In case it's helpful, until last week I thought the Photon 3 was great. I've had a Photon on my keychain ever since I discovered the original version years ago. I upgraded with each version, and have not had a problem with having any of them turned on in my pocket, failing to light, etc. I did find that they get dimmer after the first few minutes of use, but I accepted that.
When I stumbled across CPF a few months ago,I was amazed at the new lights, new LEDs, etc that have been introduced without my knowing anything about them. For the past week, I have carried my new Arc AAA as an EDC on my keychain, replacing the Photon, and I have already used it more often and more easily than the Photon. I still like those little coin lights, in all their different colors, but I never dreamed how much more useful the Arc would be. I don't have any problems with the beam color or smoothness, although the intermittent problem with the switch has just started. Now if I could just save for an ARC 4+, or a VIP, or the next one to follow....