I gave my Photon® Proton Pro as a Christmas gift to myself in 2010. At this point I've used enough to call it my favorite small flashlight. It doesn't have crenellations and it doesn't tail stand. I have other flashlights that possess these features. This doesn't change my opinion about the Photon Pro, for any of my most high-probability uses. There are many reasons I like the Proton Pro so much. The main ones are easy to sum up, but I'll provide enough detail so you can judge for yourself. 1) It has a red beam built in, along with a bright white. This may sound impossible and kludgy, but the way LRI pulled it off is elegant and simple. I use the red light a great deal as my "go to" beam of choice when I'm starting out in a situation that's already dark and I don't want to blind myself or wake anyone else up with a disturbingly bright light. To access the red beam all I have to do is hold down the button. The red light starts out so dim it's hard to see; I continue holding until the intensity ramps up to be "just bright enough." I think this is one of those features where you don't know what you're missing, until you have it and are finding that you use it all the time. 2) If I deliberately want a white light, it turns full-on, incredibly bright white with just one press and release. No holding things down, waiting. No remembering to turn this or that mode dial. Just instant on and blindingly bright. 3) The position of the button is on the side of the barrel, near the reflector. Over time I've found this to a natural, very easy to find position. 4) The Proton Pro turns on either in white or red beam (with the same button). This is the utmost in simplicity. 5) The different patterns are all actuated by the same button. No twists of bezels, end caps, etc. needed. To access the red patterns, just press and continue to hold down the same button. To access the white patterns, just press and release, then hold down the very same button. The sequencing of the patterns is super user-friendly. If I want to ease my eyes into the darkness, I select red and the sequence ramps up (and into the various other patterns from there). If I want an immediate bright white, I select white, which turns full-on, then ramps down (and into the other patterns from there). The other patterns themselves are many: aside from ramping up or down, there is a blinking, slow, medium and fast beacons, and SOS. Plus, if you know Morse Code, you can use that same button to blink out your long and short flashes. Yes, you can even use the red light for Morse Code (just read the instructions to learn how). Then there are the little details. It only takes 1 AA battery, which drives an incredibly bright 1000+, 1.4w white light. The contacts are gold plated. It is O-ring sealed and waterproof (to what depth I can't say). The package includes a lithium battery. The pocket clip is detachable. It comes with a sturdy tail ring in case you want to add a lanyard or clip the compact (less than 3" or 10cm long) flashlight to a key ring. The reflector has a nifty phosphor glow ring encircling it, which makes the light easy to see in the dark if you drop it or if you just want to find it quickly in the dark on a night-stand. The belt holster that comes with the Proton Pro is worth special mention. I have a beef with the belt holster on another light I have that is priced about the same as the Proton Pro, namely, that its flashlight doesn't fit it well. The holster that comes with the Proton Pro, on the other hand, fits like Goldilocks favorite chair: it's just right. Not too long, not too short, not too tight, and not too loose. The stainless steel belt clip does not need to be removed in order to slide the Proton Pro into its holster. A minor plus, but telling, is that the enclosure flap on the holster completely laps over the Velcro, leaving no little annoying plastic hooks to rub against fingers or to snag articles of clothing. Last but not least, the belt holster has a belt loop (naturally!), but it also has a sturdy D ring on top of the loop, plus, there is a second loop you can create, using a long hook-and-loop tab the runs the length of the primary belt loop. Either the D ring or second loop can be used to fasten the holster in places when you can't use the traditional belt method or where you might want to secure it temporarily, such as a off a backpack strap, belt loops when you're not wearing a belt, or length of pipe. For me, this little baby is always slipped into a bathrobe pocket. To top it off, the Proton Pro seems to perform just as well with lithium or NiMH batteries. (Another small light I have loses its ability to display its lowest beam when using lithiums, which is a disappointment.) The Proton Pro will also accept alkaline, NiCad, or old-style carbon batteries. Note that when you first receive the light, you should read the instructions and learn how to take it out of its "demo mode." (Just press and hold the button until the light shuts off.) Otherwise it will shut itself off automatically (to prevent the battery from draining in the showroom). If you've never owned a modern flashlight, the Proton Pro will open your eyes to how far the technology has come. Seeing so many user-friendly functions packed into such a small, practical package helped me understand why there is an entire community of flashlight collectors and aficionados out there.
