Photon Proton - First Impression thread

skalomax · Dec 11, 2007

I think I should be having this little gem tomorrow.
I actually still have the original one somewhere, liked It alot.
But If anybody gets theirs, feel free to post some impressions and pictures.

I will take some beamshots.

swxb12 · Dec 12, 2007

This should be a fun thread :twothumbs. Skalomax, I'm extremely interested in a shot straight down at the head of the light. If possible, TIA.

Alan B · Dec 12, 2007

Re: Photon Proton PRO - First Impression thread

Yesterday I happened to send email to Photon re the type of LED in the current Proton lites, expecting to learn if they had changed to the Nichia DS or were still using the older CS. They replied "Cree in what turns out to be the PRO model", and the website changed to reflect that. Lucky timing!

I received a new email today confirming that the Photon Proton PRO DOES also have the RED LEDs, despite the lack of mention on their website. They are waiting for the official brochure from which to update their site.

:sold:

Looking forward to compare with SF Kroma, and Minim*g TLE2ex red drop-in...

-- Alan

PhantomPhoton · Dec 12, 2007

I'm looking forward to this light. I love my CS Proton.

Thanks in advance for the beamshots. I seem to be waiting on a couple sweet lights at the moment. The good news just keeps coming.

half-watt · Dec 12, 2007

first impressions (day 1; hour 1)

1. the ProtonPro is just a wee bit longer than the original Proton. the diff. in length is just about the height of the expose portion of the tail cap when it is fully screwed onto the body of the light.

2. beam color: IMO, just a touch of warmth to it - a very nice hue/color to the light/beam - good job LRI/PhotonLight.

3. beam pattern: a) nice bright spot (on the smaller side, but *NOT* a small spot, IMO - still very useful) with a slightly darkened center (barely noticeably - in this regard it reminds me of the Olight T20 "spot") - easily 2x as bright to the eye as the original Proton. b) typical corona - still quite bright with an uneven margin c) outside of the corona is a classic "donut" which is as wide as the diameter of the central "spot". as such, the donut is wider than on some other lights (e.g. Muyshondt Nautilus). d) narrow yellowish halo around the relatively dark "donut" e) very nice spillbeam consisting of a wide area and then a ring/halo around it which is approx. 1/3 as wide as the spillbeam and noticeably darker than the spillbeam, but still bright. f) two more rings/halos appear outside the spillbeam halo; they are quite a bit darker and not really useful for lighting.

final observation:

for those who loved the "flood" pattern of the original Proton (count me amongst them), they might be a bit disappointed in the ProtonPro. however, it is a Cree and one knows going in what that means - this is NOT a criticism, just an observation. the "Pro" is NOT intended to be a flood output type of light given its Cree with a smooth reflector.

i'm very happy to have purchased the ProtonPro. however, i would definitely buy another original Proton (i already have two of them) if they upgraded it to the newer DS Nichia LEDs. IMO, there is still a market for a 6x5mm DS white LED Proton. imagine ~100lumens (assuming the current 6x5mm CS Nichia white LED Proton is ~50lumens as Mfr. claims) of "flood" from a light as small as a Proton!! I REALLY WANT ONE if it is ever brought to market.

to my way of thinking, the ProtonPro, while it appears to be a very fine light (based upon the excellent heritage of the original Proton), there is not as much to distinguish it (other than the inclusion of a RED 5mm LED and "infinite" adjustability of the light o.p. level - or at least too many digital "steps" to count [256??? steps???] from other small 1xAA Cree flashlights (e.g. Fenix L1D-CE). the original Proton had a character all its own due to its 6x5mm Nichia CS white LEDs. when throw isn't required, the flood output of an array of 5mm LEDs is quite userful - more so, than a Cree.

LRI/PhotonLight ***PLEASE*** market an original Proton with upgraded DS Nichia LEDs.

anyone else who also would like to see this, please reply so LRI/PhotonLight can gauge any interest.

Chaz · Dec 12, 2007

Just received the Proton today, and these are some of my initial impressions.

The body looks just like the old Proton from the side. One of the first things I did was to remove the supplied battery and look at the contacts. They are gold coated but otherwise look like the ones in the older Proton, in which the + contact dropped out the first time I changed the battery. It was sent back and fixed, but I never felt comfortable with it since. I hope the new Proton does not have the same problem, which I understand had been fixed in the later older Protons. The swith is still in the same ploace on the side and is a little too small IMHO. I sometimes have trouble finding the right action spot in the dark.

Although I have read that the new Proton uses an optic, it looks just like a reflector. The large main LED is in the center and the smaller red LED is off to the side about 2 or 3 mm. The output of the main LED is noticeably brighter than the older model and has a much more defined central spot which throws better than the older model with multiple LEDs. The Proton comes in the Point of Sale mode so that you have to hold the button down until the red light goes off (10 - 20 seconds) if you want the light to stay on.

The box said that a belt clip was included. There was a case included but I did not see what I would consider a belt clip. After a close examination of the case I discovered that there was a strip that was held down with velco on the belt loop that could be lifted and placed over the belt. I never knew that was there on the case for the older model, but it was. You really have to look to find it. I guess that is what they call a belt clip.

I like the light overall, and with the better throw with the white light (there is no noticeable tint) it make a better general purpose light than the older model.

who · Dec 12, 2007

half-watt said:
to my way of thinking, the ProtonPro, while it appears to be a very fine light (based upon the excellent heritage of the original Proton), there is not as much to distinguish it (other than the inclusion of a RED 5mm LED) from other small 1xAA Cree flashlights (e.g. Fenix L1D-CE). the original Proton had a character all its own due to its 6x5mm Nichia CS white LEDs. when throw isn't required, the flood output of an array of 5mm LEDs is quite userful - more so, than a Cree.

LRI/PhotonLight ***PLEASE*** market an original Proton with upgraded DS Nichia LEDs.

anyone else who also would like to see this, please reply so LRI/PhotonLight can gauge any interest.

I absolutely agree here, and will buy a couple updated original Proton.

bitslammer · Dec 12, 2007

I have the old style and love it. It's a great versatile light to EDC. The White LEDs put out a nice flood pattern that is useful almost any indoor and many outdoor needs at close range.

The red LED is great when you don't want/need all the white light but there's also the option to use dim white as well.

The blink-SOS-strobe options work but getting to them is a bit cumbersome. It would be neat if there were a memory feature that would let you set a mode for recall. The full white strobe would be sufficient to startle someone but you would have to ask them to politely wait a moment while you engaged it.

Aside from those issues in getting to some of the other modes it's a great light. I'm actually thinking of getting the new model just to see if it does have a little more throw.

half-watt · Dec 12, 2007

bitslammer said:
I'm actually thinking of getting the new model just to see if it does have a little more throw.

it has a lot more throw, but essentially no more than other smooth reflector 1xAA lights from other Mfrs using a Cree LED. it still is a nice light. the RED LED is a nice touch, but i find the VERY LOW low more useful and an improvement over some 1xAA competitors whose LOW mode puts out maybe 5-10 times as much light as the Proton[Pro] on its lowest white LED(s) o.p. level.

IMO, while i won't use the ProtonPro as much as the original Proton, i'm still happy with the purchase.

thank you to those who replied with their interest in having an upgraded original Proton with an array of 6x5mm Nichia DS white LEDs.

i sure do hope LRI brings such to market. sounds like it would be a simple matter to use all aspects of the existing Proton design and just upgrade the 6x5mm CS LEDs to 6x5mm DS LEDs. [not sure if adjustments to its programming would be required to keep the lowest low nice and dim like it is now, or if 2x brighter lowest low (if that is what would happen at that lower drive current) would be 'ok' and not too bright]

this_is_nascar · Dec 12, 2007

I got my (2) Pro's today. This is 1xAA light that I've been waiting for. It that damn good. I've only played with the light for an hour or so, so no runtime type stuff has been done. I love this light.

skalomax · Dec 12, 2007

Received mine as well.
I like It, nice beam with some throw.
The red led is pretty cool as well.

I give it a 8.5 out of 10 right now.

Will post some pictures in a while.

lunardelite · Dec 12, 2007

Wait, so does the new Proton come with a belt clip or not?
The belt clip was one of the main reasons why I love the Proton.
If it is not included then I'll have second thoughts on purchasing one.

Chaz said:
Just received the Proton today, and these are some of my initial impressions.

The body looks just like the old Proton from the side. One of the first things I did was to remove the supplied battery and look at the contacts. They are gold coated but otherwise look like the ones in the older Proton, in which the + contact dropped out the first time I changed the battery. It was sent back and fixed, but I never felt comfortable with it since. I hope the new Proton does not have the same problem, which I understand had been fixed in the later older Protons. The swith is still in the same ploace on the side and is a little too small IMHO. I sometimes have trouble finding the right action spot in the dark.

Although I have read that the new Proton uses an optic, it looks just like a reflector. The large main LED is in the center and the smaller red LED is off to the side about 2 or 3 mm. The output of the main LED is noticeably brighter than the older model and has a much more defined central spot which throws better than the older model with multiple LEDs. The Proton comes in the Point of Sale mode so that you have to hold the button down until the red light goes off (10 - 20 seconds) if you want the light to stay on.

The box said that a belt clip was included. There was a case included but I did not see what I would consider a belt clip. After a close examination of the case I discovered that there was a strip that was held down with velco on the belt loop that could be lifted and placed over the belt. I never knew that was there on the case for the older model, but it was. You really have to look to find it. I guess that is what they call a belt clip.

I like the light overall, and with the better throw with the white light (there is no noticeable tint) it make a better general purpose light than the older model.

Chao · Dec 12, 2007

skalomax said:
Will post some pictures in a while.

Yes, please, I was thinking how the Cree LED and red LED combined together in the same reflector.

half-watt · Dec 13, 2007

lunardelite said:
Wait, so does the new Proton come with a belt clip or not?
The belt clip was one of the main reasons why I love the Proton.
If it is not included then I'll have second thoughts on purchasing one.

the belt clip might be the clip that is attached to the light for bezel down carry with the light either clipped exposed to a belt or "semi-covertly" clipped to the opening of a pocket with the light, presumably, carried inside the pocket and also ready for easy deployment when light is required. a very nice little, unobtrusive belt pouch is included also.

i remove the belt clip from all Proton's when i use them, as i often require hands-free operation. so, a clip from a Mini-Mag (either off a spare Mini-Mag, or out of the $3.95 Mini-Mag Accessory kit) fits fine around the barrel at the point where the on-off switch is located and still allows the switch to be exposed for use. the Mini-Mag clip is inserted on the light in the opposite direction of the Proton's standard, included belt cip. this allows me to clip the Proton to my ballcap brim/visor so that the Proton's "business end" faces forward for for hands-free use.

a split/half ring replacement is included to replace the removed the belt clip and fill in the very small gap left by the removal of the clip. i have never bothered doing this as the gap is quite thin and doesn't, IMO, detract from the appearance of the Proton. many others, i would imagine, will probably want to insert it though if they remove the belt-clip.

this_is_nascar · Dec 13, 2007

Yes, the Pro comes with the same clip. I agree, that clip setup is one of the best I've seen and I really like it. The Pro, from the outside, looks like the 1st Proton, expect the bezel is slightly longer to handle the reflector and there is not a lobster-claw included. It's just a small split-ring off the tailend attachment point.

this_is_nascar · Dec 13, 2007

Chao said:
Yes, please, I was thinking how the Cree LED and red LED combined together in the same reflector.

The Cree is mouted like any other reflector-based light. The RED LED, however, is mounted to the side. It actually sits underneath, behind, through the reflector. The reflector has a small hole/opening that allows the light of the RED LED come thru. It makes for a not-so-perfect RED beam, however it's still very useable.

half-watt · Dec 13, 2007

this_is_nascar said:
The Cree is mouted like any other reflector-based light. The RED LED, however, is mounted to the side. It actually sits underneath, behind, through the reflector. The reflector has a small hole/opening that allows the light of the RED LED come thru. It makes for a not-so-perfect RED beam, however it's still very useable.

i'll second that on the RED beam being "very usable". keep in mind that it's a RED beam so the kind of lighting required is different than with a white beam. for me, at least, RED is more of "gross" identification of the situation at hand as well as location by general shape of objects near at hand. as such, the "Pro" has a very fine RED beam, IMO.

chiphead · Dec 17, 2007

This thing sounds like a real winner, it could find a place on my keychain that was once held by my ARC light. One thing, how does new model handle water?

chiphead

Phaserburn · Dec 17, 2007

Where is the new Proton being ordered from? Link?

this_is_nascar · Dec 17, 2007

Phaserburn said:
Where is the new Proton being ordered from? Link?

They are available at the LRI webpage.

Photon Proton - First Impression thread

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