Inova Microlight v.s. Photon II/ Freedom

[themadplumbarian]

Well Ive narrowed it down to three lights and am basing it on any of your opinion's, the inova microlight, the photon II, & Doug Ritter Photon Freedom Micro, due to the Glass Filled Polyurethane Case, and that you can use the lanyard holder, and flip it to prevent it from comming on, a plus for me for sleeping, out of these three, what do you think is the best light? the only thing i really want it for is a neck carry, in case of power outages, and in the middle of the night travel,,, besides these three is there any others that you would recommend? I'm not interested in fancy flashing, just a simple on off, and what is the best color? the only other thing i liked was the inova has a product from nite ize, the led wand, i was told that the photon will fit just loosely, an other plus for giving the whole room a glow in case of an emergency,,, thanks,,,JR

 

[Marduke]

The Photon microlights are head and shoulders above the Inova. The function, size, user interface, and quality are all much better.

FYI, the Photon I, II, and Freedom all come with glass filled polyurethane bodies, so why spend 2-3x more for the Doug Ritter version? The Freedom gets my vote for for $10.90 shipped, or the covert version for $12.95 shipped. Both are the full kit with the lanyard and magnetic holder.

 

[Cydonia]

Photon II... no question about it.

 

[Kiessling]

What they said

I prefer the very simple initerface of the PhotonII over the uC of the Freedom. BUT ... the Freedom can dim down and conserve battery life which might come in very handy ... AND the Freedom comes in very nice colors, which the II doesn't.

The Doug Ritter one is especially cool as it is yellow which I like, but that is personal. Apart from that, any other Freedom is cheaper and just as good.

White is the best all-around color, but you get longer burn times and better NV conservation with red and yellow as they run on a CR2032 and not 2 CR2016.

bernie

 

[kramer5150]

The inova is a terrible light, the worst $11:green: I ever spent. Its not even worthy of further discussion.

 

[Big_Ed]

Photon Freedom, no doubt. I have an older Inova Microlight, and the LED is a little loose and constantly needs to be pushed back into the body for the light to continue to work. If I remember correctly this was a common problem. I just got a few Photon Freedoms, the newer brighter version, and love them. Much brighter than the older Photons. Get them through CFRlights.com as Marduke said. Good deal!

 

[ZMZ67]

Definately go with the Photon Freedom or II they are much better than the INOVA Microlight.The Photon IIs are nice for key chain use because they will not turn on accidentally but for a neck lanyard I would probably choose the Freedom for it's additional features.

 

[g36pilot]

We've had a couple of Inova Microlights that the switch went bad on. You couldn't turn them off.

 

[themadplumbarian]

Gee thanks guys, im definetly going for the freedom,,, now the only dif between the freedom and the doug is the shell and light rim? yet marduke says that there the same, does the combo on the doug, and freedom fit, as far as the lanyard and clip either one? and whats the best color beam, all around? Green? brightest, yet not as bad as clear on the eyes? :shrug: JR

 

[Kiessling]

The Doug Ritter Freedom is just a covert Freedom in yellow with all the same accessories. Marketing talk. I fell gladly for it. Yellow

Color ... white. Best all around color, brightest, and with the dimming funtion of the photon you don't need the CR2032 driven lights for more runtime.

bernie

 

[themadplumbarian]

Is it worth the like $2 to go with the covert freedom vs the freedom? if going with just a plain white beem?

 

[Kiessling]

It is a personal preference. The covert will protect the LED if you carry it in a "scratchy" environment, think keychain, and it will reduce the backwars glare of the LED, and thus eliminate a distracting or blinding effect of th ebare LED.
However, the total ooutput is reduced with the covert version, and it looks a bit odd IMHO.
bernie


EDIT: the Doug Ritter comes as a covert, but I cut it off :devil:

 

[Marduke]

Gee thanks guys, im definetly going for the freedom,,, now the only dif between the freedom and the doug is the shell and light rim? yet marduke says that there the same, does the combo on the doug, and freedom fit, as far as the lanyard and clip either one? and whats the best color beam, all around? Green? brightest, yet not as bad as clear on the eyes? :shrug: JR

Like I said, the doug ritter version is not special in any way other than having a yellow body. All Photon Microlights are glass filled polyurethane. The ones I linked to above come with the complete package of lanyard and magnetic clip.


Regular vs covert is personal preference. If you want to be discrete in a restaurant, covert might be a good choice. I personally prefer the regular.

 

[brighterisbetter]

You might also consider the Photon REX.

 

[themadplumbarian]

Thanks guys for your input, i narrowed it down and finally ordered, i went with the Photon freedom with 2x bright white, and it came with the necklace and free hand stand/clip $11 shipping included, how can you go wrong. now for the bad part, the waiting,,, Thanks again JR