Next Generation Keychain Light?

What will be on your Keychain two or three years from now?

Looking forward and factoring in changing technology what will be the characteristics of the future keychain light? Do you think that in two years much will change or is there some big changes lurking just around the corner?

Everyone agrees now that a keychain light should be small, bright, tough, white, have long run time, and made really well. My guess is that Gag will soon stumble into the LED keychain market with a low end solitaire that will dominate the 10.00 or lower market with a descent light with most of these same features. For others manufactures to compete and to get the price required to make it worthwhile the products will have to be new and innovative. Sticking a plain Jane led on the end of a tube just wont be enough to justify paying 30 to 40 dollars. What are the innovations that will lead us into the next generation? What would you like to see?

The same Arc AAA-P that is on there now. I can't imagine them getting any better than they are. I wouldn't want brighter, I have other lights for that. I wouldn't want smaller its the perfect size for my hands and key ring.

Pretty much the perfect light for my key ring.

So far --aside from modders, nobody can touch PEAK keychain lights when it comes to quality and brightness. They are not the cheapest lights, though.

It looks like keychain lights are moving to Luxeons so....
Take the Peak Pacific AAA and make the head smaller (from .78" for the Pacific to 0.65") just slightly larger than the body. Put a keyring end like the Arc AA or Fenix L0P on the end to make it shorter. Twist the head to adjust the variable brightness.
The variable brightness will be 0.5 lumens to 100 lumens with a UWOG K2 Luxeon. Since the U-bin will run 120 lumens at 2.9V at 350mA, it should make 100 lumens at 2.8V at 275mA. Will be able to run on alkaline, lithium, 3.7V lithium-ion or NiMH AAA cells. Make mine a titanium body for that extra sense of flair.
How much would it cost? Figuring the Peak Pacific AAA has good regulation, HA-III, hand picked Luxeons and brass, aluminum or titanium bodies... all at a cost of $49.95. I don't think adding variable brightness and an improved Luxeon would boost the price to insane levels. Maybe $70 to $90???
I'll be buying a Pacific (with optional battery packs and optional lens kits) when I get one, I'll see the beginning of "the next generation".

I will be getting one of Endeavour's CR2 Ion lights soon. It will replace my aging and near dead Arc AAA Rev 2.5 LE (they shouldn't call the Arc AAA Rev. 4 white, but blue IMHO.)

Two stages of brightness, Cree Xlamp LED, CR2 cell (low capacity, but small size), but a price tag of $145 for a black/nat HA one (more for color (blue, green, red), al/bronze, and Ti.)

It might take a few years to make a Luxeon/Cree Xlamp running off an N cell...Now thats what I call small....

What will be on my keychain? Probably the same thing as now: Photon II. It just doesn't get any simpler, and it's small enough that I really don't notice it.

Hopefully a future Keychain light :
- will be no bigger than a JIL DD
- will have variable brightness 1-100 lumens
- will have minimum 8 hour runtime on max (much longer on lower levels)
- will be multi-colour = UV through to IR and everything in between
- will be focusable = spot to flood
- will be less than $40

Perfectionist said:

Hopefully a future Keychain light :
- will be no bigger than a JIL DD
- will have variable brightness 1-100 lumens
- will have minimum 8 hour runtime on max (much longer on lower levels)
- will be multi-colour = UV through to IR and everything in between
- will be focusable = spot to flood
- will be less than $40

Click to expand...

JasonC8301 said:

It might take a few years to make a Luxeon/Cree Xlamp running off an N cell...Now thats what I call small....

Click to expand...

TNC, Lambda, Tvodrd have all made 1 watt luxeons driven on single n cells. Reefphilic (sp?) is currently doing a run in Ti to work of AW's li-ion n's. An n-cell powered xlamp is interesting. It would be very interesting to see what could be worked out with an ncell and an xlamp. Cr2's and AAA's are about the same capacity, of course the AAA would loose a bit to the boost, but if it were underdriven, a very happy compromise in runtime/brightness just might be possible.

I fully agree about the ncell format. If the light is made to be small as possible a 2 level ncell with 2 hours run at 40 lumens and much much more at about 8 lumens would be what I'd like to see. The Arc AAA pushes the line as far as keychainability is concerned a properly made ncell would be perfect.

I have althought I can't find it now, the Lambda Streamlight keymate N cell lux mod. This must have been more then two years now. The light output is very nice and a good color rendition but a dismal run time. It never really gave the Arc any serious consideration for replacing it as my keychain light.

xochi - Wow, That totally blew me away. I didn't know that. I was only aware of Larry's (Tvodrd) CR2 light, well in person anyway. The closest I can come is Endeavour's CR2 Ion without paying the premium for a Larry light; I am sure Endeavour's light will knock my socks off though (Even after seeing Larry's box of goodies.)

I should be more specific. N cell light with 2 stages running a Luxeon III or Xlamp will efficient runtime (hour+ on high and 30 hour+ on low.)