LRI Photon 3 Mod - 26k mcd LED Replacement

After receiving several 26k's from KevinL, I've decided that the most likely candidate for my first mod may be one of my EDC's - an LRI Photon 3 Covert. I've had it for about 4 years, so an upgraded LED would be welcome.

After popping the board/LED assembly out, it looks like a very easy mod for someone with decent soldering skills, so I think it'd be a moderate job for my ham-handed self:



The only concern that I have is whether or not the 26k will function when the light is set to the lowest of its 3 levels. Any thoughts?

Has anyone tried this with either the Photon 3 or the Freedom?

Looks nice. I was thinking of attempting the same type MOD.

The P3 uses a PWM dimmer so the led should work fine at the lowest setting. The P3 is the only model with a soldered LED. The Freedom led is socketed and doesn't need soldering.

If you really want an all-out upgrade, Chanik has some of the exotic new Nichia leds for sale that are used in the Freedom Max. He's charging $5 each for them and the leads have been gold plated and formed per the Photon manufacturing requirements. These should be considerably more efficient (brighter) than even the 26k leds.

There is also a group buy for the new Nichias (87 cents each without any special treatment like gold plating) but it will probably be over a month before the leds actually ship.

TIN - whatever I do, I'll be sure to post the results here.

Thanks, Paul!