[Dante]

Anyone who is (a) in the market for one of the best compact flashlights available and (b) willing to pay the premium should check out the ARC LS at ARC Flashlights. They make several versions. LS stands for "Luxeon Star"--a giant LED. The H suffix on the LSH models stands for "high dome" which means the emitter is placed higher in the optics for a tighter, brighter beam. P stands for Premium, which means the LED has been hand selected for whiteness and brightness. I'm sort of a flashligh geek. About a year ago, I sold off a bunch of flashlights at www.candlepowerforums.com and bought myself an ARC LSH-P (if you shop around online you can get one for well under MSRP). It is AWESOME! It is small enough to carry in my pocket every day. It weighs about as much as my old Tikka and fits in a NiteIze headband if I want to use it as a headlamp. It is very bright (brighter than most 2 D-cell incandescents) and because the current is regulated it will provide two or three hours of near-constant full brightness followed by another hour or so of diminishing light with one $1.25 CR-123 Lithium photo battery. There's also an available 2AA battery pack. I used it to hike for a couple hours in the dark and then to make camp during my last trip. I liked the additional reach over my old Tikka. We weren't hiking in the dark long enough for the runtime to be a problem. I also carry an ARC AAA for poking around in my pack, which I could use for changing the battery in the ARC LS (although it is easy to change the battery by feel in the dark if the spare is in an easy-to-find pocket). Hey, they are on sale now (but still expensive) at http://store.yahoo.com/flashlight/arcls.html

[Backpacker Joe]

Hey Dante, did you see THIS one? http://www.meridiantactical.com/arcls4ledlight.html TB

[Bob K]

Sounds like a great flashlight, but with its low battery life, the extra brightness is probably overkill for most of my hiking needs. It might be good to pull one of those out in those situations when you are disoriented or are having trouble finding a route or just want to make something out more clearly in the dark. This happens enough -- where ordinary headlamps, even the ones with a bright mode, aren't quite good enough -- that the extra ounces *might* be worth it for use as a super bright mode. (But are the extra $$$ worth it?) Anything that has great breakthrough functionality for its weight will get my attention. Are there any local stores that carry it? The good thing is that the LED technology keeps advancing.

[Dante]

It's funny, while the 1-watt LS is right for me, I would make much the same argument as BobK makes above against the 5-watt LS4. My LS is about as bright as a good 2 D-cell flashlight, which is what many of us are used to. I can't imagind when you would need 65 lumens--that's as bright as SureFire's "tactical" incandescent lights. The LS weighs 2.2 oz. Batteries weigh about 1/2 oz each. The LS is heavier than a Tikka, Zipka or Aurora, but is much lighter and as bright or brighter (albeit more expensive) than a typical 1/2 lb. headlamp (e.g. Petzl's Zoom). As far as battery life goes, I would not call two to three hours of near-constant brightness with one battery "low battery life". With the 2AA battery pack, you get over five hours of near-constant brightness. I end up hiking in the dark a lot and know from experience that the run time claims of many LED products (e.g. the Tikka) are ridiculous. The brightness of an unregulated LED light drops off MUCH more quickly than that of a regulated light. My dissatisfaction with my old Tikka after attempting two night-hikes without a battery change is what led me to search for a better solution. If I have to change the batteries anyway, I might as well carry something that uses lithium batteries (better shelf-life and cold weather performance) and provides more useable light. I also have a Surefire E2 with their Luxeon Star Head. I actually bought that 2-CR123 cell light for hiking due to its 4+ hour runtime. It doesn't weigh much more than a Tikka, either, but I usually end up bringing the LS because it is smaller and lighter and changing the battery is no big deal. I'm thinking about selling my SureFire. Here is a brightness versus runtime chart with data for these and other lights: LED Lights If you want something cheaper, you can find Luxeon Star drop-ins for the venerable Maglite AA that may offer similar performance at a much lower price. Try searching www.candlepowerforums.com for details... Black Diamond makes some really cool regulated incandescent/LED headlamps like the Gemini, which is or recently was on sale at REI outlet.

[Dante]

One more flashlight geek observation--green LEDs work great in the woods. Since green light reflects off vegetation, it seems brighter than a white LED with the same measured brightness. I've read that green light seems brighter for phsyiological reasons, too. The downside is it is hard to see some colors on a topo with green light.