ARC AA FLASHLIGHT

Arc AA Flashlight, retail $34.95 (http://store.yahoo.com/flashlight/arcaa.html)
Manufactured by Arc Flashlight, LLC (www.arcflashlight.com)
Last updated 12-16-08




IMPORTANT! Effective 09-22-04, this product is no longer being made, but here is information on it anyway.

The new Arc AA is the bigger brother to the common Arc AAA flashlight.
What sets this flashlight apart from its smaller brother is that you can use an AA cell in it (an Energizer L91 lithium if you want), and the tail end was redesigned so the flashlight can stand on-end for setting it down and having it shine on the ceiling if you desire. Even if you have a lanyard fitted to the split ring, you can still stand the light up because it has a slot in the tailcap for the split ring to fit into.


SIZE



Getting light from an Arc AA is as easy as turning the head clockwise until it lights up; turn it the other way to plunge yourself back in darkness.

The Arc AA comes with a small keyring attached to the tail. This is meant to be attached to larger keyrings, like what your house & car keys are probably already on; and for attachment to a lanyard to hang the Arc AA around your neck or around a nail or tree branch.

The knurled surface makes the light easy to grip and use.



The Arc AA comes with a Duracell alkaline AA cell, already installed. When the battery does need changing, unscrew the head until it comes off (don't worry about losing parts or bulbs), dump the dead AA cell into the garbage or the dead battery box if your community has a battery reclamation program. Drop a new AA cell in the barrel of the flashlight so the button end faces up. Screw the head back on, and you're finished. O, and unscrew that head slightly when your Arc AA springs to life. You don't want to waste a brand spanken new battery ya know. ;-)

A foam gasket affixed to the underside of the head prevents that annoying rattling sound from the battery moving around inside when the unit is turned off.

The advertised runtime to 50% brighness is 10 hours on an ordinary Duracell alkaline AA cell.
The company who makes this flashlight tends to not lie, so I think that 10 hour figure is pretty accurate.




The picture above compares the Arc AA and the Arc AAA CPF Edition in size. The AA is on the left, the red CPF AAA is on the right.

The Arc AA is basically indestructible. The type 3 hard anodized aluminum case combined with its small size make for a tag team of reliability that just can't be beat. Run it over, step on it, hell it will probably even survive a trip through the garbage disposal - though I highly recommend avoiding doing that to any flashlight. :)

The light is sealed with an O-ring, and should be completely waterproof to at least fifty feet.

There is a gold colored material inside the flashlight barrel and on the threaded portion of the head; this is a Chemkote treatment designed to resist corrosion from water or bad batteries. The outer surface of the flashlight has a type III hard anodize treatment (HA-III as us flashaholics know it); this is a tougher material than the type II anodize used by other flashlights.

The head and body of the Arc AA are knurled (texturised), so you can "keep a grip on things" even if your hands are cold, oily, or wet. This knurling is not aggressive (sharp), so it shouldn't cut through your pocket if you carry the flashlight that way a lot.

The LED in the Arc AA is a Nichia rank B2S, so it produces a brighter light than your typical garden variety white LED.

There is a power inverter in the head that boosts the 1.5 volts from the battery to the 3.6 to 4.0 volts the white LED needs. When the battery gets just about pooped out, the light goes from "sun" mode to "moon" mode automatically, so you aren't just plunged into darkness.



Beam photo at ~12".
Measures 23,800mcd on a Meterman LM631 light meter.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrometer plot of the LED in this flashlight.


ProMetric analysis
Beam cross-sectional analysis.
Image made using the ProMetric System by Radiant Imaging.




TEST NOTES:
Light was purchased on 11-07-03, and was received this morning (11-19-03), and is in its earliest stages of testing. The Arc AA was scheduled for release on 11-14-03, so I received it exactly on time.

For the moment, the Arc AA is a limited production flashlight, originally made by special request. If there is enough demand for them, they will become more common and easily available.


UPDATE: 01-11-04
I put an Energizer L91 lithium AA cell in it today, and it does seem to be slightly lighter in weight than it is with an alkaline AA cell, as much it should. I don't see a significant increase in brightness with it vs. an alkaline cell, but overall battery life should be a tad longer.
Lighter weight and longer battery life...who can argue with that? ;-)


PROS:
Bright enough to be truly useful
Brighter than other single AA cell LED flashlights
Light stands on its tail, even with split ring installed
Stands on its tail for ceiling illumination


CONS:
Hangs slightly off-center from its split ring (nitpicky; pick, pick, pick)


    MANUFACTURER: Arc Flashlight, LLC
    PRODUCT TYPE: Small handheld flashlight
    LAMP TYPE: 5mm white LED
    No. OF LAMPS: 1
    BEAM TYPE: Circular; central hotspot with softer corona
    SWITCH TYPE: Twist bezel on/off
    BEZEL: Knurled aluminum, with brushed aluminum reflector
    BATTERY: 1 ea. AA cell
    CURRENT CONSUMPTION: Unknown/unable to measure
    WATER RESISTANT: Yes
    SUBMERSIBLE: Yes, to 50 feet
    ACCESSORIES: Small split ring, battery
    SIZE: 3" long by 0.7" in diameter
    WEIGHT: 1.3oz with lithium AA cell
    WARRANTY: N/A (company has gone out of business)

    PRODUCT RATING:

    Star Rating






Arc AA Flashlight * http://store.yahoo.com/flashlight/arcaa.html






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