Keychain?

[mhooper]

Hello All!

I have a £30 giftvoucher for amazon uk. And I'm thinking about a keychain light. Something small that I can have in my pocket and not think about.

For general use I mostly use a XinTD C8 or a Blackdiamond headlamp (I have the revolt and storm). I find the XinTD very good, and the latter is a great headlamp, and I like the build quality of metal over the plastic headlamps.

My first reaction is for a rechargeable keychain. I'd rather not have something that was always dimming with a bit of use. I don't want a CR123A model. Is the ThruNite Ti3 where keychains are at? Better than the Olight, right? And I assume I could, if I wanted, use a 10440 and charge that in my Nitecore i2.
AAA is ok, though smaller might be better. I need 100 lumens.

I also need to find a flashlight on Amazon UK that ships to Australia.

Thanks!

 

[Timothybil]

If there is no date pressure, I would wait a month or so. Nitecore is bringing out their Tube keychain light, and from the specs so far it looks nice. USB rechargeable, 45 lumens high, infinite dim, 48 hrs run time on lowest setting. Posted price so far is US$10. I have two on pre-order and hope to get them by the end of the month. I know several others also pre-ordered, so once we get them someone will be doing a first impression and some reviews, I'm sure.
I was going to recommend the Streamlight Microstream if you were in a hurry or the Tube didn't appeal to you, but I looked at the Amazon UK website and realized they want more than your voucher for it. If that is not a problem, give it a look. I have carried mine for several years and it still works great. It is a single AAA, thirty-five lumens, two hour run time on alkalines, four hour on lithium primaries. There are several here on CPF who are using 10440s without any problems, but that will void your warranty. Make sure you get the generation two. It has a two-way clip and comes with an extra rubber boot for the tail switch. The original had a one way clip and was rated at twenty lumens and an hour and a half run time.

 

[mhooper]

Thanks for the reply. I'm probably looking for something a step up from the Tube Keychain light.
And even if I can't get it on Amazon, I could probably use the voucher to get something else.
I guess I'm wondering where small but not crazy small is going at the moment. (The DQG Spy is probably out of my price range.)

 

[mhooper]

I've been reading for a day or so, so let me ask this differently.
I want a keychain torch. AAA or smaller. Is there anything better than ThruNite Ti3 for the price, or nearly the price?
Also, can I run the ThruNite Ti3 with 10440s? And can I charge 10440s with the Nitecore i2? I've read some mixed reports about this, but their website says it's 10440 compatible: [

Nitcore link deleted as per the banner at the top of the page - Norm

Is anyone using a Ti3 with 10440s? How do you find it? Run times? And is anyone using a Nitecore i2 to charge a single 10440? or two 10440s?
Thanks!!

 

[Timothybil]

As far as recharging 10440s with the i2, yes you can. The i2's charging rate for 10440 will not overcharge AAA cells. The i4 uses a higher charging rate, so when using that to charge 10440s, it is recommended that one charge in pairs in slots 1 & 3 or 2 & 4, since those pairs share the charge.

As far as using a 10440 in the Ti3, it is not supported. According to one CPFer it makes the LED go poof and lets the magic blue smoke out.

 

[GordoJones88]

Is there anything better than ThruNite Ti3 for the price, or nearly the price?

Also, can I run the ThruNite Ti3 with 10440s?

I do not think the Ti3 is necessarily a good choice.
It's modes are .02/13/150 lumens which is like Firefly/Lo/Turbo.
It lacks any modes between 30-100 lumens,
which in my opinion is what a AAA keychain light should have.
The 150 lumen Turbo is going to have a very short runtime.
You would have to recharge the cell everyday.
It's good if you need something really small, really bright, for really short bursts.
No, you cannot use a 10440 in the Ti3.
Here is the Selfbuilt review for Ti3.


There are many other AAA lights:
Olight i3S
Maratac AAA
Fenix E05 2014
Fenix E05 2014 stainless steel
Fenix LD02 - clicky!
Lumintop Worm
Thrunite Ti2 v2 - new 80 lumen single-mode very-cheap amazon

Amazon.uk still has the blue Ti2 light.
It is the 3/80 lumen light that I like so much.

 

[mhooper]

Ah yes I see the problem about the missing mid-range mode.

So in terms of light and runtime:
Maratac AAA: 138/40/1/.5 for 1/7/55
Thrunite Ti3: 120/12/.04 for .5/6/115
Fenix LD02: 100/25/8 for .75/4/14
Fenix E05: 85/25/8 for 1/4.25/14.5
Preon P1: 84/8/2 for 1/6/23
Olight i3s: 80/20/.5 for .5/8/60


The first two numbers are most important for me, so Maratac AAA wins easily (the Fenix has an XP-E2, so tighter beam, right?).


And size (mm):
Fenix E05: 64.5x14
Maratac AAA: 70x13
Thrunite Ti3: 70x14
Olight i3s: 71x14
Preon P1: 76x14
Fenix LD02: 76x15


The Fenix E05 is the smallest, and all the others about the same size. I'm not bothered about whether it's a clicky or not

Is there a reason not to get a Maratac AAA?

 

[ForrestChump]

Price, Lumens, Runtime, Rechargeable.

Pick 2....... :shrug:




Pelican 1910? $20, 72 Lumens 1:45 - Hrs, 14 Lumens - 4 Hrs

I would say the best build quality out of the bunch. Happy light hunting.

 

[yoyoman]

Ti3 will go poof with a 10440 li-ion. I3s and others support li-ions. Klarus MiX6 Ti is very nice and also supports li-ion. I have a Pelican 1910 (2 mode) and it is a little big but it is a clicky. The new SS fenix is also nice. There are many nice AAA lights and I haven't met one that I don't like. Search on CPF - very difficult not to love AAA...

I like SS or titanium for keychain lights. Anodized alum wears, if that bothers you.

 

[ven]

I like SS or titanium for keychain lights. Anodized alum wears, if that bothers you.

Very valid point,as i am one it bothers,nothing worse than a scruffy edc car key edc light............stainless helps this issue very well,so does ti. Anything ano will chip,mark and look battered in weeks,months...........

 

[yoyoman]

I have a Ti spy on mt keychain and after a few months it still looks new.

 

[ven]

I have a Ti spy on mt keychain and after a few months it still looks new.

+2 as its been on twice :laughing:



The e05ss is now on my spare set of keys,may swap for fairy and rotate the car keys :laughing: ................thats a flashaholic

 

[mcm308]

AAA light? Go find an ARC. It looks and feels bombproof.

 

[ForrestChump]

Ti3 will go poof with a 10440 li-ion. I3s and others support li-ions. Klarus MiX6 Ti is very nice and also supports li-ion. I have a Pelican 1910 (2 mode) and it is a little big but it is a clicky. The new SS fenix is also nice. There are many nice AAA lights and I haven't met one that I don't like. Search on CPF - very difficult not to love AAA...

I like SS or titanium for keychain lights. Anodized alum wears, if that bothers you.

YO! yoyo,

How do you like that Pelican? Have you ran it on lithiums by chance? I have a 15 year old Pelican dive light that looks like it just came out of the package, nothing but durable from the ones I've bought. Runtimes..... Meh

 

[GordoJones88]

The Fenix E05 is the smallest, and all the others about the same size.
Is there a reason not to get a Maratac AAA?

They are both very good lights.

The standard Fenix E05 2014 comes in a black aluminum.
However, there is a new stainless steel model $30 which is really nice!

The standard Maratac AAA comes in a black aluminum.
However, they still have the new Copper model in stock $40!

The Fenix has an XP-E2, so tighter beam, right?

Not necessarily. It doesn't have a reflector, which is why it is so small.
It uses a plastic optic instead, which is fine.

 

[yoyoman]

The Pelican 1910 is one of the very few forward clicky (momentary on) AAA lights out there. And the 2 modes are a good improvement. I haven't tried li-ion 10440s in it and I don't want it to go poof. It is big for an AAA light, but is very solid - built like a tank.

I have a Maratac copper AAA modded by vinh with a neutral XP-G2n and it is a fun light. Runs on a li-ion 10440 and the output is great. The whole light warms up on H.

I also have the Fenix E05 2014 SS and it is also very nice. The optic provides a nice beam and the 3 modes are well spaced. The SS is not too heavy and is great for keychain duty.

 

[mhooper]

Thanks all. I went for a Fenix e05 which finally arrived. Works very nicely indeed. I can imagine in a while I might want something a step up, but it's so small I can forget about it on my keychain, and that's exactly what I wanted. Many thanks for all the advice.

 

[Barry0892]

They are both very good lights.

The standard Fenix E05 2014 comes in a black aluminum.
However, there is a new stainless steel model $30 which is really nice!

The standard Maratac AAA comes in a black aluminum.
However, they still have the new Copper model in stock $40!

Not necessarily. It doesn't have a reflector, which is why it is so small.
It uses a plastic optic instead, which is fine.

OMG, the stainless steel flashlight is so impressive! But I hope it cheaper.

 

[mcnair55]

If you do not mind a AA cell,good choice is the Eagletac D25A clicky,if only I had discovered it earlier i would have saved hundreds of $,s as it doubles up against so many lights and it has the best give away holster.