Best keychain light

hi there,

i am just wondering what light you think is the best for a keychain light? i have read some thread where some people say the arc aaa is good due to its long run time. i have a photon 3. do you think it is good enough?

thanks in advance.

cheers.

IT's all opinion, really. All of the keychain sized lights that people will discuss have high and low points, from durability to brightness to cost. Your best bet would be to decide what your needs are and then visit one of the review websites to look at what all is out there. YMMV from mine or anybody elses..

Arc is a great light. But if you need a quick burst of light, and fast, it's easier to just press a button than twist the head. If your keychain light is going to see lengthy (ie. more than a few minutes) usage, then something like an Arc-AAA would be better, since batteries are cheaper. However, the Photon 3 can run for something like 12 hours.

I don't like anything but keys on my key ring. That being said I do have a photon III on mine and don't even know it's there.

I like the Inova Multi-function Microlight. At first, I didn't think I'd like the clip that comes with it but after using it for a while, it really comes in handy. Nice to be able to unclip the light and use it without the keys getting in the way.

if we're talking pure functionality and bang-for-the-buck, you can't go wrong with the Lighthound .99¢ "Fauxton" Photon clones, they're roughly equivalent to a Photon II in appearance (actually they're such a close copy i'm surprised LRI hasn't smacked the manufacturer of the Fauxton with a copyright infringement lawsuit....), but they outperform the Photons in raw light output

I actually wrote a review of both the Photon Freedom and Photon II Vs a Lighthound "Fauxton"

If your keychain light is the only light you carry, then I think it's the ARC AAA.

If you carry another pocket light in addition to the one on your keychain, then I think the Photon Freedom is the best.

Photon / Innova Microlight if you want runtime and light weight. Also, very cheap relative to the other quality lights.

Cheap Photon clone if you want runtime and the ability to throw the light away if it gets damaged (and for the asking price, it's a no-brainer if you have any doubt. IIRC, CountyComm sells them in bulk with this in mind.)

Fenix L0P if you want a bright pocket-rocket and don't care about runtime.

Arc-AAA P if you want a balanced, useful light that can survive being dropped off a cliff (literally.)

Dorcy AAA-LED if you like the Arc but want to get one for cheap at your local Wal-Mart (you do get what you pay for, FYI.)

Oh, and if you have a million things on your keychain anyway, the Fenix L1 or L1P is worth thinking about as well.

Yeah, another Inova Microlight user.

I keep one on my keychain aswell, Its very bright for its size.

Like mentioned earlier, easy to unclip from keychain an use freely.

I really like it, even beside my other lights, handy, lightweight and lasts for a long long time on the supplied batts.



IF

Cmoore said:

If your keychain light is the only light you carry, then I think it's the ARC AAA.

If you carry another pocket light in addition to the one on your keychain, then I think the Photon Freedom is the best.

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Very good point. I typically have a Surefire, Lion Cub or HDS in my pocket. The Photon Freedom is great to have on the keys for a quick light to open the door or whatever. In fact I have about 5 of them in different colors and just got a second white one to wear around my neck. If I didnt have any other light I would probably prefer to have something like the Arc or a Peak rather than the Photon. I will probably get an Arc and a few Peaks anyway but might carry them instead of the HDS size light. Well, who am I kidding, I will probably get them because I think they look cool and carry them and the HDS or Surefire . But the Photons are really probably all that I need for most uses.

I currently have a Fauxton (bulk buy from Emilion) on my keychain, and the Fenix L1P in my front pants pocket, next to my Motorola Razr cell phone. Given how slim the phone is, I'm planning on switching to the L0P in my pocket, with the Fauxton staying on my keychain.

The Inova Microlight is the single least satisfactory flashlight purchase I have made. When I carried it in my pocket on my keychain it turned itself on EVERY time it was in my pocket - I know because it had changed from momentary to constant on EVERY time. The LED was loose in its socket and required me to dismantle it and tweak the leads weekly to get it to stay on - at least a third of the time when I turned it on it either flashed off immediately or required me to move the LED around to get it to turn on at all. The loose LED is probably the only reason the battery didn't get used up in the month I carried it daily, an example of two wrongs making a right. The POS is now in a drawer.

Best keychain lights:

Fenix L0P - brightest and most useful beam
ARC AAA-P - bombproof, long run time
Lighthound/Emilion "Fauxton" - best cost and size efficiency

I currently carry a Fenix L0P on my keychain, with a Lighthound Fauxton as a backup.

EDIT: My ARC AAA-P finally arrived. Wow, what a beatiful tool. It went on my keychain for a day, replacing the L0P as a trial. The ARC is staying. The size difference is VERY noticeable to me. I didn't weigh it, but I think the ARC with an alkaline battery is lighter than the L0P with a lithium. Transferred the lithium over to the ARC, making it a little brighter and super lightweight.

Therefore, my strong vote: BEST keychain light : ARC AAA-P

I still like the L0P alot. It is going on my "small tool ring" with the Victorinox Minichamp and Colibri butane torch lighter and some other small tools that I carry often.

My opinion: Every flashaholic should own at least one Fenix product and one ARC product. I think I need a Peak product next....

Amadeus93 said:

I currently have a Fauxton (bulk buy from Emilion) on my keychain, and the Fenix L1P in my front pants pocket, next to my Motorola Razr cell phone.

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Pretty much the same here. Fauxton on all my key chains, L1P in front pants pocket, and SmartPhone next to it. But I'm still working on getting a Fenix L1P or smaller that's got more lumens....

MacTech said:

(actually they're such a close copy i'm surprised LRI hasn't smacked the manufacturer of the Fauxton with a copyright infringement lawsuit....)

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Do copyright infringement lawsuits even exist in China?

SuperNinja said:

Do copyright infringement lawsuits even exist in China?

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china has a long way to go in this respect. however, iirc, there was some press article about some american companies winning some copyright suits. i think there was some favourable judgement for some luxury handbag makers against china counterfeits too.

"best" depends on your needs and application. For my use, the ArcAAA wins hands down over other keychain-type lights: uses common and cheap batteries, long runtime, solid construction, reliable functioning. On the other hand, coin-celled keychains are more expensive to run, have odd shapes, and their brightness and runtimes are subpar (they dim from the instant you first turn them on - the 12 hr runtime someone quoted is not "useful" light by any means).

Lots of variables based on your situation. My main concern is weight of my keychain. I've not liked a mass of keys hanging from my ignition switch so I keep it light as possible. While there are lights with higher output and battery combos, the weight is the issue. I chose a Peak hi-power 3-LED which suits my small lighting tasks. My other carry is the HDS U60.

I've drilled and ground excess material out from my keys to reduce the weight. Kinda overkill but the grams do add up. YMMV

kennyj said:

Dorcy AAA-LED if you like the Arc but want to get one for cheap at your local Wal-Mart (you do get what you pay for, FYI.)

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While I'm a fan of the little Dorcy, I can't personally recommend it for keychain carry. I lost a silver one off my keychain because that little wire on the end just doesn't seem to hold up to much pocket abuse.

I have an ARC AAA. The light output is so puny and its is just added weight for me. A fellow CPFer LUXBright made me a Mag Solitaire drop in mod. With an unprotected li-ion AAA battery, that thing is almost as bright as my L4.

I agree with the statement that 'what is good enough is up to you'. I suspect that across the country, there are countless Solitaires and $.99 coin cell lights on folks keychains and they probably serve them just fine... Just as 2D and 3D Maglites serve folks just fine... until they find out something MUCH better is out there.

I've had different Lux keychain lights and little coin cell lights on my keychains... I'll admit that I've never had an un-moded Solitaire on my keychain though.

At the moment, I have a Solitaire I modded with a Nichia CS and a 10440 LiON cell on one keychain and a little Coast/LED Lenser LR44 cell light which I modded with a Peak Snow 29 LED on the other keychain. They suffice and I always have one other light with me and I almost always have two other lights with me.

My biggest issue with most of the coin cell lights is how easy they are to inadvertantly turn on in your pocket. I'm not even crazy about the momentary mode... I'd prefer something that, after 5 minutes on non-use, automatically reverted to 'true off' which would require the user to hold the switch in for maybe 5 seconds before coming back on.