production version may correct this problem.
Beyond the aesthetics and the little foam rubber insert, the main difference between the Peak and Arc lights is the amount of light they give off. Peak is well known for intentionally underpowering its LED's to give them a much longer (as if we need that!) life, and get more out of the batteries. Arc cranks as much light as it can out of the LED, I think. Consequently, the Arc gives off a noticeably brighter and broader beam. I would say, subjectively, that the Arc may be 25 or 30% brighter, tops.
I think the Peak prototype is a great light for the money. The machining is great, the light produced by this little sucker is more than adequate, and the price is right on. I would like to see the production version get a foam insert to reduce battery rattle, and I assume the Peak light will be anodized for the production version, too, although the Type III HA on the Arc has been known to really chew up the rest of users' pocket contents!
Overall, you can't go wrong with either light. If you're looking for the toughest, brightest AAA LED around, the champ is Arc, but at half the price and with a great reputation, the Peak prototype is hardly bad. Get 'em both!!!
