Photon 3 reliability ?

I'm going on a four weeks hiking-tour and I'm looking for a backup/emergency-light that I can wear on a lanyard around my neck 24/7... I have already ruled out my arc aaa - I will take that with me for sure, but I find it uncomfortable to wear around my neck.
The Photon 3 with a red led is lighter and has an advertised runtime of 120 hrs in high-mode and constant on. Can anybody confirm this ? Further I'd like to know if this light takes a fair amount of beating and wether it's waterproof or better removed before cliff-diving

TIA

Chris

I'm sure many will disagree, but I don't like the P3 very much. I have a turq P3 (the new version with the battery retainer strap and plastic transport insulator strip). I like the modes, but mine ran down on me in less than 24 hours each time I put fresh batts in. This is with the transport strip removed, which must be so if all the modes are enabled. When I put the strip back in, the light stopped running batteries down. So now, I'm stuck with a momentary-only P3 that costs too much for me to return to the US for repair/replacement.

IMHO, if I needed a backup to wear around my neck, I'd take the Inova Microlight (the newer one with the always on switch) or the Freelight (free energy from the sun!). The CMG tasklight looks pretty impressive too if you need more water resistance.

the photon drains the battery even if not used ? i thought lri adressed this problem in the update done this spring... hmm, that sounds dissapointing. i first choose the turq one but the enhanced runtime of the red got my vote in the end. i'm sure it will be bright enough to walk around the campside when adapted to the dark. but if they still have to fight with quality problems...
anybody else who experienced that kind of failure ?

btw - i would choose the photon over the inova microlight because of the blinking and dimmer features. but only if this da** thing works ;-)

I gave a couple of turq Photon 3's as gifts to my parents a couple of months ago. They of course removed the transport strips. There've been no problems with the batteries running down by themselves on either unit. They are still on their original batteries, but then again, these units are getting only intermittent use, and have not been on for an extended period of time.

Okay, I have purchased about 10 of the photon 3's. I have had problems with 3 of those which I have returned for an exchange. I really like the lights and use a amber photon as a back-up to my Arc AAA. I recommend buying a couple of them in diffrent colors and seeing which you like.

Can't say if they would hold up to cliff diving.

Good choice, ChrisA. Actually, when I wear an Arc-AAA fastened to the front of my T-shirt collar with a clip, I practically forget its there til I take it off to toss it into the laundry basket! The little thing practically disappears and I don't feel it at all hanging from my neck.

Despite my bad experience, I still like the size of the P3 too and the promise it holds, but I'd prefer LRI to come out and explain the deal with those battery-drain issues first. If and when the P4 comes out, I hope to buy one without that Russian Roulette worry....

Chris. If always on is not very important, then go for the Photon I (2000 model). It is very water resistant and pretty cheap enabling you to buy and carry and few of them. The green yo can run on the supplied 2xCR2016's or 1xCr2032 for dimmer light but really long run time.

My P3 is great with no problems excpet that when I carry it in my pocket my pocketknife often presses on the always on button flattening the battery. If you are going to wear it around your neck then you will not have this problem.

I have had a number of Photon 3s over the years (Do a search and you'll see some of my many comments). A lot of the earlier ones would eat up the battery - most of the newer ones don't. The thing is, if a P3 suffers this problem it will be very quickly obvious.

As ever, LRI will replace any faulty ones - they have an excellent reputation. I suppose for what you want if for, the advice would be to bring a backup. Any remember, even the ARC AAA has it's share of problems!

Hi Alan - good to see ya post again! I *knew* that you'd show up sooner or later when P3s are involved. Kinda like with Darell and fuel cells and Arc-AAAs

If anyone has the inside track on this, has LRI indeed come out yet to at least admit this problem with the new P3s? Nice thing with Arc is that PG comes out with all that gory detail about the problems, as well as their solutions.

I have never had any problems with my P3 - except for that battery strap. It's annoying to take the battery out!

As some of you said, LRI has a lifetime warranty - except for batteries and abuse.

I always hear bad things about the P3,but I have had nothing but good luck with the 5 I have.In fact,I have had more problems with P2s,so I have upgraded most of mine to p3 models.I have had problems with ARC AAAs too.The bottom line is: if you want to be sure,take a couple of small lights that use the same kind of batteries,then if one quits working,you have the extra batteries.
troy

Edituuuh!I guess if it's eating up batteries,having extra dead batteries won't be much help.
But the point is-carry a couple(photons are tiny and cheap)so you won't be without light if one does go bad.

Go with the Arc AAA as your 24/7 light, and the Photon as backup.

-Like "hotfoot" I discovered the ARC AAA is easy to carry on my T-shirt collar, though I prefer clipping it slightly right of center. It doesn't bounce against your chest like a lanyard. It's so unnoticable I've thought I lost my ARC, searched my bedroom, only to discover it on my collar. I've gone to work with shirt and tie without knowing I had the ARC clipped to my undershirt until I returned home.

-I sleep with my ARC AAA clipped on my undershorts. With a lanyard, the ARC presses uncomfortably against my side when I roll over. The best location was clipping the ARC on the front waistband of my undershorts or pajama bottom, in the slight depression between my hip bone and belly, on the right side. I can toss and turn and not feel it there.

-All that being said, a Photon on a neck lanyard would work very well, but my personal preference is an ARC AAA clipped to my collar during the day and clipped to my shorts at night.

-BTW I use a AAA Maglite clip on my ARC AAA. They are about $.40 each on the net.

I clip my Arc to my pants off a beltloop. All my pejama pants have drawstrings, so I just tied them at the end and hang the Arc off that. Works well.

I use a bekeleypoint clip but it could be expensive to get one of those to the UK...

...if you want to be sure, take a couple of small lights that use the same batteries...

Click to expand...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">no sir, that's not what i want... if it's not working properly i will not take it along. that's the main reason i haven't jumped onto the arc-ls-bandwagon until now - there are some flaws that keep me from buying this light. if any of my arc aaa's or inova x5s would start to flicker and it would take some more than a few drops of oil and some wiping with a q-tip to fix that i wouldn't take them along either. i do not want to carry 3 or 4 backups just to compensate some built-in design flaws...
now don't get me wrong - i think the arc-ls is a fine product and I'm looking forward to getting my fingers on one as soon as the problems have been worked out. the main problems (tint and brightness variations with the luxeon) aren't arcs guilt anyway...

now back to the topic. i have several photon 1 models and they have been used heavily before i acquired some arc aaa's. it's a simple and effective design and they have never given me any trouble. but again - i really like the signaling and dimming options of the new versions. so tomorrow i will get two photon 3s and test them both for a while. the best unit will be chosen and equipped with a new battery and that's what i will take along for backup.

thanks again for the input ! i do really appreciate your thoughts and it's good to have such a nice group of people sharing their experiences for everyone to improve his/her knowledge. since i became a member here i have learned more about flashlights and such than i would have hoped for. and that's not because it's sheer information but it's a really nice bunch of good guys in here... in short - thanks a lot !

chris

Why not taking a Free Light with you? It's a ideal backup/emergency light for a hiking tour.

thanks for the input so far ! but what's about water resistance ? durability ? i would hate to find myself lost in the dark with a rather expensive (over here in europe) worthless toy...

keep it comin'...

chris

I've only had two of the Photon3 (about 6 Photons altogether) and one of them does the eat a set of
batteries in 24 hours (Off) trick.

If anyone wants to make an offer on a N.I.B.
Photon3 (White) that need to be sent in to
be fix, E-amil me!

NEVER had any trouble with any of the other
Photons, When I go out (Camping) I've had a Infinity around my neck (If something went
wrong I'd want the run time). I'd go for a Photon1 or 2 but you mite need to take the 2 off
for the water.

My first choice would be the Arc-AAA tho....

None of my Photon 3s have had this faulty circuitry. They should consume only a few microamps while idle; an amount that is of negligible consequence even for tiny batteries.

that's strange... @craig - i remember you and several others saying that the red led used by lri has the smoothest beam you've seen so far. i have an old red arc aaa and while it's really bright the beam is very narrow and has some quite pronounced rings in it... not that good for what i need. btw - have you done a runtime test with a red photon ?