ultra small caving light.

I am looking for a very very small caving light. It would serve as a 4th back up light. It needs to be very small and hopefully flat. I wear it around my neck so it is very easy to access. Right now as my 4th back up I have been using any variety of very small key chain lights, the kind that runs off of CR 2032's or any type button cell battery works best because they are the smallest.

This is just a 4th light source, but I would like it to be Waterproof, have a button that locks the light in the on position and be of a better build quality than the cheap plastic key chain lights you find at the stores.

I have considered the WEE light but they are expensive and I don't need something that bright, it would only be for changing batteries in the headlamp or other such tasks

The Inova micro light is what I have been using

http://www.inovalight.com/micro.html

It works well, But I am looking for something better.

Thanks in advance

If it were me, I'd save a lot of special-battery annoyance and get a 1AAA light. There are lots of excellent ones. If you really want must have something smaller, you could get a Peak Matterhorn with a 1/3AAA tail so it's about an inch shorter than the 1AAA configuration, and run it on a tiny lithium ion cell. They also have a light (Shasta, I think) that runs on an N cell (again a little bit shorter than an AAA). You could also consider a Photon Freedom, which is a keychain 2x2016 light (smaller than your Inova) that's reasonably water resistant and is variable power, so it will run for ridiculously long hours at its lowest levels. Finally there are some exotic tiny CPF lights like the Draco, Lumi Wee, etc. But I seriously think the good old Arc AAA or Peak Matterhorn is your most practical choice.

Here's a review I did of an old Peak 1aaa light, including a multi-day runtime test:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/archive/index.php/t-72334.html

The Petzl E+Lite might also be of interest: http://www.brightguy.com/products/Petzl_E+Lite_LED_Headlamp.php

An Arc seems to be durable as a backup for caving.

+1 on the Arc

Tough and small.

Streamlight Keymate LED uses 4xA76 style cells and is small with a twist end. Metal construction.

UK makes a couple of 2xAAA (LED & Incad) with the batteries side by side. Twist on and off. Plastic so easy to hold in your teeth.

Pelican L-1 LED uses 4xA76 style cells. Plastic body clicky switch on the end.

mb

would Streamlight Enduro (headlamp) be too big for consideration?

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/streamlight_enduro.htm

with DIY a polyester strap & plastic buckle it could be worn on the back of your palm. pity it may have too high a profile. :sigh:

How about the Inova 24/7? CR123 so shelf life is not an issue. Long runtime, several brighness levels. And it's small.

http://www.brightguy.com/products/Inova_24_7_SmartBright_LED_Flashlight.php

How about the Photon Rex? It has an internal Li-Ion battery that charges from standard household batteries. Just charge it up before you leave. Otherwise I would say the Photon Micro-Light II or the Photon Freedom Micro. Of the two, I would go with the the ReX as my first choice or the Freedom Micro for my second. The ReX, though, would pretty much make batteries a non-issue and may provide more and/or longer output than coin cells would, it states 2-3 hours at full brightness and up to 48 at the lowest setting and with 4 LEDs I'm sure it puts out a HECK of a lot more light than the normal little Micros.

The Photon II is one of my favorite lights but it's not all that waterproof and the Freedom is probably a better choice for this particular application. The Rex is still very new, its reliability isn't established and it's a much bigger light than the Freedom. Among those Photon lights, IMO the Freedom makes the most sense.

Petzl e+ Lite



http://en.petzl.com/petzl/LampesProduits?Produit=607

somebody already suggested the ArcAAA right?

Excellent, reliable, waterproof, tiny, metal case takes any old AAA battery, long runtime, easy to carry a spare if you're thinking you'll need one.

Tekna splashlite. Tiny, CR123, all polymer, waterproof, simple and indestructible. If I was a caver it'd be my backup for sure.

Thanks for all suggestions guys. Although it's a little bigger than what I was hoping to carry, I think I will go with the Arc AAA-p. It's the only light I can find that is both small and waterproof. I am not a fan of the twist on/off switch, but it sounds like a very tough light. :twothumbs

Good choice! Got me out of a cave once!

It's an exceedingly tough light, and a perfect backup. Or in this case, backup to the backup for your backup.

I have a Draco with a Q5 Cree. With the AAA lithium battery (requires battery extension for extra runtime), I think it would be perfect for around the neck cave exploring. It is a great, bright flood light. 180 lumens, the beam is wide and perfect. :twothumbs

gadgetnerd said:

Tekna splashlite. Tiny, CR123, all polymer, waterproof, simple and indestructible. If I was a caver it'd be my backup for sure.

Click to expand...

X2.

vader said:

Thanks for all suggestions guys. Although it's a little bigger than what I was hoping to carry, I think I will go with the Arc AAA-p. It's the only light I can find that is both small and waterproof. I am not a fan of the twist on/off switch, but it sounds like a very tough light. :twothumbs

Click to expand...

I just got an Arc-AAA under the category of "Christmas Present Research." It was a wonderful way to acquire it.

But if it were much smaller, I'm not sure it could be easily held.

That's my hand in the photos, and I have medium to smaller sized hands for a guy, so for some people this flashlight could be lost in their hand.





I posted a bunch of "perspective" photos here:

Arc-AAA Flashlight Compared to a Few Other Common Objects

Next to a Fenix L2D, the L2D looks like a giant. (The L2D now intimidates me with its massive size...)

Surprised nobody mentioned the Zebralight. It doesn't get much better than that. The runtimes are insane.

It won't fit around your neck though, but it will easily mount on your helmet under your main light, and that's where you really want it anyway.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/174231

I'm a huge arcAAA fan and have two of them, but the flexibility and runtime of the Zebralight is really impressive. It may be more complicated or larger that what you're looking for but wow!!...what an amazing light.

If you've already purchased the arc, you still made a great choice. You can't beat the simplicity and reliability of that light.