Photon Freedom 3 Micro Light

Really, really tiny flashlight

We've looked at one of the smallest, most effective headlamps on the market in a past review .Today, we'll do our best to satisfy those who think the Tikka is still too big to tuck into a pocket and bring along. If you're looking for the ultimate tiny light source that does it all, don't pass on this gadget.

Unadorned, the Photon 3 looks just like an ordinary keychain LED. It sports a control button and a keyring just like any other of its ilk. But it costs a heady bit more than your ordinary keychain light...
$22.90
Whoa. Whatever could make a little thing like this worth 5 times the cost of a similar light? Believe it or not, plenty.

For starters, the Photon 3 isn't a squeeze light, or rather, it isn't just a squeeze light. The light can be activated by squeezing the front of the button, but if for some reason you need light for more than a few seconds, you can press the back of the button and voila, the light stays on without squeezing. If this doesn't seem terribly impressive, try using an ordinary squeeze light for more than five minutes. Pinching a keychain light hard enough to activate it AND holding it that way for more than a few seconds is uncomfortable, to say the least. With the Photon 3, squeeze the back of the light and relax.

And what a light to relax by! At its brightest setting, the Photon 3 is easily bright enough to read a book, prepare a camp meal, or walk your way out a trail with. Using 2 CR2016 (2032 for some color lights) Lithium batteries, so they last for hours and cold temperatures don't shorten their useful life.

Big Deal, perhaps. If you never need it for more than a few seconds, that is a feature you don't need to pay $15 to have. But wait, there's more!

The Photon 3 is definitely the "Little Light that Could". Press the back of the button and hold it for a bit. After a couple seconds, the LED circuitry will go through its cycle of functions, which are legion. There are the basic 3 brightness levels; the brightest of which will leave a distinct impression on your retina, the dimmest of which is still adequate for finding a door's keyhole in the dark.
Keep pressing the Photon, and more functions reveal themselves. Want to party? There are two strobe settings, one just great for slow dancing and the other blindingly adequate for spazz. Finally, if the dancing makes you ill, you can always use your last bit of strength to set your Photon on SOS mode. That's right: your keychain light can send an SOS signal&emdash;if it is a Photon 3. The light stays on the setting you choose, even after you turn it off; so if you want to use the light as a safety strobe, you can set it once and it will be on that setting the next time you turn it on.

If all this functionality doesn't tip the scales in favor of a Photon 3, the package also includes some extra items that are gee-whiz cool in their own right. Unimpressively, there is of course a bit of lanyard so you can wear the light around your neck if you so choose, and of course the obligatory keyring. The lanyard includes a cradle to hold the light, so the light can be quickly removed from the lanyard is needed, without taking the lanyard off. But there is also this:

with this on its base:

Not only do the little jaws clamp firmly onto a hat brim, tackle- or tool- box, but the underside sports 3 tiny, powerful magnets, so it will adhere to things like car hoods and metal fence posts. In short, the Photon 3 comes with multiple methods for hands-free lighting!

If all this still doesn't impress you, the Photon 3 comes in a variety of colors: you can purchase blue, green, orange, yellow, white, and purple lights, and an infrared light as well.

Photons come in two styles, the standard and the COVERT. The difference is the COVERT models have a 'hood' to narrow the beam of light, thus making them less noticeable...if you're careful to set the light output to low. For any color of these lights (except perhaps IR), the highest output is going to get you noticed.

If you're still not convinced this light is worth $23, Photon Light is currently clearing out old inventory at $12.50. That may still be 3 times the price of a no-name keychain light, but the Photon 3 is well and away more than 3 times the light. While you may never need all the features this light offers, if you want a micro-light that can do it all, just in case, this is the one.

The downside of this great sale may be that it comes because Photon Light is discontinuing the Photon 3 keychain light, apparently. Browsing to the Photon 3 product page takes you directly to the closeout page. Perhaps they are waiting to clear old inventory out so they can introduce a new & improved Photon 3, but there isn't any suggestion of that on the website. While the Photon 3 would be sorely missed, its less-capable but cheaper brethren provide plenty of light power at a much cheaper price. They forego the accessories and extra settings, however.