Customer Reviews

LRI Photon II LED Keychain Micro-Light

5 star:		(124)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

This is a very handy little light that is small enough to carry around in your pocket on a keychain. The LED "bulb" is very bright for its size, more than adequate for finding your way around in a dark spot, reading a map, finding key holes, etc with simple thumb press on the button. It has a small switch that will lock the light in the "on" position. I highly recommend this Micro Light II model over the more expensive Micro Light III. The Micro III has more features, but they aren't that useful and mine used up the batteries in just a few weeks. So I bought a Micro II and have been very happy with it. The battery has lasted several months so far.

I have extremely poor vision that gets worse in darkened conditions. I found that this little LED "flashlight" is powerful and extremely useful. It always stays within reach on my key chain, and I use it every night.
The Lithium batteries lasted me for a more than a year of hard daily use before needing to be replaced. It is very useful in when trying to see a menu in dimly lit restaurants, but remember to cover about 75% of the LED, as to not disturb others. People like myself who absolutely need to see in these settings (i.e. diabetics who need to check glucose levels at meal time) it becomes indispensable. The light is extremely useful when I navigate for my wife in the car. The light does not disturb her like the dome light.

Other Uses:
Auto, boat, camping / hiking emergency or survival kit. The LED can be seen for some distance in the dark if looking directly at the source. If you point the light downward, the illumination is not noticeable.

Other Colors (other than above white)
I purchased one in red (different model I believe) for a friend who is a pilot, since the red light does not effect his night vision; he now keeps an extra one on hand, just in case.
The red light (red model, not white above) emitted from the LED, can not be seen by deer, which makes useful for hunters in their stands while waiting for light or as backup for a flashlight.
The only con is that the red light does not give much contrast. I have a green light that provides more contrast, but it's hard on the eyes.

You can find keychain flashlights on eBay for $1, but they are ridiculously inferior to this light. I've had mine for a month, and already used it several dozen times. I didn't know how handy these were! These Micro-Light II's use the newer Nichia LED's, which are twice as bright as normal LED's, but use the same amount of power (so these easily outshine most other keychain lights)... It isn't as bright as a hand-held flashlight, but you can easily use this for walking at night if you don't have access to a larger flashlight. The on/off switch also works great and does not accidentally turn on while in my pocket. I really have nothing to complain about this product, except that the price may seem high. In this case though you do get what you pay for. The batteries are two 2016 Li-Ion watch-sized batteries and are easily available at your local mega store or mall.

Beware that these are not very water resistant! I don't think water will permanently damage them, but you may not be able to get a light out of it while it is wet since seems to be no waterproofing on the case.

This review is really about a better alternative to the Photon-II - the Inova Microlight. I purchased the Inova at CompUSA after doing some quick research on the net. The Inova is just as small as the Photon-II and in my opinion is a better design.

1) the case is screw-less; no micro screw-driver required for a battery change.
2) the Inova's small slide switch is easier to operate
3) the Inova's LED is recessed into the case and not exposed
4) the Inova's quick-clip is easier to attach than a split-ring.

All this at a price that is 2/3's the price of the Photo-II. (icing on the cake).

What I received was a counterfeit Photon light. Real Photons are wonderful lights and I have been using them for many years. This is NOT a real Photon. It is a cheap knock-off being sold as a real Photon. Amazon said it was sold and shipped from them. Listed on the receipt is "Sold by Miriam Holdings LLC." The "seller" info for Miriam takes me to SuperDeal.

Amazon customer service said they would refund me if I sent it back and they sent me a return label. The time it would take to pack it up and take it to the post office is worth more than the refund amount, not to mention that the fake light is worthless.

REAL LRI Photon IIs are amazing lights. Real Photons come in packaging with warranty, care, and use instructions. Real Photons exude quality and are the best micro-lights on the market in my opinion. What I received is junk.

A first time buyer might be fooled and take the bait-and-switch without ever realizing it.

This is not a review this is a warning. These lights sold by PLEXSUPPLY are FAKES! Yes, they work, so you might not even care. But they are not the LRI photon II. They are just cheap knockoffs.

I ordered this Photon light after having purchased my last Photon light locally. I really liked my original light, and thought this light was going to be the same. Instead, I received something that looked like a Photon light, but was clearly a cheap knock-off. It came in a clear plastic baggie - that's it. No nice packaging, no name on the bag, nothing!

The button had no ridges, like the real light should have. The switch was black and did not work, unlike the real light where the switch is clear and the switch keeps the light in the "on" position. This light flickered a little, was very dim, and basically did not work. The keychain was also completely different. Someone posted a product photo here of the knock-off light, which I should have seen before ordering this.

THIS IS A WARNING - what you will most likely receive if you purchase this is an inferior knock-off that does NOT have the quality of the real light. My fake light is going back to Amazon tomorrow. Amazon, you should be ashamed of yourself for selling this piece of junk.

The Photon Micro-Light II is very small, hangs easily on a keychain, and shines brightly for a light smaller than your thumb. The light illuminates when you push a button with your thumb. While I like the light a lot and it works very well, there are a couple significant downsides to this particular model. First, to keep the light on when you remove your thumb, you must slide a tiny, tiny switch -- something that people with limited mobility will find difficult if not impossible to do. For most folks it's not hard, but for some it would be a concern. Second, changing the batteries requires you to remove four tiny screws with an extremely small philips head screwdriver (similar in size to a screwdriver for the screws in eyeglasses).

I would suggest considering a more recent model by the same manufacturer, the Photon Freedom Micro Light [Tools: Flashlights], which addresses my concerns about the Photon II. Changing the batteries on the Photon Freedom does not require removing screws, the brightness can be adjusted, and the thumb button controls a number of lighting options without the stiff, ridiculously small sliding switch. Many color beams (including UV, IR) are available for both the Photon II and the Photon Freedom (you choose one color beam to purchase--you don't get several colors out of the same flashlight), and the newest version of the Photon Freedom with white beam boasts a new LED twice as bright as earlier models.

Well over a year since purchasing several of these, the lights are still working. The light has been very helpful and convenient to keep in the car. I attached a small square of adhesive velcro (loop side) to the back of one of these lights, and attached a small square of the corresponding hook side of the velcro to the top of the steering column of the car (behind the steering wheel). The light is tiny, out of the way, and right where I can access it instantly to check a tire at night or check the engine.

In sum, Photon II is a great little light, durable and bright. The newer Photon Freedom is somewhat easier to use and maintain and boasts more features.

As a Scout Leader, I have searched for the handiest light source available. The Photon II, although pricey comes awful close to perfect. It's small, much brighter than you'd expect, and you can take it anywhere.
It is especially effective inside the tent---I tied mine to the loop at the top and it filled the tent with enough light for conversation. It makes a great reading light, if you don't mind holding it in your mouth, and it is especially helpful late at night when nature calls.
Good feature is the snap on/off switch--so you don't have to keep applying pressure to the switch.
Bad feature is also the snap on/off switch. If you put it in your pocket on a keychain, sometimes it gets switched on and that runs down the batteries.
A powerful flashlight is the tool of choice for nighttime trail walking, but in a pinch you could use this little guy.
It's also handy around the house or in the car---anywhere you need a dependable source of light.

There are lots of warnings not to buy from "Plexsupply" so I thought I was playing it safe by going with "Super Deal". Much to my disappointment, the lights I received came in small plastic baggies and were very dim. Junk basically. Obviously not the real deal. I'll replace my order directly with Amazon and hopefully i'll get the right ones.