What best flashlight choice for keyring ?

hemdale

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Oct 26, 2008
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Paris
Hi all !

:twothumbs

I've found your forum thanks to a...french flashlights forum :D (but I've found yours more interesting). :sigh:

I'm Bruce, born (French), raised, living and working in Paris in the advertising photography business.
That was my (very) short bio.

I've read some very interesting things on this forum and I would like to know your opinion...

Many years ago, I've been given a present: a little Solitaire Maglite. I've found the present bit useless but I've attached it to my keyring.
A few weeks, later, I was experiencing my first pavement search for my girlfriend priceless lost earing :mecry: which took me nearly 2 hours and thanks to the Maglite Solitaire, I've found it.

Since then, I've never wanted to have nothing except this small pocketable (did I say life saver ?) flashlight as a keyring.
Later on, I've found the light bulb being weak (after 5 years...), light was so dim, and even with a powerful battery I could hardly see anything in the dark.

Recently, I've found a leaking acid liquid in the battery housing of the Solitaire. Light bulb was dying slowly and one day, the Solitaire was gone for ever. Time to replace it I thought ! :santa:

Here comes trouble and I can't make up my mind and choosing from dozen of flashlights is becoming a nightmare (rather than a pleasure).
It would be really great if you could help me a bit with this. :thanks:

I'm now looking for a nice, lightweight and pocketable flashlight.
Lighting something is really occasional. I don't "really" a very powerful light.


Hence, I am considering the following ones:

• Inova Micro Light. Seems tp have a rather good overall feedback. Seems a bit fragile maybe and I don't know about the lighting capabilities.

• Photon Micro Light: same thing as above...except that the LED is overexposed to damage. A bit expensive for this tiny plastic thing... :sigh:

• Fenix - P1D: a bit "big" and heavy maybe ? From what I've read, light is fabulous...but I may not need that much amount of power.
Trade of: big, heavy, light superpower not necessarily needed...

• Fenix - L0D (EC ? Q4 ? I'm really getting confused with Fenix's odd serial numbers...:twak: ). As big as my beloved Maglite Solitaire. Much more pocketable than the P1D. Could be my best choice but I'm still undecided.


I thank you very much for your time and please let me know your thoughts.
And all my apologies for my grammar/synthax mistakes. :help:


All the best from Paris,

Bruce
 

Outdoors Fanatic

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Joined
Sep 24, 2005
Messages
4,865
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Land of Spiders
Hi all !

:twothumbs

I've found your forum thanks to a...french flashlights forum :D (but I've found yours more interesting). :sigh:

I'm Bruce, born (French), raised, living and working in Paris in the advertising photography business.
That was my (very) short bio.

I've read some very interesting things on this forum and I would like to know your opinion...

Many years ago, I've been given a present: a little Solitaire Maglite. I've found the present bit useless but I've attached it to my keyring.
A few weeks, later, I was experiencing my first pavement search for my girlfriend priceless lost earing :mecry: which took me nearly 2 hours and thanks to the Maglite Solitaire, I've found it.

Since then, I've never wanted to have nothing except this small pocketable (did I say life saver ?) flashlight as a keyring.
Later on, I've found the light bulb being weak (after 5 years...), light was so dim, and even with a powerful battery I could hardly see anything in the dark.

Recently, I've found a leaking acid liquid in the battery housing of the Solitaire. Light bulb was dying slowly and one day, the Solitaire was gone for ever. Time to replace it I thought ! :santa:

Here comes trouble and I can't make up my mind and choosing from dozen of flashlights is becoming a nightmare (rather than a pleasure).
It would be really great if you could help me a bit with this. :thanks:

I'm now looking for a nice, lightweight and pocketable flashlight.
Lighting something is really occasional. I don't "really" a very powerful light.


Hence, I am considering the following ones:

• Inova Micro Light. Seems tp have a rather good overall feedback. Seems a bit fragile maybe and I don't know about the lighting capabilities.

• Photon Micro Light: same thing as above...except that the LED is overexposed to damage. A bit expensive for this tiny plastic thing... :sigh:

• Fenix - P1D: a bit "big" and heavy maybe ? From what I've read, light is fabulous...but I may not need that much amount of power.
Trade of: big, heavy, light superpower not necessarily needed...

• Fenix - L0D (EC ? Q4 ? I'm really getting confused with Fenix's odd serial numbers...:twak: ). As big as my beloved Maglite Solitaire. Much more pocketable than the P1D. Could be my best choice but I'm still undecided.


I thank you very much for your time and please let me know your thoughts.
And all my apologies for my grammar/synthax mistakes. :help:


All the best from Paris,

Bruce
Muyshondt Aeon, hands down.
 

StarHalo

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Joined
Dec 4, 2007
Messages
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The Fenix lights you noted are not big at all: The Fenix P1D is 7.1 x 2.1 cm, basically half the height of an aluminum soda can; the L0D is 7.4 x 1.4, or slightly larger than an AA battery. A Solitaire is on the same scale as either light.

You can find either of these lights at a good price with free international shipping at the Fenix Store: https://www.fenix-store.com/index.php
 

aussiebob

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Joined
Apr 7, 2008
Messages
451
Location
Hobart Tasmania
I love the L0D Q4, got 4 of em now me self, two on keys and two for general stuff.

You had a solitare?, turn the solitare on in the beam of the L0D and you wont see it, thats how good the L0D is, put a few reletives and friends to shame doing this with there beloved keyring solitares. They were like:mecry:

There tough as old boots, ive abused the flippn heck out of one of mine, still functions like new.

Get some lithium AAA and ur set.
 

sol-leks

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 10, 2008
Messages
1,695
+1 for the LOD, its a great light.
I was surprised tho not to see the fenix E01 on your list, its also very good, obviously not as fancy as the lod though.
 

Bullwinkle

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Joined
Sep 18, 2008
Messages
9
I have the fenix LOD Q4, and can't tell you how much i love it. Lots of power in a small package, mine sits on my keychain and I don't even know its there. Did I say lots of power? 75 lum !!! And yes mine works perfectly, usual fenix quality.
 

TheGreyEminence

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Joined
Oct 6, 2007
Messages
176
Location
Germany
+1 for the L0D! Have it now for over a year on my keychain and it´s really amazingly bright! It would still be my first choice for a REAL EDC Keychain Light!

Regards

:twothumbs
 

HKJ

Flashaholic
Joined
Mar 26, 2008
Messages
9,715
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Copenhagen, Denmark
The L0D is a small and very bright light, for less light the E01 is better.

Your can see the size of some small lights here:

DSC_1801a.JPG


DSC_1802a.JPG
 

sol-leks

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Messages
1,695
I feel like there needs to be a sticky keychain thread. People ask about them often enough.
 

cruisemissile

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Oct 14, 2008
Messages
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sunny FLA
bonjour et bienvenue mon ami.


I carry the Fenix P1D-CE on my keychain.
I dont' find it too big at all.
It has alot of advantages, such as multiple settings of brightness, (low for certain tasks such as reading a map, to very bright when you want to light up a dark alley), Its also got good run time, strobe, and SOS strobe. can come in very handy, even in Paris , from whichever 'arrondisement' you usually are in.

bon chance...!
 

hemdale

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Joined
Oct 26, 2008
Messages
176
Location
Paris
Hi all,

Thanks a lot for you help and input !

I'm aiming at L0D I think ('cause it's a bit slimmer)...
I'm not gonna go for the plastic ones :nana:
 

cruisemissile

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Joined
Oct 14, 2008
Messages
245
Location
sunny FLA
Ouch....$200... :eek::eek: Sorry, I can't spend that much on a keychain flashlight...

you really want to hurt your wallet? ("trop d'argent")
Gatlight http://gatlight.com/GatLightTI.htm, $400 USD
Surefire Titan (titanium $499 USD) http://www.brightguy.com/products/SureFire_Titan.php, or $239 for the aluminum version.

maybe if I won the lottery I'd spring for the Gatlight for my keychain light. but first, I'd have to get a set of Ferrari keys to go on the keychain, and a really hot busty blonde girl to go IN the Ferrari with me (shh, dont tell my wife..)
we can all dream can't we...?
 

cruisemissile

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Joined
Oct 14, 2008
Messages
245
Location
sunny FLA
Hi all,

Thanks a lot for you help and input !

I'm aiming at L0D I think ('cause it's a bit slimmer)...
I'm not gonna go for the plastic ones :nana:

Good choice, Fenix is a good light.
I had a maglight solitaire a long time ago and the same leakage happened to me. I could not remove the leaky battery.
once you get the Fenix, you are going to like it so much you are NOT going to believe that you once liked the Solitaire.
 

Rossymeister

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May 4, 2008
Messages
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U.S.A.
I Think A Fenix E01 Will Suit Your Needs Just Fine.

*Its Easily Replaceable If You Lose/Break It
*Fenix Store Has Free Worldwide Shipping
*Its Only 15 Dollars
*Its Brighter Than Your Solitaire
*Tough As Nails

http://www.Fenix-Store.com/
 

Steve L

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Joined
Jan 22, 2007
Messages
1,470
Location
SE Michigan
+1 for the Fenix LOD. I have had one on my key-chain for over a year. It has hit the cement more than once and it's still working fine(plus if it does break the price to replace it won't hurt too bad).

Steve
 
Last edited:

Illum

Flashaholic
Joined
Apr 29, 2006
Messages
13,053
Location
Central Florida, USA
Muyshondt Aeon, hands down.

with the exception that people either cannot afford it or does not want to afford it.

+1 for L0D-CE Q4 for most applications

+0.5 for E01 for long runtime applications, some may disagree about the tint being useful but some light is better than none in the dark:grin2:
 
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