ASP vs Photon

[Aaron]

Hello, I was thinking about buying a LED light. I have seen the ASP Sapphire and I am pretty impressed with it. I have also heard good things about the Photon II/III. Does anyone here have both? If so, how do they compare as far as light output, durability, etc? Also, where is a good place to buy a Photon if that is the better light?


Thanks, Aaron

 

[KenBar]

I usually tack one on to each order from Hosfelt ( Photon2 ) . Eleven bucks I think. I believe Brock said this is the cheapest site for them. I like it better. It is small and not in the way. I attach it to piece of leather and keep inside shirt. I used it today... a surprise storm came up and we lost power and I was in a building with no windows...pitch black... It was there.
Photon info here...


Hosfelt... Cheapest place to buy I think click here

The last one I got was green...

Green -Longest lasting for battery efficiency 7 days continuous on. Narrow angle beam projects far away. Powered by one CR2032 lithium battery.

 

[Chris M.]

I would choose the Photon. White one is best for all round usage. The ASP sapphire light gives out a very wide deep blue beam- an attractive colour and does almost floodlight a reasonable size room. The white version- the ASP aspen, is comparable to a white photon (uses the same LED), but I`m not sure about the Sapphire against the blue photon (not got one). The ASP is bigger than the Photon, and a bit heavier too. Battery life is the same as they use the same lithium cells.
But- the big downer about those ASP lights- that I really don`t like- is that you can`t change the batteries yourself. You have to post it off to ASP along with $3 and they do it, then post it back- leaving you lightless for anything up to a month depending on where you live.
You can change the batteries in Photons- the p2 is a bit tricky with 4 tiny screws to unscrew, but the new P3 is as easy as popping off a cover and swapping them out- done in seconds. The Photon 3 is also waterproof (to a few feet at least) so you can have no worries about taking it out in the rain (not really for diving though). Photon 2 isn`t waterproof although you can take it apart to dry it off if it does get wet. ASP is not waterprof, neither can you open it up so be careful with those ones around water. Lithium cells don`t like getting wet for long periods.

I`d say get a white Photon-3, although of course your colour preferences may vary. Turquoise is about the brightest- wider beam also, and an attractive blue-green colour but you don`t have the colour-definition of a white light.

Where to get a P3? Well they only finally just got started shipping them, pre-orders should be out by now (hooray- that means only another 2 weeks until mine arrives here- Overseas is so slow) but you can order from the manufacturer at http://photonlight.com , they have quite a few in stock but not all colours just yet. Otherwise, before long many of the big LED flashlight suppliers will have them, look at the Dealer`s links on this site (go to CPF homepage, the Links can be accessed there), or alternatively fellow reviewer Brock has a good pile of links to dealer sites on his LED pages at... http://www.uwgb.edu/nevermab/led.htm

 

[RonM]

IMHO the Photon is the hands down winner. It's lighter, smaller and very importantly, it can be used in momentary mode or switched to stay on.

The ASP is small, but still bulky enough to make me reconsider carrying it. The Photon is the size and weight of a US Quarter.

If this is your first, get a white one.

 

[Badbeams3]

Welcome Aaron, I agree with the others...Photon 3 white...have you considered the AAA Arc?...That`s a real sweet light as well...it` s bright burn time beats the other key chain lights and the batt are cheap. If I could only have one key chain light it would be my pick.

 

[RonM]

Spudgunr - Welcome to the forum. Interesting waterproofing concept. But I'm now where near motivated enough to waterproof my Photon II to go thru all that. I figure the likelyhood of my falling in the water at night in a situation where my Photon is the difference between life and death is... Well let's just say making a meteorite helmet might be a higher priority.

From your screen name I take it you build Spud Guns. It's a little off topic, but care to share any experiences with us?

 

[Deuce]

I have an ASP Navigator (red LED) and two Photon II's (white and yellow). I like that the ASP has a clip that makes it easy to remove. However, it is much larger than the Photons and mine has not been as durable. The ASP I have is coming apart at the seam. I've had it almost a year and only paid $8.47 for it (including shipping) so I feel I got my money's worth. I like my white Photon II best.

 

[Tater Rocket]

Photon 2 isn`t waterproof although you can take it apart to dry it off if it does get wet. ASP is not waterprof, neither can you open it up so be careful with those ones around water. Lithium cells don`t like getting wet for long periods.

Well, I have not tried this, nor do I own a photon (yet). I don't know how a lithium cell would react to this, so unless you have a spare photon, or whatever, I dont suggest you try this. The link below is a link how somebody waterproofed their calculator. I think the same process would work to either make a photon MUCH more water-resistant, if not make it waterproof altogether. This person used vegetable oil, but I think mineral spirits would work better. Some people use this to cool their over-clocked computers. Basically, you take the object apart, submerge it in the non-conductive, non-corrosive stuff, and assemble it while still submerged. I think you could then seal it with a bit of silicon sealant, then it should work quite well. If anybody wants to try this.... I may see if I can get this to work with a cheapo flashlight, but with alkaline cells instead. It could prove to be very interesting indeed. http://barney.gonzaga.edu/~rguerra/calc/underwater/underwater.html

 

[Badbeams3]

Welcome, neat idea, could make a light able to go to great depths without heavy waterproofing...might not work with a Photon II with the switch...but many others could benefit...might be a little messy changing the batts though