I bought one about a month ago, in green. It is quite bright, and very solid. I dunked mine in the sink for an hour, and took a shower with it twice. No leaks. Paint seems like it will eventually come off, so I will probably steel wool it to bare aluminum at some point. It's too large for a keychain light, but has a nice feel to it when pointed like a normal flahlight. Probably the advantages over the photon are waterproofness, toughness (I'm tempted to run over it with my car, or whip it against a brick wall), and the ability to use AA batteries, which is nice if you're using other electronic equipment and want to keep all the batteries interchangeable. Try some silicone grease on the threads to keep them from wearing. I do this with my Primus stove which has an aluminum to aluminum thread on the pump. It greatly reduces wear.