Looking for waterproof/bombproof keychain light

[JBorneu]

Hi there

I'm looking for a backup light. It's going to be carried primarily on my keychain, but I also need it to be saltwaterproof (working on ships). I'm not talking "waterproof to IPX 8 standard", I need to be able to operate this light (turn it on and off) while it is ten feet under water. Deeper won't be necessary. I'm not that careful with my keychain and there are a lot of keys on it and I need this light to function after ignoring it a couple years so it should be pretty sturdy too.

AAA lights is what I am mainly looking for. I generally don't like "exotic" cells like CR123, CR2 etc., but as this is going to be more of a backup than a regular use light I'm willing to consider anything. But it would be a REALLY weak point if it can't take any form of lithium primary cells, I need this light to work perfectly fine after I ignore it for a couple years. I want long runtime with good output, a high mode would be nice but it isn't essential.

Price: I had around $50 in mind, but I'm willing to consider more expensive lights if it's worth the cost.

I know the arc AAA is rated waterproof to 30 feet, but I was wondering if there were options out there which have more brightness but arn't much bigger. I already looked at Peak lights, LiteFlux LF2 and Fenix LOD and I like them also but I don't know wether they are truely waterproof.

Keypoints:
-Saltwaterproof. If it can't handle water, don't bother recommending it.
-Small enough for keychain carry.
-Sturdy
-Long runtime

I think that's about it, feel free to mention anything waterproof that could fit on a keychain and thanks in advance.

 

[Marduke]

Fenix E01 and LOD-Q4 will easily do 10 feet.


Keep in mind any light will need to be periodically cleaned and relubed every 6-12 months to ensure continued water resistance.

 

[JBorneu]

Marduke, could you please tell me how you know they will still function at 10 feet depth?

And, altough I mention ignoring it on my keychain, I didn't meant actually ignoring it, I'm going to be cleaning, maintaining and testing it every three to foour months, like I do with all my "toys". I realize no light can stay waterproof without any care.

 

[sol-leks]

Fenix's are good,. I feel like the RA Twisty is also known for its durability, although maybe that is too big?

 

[Marduke]

Marduke, could you please tell me how you know they will still function at 10 feet depth?

Both have been taken far deeper by CPF members here. 10ft really isn't that deep for a sealed light.

Also, the design of the E01 is similar to the E0 and Arc, both of which are rated to 100ft.

The P1D Q5 would also be fine at those depths. At least one member here uses that light as a dive backup light.

 

[MiniLux]

Fenix P1D
https://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_65&products_id=400

http://www.light-reviews.com/fenix_p1d_ce_q5/

It's very sturdy and reliable (twisty), has several output levels, and some people even claim to use it as a backup light for diving (up to 30m).

I'm carrying one on my keychain since about a year and never had a problem with it.

MiniLux

 

[DM51]

If you are going to operate a light at 10 ft / 3m depth, that is a more severe test than IPX8, which is a static test that does not require any actual operation.

If your safety depends on this light, which sounds very likely, I would strongly suggest you get a dive-rated light.

 

[sol-leks]

wow I can really take my old E0 to 100ft? I have to remember to bring it next time i go diving.

 

[MWClint]

Stainless Steel peaks might be your best bet against saltwater.

AAA Baltic or Pacific..

(both have similar circuits, just different sized heads..baltic is small
pacific is larger.)

peaks with luxIII's are on a 50% sale this month.
you could buy 2 on a 50-60$ budget.

 

[JBorneu]

Does anybody know of links to threads where people use these lights underwater?

And my life may depend on it, yes, it will be a backup for when everything else fails. But I can't seem to find any true dive lights wich are small enough to carry daily (no use in having the best light in the world if I don't have it on me), so I'm looking more for a 'regular' light that will survive everything I survive.

 

[MiniLux]

For the P1D:

http://translate.google.de/translat...unzel.de/fenix.htm&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&sl=de&tl=en

As it's a german diving site, I added automatic translation

MiniLux

Does anybody know of links to threads where people use these lights underwater?

And my life may depend on it, yes, it will be a backup for when everything else fails. But I can't seem to find any true dive lights wich are small enough to carry daily (no use in having the best light in the world if I don't have it on me), so I'm looking more for a 'regular' light that will survive everything I survive.

 

[Rossymeister]

How About The Upcoming Mako?

Its Made Of Titanium Alloy, So You Know Its Going To Be Tough.

 

[Derek Dean]

How About The Upcoming Mako?

Its Made Of Titanium Alloy, So You Know Its Going To Be Tough.

Man, that is a sweet little AAA light, thanks for posting the link to that thread!

 

[AardvarkSagus]

I was also going to suggest the Mako. That looks to be one massively durable little light. Well made also and who doesn't like Titanium?

 

[lebox97]

how about the UK 2AAA pocket light?
if I was going to be around boats "saltwaterproof" - I'd certainly carry mine on key ring as a "backup" light... it's made for the task,
and it would not give me the long term salt water proofness concern that my ARC or LOD would give me (LOD is my current EDC, but not sure I would expect it to live around frequent salt water conditions).

edit: or the UK 2AAA Xenon penlight w/ e2 lithium cells

 

[Derek Dean]

I hesitate a bit to suggest that you look at this one as it's in the same league as the Maco, nearing completion but untested in actual use, however, you might contact PhotonFanatic directly with questions about it's suitability for your situation:

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=206794

Personally, from everything suggested so far my feeling is that if your life might literally depend on the operation of this light that you would be better off selecting something that has been around for a while and proven itself over and over in similar situations..... and the simpler the better, so I'd suggest calling Peak LED Solutions and talking to them directly about your needs. Their customer service over the phone is exemplary and they will be happy to tell you straight up whether one of their lights could work for your situation.

 

[applevision]

Does anybody know of links to threads where people use these lights underwater?

And my life may depend on it, yes, it will be a backup for when everything else fails. But I can't seem to find any true dive lights wich are small enough to carry daily (no use in having the best light in the world if I don't have it on me), so I'm looking more for a 'regular' light that will survive everything I survive.

I'm so sorry... I can't resist this:

Perhaps you would do well with the Light of Eärendil (the phial of Galadriel): "May it be a light for you in dark places, when all other lights go out."

Hee hee! It just sounded so grave when you said it that way.

Back to the topic, I think that the Mako looks very promising!

 

[22hornet]

"waterproof/bombproof keychain light"
easy: ARC AAA or Peak Matterhorn.

 

[JBorneu]

Thanks for all the replies, links and advice so far.

The Ra Twisty looks like a nice light and is worth it's price, but it's too big for my keychain.

I believe that the Mako and La Petite Killer lights are very nice lights and I don't doubt their durability, but I can't justify spending $110 on one of these lights. Yes, they are pieces of art, but I'm not a collector, and for that price I can get three arc AAA's with the same functionality.

The UK 2AAA lights are too big. In my opinion, when you put 2 AAA cells in a light, you could just put one or two AA cells in it. Barely longer / wider and a lot more output and runtime. And I already have a good 1AA light.

I like the Fenix LOD overall, but I think the user interface could be better. But I like it, if I don't find anything better, I will probably take this one.

I like the Liteflux LF2X Q5, after it's programmed it should be very easy to use. But it opens both behind the reflector and behind the LED, so that means more places where water can enter the light.

Arc AAA and Peak Matterhorn are proven and reliable. I especially like the different options Peak offers with metals, output etc., but Peak's brighter lights are single-mode only with older LED's, so they consume a lot of battery power every time you turn them on. Also, I hope the idiot who designed their site didn't got his paycheck, because he didn't earn it. Calling them is rather hard and expensive because I'm in Europe.

Aah, the agony of choice ...

I guess you don't really know how I'm intending to use this light, so I'm going to elaborate a bit. It will be on my keychain, which is on a carabiner tied to my pants so I don't loose it. My keychain is the only thing I have with me or close to me wherever I go. I'm going to take it swimming, not scuba diving. I'm a seafarer in training, and when I fall overboard my keychain is about the only thing I will have with me for sure, no matter what I was doing. There are strobe lights on our life jackets (but we don't always wear those, altough we do when there's a real chance of falling overboard), plenty of spotlights on board and I have a couple quality torches, but I believe in always carrying a backup and if I put it on my keychain I will have it with me no matter what.

Applevision: I'm sorry for sounding so dramatic, it's probably because I'm not from an english speaking country, giving my posts the right tone is still a bit hard.

 

[DArklite]

Don't be afraid to use the Search function either.