Re: Just popped it open, definitely says Photon 3 ...
I've had two Photon 2 microlights, four Photon 3 Microlights, in various colors. I just got two new Photon Freedoms.
I've been really happy with all of them. The switch on the Photon 2 may be low tech, but I've been using mine for years and it still works exactly as it did when it was new. I never found the Photon 3's switch difficult. It seemed very simple and easy to use, but maybe it's because I read all instruction manuals cover to cover before using any product I get. I definitely think the White LED lights are the most useful in general. The turquoise and a few othjer colors may be brighter, but they tend to make everything look monochrome. I work with a lot of devices that use multi-colored LEDs to give status information, and I couldn't tell if they were red, yellow, green or amber until I started using the White LED light. Of course I use a Red LED light to preserve night vision, etc, but for all around use, I've decided white light is best.
Regarding the two new Photon Freedoms I bought... I got one with a White LED and one with an Orange LED. The white was the same brightness as my other white Photons. The orange, however, was extremely dim. It didn't even come close to putting out the amount of light my red Photon 3 does. The Orange Photon Freedom was so dim that I thought the battery was dead, so I replaced it, but that didn't change the intensity at all. I sent it back to LRI. I'm going to guess it was defective, but I asked them to send me a red Photon Freedom instead anyway.
I think the blinking modes on the Freedom are more useful than the Photon 3's, but I found it hard to hit the mode I wanted using the new control system of the Freedom. The dimming feature of the Freedom is nice, but the Photon 3's three brightness levels always worked well for me. On the whole I like the Photon 3 interface better, but The Freedom has better functionality.
The best thing about the Photon Freedom is the hands free clip. Initially I thought, "Free clip. Whoop de doo." Then I started using it. They're awesome! Make sure you get a clip with magnets on the bottom. I got one with magnets and one without. The magnets make it a heck of a lot more useful.