Which Proton Micro-Light

Want to get a Proton Micro-Light just confused as where I should get it from. LaughingRabbitinc,com or Protonlight.com?

Laughing Rabbit Inc. is the manufacturer of Photon Micro Lights, and it does not appear to me that they do direct sales through that site, although they list MSRPs. LRI's products are sold by many web sites and brick and motar stores, often for less than MSRP. Spend a little time with your favorite search engine, and I'm sure you'll find a good price on just the light you are looking for.

I'm not clear if Dimt is referring to a specific model from Photon Micro Lights. I purchased our Photon Freedom model from batteryjunction.com which had what I was looking for: low price for this model, low shipping and handling prices, and excellent reputation as a seller. They don't carry all the models, though.

I was aware that I could have purchased it from photonlight.com But I don't know anything about their reputation in the role of a seller. Being already familiar with batteryjunction.com through reviews here and through personal experience, I used batteryjunction

Moved to LED Flashlights - Norm

What to post in the General Flashlight Discussion Sub Fourum.

I read about the Proton Micro-Light and it seemed to be exactly what I need a small light the I can carry in my pocket without much of a bulge. I looked for it and found it at Protonlight.com and others in Ebay with LRI added to the name "LRI Proton Micro-Light" and was confused as to which was real and which was a knockoff. From what you are saying Laughing Rabbit inc makes the Proton Micro-light and sells it through other sites and the "Proton Micro-Light" from Protonlight.com is the same as the "LRI Proton Micro-Light" on Ebay?

I have had several Photon Freedom Microlights, and I still have all of them. Some are at least 6 or 7 years old now, and they all still work.
I think it is about the best keychain light around, as long as you can get by with relatively low brightness and short range. And in most of the things I do, that is enough to get me by, in terms of an EDC keychain light.
It truly does disappear in your pocket. It's the least obtrusive light I have ever owned.

twl said:

I have had several Photon Freedom Microlights, and I still have all of them. Some are at least 6 or 7 years old now, and they all still work.
I think it is about the best keychain light around, as long as you can get by with relatively low brightness and short range. And in most of the things I do, that is enough to get me by, in terms of an EDC keychain light.
It truly does disappear in your pocket. It's the least obtrusive light I have ever owned.

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I EDC the Photon ReX (discontinued) on a compact metolius carabiner (that serves other functions) but I think the thread originator is talking about the model called Proton. A single AA with red and white LED. I had an early model and a 2nd generation. Can't say how good the new ones are but there are many 1XAA flashlights that are more efficient and more powerful than the 2 units I had. PWM, goes to the red LED when the volts go down. Slight hum in my first one. I did business numerous times with PhotonLight.com a few years ago and always got good stuff, maybe not cheapo prices. Like twi says, solid microlights, good guarantee. I have an old, old amber pinch light with an amber LED from the 80's. Still works.

twl said:

I have had several Photon Freedom Microlights, and I still have all of them. Some are at least 6 or 7 years old now, and they all still work.
I think it is about the best keychain light around, as long as you can get by with relatively low brightness and short range. And in most of the things I do, that is enough to get me by, in terms of an EDC keychain light.
It truly does disappear in your pocket. It's the least obtrusive light I have ever owned.

Click to expand...

Thanks for letting me know that they last for years. I'm surprised that something that small would last EDC on a keychain for a year let alone many years. I went back on Protonlight.com and saw that they have "LRI/ Protron Lights" as the sub category for the Protron Micro Lights. So these must be Laughing Rabbit lights.
I was looking at the low end model where the light only lit as the button is pushed. Simple and cheap something I would throw away in a year or so, but if these last 6 years I may spring for the Freedom model. I see it has a on/off switch and adjustable brightness.
Is the adjustable brightness worth it and how hard is it to adjust the brightness? Multiple button pushes?

KITROBASKIN said:

I EDC the Photon ReX (discontinued) on a compact metolius carabiner (that serves other functions) but I think the thread originator is talking about the model called Proton. A single AA with red and white LED. I had an early model and a 2nd generation. Can't say how good the new ones are but there are many 1XAA flashlights that are more efficient and more powerful than the 2 units I had. PWM, goes to the red LED when the volts go down. Slight hum in my first one. I did business numerous times with PhotonLight.com a few years ago and always got good stuff, maybe not cheapo prices. Like twi says, solid microlights, good guarantee. I have an old, old amber pinch light with an amber LED from the 80's. Still works.

Click to expand...

The light I'm looking at is a small light that is smaller than a quarter and uses button batteries.

You should spring for the slightly more expensive Freedom as adjustable brightness with instant high is worth the extra cost. Brightness is adjusted by holding the button down and releasing when desired level is reached.

I've had a Photon Rex (discontinued) on my nightstand for several years now and can attest to its quality and durability.

Photon lights are made in USA and have a lifetime guarantee.

sassaquin said:

You should spring for the slightly more expensive Freedom as adjustable brightness with instant high is worth the extra cost. Brightness is adjusted by holding the button down and releasing when desired level is reached.

I've had a Photon Rex (discontinued) on my nightstand for several years now and can attest to its quality and durability.

Photon lights are made in USA and have a lifetime guarantee.

Click to expand...

Good info, except the ReX was made in China. Rumor is the batteries were not very good or something. I sent my old ReX to Laughing Rabbit to fix about a month ago. They said they would do it.

twi: As was said, the Freedom is very useful. The low , low is fantastic for fully night adapted eyes. A quick click takes you to full high. Batteries last long time for the kind of use this torch is meant for.. The Photon II has a little switch for off/on. My wife used hers to change a flat tire (daughter did the work: she caused the flat) a year or so ago. The simplest one is great for kids in that as soon as they let go of it, it is off. Batteries don't get depleted unintentionally.

The Freedom has a way to do a kind of lockout, so that it goes off as soon as you let go of it, if you don't hold the button down too long. That is the mode I keep mine in when they are used as zipper pulls on day packs and such. I also have a Freedom with a "covert tip" which keeps side splash of the light to a minimum, but that does mean less total light is emitted and generally the side splash can be helpful.

My Photon EDC is used more than any of my other lights, usually for a second or two, or emergencies, or dark closets or... It's fast to utilize because it's on a belt loop on my pants. The carabiner is quick to deploy. The other Photons are attached to the small split ring which is attached to a larger split ring big enough to fit on my fingers, making it less likely to be dropped. The stock retaining clip is slower to open, and can accidentally open if pressured a certain way. Had an original shiny black Amber and a Photon II go through the wash, one the dryer too. No problem. Put a ReX through the washer; trashed the battery. The guts were removed and kludged with a battery of appropriate voltage (18650) and mounted on an astro arm for a reading light. Killer lights. I've been begging LRI to make another rechargeable with a single, high performance LED, higher capacity battery (yet still tiny) and a long lasting (strontium aluminate?) glow-in-the-dark feature, kind of like on the ReX. Sales-person at LRI says they would like to see that too. The cheapest Photons with all the many different colored LED's are apparently popular at Raves. Years ago it was advertised that Secret Service and NASA used Photons. I gotta stop talking.

I'm another Freedom fan. Great user interface, and I love the (lack of) size and weight. I prefer the covert nose version as the side glare annoys me. You can even program them to auto-off so they don't flatten the battery if switched on accidentally.

Thanks for the reply's guy's. I was just looking at the Fenix E01 13 Lumens compared to the 4.5 Lumens of the Freedom Micro and jumped back here to check if anybody gave some more details. Seems that the Freedom Micro does alot for it's size and has some pretty loyal users. I think I'm going to order one.

Since I'm reading about small size flashlights with some Lumens I might order a Fenix LD01 with 72 Lumens. It is expensive but it seems the more I read the more I spend.

The Photon Freedom has proven to be a durable light in my experience. Years ago, I gave one to my oldest son for a fob on his house key. He promptly lost both. About three years later, I find the key and Photon Freedom in the dirt in the back yard. I put in a new battery, and it has worked fine since.

I ordered one from Ebay this morning.
I have been thinking of getting a small EDC light for some time. Last week I took my wife to a nice restaurant and they seated us in a corner booth in the back. It was so cozy and DARK. I could not read the menu. Had to go out to the car and get a flashlight. I decided that was the final time I was not going to be prepared to be enlightened!

For whatever it is worth, the Photom Microlight II is the light that originally showed me the usefulnesss of a keychain light. In terms of a button cell light, there are a couple that are equally good (Inova and Energizer) but nothing I have seen is better in terms of output, durability, and convenience of carry. The only disadvantage is that they are not (or at least were not when I used them) regulated, so you will get gradually dimming output as the battery gets used up. Given the price I paid, regulation is not something I would expect.

I think the Photon Freedom is excellent for reading a menu in a restaurant both in terms of being able to ramp the brightness to just the right amount and in terms of size so that you can discretely illuminate your menu and draw minimal attention to yourself.

"Photon Freedom 101 (puting it all together)"
http://edcforums.com/threads/photon-freedom-101-puting-it-all-together.43690/


I really the tip for 50% mode. For another tip about conserving battery life, read this thread:


"My Quick LRI Photon Freedom DS Review"
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?183955-My-Quick-LRI-Photon-Freedom-DS-Review

BillSWPA said:

For whatever it is worth, the Photom Microlight II is the light that originally showed me the usefulnesss of a keychain light. In terms of a button cell light, there are a couple that are equally good (Inova and Energizer) but nothing I have seen is better in terms of output, durability, and convenience of carry. The only disadvantage is that they are not (or at least were not when I used them) regulated, so you will get gradually dimming output as the battery gets used up. Given the price I paid, regulation is not something I would expect.

Click to expand...

Yes regulation would be nice. So would a AAA light that I could use an Eneloop in. But because of it's size I probably would not carry it every day. I'm getting a pocket dangle to hang my keys, microlight and possibly a small knife.

The simplicity of the original photonlights is one reason they are so long lasting. I mean, if you replaced the battery, you would find the 2 piece housing, the battery, and an LED whose leads were bent a certain way, and clipped. That's it. The design intent (I think) is to have illumination with you to see things for a brief time; not a torch for reading novels.

In my younger days, an amber photon would get me home through unfamiliar forest at night because I had a fawn Doberman, who when told it was time to go home, would start heading home. Numerous times I had to tell her to slow down so I could see her with the photon light, even when the battery was low. All that was necessary was to briefly turn it on to see the path and her. If I left it on for too long, it would dim. But that, you see, was the beauty of a non regulated light. I could pinch it on briefly only when I needed it. And it lasted like that a long time.

The photon micro light II, at least the one I have on my wife's keychain, bought years ago, is simply constructed as well. Using a very small screwdriver to open it, one could see a clear plastic switch is used to press one lead from the LED, continuously on the battery. Yet one can still use the momentary pinch function. Simple.

The Freedom circuitry has the wonderful variable brightness. It will step down when the battery depletes. I don't think a near finished battery will get a person out of the woods unless the one wielding it keeps the lumens as low as possible. This is not a torch that someone can change the batteries in the field very easily although it could be done. It shines as a backup and for 'quick looks'.

No doubt, other people have used theirs in other, very useful ways.

That was the only dog I ever had that would lead me home.