Flashlight Review:

PhotonLight Proton Pro

Product Overview

The PhotonLight Proton Pro is a small, aluminum-bodied flashlight that utilizes two LEDs (one white and one red) controlled by a single button user interface. The light is designed to enable the user to control the brightness of each LED, as well as access extra features like a S.O.S. mode and strobes, all with one button (and one finger!)

Powered by a single AA cell (either alkaline, lithium, or rechargeable) and measuring just 3 7/8 inches in length (9.8 cm), the Proton Pro is designed to be pocket, pouch, or belt carried and is intended to be suitable for use as an EDC (every-day-carry) flashlight. It includes a removable stainless steel belt clip, lanyard hole, and incorporates a (mostly) flat tail that enables the light to 'tailstand' for hands-free room illumination. The single button user interface allows each LED (white and red) to be individually activated and enables the user to vary the light's intensity smoothly from maximum output to lowest, without having to choose from preset output levels.

Impressions

Based in Eugene, Oregon, PhotonLight has built a reputation for quality through their extensive line of key chain flashlights, including their original model, now dubbed the Micro-Light 1. The Proton Pro is the successor to the company's original Proton model, and incorporates several improvements that make it a light worth considering for almost any use.

The Proton Pro features as primary emitter a white Cree XLamp 7090 XR-E LED powered at a maximum of 2 watts (on high.) This primary LED is activated at its highest output level simply by pressing the side-mounted switch button once. By pressing and holding the same switch with the main LED on, the light begins dimming its output downward in a smooth and linear fashion. Releasing the switch stops the dimming and leaves the output at whatever level the user needs for the task at hand. Another press of the switch turns the light off and returns it to the default full intensity setting.

The dimming of the light is accomplished through 'pulse width modulation' (PWM), a technique that pulses the LED in a rapid fashion to reduce its apparent output. One note about PWM -- some people find the use of PWM as a dimming mechanism to be annoying or distracting, since the pulsing of the LED can be detected either by moving the light quickly or in a user's peripheral vision. For most users this is never an issue, but nevertheless it is an important consideration for some prospective purchasers.

The secondary red LED (a 3mm diode) is activated via a similar, but yet slightly different method. By pressing and holding the side switch the light's red LED comes on at its lowest level and smoothly ramps upwards towards its maximum output. It also employs the same PWM technique for controlling the red LED's intensity. Since the red LED is designed primarily for low-level illumination and to preserve night vision, the fact that its intensity ramps upwards is, in our opinion, a sign of intelligent engineering and design. And although the red LED is only a 3mm diode, the maximum output from the red LED is still substantial and bright enough for many night time tasks.

Control of the two LEDs and their intensity is just the beginning for the UI on the Proton Pro, however. Several other modes are available simply by pressing and holding the switch until the light reaches its minimum (for the white LED) or maximum (for the red LED) output. After reaching its maximum or minimum output, the light will blink off and cycle through several special modes. The first mode accessed is a 'slow' beacon, which pulses at approximately once every 5 to 6 seconds. The second mode is a 'medium' beacon, which flashes at a one second interval. Third up is a 'fast' beacon (although we would characterize it as a 'strobe') flashing at fast rate (10 hz according to the company.) The light then cycles through a S.O.S. mode that continually flashes the classic, international distress signal. One other mode, called 'Signal/Morse Code' is accessed by quickly turning the light on and off about six times. In this mode the switch enters a 'momentary' mode in which the light only remains on when the switch is pressed, enabling its use for signalling or sending coded messages.

The light also includes several nice touches including gold-plated electrical contacts, O-rings at all assembly points, Type III hard anodizing on the outside of the light, and a glow-in-the-dark (GITD) O-ring just under the lens. Additionally, the red LED will light automatically to warn you of a low battery.

By The Numbers

Output & Runtime

The Proton Pro has been on the market long enough that it can no longer be considered 'state-of-the-art' in terms of its output when compared to some newer AA flashlights, but this shouldn't be of concern for most users. The Proton Pro is still bright enough for most illumination tasks and because of the variable output should be usable under an extremely wide range of conditions. Additionally, the inclusion of a red LED makes the Proton Pro flexible enough that few other lights on the market can match it for use as an EDC light.

As you can see from the numbers listed above, the Proton Pro has a fairly tightly focused beam with low but adequate sidespill (952 lux at hotspot vs. 46 lux at 15° offset.) It should also be noted that the beam profile from the Proton Pro is slightly 'ringy'. This is common with some LEDs and is why some manufacturers choose to use 'orange peel' or stippled reflectors to smooth out the beam a little. In real life usage however, the slight ringiness shouldn't be of concern and doesn't effect the light's usefulness in any way. Its range from highest to lowest output is rather impressive, with the lowest white LED intensity of just ½% of the highest output...in fact, the PhotonLight website claims a runtime on low of up to 250 hours...that's over ten days!

The red LED is much dimmer of course, and the 3mm LED shows much more ringiness and irregularity to the beam than the white LED does. The red beam also betrays the fact that the red LED is off-center in the reflector by creating a slight lopsidedness to the beam profile, but again, under normal usage this really isn't an issue. Whatever distortions to the red beam that might be present are more than made up for by the fact that the red LED is available easily (without having to grab another light.)

Conclusions

Overall, the Proton Pro is one of the most useful and well thought-out lights we've encountered. The one-button user interface, variable output, secondary red LED, and AA form-factor make it a great light for every day carry or as a first line light to carry in a purse or backpack. Add in the S.O.S./beacon/strobe modes and low battery warning, and the Proton Pro becomes a light we can easily recommend for regular medium-duty use, and would seriously consider for even heavier usage like police and security work.

Manufacturer's web site: PhotonLight