Keith,
No, I haven't done a side by side test. I assume the quality of the Photons is better.

But the cheapos are good enough for me. For backpacking I carry two anyway, in case one fails.

Since posting I bought another batch (several dozen). I think there might have been one or two that didn't work right from the start. Can't remember for sure. But the rest were fine.

I've used them for backpacking and on my key chain at home. The ones I've used have been working for about 2 years without any problems.
Daryl