What color Photon light is brightest? Also, which is the prefered model? I, II, or 3? Thanks

Also, In your opinion which is better? The Photon Lights or the Pulsar lights?

All other factors being equal, white is still the most intense light in the spectrum. The appropriate use of white is something else. For preserving night vision red is better, while both red and green light may wash out some map details in those colours. If I was stomping around in the dark ( I prefer my wiggy's bag over all other gear and exercise anyway) red would be my choice. If I was trying to attract the Goodyear Blimp overhead a nice bright white light would be the choice.

Thanks, What about the Photon vs. Pulsar? Or are they about the same? (and whats a wiggy's bag?) <img src="images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

I own the pulsar1 (we can't easily get photons oer here) and it only has a temporary button, so you have to hold it to get light. However I think that the pulsar II has the slide button.

Blue is probably the BRIGHTEST Photon, but that's an unusual color for my tastes... the whites, IIRC, are blues with a phosphor coating on the "lens" - so from a practical standpoint, white is the most usefully "bright". My EDC is red in my left pocket and turquoise in my right pocket. White is in my gear in my FAK. Hmmm - I suppose I could rig running lights for a canoe with those 3, now that I think about it, LoL... (port, starboard, and stern)

So far I prefer the Photon II. I have exactly one Photon III (recent production) and it died the first day I carried it in my pants pocket - apparently it activated. Have not had any such problem with the IIs. I would LIKE to use the IIIs - I like about 4 of the modes and they are possibly a bit more water resistant - but... VERY annoying that it turned on/stayed on the first time I carried it. YMMV.

Regards,

Tom

i like the idea of photon lights.

I am about to get a couple. But after some research I will be getting the orange or yellow lights.

The reason being is that the white lights have a VERY short life span ie: <12 hrs. The more red the color the longer the light will last. A red, orange or yellow light can last up to 120 hrs. I have other ways of signaling so the photon light is just that, a light.

Mike

We have all three of the colors you mentioned - red, orange, and yellow. Look at the beam spreads here. The orange is good, but I'm not sure what "niche" it fills (the son who uses that one likes it, FWTH). The red and the yellow have different uses IMHO. The yellow is...interesting. I use the red - and it is a rather bright red; a bit too bright if you're not careful, although it is a pupil dialation/contraction effect, rather than a night vision adverse effect (less time to recover). These are are fundamentally short range devices for most uses and I find the wider beam spread on the red to be more useful for general tasks than the orange or yellow. I like the yellow well enough, though, to seriously consider it as a replacement for white in my FAK for longer trips - and it's a tidy one for reading in a shelter after dark.

Since they are usually sold at a considerable discount if one purchases two at a time, why not purchase a red and a yellow or a red and an orange?

My 2¢ worth...

Tom

I agree with other's opinions about relative brightness.

Yellow has a very narrow beam.
Red or blue or turquoise seem to have the largest beams.
White is OK for standard use : bright and wide beam, no color masked...

I made a bulk order (total 51 lights : photon3, Xlights, + 1 Fusion) before Xmas, to have gifts for friends/relatives : I did get 2 D.O.A. + 1 D.O.A. CR2016 battery.
Last month I ordered 25 more (a mix of Photon 3 + Xlights) and get 5 or 6 D.O.A. lights + 4 dead batteries !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(4 out of the 5 first Photon I tested, were dead !!!)
I hope it was just a bad batch (mainly new production (with SOS mode) white Photon3)
And sending packages back and forth between USA and France is not free ....

This being said, I'm very happy to have those tiny powerfull lights (when they work.... <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />) :
in my EDC kit, I carry 1 red + 1 white Photon3 (in addition to 1 SureFire 6P - not the same purpose).
+ I put one in each FAK (car, rucksack)


Alain

You can get the Photon 2 in the UK at www.clubbertoys.co.uk/
At the amazing price of £15 including delivery. Yeah, oh dark clouds of gloom and misery, the best survival torch in the UK is cheapest on a dance music site <img src="images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />. Its been a while since I was "dissin the [censored]" <img src="images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />(I thought Garage Music was a Perry Como tape for 2.99 from the local ESSO), but there it is...
In the UK, yellow is best for night time map reading because you only lose the minor roads, and you can still see them by the lines edging them.

Hope this helps.

I picked up the Photon III at that website as well for £19.00 inc. UK delivery. This was several pounds cheaper than any of the other UK camping / military sites I found that sell them. It works fine as well. Arrived in about 5 days.

Cheers,
Rich

Mike: I'd just like to add that a yellow or white light would be a good idea for your first aid kit, and as a backup for your red Photon. I cut myself one night, and with only a red photon, I couldn't tell if or where I was bleeding. -- Bear

dchinell,

You are 100% correct.

I am getting super white photons for the FA kits. You need white lite in medical situations for more than seeing blood.

Determining skin color, pupil size and movement etc...

I have the super bright cylume sticks in the kits now but see the need for the white photon.

Mike

Hmmmm isn't LED little too powerfull for pupil size and movement determination? I'm asking since I much rather have photon led instead of one of those little POS flashlights...

Matt

I keep a white Photon II in my pocket every day. It's real useful for "daily" lighting needs (finding the hole for a key at night, looking in dark corners, emergency light when the lights go out, etc). I've got a blue Photon I on my key ring...it does pretty good, casting a good wide beam but having some color distortion. My only red Photon II is in a kit that goes with me when I'm in the woods.

I don't think you can go wrong by buying several...try some different colors. You'll always find a place to keep them and they can come in pretty handy at times.

Maybe one of the docs here can help us out on that one.

I don't think so. A pupil will react with very little light. Its the speed of pupil reaction thats determined buy light brightness.
It only takes a second to read a pupils reaction.

That being said a 10 million candle watt search light is not used for pupils haha.

I would think a photon light is fine, you can adjust the intensity with various distances away from the eye.
As always there is some common sense involved here.

One of the medics or docs can confirm this or set me straight.

Mike

Well reason I was asking is that I'm an EMT and was advised against such by senior members of the squad. Maybe it's because they have to pay for a photon and other ligths we get for free and that's why they are aginst it. But even my intructor told me to stick to a basic light.

Matt

My friend is a paramedic and he uses a minimag on full.

How less bright does that compare to a photon light?

Mike

Hmmm... I asked my crew chief last night and showed him my photon light, it looks like it works. Now the problem is how to keep that tiny thing handy and not loose it.

Matt

Polak187,

Use an adjustable safety breakaway type lanyard around your neck.

Part of my EDC is on one of these. One ARC AAA Led flashlight, one Fox40 Classic photolumenescent whistle and one Brunton wristband type compass <1" diameter.

The only negative that I experienced, was that the breakaway fitting had a little plastic flashing on the joint line that needed to be removed with a razor blade due to being itchy. Even then, it was not at all unbearable, just annoying until I fixed it.

The photon would be just fine on one of these lanyards, and very handy as well. In your case, you might wear it outside your shirt and tuck it in your pocket, or stuff it inside your shirt between two buttons until its needed. All in all, inexpensive, effective and very "doable".

Regards,
Comanche7

Mike,

Hmmm...brightness can be rather subjective and tricky to compare. Here is my take on it:

Either one will cause a very rapid pupil response and almost immediate tears in your eyes due to the rather intense and direct light from a distance of two feet.

Lamp differences:
Minimag has a better "throw" or ability to project a beam of light out a distance and show a spot. Obviously this would also depend upon the actual setting of the lens, somewhere between extreme spot and flood settings. The Minimag also has a dark shadow & shadow/light rings that vary depending upon the setting.

The photon does not project or throw the light the same, due to being light emitting diode (LED) based. In general, most LED type lights will provide better flood lighting than distance throw.

Please check out Doug's writeups on lights elsewhere on this website, and when you have a moment, go to www.candlepowerforums.com and do a search on "photon" "minimag" and cruise around the LED thread as well. There is a wealth of information and links to other good flashlight sites as well.

Regards,
Comanche7