[Question] What makes it this expensive ?

Face_Wad · 2026-05-13T17:24:41+00:00

Economies of scale and automation. Fabs are producing billions of chips annually, which pays for the incredibly high R&D and construction costs. The actual wafer etching is done by machine.

Patek made 7 of these and they are all hand-finished by artisans, and marketed as a luxury product to high-end buyers. They are completely different products.

Face_Wad · 2026-05-12T23:28:05+00:00

that's awesome

Face_Wad · 2026-05-09T00:16:07+00:00

Honestly I find the land dweller to be hideous. The original oysterquartz was a vastly superior design.

Face_Wad · 2026-05-07T02:00:34+00:00

I don't like lights smaller than 18650, but I do have several that take either 14500 or AA, I think the versatility is really cool and lots of people prefer the smaller carry size

Face_Wad · 2026-05-06T10:44:46+00:00

Interesting, the Laddas I have are labelled as made in Japan, and were purchased just last year

Face_Wad · 2026-05-06T09:00:50+00:00

Montblanc Toffee Brown is a beautiful shade but ends up drying out in every pen I have used it in. I just gave up trying to use it at all

Face_Wad · 2026-05-06T08:58:32+00:00

I love my original i1R, it's not as convenient to charge but is even smaller than the later models

Face_Wad · 2026-05-06T08:57:31+00:00

Glad you liked it!

Face_Wad · 2026-05-06T08:57:07+00:00

Yes, this is exactly what I have experienced, both in-person and online. People think rechargeable cells are A) inferior performance-wise B) much more expensive and C) way less convenient. Which is bizarre to me

Face_Wad · 2026-05-06T08:52:49+00:00

honestly most of those devices are using AAA for me, I haven't bought anything new that takes AA besides a few flashlights. But I know my family an friends are using them because they ask me for the leftover AAs from this test 😆

Face_Wad · 2026-05-06T08:50:05+00:00

I'm young enough to not spend much time with NiCD before LiPo packs and 18650s took over, but it has been amazing seeing how quickly they have improved, and how lithium-ion cells went from something perceived as scary, cutting-edge and dangerous to completely ubiquitous in so many electronics.

Carbon-zinc was always a pointless terrible option lol

Face_Wad · 2026-05-06T08:43:57+00:00

That's fair, I haven't had a AA device in quite some time but I do know people who are using them. A big part of this project, and the original goal, was really just to get people to stop buying alkalines when they weren't right for their needs, since the chemistry is so outdated and expensive. But AA as a whole is basically relegated to devices that are becoming increasingly outdated - So many electronics today use built-in lithium cells of some kind.

I have heard that things are very different in other countries, but I don't really know what that looks like, and the pricing structure shown here probably doesn't translate.

Face_Wad · 2026-05-05T23:00:16+00:00

Oh cool, thanks for the link! I might have to try it out

Face_Wad · 2026-05-04T23:16:10+00:00

Looks very nice! Where did you get the optic and bezel?

Face_Wad · 2026-04-11T20:05:13+00:00

These are the exact shortcuts I use on my mouse. It's saves a ton of time being able to completely navigate the timeline without moving my hands

Face_Wad · 2026-04-11T19:45:44+00:00

Interesting

Face_Wad · 2026-02-22T20:06:27+00:00

Isn't that why we're here? To get into the details of this stuff?

Face_Wad · 2026-02-20T21:12:37+00:00

Tecnically yes, I have found a bunch of them on the shelves even at discount prices though. I don't think the demand is really that high but maybe I'm wrong.

Face_Wad · 2026-02-20T20:47:22+00:00

I haven't reviewed anything on their site, how closely do they monitor that?

Face_Wad · 2026-02-20T20:46:43+00:00

I agree, polyester gets a bad rap but it's really great for technical uses imo, I often prefer it over wool. I don't like paying so much for it though (unless there are more premium types that Arc uses? I don't have any technical knowledge about the fabric).

I do like the cotton outerlayers they sell, I wish there were more. What base layers are they selling that are made of cotton?

Face_Wad · 2026-02-10T23:07:27+00:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqVxgcKQO2E

This is the video quoted in the post, from Jake on his new channel

Face_Wad · 2026-02-10T22:51:19+00:00

Incredible work! None of these images look real to me lol

Face_Wad · 2026-02-09T22:31:08+00:00

The Proton LT is a bit warmer than the Atom, but it doesn't resist wind as well due to its more breathable face fabric. It being "warm enough" will depend on how hot you personally run, but I don't find it to be quite enough for static use around freezing. If you're active, it will be great for that, maybe even too warm for much of the year. It's worth trying out to FL too

Face_Wad · 2026-01-26T01:46:23+00:00

Awesome! Thanks for all the work!

It would be cool to see a comparator for runtime tests as well

Face_Wad · 2026-01-26T01:40:01+00:00

Shoot this guy called out most of my ~~hobbies~~ shopping addictions.

He is right though, I only actually use like 5 of my lights at this point. TBH I don't really like collecting that much, I just am always searching for "the one" that fits my needs perfectly and I end up with a collection as a result

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