What cheap, single cell keychain light for my brother-in-law?

[Dangerboy]

Ideally less than £25.
Needs a new one because he broke the last one, an ITP A3 EOS that I got him a year or so ago.
(actually, the same thing happened to both of us - the head unscrewed and disappeared never to be seen again).

So, my current shortlist is a single cell preon or a Fenix E11.
E11 will be brighter, has a clicky switch and a longer run time.
Preon is smaller, lighter, and better finished.

I've also had outstanding service from 4 7's in the past.

Any others I should consider?

Thanks!

 

[b1gbleu]

the e11 is great, with 2.5yr warr if you register it

 

[davecroft]

I have the E11 and for it's price I think it is a winner. I use it much more than some of my more expensive lights. Perhaps a bit big for keychain use though.

Olight i2 and i3 might be worth a look, but you might have the same problems as with your ITP - the threads on mine could be a lot tighter. For classic keychain use the Fenix E01 and E05 are very hard to beat.

Slightly off thread, but if you want to save some cash I have had good results buying from Hong Kong, and the savings are significant. I just got a Jetbeam PA01 and Jetbeam BA10 from there and both cost around £20 each. They are twice as expensive from UK dealers. Delivery is painfully slow though - 2 to 3 weeks.

 

[kreisler]

Any others I should consider?

for serious use (robust and loooong runtimes, useful light output), the only brand name "budget" AAA which comes to my mind is the Worm. i own the SS and the Aluminum versions. Of all the AAA keychain lights i own, the Worm is my favourite.

The head sits tight (one-hand operation possible, with some efforts) and the whole product is absolutely high quality and impeccable. Not for flashaholics (14500's are not supported; driver would burn out) but for serious and hardcore use. Also, it's 2-part only. Big advantage.

Doesnt have an ultralow low.

 

[Dangerboy]

Thanks all.
Davecroft - can you give me a clue where to get those jetbeams cheap?
I liked the PA01 but they were too expensive here in the UK.
The Worms are lovely though...

 

[hazna]

I would suggest you add a fishing swivel to the the keyring attachment. This would reduce the likelihood of the the head unscrewing itself.

something like the items in the middle of this picture

 

[socrates978]

Thanks all. Davecroft - can you give me a clue where to get those jetbeams cheap? I liked the PA01 but they were too expensive here in the UK. The Worms are lovely though...

Hi I'd also be interested in a decent place to buy the jetbeams (here in the UK)

 

[davecroft]

Dup post

 

[davecroft]

Thanks all.
Davecroft - can you give me a clue where to get those jetbeams cheap?
I liked the PA01 but they were too expensive here in the UK.
The Worms are lovely though...

Dino Direct sell the PA01 for £24.69 and the BA10 for £21.09. Manafont sell the BA10 for about £22. Dino Direct regularly have discount sales (eg. Thanksgiving and Black Friday) where they reduce these prices by as much as 20% - that's how I got the PA01 for £19.75. You will have seen the prices for the PA01 in the UK! If you are interested, Manafont have the Fenix LD01 & E01 (twin pack) on sale for £22.

However, you need to bear in mind that although I have used both suppliers without problems, Dino Direct have a fair amount of negative press on the 'net. Postage to the UK is free, but you will have to fork out around £7 if you need to return the light if it is faulty. Also there is a slim chance you may have to pay customs charge, but these suppliers normally mark the items as 'gifts' and so far I have not had to pay any extra charges. Delivery can take anything from 10 days to 3 weeks.

It's up to you at the end of the day - personally I wouldn't risk spending big bucks on buying a light from China, but £20 or so is not such a big deal and I always use Paypal or a Credit Card for payment.

 

[socrates978]

Thanks for updating with the info.
I think I'll buy the PA01 from Dino Direct but may wait til they have another discount sale, hopefully they will coming up to Christmas/New Year

 

[davecroft]

I found Ledfiretorches.co.uk very good. Fast dispatch and they don't quibble about refunding postage if you have to return the light, unlike some. You can get about 8% discount if you use the CPF8 code when ordering.

Cheers.

 

[Dangerboy]

Thanks all, I went with the blue preon from 4 7's in the end as they're on special offer, because I've had such good service from them in the past, and because my other half has a preon and it's a thing of beauty!

 

[NightKids]

Damn.. was gonna suggest the Fenix E05

 

[kreisler]

my other half has a preon and it's a thing of beauty!

worn on the keychain it will lose its virginity and beauty.

i guess.

 

[Wiggle]

Damn.. was gonna suggest the Fenix E05

That light looks interesting but I wasn't a fan of the output/runtime combination.

I also got a Preon setup. I ordered a Titanium Preon 2 and a spare black Preon 1 body and flat tail cap. I think it looks classy enough to not embarass the GF when i bring it in public

That being said, my iTP A3 is staying on keychain duty for now. I fear that its days are numbered though, I dropped it pretty hard a while back and it buzzes and acts a little weird on med/low now (think part of the PWM circuit got damaged).

I agree with the above poster too. Preon looks pretty cool but I don't know how well it holds up to keychain use. Keychain lights take alot of abuse. Well in terms of keeping it pretty anyway.