General consensus of the Photon Microlight 3? ...

What does everyone think of this light? Thinking about getting one. I already have an Arc AAA.

Anything notable about the Microlight3? Good or bad?

Links to reviews much appreciated as well.

Thanks very much in advance,

Christopher

There's numerous reviews and threads. There's not a clear consensus. One group says they're great. Others say the computerization is a useless gimmick and a few people have reported the lights turning on in their pocket and draining its batteries.

Re: General consensus of the Photon Microlight 3?

I bought two Photon IIIs a couple years ago, one white and the other turquoise. I don't use them anymore and would never buy them again.

Both lights were defective. I forget what was wrong with the white one, but the turquoise would drain its batteries pretty quickly when not in use (within a day). I sent them both back and got replacements. The white worked fine, but the turq was bad. I sent it in and got another replacement. It was bad too (same problem each time) so I gave up.

Assuming you get one that works, the switch mechanism is a real pain. The LED is exposed and got scratched in my pocket pretty quickly. The battery life was disappointing, especially after reading their adds. I didn't use mine much and I was still swapping batteries all the time (my Arc AAA is on its 2nd or third cell in a couple years and I use it a lot more). It also tended to turn on in my pocket all the time. I ended up leaving it in the "turn on for one minute then turn off" mode to try to preserve the batteries, but that failed. I'd sit at my desk and a key would press the button in for minutes or hours at a time, leaving it in a different mode or with completely depleted batteries. Also, the 1-minute mode was a pain when I actually wanted to use it, so I found myself cycling through the modes to permanent on each time I used it, then back to the 1-minute mode to put it back in my pocket.

I liked the option to dim it, but the flashing was pretty useless. I think if I had a dog I'd get a red Photon III to keep on its collar with the tags set to the slow flash mode. At night I'd turn it on when taking the dog anywhere. I've had dogs in the past and wish I'd had something like that then. Otherwise, I've never really had any use for all the flashing.

Overall, I was pretty disappointed. The Arc AAA has completely replaced it for me and I've been much happier with it. I have a Arc AAA turq EV on my keychain right now, and I occasionally swap it with my CPF edition (the blue bodied one). I can't see anything that would take me back to the Photon except a dog/cat as I mentioned above.

- Russ

Re: General consensus of the Photon Microlight 3?

I had the same problem of it turning on in my pocket, but I really did like the step down lighting modes so I maintain a couple Photon III's in my inventory. I like them much more than the II's. The Inova would be high on my list as well if you don't care about the modes.

The main problem is the price--if you have the ~$17 for one of the III's why not....


-Jason

Re: General consensus of the Photon Microlight 3?

Unless you have a specific NEED for one of the features, buy the Photon II instead. I've bought two of the Photon III's specifically because it has the SOS mode. I think at night, lost in the back country they could have some value if they could be seen from the air flashing SOS.

I prefer the Photon II because I can find the darn switch by feel and it is $6 cheaper.

I have the ARC-AAA and find it ok, I just purchased and I'm waiting for the Premium AAA to arrive. I'm hoping it is better than the regular AAA. I find it surprising how strongly everyone feels about the AAA. However I've found that it is not much better than my Photon II. Buying the Premium model is my second chance for the AAA.

GregR

Re: General consensus of the Photon Microlight 3?

Seeing a flashing Photon III from the air is a pretty long shot.

The Arc AAA LE/Premium is the same as the regular AAA except the LED is selected for smoother color. It's not any brighter. If you wanted a brighter Arc, you ordered the wrong light and you want an Arc LS.

The Arc AAA is about the same brightness as the Photons. It's not intended to be any brighter. Its advantages are ruggedness, waterproofness, long runtime on an easy-to-find battery, and ease of battery changes (changing Photon II batteries in the dark is pretty hopeless even if you happen to have the spares and the necessary tiny screwdriver).

Re: General consensus of the Photon Microlight 3?

Have two Photon III's that I wouldn't get rid of simply because they work good. My chances of getting any more like these seem slim to none. At present, I've got two other Photon III's that need sent in for warranty service or replacement.

My Arc AAA LE, while larger is simply a superior product. Now if they only made lithium AAA's.....

Re: General consensus of the Photon Microlight 3?

I like the Photon III. I have two - a white and a turquoise, and one resides on each half of my keychain (house/car keys). I've had them for almost two years,and I consider them great, reliable little lights. I have found them turned on accidentally in my pocket a handful of times, but nothing approaching the problems R2 describes.

Since I got an Arc AAA, I use them much less. However, they're so small that they are always available, if I leave the apartment or I go somewhere in the car.
That said, if I were to get rid of one (Photon or Arc), the Photon would be gone. But I like the redundancy, and they served well for the tasks I now use the Arc AAA for.

I like the availability of the lower-light settings, although I don't use them often, and the blinking light has mainly been used for amusement, but I think it could be useful in certain circumstances.

I've also heard that the newer ones cycle more quickly through the various modes (which can get a bit tedious in the models I have).

So, to me, the various modes have a bit of gadget appeal - for my wife, I put a Photon II on her keychain - the modes would just have annoyed her.

Just my 2 cents' worth.
Dave

Re: General consensus of the Photon Microlight 3?

I like both the Photon 3 and Photon 2. Very small and easy for me to put on my keychain. I'm one of those minimalistic people who hate big, bulky keychains. I tend to give out the Photon 2 to my friends because it's more straight forward...they get kinda confused with the different modes.

Water resistance is good enough for me, and I always have extra lights if the batteries die on these. They last a long time and I never use them for more than few seconds at a time to find a key hole or something anyway.

Re: General consensus of the Photon Microlight 3?

Likewise with the light turning on and dying in my pocket. Never did a review since the one I got was modded. If you can't leave in on the setting you like and always have to switch it to auto-off before putting it in your pocket, what good is it to have the other settings as selectable?

Re: General consensus of the Photon Microlight 3?

Get the Inova Microlight.

Re: General consensus of the Photon Microlight 3?

[ QUOTE ]
Drjones said:
Get the Inova Microlight.

[/ QUOTE ]

These are nice too. I have one clipped to my backpack. $6 bucks, can't beat that. They're a little big though, but perfect for backpack clippin'.

Re: General consensus of the Photon Microlight 3?

Well Paul-

Looks like I wasted my money on the second ARC-AAA premium then.

One point you made, would be enough to have me say that the ARC-AAA is superior to the Photon....eaze of battery change.

My opinion for a non-flashaholic the size and shape factor of the Photon is so much greater than the Arc that in itself would make it preferable, again to a non-Flashaholic!

For one of us an ARC-AAA is great, but try to get a normal person a Photon is about is much as they will tolerate. It may come down to a Photon size shape or nothing at all. I would prefer my wife/girlfriend/mother to carry a Photon.

GregR

Re: General consensus of the Photon Microlight 3?

The Arc is also a lot easier to turn on and off than a Photon. I think most people won't mind its size. You just put it on your keychain and forget about it. Its main drawback is its cost. But it's miles better than any other 5mm led light out there.

Re: General consensus of the Photon Microlight 3?

ARC III and Photon are two different animals. Photon is DD, short runtime, rapid dimming. ARC is 5hrs + -,
"partially" regulated (very gradually dimming), long runtime is a blessing in unpredictable situations (recent blackout), useful in extended emergency.

Brightnorm

Re: General consensus of the Photon Microlight 3?

The Photons in white and blue have short runtimes, but unlike the Arcs, you can get them in other LED colors, which have much longer runtimes.

When my white Photon died, I never replaced the batteries, but my orange one still lives with me.

Re: General consensus of the Photon Microlight 3?

Love the Photons...but then I'm partial to all of my lights. I carry an Arc AAA, a Photon II, a Photon III Covert, and a Streamlight KeyMate, all on one "quick-release" keychain attached to a carry-all bag. Because the lights are attached to a bag, I've never had a problem with accidental activation.

The Photons are back-to-back on the keychain so that when I need a little extra illumination, I can activate both lights at one time between thumb and forefinger, for a two-LED light!. The Photons are so tiny, that you forget they're even there. Great little lights!

Re: General consensus of the Photon Microlight 3?

I do like the membrane switch and the ability to use dimmer modes to prolong battery life. It also provides water resistance, which the Photon 2 doesn't. I have had no issues with the switch operation, but I did find it turned on in my pocket once.

Its the smallest package to carry on the keychain. I find the Arc-AAA too big for my keychain given my keys and a Leatherman Squirt.

To me the Photon v. Arc is apples v. oranges because of the size. The Arc will go with me places, but not on my keychain!

If you want a keychain light on the cheap, I second the Inova Microlight. If you don't need the different light modes, I'd either go with that, or with the smaller Photon II. But I do like the Photon III. I feel it is the ultimate emergency light that you'll actually have on you when you need it.

Re: General consensus of the Photon Microlight 3?

I have a Photon III - it has been my "real" EDC for a couple of years. Never leave home without it, because it is on my keychain. I got so much crap on there, that even an Arc-AAA is too much.

I wouldn't buy another though, I'd get a Photon II or one of the cheaper clones. Don't like the computerized switch at all.

Thanks very much everyone! <eom>

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