Green Military Level III HA or not for Arc-LS?

[Chas]

Folks,

Lets make it easier on Peter and take a straw vote as to Green Millitary Level III HA or not on the Arc-LS. If you have ever seen it you know the difference in quality.

I say don't worry about the color of the case (except no pink images/icons/smile.gif)

My vote, in case you can't figure it out - Green Military Level III HA or other color if possible, if not no problem.

Best Regards,

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Chas, to my knowledge, L-3 HA does not allow coloring, so it only comes in green. (I'm not entirely sure on that though)

Let me point out that the "green" is actually very nice and neutral gray-green-brown color.

Here (http://www.surefire.com/productphotos/M2%20Photos/M2Centurion-06.jpg) is a pic of L3-anodized M2.

Here (http://stripe.colorado.edu/~genovaj/Aluminum_surface_treatments.htm) is a bit of info about the anodizing types.

Oh and btw: my vote is Aye!

[lightlover]

The new SureFire 8AX and the 9AN come in a black level 3 HA, according to PK.

See http://www.surefire.com/ubb/Forum9/HTML/000455.html

Lite-Lover

[Chas]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by mad_scientist:
Chas, to my knowledge, L-3 HA does not allow coloring, so it only comes in green. (I'm not entirely sure on that though)

Let me point out that the "green" is actually very nice and neutral gray-green-brown color.

Here (http://www.surefire.com/productphotos/M2%20Photos/M2Centurion-06.jpg) is a pic of L3-anodized M2.

Here (http://stripe.colorado.edu/~genovaj/Aluminum_surface_treatments.htm) is a bit of info about the anodizing types.

Oh and btw: my vote is Aye!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


I have the E2 Surefire, that's why my vote is "Aye", and in away I kinda like that green/gray color more than black, but I'll go with whatever Peter can do Green/Grey or Black (NO PINK images/icons/shocked.gif )

Thanks for the links too mad_scientist, I do appreciate all comments in this forum.

Best Regards,

[KenB]

The "green" does have a rugged "manly" look...maybe my wife would leave it alone...

[Gransee]

I will check and see what colors are available on Monday from our plater. I am pretty sure they can do type III and I agree we should go that route for the LS.

Peter Gransee

[Chris M.]

I`d like to chip in here with a "&lt;b&gt;YES&lt;/b&gt;" vote too. I finally got my brand new SureFire E2 HA on thursday last week, and it`s a bit`o class! I`d love to see the new Arc light in the same finish.
Come to think of it, I`d love to just &lt;i&gt;see&lt;/i&gt; the new Arc light.....must be patient...

images/icons/tongue.gif

[Free]

Oh Yes!!

images/icons/shocked.gif

[Gandalf]

FWIW:
I agree: almost any color in HA would be great. Even black would be good. However, I've found the gunmetal grey on my E2 easier to find in the dark than a black flashlight images/icons/rolleyes.gif If a lighter, neutral color (read: no neon!) in HA is available, it might be a worth considering. images/icons/shocked.gif
(Not to throw a monkey wrench into the works... I like the HA color of the M6, too!) images/icons/wink.gif

[Gandalf]

FWIW:
I agree: almost any color in HA would be great. Even black would be good. However, I've found the gunmetal grey on my E2 easier to find in the dark than a black flashlight images/icons/rolleyes.gif If a lighter, neutral color (read: no neon!) in HA is available, it might be a worth considering. images/icons/shocked.gif
(Not to throw a monkey wrench into the works... I like the HA color of the M6, too!) images/icons/wink.gif

[Alan]

While I like both Green/Gray and Black as long as it's HA, Black might be able to get away from color matching problem.

Black HA looks and feels real good and will make regular black anodized flashlight looks very ugly.

Alan

[Gransee]

OK, I checked with our plater. They say that type III can be done in almost any standard anodize color. The color is usally not as bright since the pores are so much denser that the dye doesn't take as readily. I asked about green and olive drab and he said those were unusual colors that would require a special order. So we can probally get a good finish from almost any color. We would have to standarize on one color though since plating is charged by the lot and not by the unit.

I understand most people, if they had to choose one color, would prefer their flashlight in black. What do you think?

Peter Gransee

[Chas]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Gransee:
OK, I checked with our plater. They say that type III can be done in almost any standard anodize color. The color is usally not as bright since the pores are so much denser that the dye doesn't take as readily. I asked about green and olive drab and he said those were unusual colors that would require a special order. So we can probally get a good finish from almost any color. We would have to standarize on one color though since plating is charged by the lot and not by the unit.

I understand most people, if they had to choose one color, would prefer their flashlight in black. What do you think?

Peter Gransee<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Peter,

I would like black, but leave it in your hands to make the final choice, I'll be happy with any of the standard colors, as long as its' type III. THANK YOU PETER!!!!!

Best Regards,

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Black is good, and I believe you're right that it would be accepted by a broad segment of the market.

However ...

Please consider a dark shade of gray instead ... say 75-85% black. If available from your plater as a 'standard' color, it'll hide scratches and marks, is closer to 'gunmetal' in color, its 'elegant' ... and it is distinctive enough so your product will have a unique visual identification.

That visual ID is important so it won't be mistaken as having been produced by another manufacturer that uses solid black. Of course, not having seen the design, the LS may be sufficiently different in shape to prevent that issue altogether.

The military colors mentioned would be great, but you might want to test with a focus group. If your sales are targeted primarily for us Flashaholics, just about any color you choose will be great. On the other hand, if you're planning a broad market rollout (exec toys, Top 25 markets, etc.), your initial color choice has to appeal to more folks ... meaning gray or black.

As sales increase, you can offer other colors.

Mark

[KenB]

I agree with Luffokc, consider a dark gray.

[Gransee]

From what I understand, dark grey can be achieved by simply pulling it out of the black dye sooner. Also, since type III is so hard and slow to absorb the dye, standard dunk times are going to be on the light side of black anyways.

Peter Gransee

[JonSidneyB]

I like black as long as it is not highly reflective, the Surefire greenish grayish color is nice, Gray like black will go with anything,

[nonbox]

I would buy an arcAAA in type III gray. Will an arcAAA in type III gray be made available for sale?

[Gransee]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by nonbox:
I would buy an arcAAA in type III gray. Will an arcAAA in type III gray be made available for sale?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, like I said in the LS thread, we will try it out on the Arc-AAA to see how it takes, what it costs, etc. Good suggestion btw!

Peter

[Quickbeam]

I think a HA-III would push me over the top and I would have to buy an ARC AAA. My wife had a Mag Solitaire on her keys and it got chewed up pretty badly just from normal use. I would be afraid the ARC would get beat up the same way without the protection of the HA.

DP

[MY]

I fully agree, the dark grey is the way to go. It is elegant and stands out from the other black defacto standard items that most of us have. The gun metal with blueing is also very distinctive.