Brightest keychain light

[Illum]

having had the fenix lod q4 for a couple of months, running li ion rechargables I have to tell you this is one solid light, easy UI, and very powerful. I would purchase again in a heartbeat.

might want to grab a couple while you are at it, last I heard they are going to be discontinued

 

[kaichu dento]

might want to grab a couple while you are at it, last I heard they are going to be discontinued

Fortunately I still have 7 of them! :nana:

 

[WadeF]

If you want bright use 10440's in a Fenix LOD-CE Q4. This will of course void your warranty and you need to understand the risks of using li-ion batteries.

 

[etc]

Somewhat off-topic, but I got a free keychain lite from LightHound, anyone know what this beast is? Powered by these flat coin cells.

 

[Marduke]

Somewhat off-topic, but I got a free keychain lite from LightHound, anyone know what this beast is? Powered by these flat coin cells.

It's a fauxton, same as here:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1253

Uses a generic 5mm (suspected Snow) LED powered direct drive off 2xCR2016's

 

[etc]

Thanks. It appears less bright than some other keychain lite I had from DX about 2 years ago, could it be they used Nichia 5mm LEDs?

 

[Marduke]

Thanks. It appears less bright than some other keychain lite I had from DX about 2 years ago, could it be they used Nichia 5mm LEDs?

No, they are the same generic 5mm's.

 

[etc]

OK, I haven't tested it in the dark yet.
It does appear kind of blue-ish.

 

[Blue72]

As a Mountain biker myself. I would focus more on runtime than brightness. When you are in the woods, you do not need a lot of light to brighten up the place. But if you have to walk out and you are several miles from the parking lot, you will be glad you have the extra runtime especially if you land up spending the night out.

 

[2xTrinity]

As a Mountain biker myself. I would focus more on runtime than brightness. When you are in the woods, you do not need a lot of light to brighten up the place. But if you have to walk out and you are several miles from the parking lot, you will be glad you have the extra runtime especially if you land up spending the night out.

Solution to BOTH longest runtime and highest output in a commercially available keychain light:

LF2x

set position one to the minimum setting (0.2%). This will provide just enough light to walk outside in a truly dark environment, or allow reading up papers up close without dazzling yourself. It will run for over 9 days of continuous ontime with a AAA or LiIon on the lowest setting.

Set position two to 100%. Enjoy an extremely bright keychain light if you need it.


Both peak brightness and peak throw will be slightly less compared to the L0D. This is more than offset by the following advantages (IMO, of course):

• L0D lacks a true low output setting
• LF2 Stippled reflector trades off some throw to provide a more useful beam profile up close
• L0D has a very annoying 100Hz flicker in its lower settings, compared to imperceptible 8kHz flicker for LF2
• LF2 has battery overdischarge protection, and low battery voltage warning (important for running LiIon safely)
• LF2 allows DIRECT access to either high or low ouptuts, without having to skip levels. Important if you want to keep output low so as not to dazzle yourself, you'd rather not have to go through a medium or high stage first
• LF2 and LF2x are relatively easily to open up to perform an emitter swap, unlike L0D which is glued shut -- this means you can upgrade to a more efficient emitter down the road.
  • In my case, I swapped out the Q5 WC in my LF2x for a Q2 5A neutral white LED to improve color rendition.
  • I'm also toying with the idea of trying to cram an MC-E into a LF2 or LF2x, followed by boring out the reflector slightly to make a high-overall-output flood light.

 

[kaichu dento]

Solution to BOTH longest runtime and highest output in a commercially available keychain light:

LF2x

set position one to the minimum setting (0.2%). This will provide just enough light to walk outside in a truly dark environment, or allow reading up papers up close without dazzling yourself. It will run for over 9 days of continuous ontime with a AAA or LiIon on the lowest setting.

• L0D lacks a true low output setting

I've been so tempted by the LF2x for quite a while now but I really do use the medium setting on my L0D's a lot.

Is the low on the LF2x anywhere as low as on a D10? If so I'm probably going to get one, especially since Fenix isn't going to do anything about it.

 

[2xTrinity]

I've been so tempted by the LF2x for quite a while now but I really do use the medium setting on my L0D's a lot.

Is the low on the LF2x anywhere as low as on a D10? If so I'm probably going to get one, especially since Fenix isn't going to do anything about it.

From the website it appears the D10 is dimmable to about 2% of maximum output. The LF2x is dimmable to as low as 0.2% of max.

You can access a third level if you'd like, but it requires two "switching cycles" (eg double-twisting the head of the light). As often a I use my medium setting (which is almost never) I'm fine with that. I really only use low output (when I need JUST enough light to see with), or high output (when I need as much light as I can get for a brief time).

 

[kaichu dento]

From the website it appears the D10 is dimmable to about 2% of maximum output. The LF2x is dimmable to as low as 0.2% of max.

You can access a third level if you'd like, but it requires two "switching cycles" (eg double-twisting the head of the light). As often a I use my medium setting (which is almost never) I'm fine with that. I really only use low output (when I need JUST enough light to see with), or high output (when I need as much light as I can get for a brief time).

I actually do use all 3 levels on my L0D on a regular basis but have always wished it didn't have to be so blinding when I'm outside with my eyes adjusted to the dark.

Did they ever offer the LF2x in any color other than black?

 

[2xTrinity]

I actually do use all 3 levels on my L0D on a regular basis but have always wished it didn't have to be so blinding when I'm outside with my eyes adjusted to the dark.

Did they ever offer the LF2x in any color other than black?

LF2x is only offered in a glossy gray anodize, or bare aluminum. LF2 is matte black anodized.

 

[kaichu dento]

Grey sounds good! After all this time I just looked at your signature lines! Unfortunately no more pics but I did see some at LED Cool's thread. Thanks for all the info!

 

[Dazed]

Thanks, guys! Lots of great feedback here.

I'll probably get either a L0D or a LF2x. I think I can get a better price on the Fenix, so I'm leaning that way at the moment.

If the only problem using Li-Ions in the Fenix is a void warranty, I'll give that a shot. I probably can't resist.

BTW: It looks to me that on the LF2x there is no way of attaching a lanyard/keychain. If that's the case, it may drop off my short list. Is this so?

 

[Dazed]

On a whim, I went for an even cheaper light. The KD Cree Q5 HAIII Buckle Light RT V5. Claimed output is 60lm, and build quality seems fairly OK from the pics at least. I'll try it and see how it turns out.

 

[powernoodle]

What's the bightest EDC/keychain flashlight available.

Streamlight UltraStinger, of course.

 

[rayman]

Streamlight UltraStinger, of course.

Not a little bit annoying when it bounces against your knee while driving .

rayman

 

[fightnut]

When I think "key chain" light, I think of something like this http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1253

.47 cents, and surprisingly bright! (22,000mcd). Not your typical keychain led (10,000-12,000mcd).

But then I'm cheap and don't like carrying things in my pocket, so you can see why I'd choose this over a regular "flashlight".

Have 'em on every keychain, in the cars, in nightstands and dotted around the house.
Lose one, break one.....who cares, it was .47 cents. I'd be too worried all the time about a $60-70 light in my pocket (but again I'm CHEAP! LOL!).

Obviously not what the OP had in mind, but others may find them useful, so I thought I'd add it.