More keychain lights...

Wow you should have got our order by now. I usually get my stuff in 3 days tops. I guess you really lucked out if you weren't sure about your purchase. I was really looking forward to hearing about those little monsters. I have been to cheap to buy one but very interested to find out if they were really worth the price. Keep us updated.

I ordered them Friday night but they aren't open on the weekend (hard to believe) so I just got the email from them at noon today but didn't see it until after 3pm (PST) so when I responded they were closed.

So, if they see my email tomorrow before they fill the order I'm getting red and UV. If they fill the order first...I guess I'll be getting them all!

Either way I should have them by Saturday. I think if they are decent I'll be happier paying that much just for the red and UV.

I know I can find cheaper stuff in China but I'm not willing to wait that long.

Stay tuned... :)

Order shipped today and I was able to cancel the cyan and IR light!

E1320 an update for you.

I received the Photon Freedom Micros today. I got the red LED and the UV LED.

Yesterday I got the cheaper $3 versions of both of these lights so I have something to compare them to.

The UV is clearly better in the Photon. It has only enough visible light so that you know it's on (if it's on bright and you aren't standing outside). The cheap UV light is mainly purple (visible spectrum) with a little in the UV range.

I tested both UV's using diffraction grating and as a practical test I used them to find the anti counterfeit strip in a $20 bill. Both work but the effect is much better with the Freedom.

The Freedom with the red LED is much brighter and the beam is much better than the cheaper version. You can use the Freedom as a blinking beacon if you wish as well and it's dimmable. Both Freedoms are easier to turn on and off.

If you want a neat clip-on holder with a rotating head you get an adapter with the Freedoms for that. It might be useful with the UV. The holder also has small magnets on the back so it can be attached to metal as well.

If I were just looking for a white button style keychain light I probably would just go for something like the free lights that you get at GoingGear for orders over $20. They are fine for my uses.

For something like an UV or red LED it's worth the extra money for the Freedom. However if money is tight and you just need a red or UV light momentarily the cheap ones are OK as well.

I'll use the red one in conjunction with headlamps that don't have red or for astronomy and it's worth the few extra dollars for something that works a little better and that is brighter.

I don't have a real need for UV at the moment so if all I cared about was looking out for counterfeit money :) I could use the cheaper version.

The Freedoms do come with several innovative ways to carry/hold/use them but I don't need most of those.

I'm glad I canceled the cyan version and the IR version since I really had no use for those and I am glad that I did get these red and UV Freedoms.

Thanks for the mini review :)

Thanks for the review.

Seems like money still buys quality sometimes. :)

What free lights at GG?

I've ordered from them over 20$ three times in the last six months (three iTP A3 :) ) and never got a free light...

I used a bad example. Battery Junction provides a free light for orders over $20. I do have a free GoingGear light as well but I don't know what their policy is either as I ordered two Zebralights several weeks apart and I didn't get a free light either time.

I think maybe their policy is to send one only the first time you order with them or maybe they just did it for a while? I don't know. I just know that I have one but no more.

Maybe the reason that you get a free light at Battery Junction is just that they charge too much for shipping (which is the case) and therefore they throw in a free light (with their logo on it for advertising purposes).

Ah, ok, I thought I missed some button. :)

I know. After I spent $60 on a light from them my first thought as well was “Where’s my free button light” :slight_smile:

I remember getting a light from Goinggear for two of my orders from there...

In case anyone searches for info on Photon Freedom and finds this thread there was one other item that came with the lights that turns out to be nice. It's hard to describe but it's a fastener. I kept one on the red light and used the one from the UV light on an ITP A3 that I already had.

This fastener functions like a non-locking caribeaner would but it's circular in shape and is only about the size of the end of my finger. It has a stiff gate closing mechanism. It also has a hole in edge of the ring so it can be attached to the light via the ring already in the tail of the light.

This just gives it a quick disconnect from a key chain so you can use the light without having to have the entire set of keys in your hand.

I use them to hook mine to a belt loop. Handy to use without digging keys out of pockets.

I was content to use those cheap/free white Fauxtons too, but I finally broke down and got a white Freedom because of it's added dimming ability. I also have the red and cyan Freedoms for night-vision fun, but sometimes it's nice to be able to distinguish true colors which is impossible with colored lights (and a full-blast Fauxton will wreck your dark adaptation if used too close).

I haven't tried it, but depending on the Vf of your white LED, you might be able to power a Fauxton with a single CR2032 instead of 2x2016 which would give you a very dim white light for maintaining night vision.

Your links to picktocart.com are getting far too regular now. SPAM button pressed.

EDIT - ???? Where's the post by frogiii gone that I was replying to? It was there a minute or two ago.

I just bought 10 pcs plastic LED keychain for less than $10 on Amazon, it's a good deal to me, I'm not sure if I'll spend that much although it's Photon's.

I have to say, the photon freedom is a great coin cell light (I would argue one of the best). I know the fauxton's are cheaper but the freedom has a better UI, is waterproof and I have not had an issues with it turning itself on.

I recently bought an abitax taglight for $18. Functionally it's not much different from the fauxton, but it is slightly smaller. Not worth what I paid for it but it's interesting. It's the one in the middle

Interesting light.

I wore a red photon on a piece of 550 cord around my neck for a few years - right up until it got dunked in a hot tub, which didn't break it but it stayed on until dry and I failed to reassemble properly with w/ new batteries.

I plan to buy another but it keeps getting bumped down my list.

Tip on IR and cheap dig cameras - some have an IR filter that is easily removed. I'm curious to hear what kind of range you get w/ the microlight because the IR 5mm emitters I got from Radioshack are good for about 3 or 4 feet (just barely enough for a webcam)

Is the Photon Freedom really waterproof?

I wouldn't know, but others have said yes. Mine was the original photon, never advertised as waterproof.

I bought that 10 pack for $3.76 or whatever it was.

These little cell lights are awesome, the ones I received even have a dedicated on switch...I ended up buying 3 more packs of 10 to give away.