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Detailed
Information:
This particular Photon III would more adequately be
called the Photon III-B. When the Photon III originally
came out there were problems with the switching. That
was fixed in what I would call the Photon III-A, which
had a completely new switching system. The old circuit
also did not have an SOS option and required a very
long press on the rear switch to change modes. That
was changed and the current revision now changes modes
very rapidly which is a welcome relief for the fingers.
Now, the assortment of modes, ease of use, and compactness
of this light make it an exceptionally useful companion.
There is no excuse not to have one with you at all times.
The body is glass filled Polyurethane and is extremely
tough. It is opaque black and has a slight texture.
The switch cover has ridges to improve grip and the
rear plate that protects the battery compartment can
be popped off with a small screwdriver, ball-point pen,
pocket knife, or even a fingernail.
At the front of the light is a single 5mm LED. It is
exposed, so it may possibly be subject to damage if
dropped on its face. The LED is held in place by a
tight clear ring that provides water resistance due
to its tight fit.
The front portion of the switch allows the light to
be used in "momentary" mode at full brightness
for when you need a quick burst of light. Also, regardless
of which mode the light is in at the time using the
rear switch, pressing the front switch gives you momentary
full brightness.
The rear portion of the switch accesses the various
functions. In series, they are High, Medium, Low, Fast
blink, Slow blink, SOS, and Auto off. Press to turn
on, press to turn off. Holding the switch in any mode
will cause the light to cycle through the different
modes at about 1 every 1-2 seconds. If you will be keeping
this light in your pocket I would STRONGLY recommend
keeping it on the Auto-off setting. Otherwise if the
switch is activated accidentally you will have a set
of dead batteries in no time. In my test of the Auto-off
mode the light "ramped-up" and blinked once,
then remained on at full brightness for about 70 seconds,
dimmed and remained on for another 5 seconds, then shut
off.
The Photon III takes a pair of 2016 lithium coin cells
for power. When you first receive the light you will
need to remove the battery cover and pull out a clear
plastic tab found inside. This tab prevents the constant-on
switch from being used while on store shelves or in
shipping which could deplete the batteries.
Two split rings and batteries are included.
What I Liked: Water resistant,
Tough, Bright for its size, Very compact. Various modes
of operation could be very useful in a wide variety
of situations. Extremely lightweight - put it on your
keychain and forget it.
What I Didn't Like: Not much at
all. Just keep it on Auto-off mode if you will be carrying
it in your pocket. Change to other modes as necessary,
but go back to Auto-off before placing it in your pocket
again.
Other Things I Noticed: Very easy
to operate.
Conclusions: Get one, put it on
your keychain and forget about it until you need it.
A great little light! 4 Stars!
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