EDC keychain light

akatsuki

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Aug 19, 2014
Messages
21
1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?
____This will be mail-order or Online (location doesn't matter).


2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest! :)
____Up to $100.


3) Format:
____I want a flashlight (hand held/self contained).


4) Size:
____MICRO - Keychain size.


5) Emitter/Light source:
____LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness)


6) Manufacturer:
____I want to buy a light from a large/traditional manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.
____I would like a light from a specialty manufacturer (Possibly limited run/Custom).


7) What power source do you want to use?
____I don't know/I need more information on power sources.

7a) If you have selected a rechargeable option
____I don't care

8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is not a happy experience).
____I want to navigate a dark room or read a map (1-10 lumens).
____I want an indoor "blackout" light (15-50 lumens)
____SPECIAL NOTE: Burst/Turbo mode Category - There are several lights that will run at a super bright maximum for a very limited period (usually 5-10 minutes) and then will "step-down" to a lower level for thermal control. Check here if this is acceptable.

9) Flood vs Throw: Flood covers an area, Throw reaches out to a distance.
____Narrow Flood: I want a sharply defined flood area that will project some distance for tasks like trail walking.

9a) Distance: How far away will you typically need to see with this light (check all that apply)
____Less than 5 yards/meters (looking for something inside a dark shed/garage/basement)

10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum continuous output).
____30-60 minutes (I have plenty of batteries just ready to be changed)


11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase "you get what you pay for" is very accurate for flashlights.
____Slightly Important (Walks around the neighborhood).

12) Switch Size, Type, and location (choose all that apply):
____I want a forward clicky (Helpful for momentary activation and signaling).

13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.
____I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.)

14)Material/Finish/Coating
____I don't care.

15) Water resistance
____IPX4 (Splash resistant)

16) Storage conditions
____In house (temperature/climate controlled environment)

17) Special Needs/extras: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Select any/all below.
 

TMedina

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 17, 2006
Messages
1,737
Oooh, forward clicky in an AAA flashlight. Not impossible, but not common, either. Most AAA lights are twisty activation.

You might check out:

1. Streamlight Microstream
2. Lumintop AAA
3. LumaPower LM21
4. Jetbeam SE-A01

Personally, I'm rather fond of the Surefire Titan or Titan Plus, but they're twisty-activation. And for walking around outdoors, if I know I'm going to be walking at night, I grab a full-size light as my primary.
 

Timothybil

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 9, 2007
Messages
3,662
Location
The great state of Misery (Missouri)
Well, the forward clicky limits things somewhat. There are a few possibilities. The Streamlight Microstream is a single AAA light that works very well and holds up well as an EDC. I have carried mine for several years now. The drawback according to your list is that it is only a single level light. I don't find that a problem, as I have used it when working inside my PC without it being too bright, yet it still lights up a reasonable area in front of me when outside. Another clicky choice would be the Lumintop Tool. It too is a single AAA light, with three modes. It is somewhat unusual as it starts out in Medium mode, then steps to Low, then High, and around again. Lumintop also makes a Worm, which to my mind would be more of a keychain light, but it is a twisty, not a clicky.

If the forward clicky is not cast in stone, two others to look at would be the Nitecore Tube and TIP. They are both small flat rechargeable lights that have a couple of levels of light and do a good job of lighting up the area in front of you. I actually have a Tube as a zipper pull on all my jackets and coats, as well as one on my keychain. But I am going to change out the one on my keychain for a TIP.

You also have a choice to make as far as tint goes. Most LED lights range from Neutral White to Cool White, with a few Warm White thrown in. They will have a (C)olor (R)endition (I)ndex of around 60 to 70 or so, which means that do an OK job of showing things in their true colors. A high CRI light is considered to be 90+ CRI, which does a much better job of accurate color rendition. Many find that that helps to provide a better depth perception when out walking, as well as the better color rendition. The best CRI possible is 100, which is described as the afternoon sky on a sunny day. Incandescent lights like those in the older Maglites were close to 100 CRI, although with a warmer tint. The Tool and the TIP can both be gotten in the higher CRI with a Nichia emitter rather than the more usual Cree.

Most of us here will use either rechargeable NiMH cells in our lights, or Lithium primary (non-rechargeable) cells. Alkaline cells are considered verbotten by most of us, because it is almost guaranteed that Alkaline cells will leak at some time and damage if not destroy the light they are in. Unless the manufacturer explicitly states that their light can handle Li-Ion cells, do not plan on using 10440 (AAA) or 14500 (AA) cells in your light. Doing so will either outright destroy it, or severely damage it and lessen the lifespan drastically.

I know the others on here will offer a lot of other lights for your investigation, and they will all have their good and bad points. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask. We don't mind, and would rather you ask a thus 'choose wisely' than not ask and 'choose poorly.'
 

archimedes

Flashaholic
Joined
Nov 12, 2010
Messages
15,780
Location
CONUS, top left
Another choice that gets pretty close to what you are asking is the Peak Eiger.

The user interface is a little different than most other flashlights. It has a bit of QTC material that changes the output based on how much it is compressed.

The base model is a "twisty" ... twist a little for low output, twist more for higher output.

There is an option for a momentary plunger switch ... press and light comes on, release and light turns off. You can still twist the bezel for constant on. Since the output is set by pressure, you can twist on to low, and press more for high. It is not a true "clicky" however.

The thing is, however, the QTC adjustment does not work perfectly smoothly. I find it functional, and it is electrically very efficient, but do not expect to be able to just "dial in" the output you want.
 

brttina

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Dec 25, 2011
Messages
7
hmm, most keychain lights are twisty activation. It is also very easy for operation. According to your requirements, I recommend a new interesteding keychain EDC Helius Sigma IX. It is small and beautiful. The most importent is that the battery is rechargeable and included in the package. Helius has a group-buy promotion now. You can check it out.http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-From-Helius-California&p=5088549#post5088549
 

iamlucky13

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 11, 2016
Messages
1,139
The baseline option is 1 x AAA lights - the entire light usually ends up being a little longer but skinnier than a chapstick tube. Is that an acceptable size for you? The Thrunite Ti5 is the only one with a forward clicky I can think of offhand.

Branching out a bit, it's got an electronic button rather than a forward clicky, but the tiny little Nitecore Tube seems like it would actually meet the rest of your criteria for super cheap, and with the convenience of being USB rechargeable.

Of, there's higher-powered step-up options like the Nitecore Tip, Manker LAD, or Mecarmy SGN3.

These are all super lightweight. On the downside, the batteries are not replaceable. They'll eventually wear out, but you should get several year's use out of them.

If you want replaceable batteries but smaller than 1xAAA, there's a handful of very tiny cylindrical lights like the Jetbeam Mini-1 or Fenix UC-02.
 

jorn

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 8, 2008
Messages
2,499
Location
Norway
Rear clicky on a keychain is bad. Been there, done that. You got the keychain ring blocking the clicky button all the time, so it's hard to reach. Imo, twisty is far superior on a keychain. My cooyoo quantum copper is on my keys all the time, so im stopped using all those big aaa lights on my keys :)
 

gsr

Enlightened
Joined
Aug 26, 2010
Messages
231
Location
Utah
The Surefire Sidekick has been happy on my key chain for more than a year now. If you want to be able to drop in a fresh battery, rather than plug it in for a while, the Surefire Titans are a good choice.
 
Joined
Sep 6, 2010
Messages
48
The Nitecore Tip2017 with turbo up to 360 lumens. Love the metallic case and the multi-colour options.
 
Top