any bright keychain flashlight under $10?

lol · Feb 25, 2007

hello~
i was in this forum some times ago and now i'm back again.
as i got all suggestions from this forum, i have had my civictor for months and love it

however, i'm now back in Thailand and would like a keychain one as bright as civictor (or almost the same).
please help me again.
thank you so much.

lol · Feb 27, 2007

anyone??

Toohotruk · Feb 27, 2007

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.53

Maybe? :shrug:

bobby68 · Feb 27, 2007

I don't know any bright keychainlights under 10 bucks.

Closest call is Fenix L0P SE, but it's 35 bucks :ohgeez:

http://fenix-store.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_49&products_id=111

aceo07 · Feb 27, 2007

bobby68 said:
I don't know any bright keychainlights under 10 bucks.

Closest call is Fenix L0P SE, but it's 35 bucks
http://fenix-store.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_49&products_id=111

If you can afford that, might as well go for the L0D-CE. :grin2:

2xTrinity · Feb 27, 2007

Toohotruk said:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.53

Maybe? :shrug:

These are probably not too bad. Although the LEDs that DX uses are a bit bluish. Also, Dealextreme sells sets of replacement coincell batteries for cheap as well.

Their $0.47 Photon clones sold at DX are quite bright, but are tremendously improved if you replace the LEDs with these. I've also made a set of red LEDs using DX's 2032 batteries and the red LEDs from that eBay site. Either one of those options is incredibly bright and costs under $1 altogether -- provided you make about 30 :sick2:

I have three on my keychain -- one white, one sanded down white (flood), one red. I have equipped several of my friends and family with this same set of three photon clones

Burgess · Feb 27, 2007

The L.R.I. Photon Freedom to the Max keychain flashlight

(a very fine product)

Is currently On-Sale at Battery Junction

(a very fine dealer)

http://www.batteryjunction.com/phfrmipesafl.html

Price listed is $9.95. So it meets your budget.

And make sure you enter the CPF discount code

"cpf2006"

to get an additional 5% off the price.

SuperNinja · Feb 27, 2007

Toohotruk said:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.53

Maybe? :shrug:

The switch on those can be VERY easily turned on accidentally in your pocket.

Toohotruk · Feb 27, 2007

SuperNinja said:
The switch on those can be VERY easily turned on accidentally in your pocket.

You know, now that I look at the OPs original post again...the light I suggested isn't too realistic...just under $10. :ohgeez:

cratz2 · Feb 27, 2007

Toohotruk said:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.53

Maybe? :shrug:

I have two lighs basically identical to that one, and two that use 3 LEDs. All off them are of unbeliebably poo quality. Wires twisted around randomly... threads you could strip with a fingernail.

But the 5 LED ones are pretty bright. I'd imagine they have atrocious runtime.

Pax et Lux · Feb 27, 2007

Battery Junction prices are good, right until the point that you hit the button that adds shipping & handling to the deal - especially for international orders. They wanted $15 to mail a Photon Freedom to Canada. . .

If you EDC the Civictor, you likely won't need a killer keychain light. All you will need is the convenience of having a light on your keychain - almost any cheapo coin cell light will be adequate. If you want more, however, you will have to pay more.

Bearcat · Feb 27, 2007

Pax et Lux said:
Battery Junction prices are good, right until the point that you hit the button that adds shipping & handling to the deal - especially for international orders. They wanted $15 to mail a Photon Freedom to Canada. . .

If you EDC the Civictor, you likely won't need a killer keychain light. All you will need is the convenience of having a light on your keychain - almost any cheapo coin cell light will be adequate. If you want more, however, you will have to pay more.

I wonder how some of the other companies can ship 10 of those Photon clones for a total cost of $4.87 from China to the US including FREE S/H.

Bearcat · Feb 27, 2007

2xTrinity said:
These are probably not too bad. Although the LEDs that DX uses are a bit bluish. Also, Dealextreme sells sets of replacement coincell batteries for cheap as well.

Their $0.47 Photon clones sold at DX are quite bright, but are tremendously improved if you replace the LEDs with these[/i]. I've also made a set of red LEDs using DX's 2032 batteries and the red LEDs from that eBay site. Either one of those options is incredibly bright and costs under $1 altogether -- provided you make about 30 :sick2:

I have three on my keychain -- one white, one sanded down white (flood), one red. I have equipped several of my friends and family with this same set of three photon clones

That sound like a Mod that even I could do, but I am having trouble finding the link to those LEDs with the information above. I also wonder what the run-times are like, what kind of beam pattern, and the color is like.

2xTrinity · Feb 27, 2007

Bearcat said:
That sound like a Mod that even I could do, but I am having trouble finding the link to those LEDs with the information above. I also wonder what the run-times are like, what kind of beam pattern, and the color is like.

Oops, I typed the code in wrong, then didn't bother to proof read it...

here is the store where I got the LEDs -- I picked them up because of the 5mm LEDs found to among be most efficient LEDs when overdriven (as they generally are in any sort of coin cell light). The beam pattern on the whites is actually a little bit splotchy -- there's a little bit of uneven mixing as a few spots look more yellow and others look more blue, however, in practical use (not on a white wall) it's not too bad. However, if you sand one of them down so that the "domed" part of the LED is removed, and you basically just have a cylinder with a flat head, they cast a perfectly mixed flood beam bright enough to light an entire room with easily, great for reading in the dark.

The Jeleds appear to be about double the intensity of the ones DX puts in, with similar focus. Brightness on fresh batteries with one of those Jeled's is is close to the output of a stock Elly -- this quickly settles down to a more reasonable drive current though as the batteries get used up (still very bright for a coin cell)

I haven't done an explicit runtime test, which I will get around to sometime, but generally you'll get gradually diminishing brightness, but still enough light to be useful for several hours (can last years if all you do is run it for short bursts).

Bearcat · Feb 27, 2007

I guess that this is them. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-Product-50X-5mm-White-LED-Lamp-55-000mcd-BESTBUY_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33713QQihZ015QQitemZ250085795254QQtcZphoto

Thanks for the information.

2xTrinity · Feb 27, 2007

Here are a couple snapshots I took to show the beam comparison. I've been quite happy with these, as each costs me under a dollar. I'm now looking into trying out some new colors as well.

Comparison of the lights side by side to show relative brightness:

Left - White JELED
Center - Stock DX "White" (looks very blue)
Right - Red JELED with 2032 battery (should have about double to triple the runtime of the others)

"Whitewall" beamshots from each -- the white ones appear much brighter in reality (the above pic is pretty realistic).

Photo of the "cutdown" LED on my keychain:

Hard to get a sense of it with a camera, this shows you the even flood beam though. This is easily enough light to light up a small room, and be able to read by the ceiling bounce light. DX also sells some with a black casing, which is better if you don't want sidespill.

The mod is pretty easy, just cut the leads on the LEDs and bend them using a small electronics screwdriver. The longer lead "snaps" into the groove in the switch.

Toohotruk · Feb 28, 2007

I know that this is a little more than $10, and it may be a little bigger than you're looking for...but it is a pretty bright and has great runtime. It's also on sale:

http://store.advancedmart.com/5waposiledke.html

Here's a review at Flashlightreviews.com-

http://flashlightreviews.com/reviews/amart_led005s.htm

I'm happy with mine and I carry it every day.

search_and_rescue · Mar 1, 2007

I would recommend the Princeton Tec Blast in Neon Yellow color. I used to carry that on my keychain until the bulb burned out. I never got around to replacing the lamp module... now I carry a Princeton Tec Pulsar II on my keychain.

Both can be had for $10 or less.

LightScene · Mar 1, 2007

Pax et Lux said:
Battery Junction prices are good, right until the point that you hit the button that adds shipping & handling to the deal - especially for international orders. They wanted $15 to mail a Photon Freedom to Canada. . .

If you EDC the Civictor, you likely won't need a killer keychain light. All you will need is the convenience of having a light on your keychain - almost any cheapo coin cell light will be adequate. If you want more, however, you will have to pay more.

I think if you contact batteryjunction they will ship it to you without insurance at your risk for $5.00
Shipping international is risky for businesses because of 'lost' pkgs. That's one reason why most sellers even here on CPF won't ship outside the US.

any bright keychain flashlight under $10?

Newly Enlightened

Newly Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Newly Enlightened

Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Flashaholic

Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Flashlight Enthusiast

Enlightened

Enlightened

Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Flashlight Enthusiast

Enlightened

Enlightened

Similar threads