General Opinion of REI Photon Freedom

I started my use of LED lights with Photon's back in the day when the ladies of the company assembled them in the stands at the local High School Basketball team while watching a game.

I loved them.

Still use them for a good basic keychain light, gifts, and intro lights for people who have never seen what an LED light can do.

What is the general opinion of these lights today?

I like 'em but only with the covert nose. The standard version has the LED exposed so that half of the light spills out straight into your eyes which is an annoying failure on a lot of coin-cell keychain lights.

Photon is the only manufacturer I'm aware of with the covert option, which puts all the light on target, where it's supposed to be - well done Photon.

I'd bet just about every long time CPFer has some type of Photon or one of its clones. It was the first light (first anything) I ever bought via the internet. The Freedom model is the latest of the line. I'm sure you'd find it cheaper on line, but with shipping probably not much.

Geoff

REI? You mean LRI?

defloyd77 said:

REI? You mean LRI?

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+1

The Photon Freedom has the best user interface of any light I own. Since I can't think how it could be better, it probably has the best UI of any light out there. If you like the Freedom, you should also consider the Rex and its chargers and head band. The Rex is a bigger and badder Freedom. Both are much loved.

scott said:

The Photon Freedom has the best user interface of any light I own. Since I can't think how it could be better, it probably has the best UI of any light out there.

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I also love the UI of the Freedom, but I would dig it more if it used the two-way switch of the Photon 3 so that I could access full brightness even if I had cycled to another mode.

I have a red one and a white one both with the covert nose. They are really small and a great little keychain light.

Mr. Shawn said:

I also love the UI of the Freedom, but I would dig it more if it used the two-way switch of the Photon 3 so that I could access full brightness even if I had cycled to another mode.

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I'm confused. If you're in a blinky mode, all you have to do is double-click (just like on a mouse) and you're at full brightness.

Since Nichia's 5mm LEDs get better nearly every year, so do the LRI Photon Freedoms. I have the very latest one with the Nichia GS LED and it is BRIGHT!

YEP that is what I meant to say. Late at night I guess.

Great Covert Nose Mod--

Maybe this should go into another forum but I discovered a great quick & easy mod for the covert nose version. Since the stock covert nose has some side spill and side artifacts, I found that cutting the black "eraser holder" part off a cheap plastic Bic mechanical pencil (usually come in a multi-pack) with a sharp knife or exacto and hollowing out and slightly enlarging the hole left from the part cut off of the body of the pencil with the tip of a knife allows it to fit very snugly over the covert nose of the Photon Freedom. It makes the covert nose a little wider and about 1/8-1/16" longer, it actually looks better and looks like it was made that way. There is no more side spill or artifacts from the beam - it is spottier with a clearly defined circular edge to the beam and much more covert.

I really like mine! That is the light that started my obsession.

Mr. Shawn said:

I also love the UI of the Freedom, but I would dig it more if it used the two-way switch of the Photon 3 so that I could access full brightness even if I had cycled to another mode.

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scott said:

I'm confused. If you're in a blinky mode, all you have to do is double-click (just like on a mouse) and you're at full brightness.

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Scott, I understand double-clicking the Freedom while in a blinky mode will turn the light off and back on at full brightness.

The Photon 3's switch is two-way in that depressing the rear portion of the switch will cycle through the modes, but pressing the forward part will give full brightness but only as long as you keep the switch depressed. Releasing the forward part will return the light to the last mode that was cycled.