Hello all!
This is my first take at a review, sorry if it is too long, I hope this helps anyone considering these lights.
I've never been too taken by penlights. Normally, there is always some sort of compromise, and more often than not it's multiple. That being said, I was pretty blown away by these lights. Not in the "holy poop this is groundbreaking way", but much more along the lines of holding a Malkoff MD2 for the first time, and just appreciating a well crafted item that works exactly as intended.
Slick and professional are I feel the two most accurate words to describe the new Preon. The quality of the build is immediately obvious, there are no disappointments to be had anywhere in materials or construction. They just feel solid- and that's not just a comment about the deceiving mass of the Copper P2- AAA lights can very easily look and feel quite dinky and flimsy, but there is NO mistaking these for something bought at any hardware store. I think one of the biggest wins of the new MK III Preon is the switch- small switches like this rarely feel good. Even on some of the nicer lights. These feel designed for the Preon, and remind me of a mini FS4. On top of that, it is quite a handsome little fella. The Copper P2 is really quite an object, it's all machined very well.
I didn't get to play around with the UI too much, because it came on the mode I'd leave it in- LMH(T). This is another huge win for the Preon, as most penlights are rather clunky with their UI, and AFAIK very very few have such program-ability. I think that is a huge ace up the Preon Mk III's sleeve, and with it's completely satisfactory low of around 1 lumen, this truly can be a light you leave on you all hours of the day.
Recently, we have been a little spoiled with HCRI lights, even in penlight form. Nevertheless, the Preon mk III delivers a delicious daylight High CRI 5000K beam, a very very lovely pure white. I notice no significant tint and these appear very neutral, I think these LEDs are binned very well. The beam itself is also quite well refined and even, there are no distracting artifacts or shifts. It is great up close, and anything really "household" in distance is doable. Throw? Well on burst, you can see across your yard, but otherwise is much more of a "path" light so you don't trip or stub your toe.
Now, I did get to do some output tests on these, using my TA Lumen Tube. By all accounts my tube should be extremely accurate, margin of error is within 2 lumens I would wager. As such, it will not tell me anything much less than 2 lumens of output. All my Olights read smack on the money, as do HDS and Malkoffs. The following numbers will be ANSI, followed by their (TURN ON) brightness
Preon P1 mkIII [100/ 60/ 15/ 1]
Burst: 97 (100) High: 61 (62) Medium: 12 (12) Low: Did not register as my tube starts reading around 2lm, so 1 lumen appears to be spot on the money.
On burst, output remains steady at 97/98 lumens. At 45s, output drops to 90 lumens. At 1 min, output drops to 82 lumens, where it gradually falls to 60 lumens at 1:30 time-on.
Preon P2 Copper mkIII [210/ 125/ 30/ 1]
Burst: 225 (232) High: 137 (135) Medium: 31 (31) Low: Did not register as my tube starts reading around 2lm, so 1 lumen appears to be spot on the money.
On burst, output drops from 225 ANSI to 210lm @ 45s. It continues to steadily fall to 185lm @ 1:00, 135lm @ 1:30, and 133lm @ 2:00, where it maintains steady output around 134 lumens.
P1 vs P2?
The P2, especially in copper or nickel, is really REALLY cool. I love the section of pure, un-interrupted copper under the clip. I think it's a nice touch and allows you to appreciate the special metal. However, I think the P1 truly outshines it. The P1's output selections are perfect for the size light it is, and the functions in which I typically use such a light. It's size just makes it ridiculously easy to carry, and feels at home in the conference room and in the woodshop. The extra output you get from the P2 isn't worth it to me, because it drops so quickly down to what is very marginally brighter in use than what the P1 runs at. What the P2 is great for I think is the special occasion, it would make an exquisite suit-carry, when you need to dress-up your flashaholism.
The Takeaway?
I wasn't expecting to be wowed (no offense)- but I was (no bullshit). I am going to be buying one or two of these lights, probably both in nickel, because how often do you see a light in nickel, and how often do those lights absolutely rock?! These are truly great flashlights, and some of the greatest pen lights to currently exist on the market IMO, not to mention how extremely outdated they make everything pre-2018 look (and feel!) For the category, I think these are top of the charts.
This is a job extremely well done, bravo Prometheus Lights!
