This is the new scaled up version of the excellent ARC AAA. They were produced due to repeated requests from Candle Power Forum Members and are only available as a limited production run at this time. This situation may change though if enough requests are made :-)

This review will be extended as I get more time. Plus I have only had the light for a few hours and I need to use it more to formulate a proper opinion. Things look good though.

Right, time to add to the review. . .

The light is simple to operate. Just install the single AA battery, + side up towards the head and screw on the head. Turn the head till it lights up. Turn the head back to turn off again.

The light comes with a split ring to attach to your keys. This AA version has the new tail end design. I think that this a Major improvement over the AAA design. What the new tail design allows is the ability to stand the light upright on a flat surface to use it as a candle. This is great for lighting up the room and provides a surprising amount of light. What really makes this great though is the extended runtime that is now available by the greater capacity AA battery.

This light uses the same electronics as the ARC AAA. This means that it is regulated and will give bright constant light output for nearly the entire Lifespan of the battery. When the battery does decay enough to make the light come out of regulation it will still provide many hours of lower output light.

What this AA format will also allow is the use of other types of AA batteries. This means you can use Rechargeable NiCd or NiMh at 1.2V or Lithium at 1.7V and still get the same brightness of output. With a lithium cell this would make a good survival kit light (Lithium has a ten year shelf life). Lithium should also give the longest duration. Not too sure what this is yet. But when someone does a runtime test I will post the figures here.

Update 16-10-03 The following information on the runtime brightness has kindly been provided by ARC Flashlight. Quote follows :-

These numbers we got from Atlantic research. They said the Arc-AAA was producing 80% of the original brightness with 40% of the battery capacity remaining (0.9v I believe).

The light source is a 5mm Nicha LED. The output is white in colour it is not as blue in colour as the Candle Power Forums Edition AAA shown in the pictures above. But the CPF AAA is a hand selected LED that make this light a lot more expensive than the AA.

I think the beam pattern from the AA is smoother than the AAA one. They are both excellent but the AA has the edge. This is probably due to the larger diameter of the head and polished aluminium reflector.

The knurling on the light is very similar to the ARC LSH that I have. It feels smoother than the finish on the AAA's. I think this will reduce the wear on your pockets.

The head of the light fits onto the body with a screw thread. This requires several turns to screw onto the body and is designed to accommodate different makes of AA batteries they may vary slightly in length. The head of the light is fitted with a foam retainer ring which prevents the battery from rattling when the light is turned off.

Sealing of the light to make it waterproof is accomplished with the use of a single O-ring above the top of the threaded section of the head. This as supplied is well lubed with a silicone grease. Do not use a petrolium based lube as this could attack the O-ring! Update (16-10-03) to the O-ring, Mr ARC Peter Gransee (and others Thank you all) has sent me an email to inform me that the O-ring is made from Buna. This is impervious to petrolium based products. He also said that ARC will provide Free O-ring and foam retainer replacements for the Lifetime of the light. A very good thing. The grease is important because it makes the O-ring seal correctly and performs a secondary function of making the light easier to operate.

The light is finished in Type III hard anodising (Natural Colour). This normally results in slight differences in colour between different parts of the same light (i.e. head and body) but in this case the parts are exactly the same shade.

I don't currently own any of the competitions single AA powered LED lights. But I imagine that this one is amongst the high end of these type of lights. The fit and finish of the parts is perfect and this along with the new tail design and the regulated output will make this yet another class leading torch.

I don't know if these lights are still available at the moment as the first orders from ARC were all filled. They may still be available from some ARC dealers see the ARC website for a full list.

This is such a great design that I feel the ARC should make it a permanent addition to their range. But we shall see what they decide.

UK Dealers

outdoorsuppliesuk.com At last a great UK supplier with LOW prices for Torches, Knives, Outdoor Equipment and more. (Still under development but please email them for prices.)

US Dealers

www.arcflashlight.com
www.meridiantactical.com

UK Cheap 123A Lithium & AA Batteries

www.7dayshop.com

More info on ARC and other lights here

www.candlepowerforums.com