keychain LED

hmm, this is a pretty weak inaugural post, but oh well /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

I'm just looking for the brightest keychain LED flashlight out there. But it must meet 2 requirements
1) Must have a momentary on as well as constant on
2) Must be Very small, i dont want to feel it in my pocket like the one I have now

I had a light like this a while ago and it was great, but I lost it at a concert /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Anyone know any lights like I am looking for?

Sounds like a Photon 2 or Photon 3.

I was going to suggest the same thing - a Photon 2 or 3.

pulsar would also do

Welcome to CPF!
photon, ditto.
bernhard

Buck268:
See this recent thread:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB3&Number=328181&fpart=&PHPSESSID=

You've all been a huge help. Much thanks to all the quick and knowledgable replies. The Photon looks like what I want (not sure the difference between the 2 and 3, will keep shopping)

Photon 1: squeeze it to make light, momentary only

Photon 2: adds a mechanical slider to keep the light switched on without your having to squeeze it

Photon 3: computerized, two buttons, has variable brightness, blinking modes, can blink SOS on the LED (sort of useless probably), etc. Easier to change batteries than the 2. Some people prefer the 3 and some prefer the 2.

There's similar lights from Princeton Tec and Inova that you could also look at.

The favorite keychain light around here, though, is the Arc AAA, which is tube shaped and uses an AAA cell. Quite a bit more expensive than the Photons, but very rugged, waterproof, uses easy to find batteries, runs at good brightness for 5+ hours. The Photons will put out a minimal amount of light for a long time but are pretty dim by 1 hour or so.

You will get more WOW factor with the photon. The batteries are easily replaced on my photon 3 model. Batteries will be expensive, RS over $2. I don't know the run time for them though.
The Arc AAA would be my choice also. It may run $10 more than a Photon 3 but it uses easily available AAA batteries.
I had mine run at over 8 hours and there still was usable light.

Thanks!

I have something similar to the Arc AAA, I dont like it at all, way to bulky for the keychain...

The Photon II or III looks perfect, I just dont know which one I want.

On one hand the multiple functions are sweet, on the other its just one more way to confuse me (Kind of like the k.i.s.s. rule)...

I just went shopping for a Photon today. Looked at the II and the III. The 2 is simple and elegant..it is also VERY small. Great light..love the lock on feature...also on sale at REI (New England) for $6.95. The 3 is a little larger and at first a little confusing. I , personally, don't need the list of features it had. Both seem to have the same brightness but the 3 was significantly more money. I bought the 2 and put it on my keychain....very tiny, but very bright.

Just a brief warning about the Photon II. If you're a clutz like me, with big stubby fingers, you might find it hard to change the batteries. The Photon III is much easier and requires no tools.

I actually like the simplicity of the Photon II better than the functions of the III, but I use the III because I can easily change the batteries. I basically sit at home and read the manual and set the Photon III to the mode/brightness that I like. Once this is done, I'm careful never to change it.

-barry

I've had 6 or 7 Photon 2's nearly all colors over the years. I decided to buy a Photon 3 for all it's features. My mistake, I never use the features and it has turned on a few times, my pocket blinking away.

My advice, get a Yellow Photon 2, the company rates them has having a much longer runtime than white or blue colors. I believe it uses only one battery as compared to the white & Blue that use two batteries.

Although I have an ARC-AAA and I'm growing to like it more and more, nothing beats a Photon 2 for MY keychain. The general shape of the Photon approximates the shape of the head of a key. It's perfect it you prefer a minimal keyring like I do.

GregR

I use a Photon II in red... long battery life, and little effect on my night vision in normal use. It's pretty bright, too.

David <><

Hey Buck, welcome over from CVU. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

If you have a CompUSA near you, go there and get the $10 Inova keychain LED available in White, Blue, Red, Green.

I have 2 of them. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Havent needed a replacement battery in over a year. has push button on and constant on switch

Theres 2 within a mile of eachother! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Next time I'm out n about I'll have to check them /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

For White (and red, green, blue) it's a choice between the Inova Microlight and the Photon II.

The 3 Inova white LEDs that I've had - had noticably bluer color than the one Photon II white or the 2x CMG Ultra-G's I have.

The Inova comes in translucent and solid black bodies.
The translucent is flashy and attracts attention - good for signalling - but may also be a disadvantage if you do NOT want to attract attention, and I find the extraneous light very distracting.

For all other colors the Photon II is the only choice.

I have a personal preference for yellow - since I seem to see better under yellow for contrast and definition, than any other color - other than perhaps white (but yellow seems better to me at low levels).

Photon Yellow also is advertized at 120 hours battery life (vs. the 10-12 hours of most other colors including white)

I have the Inova Red (translucent) in my pocket - great little light. Also have the Inova green and blue (both translucent) - lots of fun to toy around with and since the body lights up it does attract a lot of attention when in use.

I give out the White Inovas (opaque) as gifts and everybody loves them.

CompUSA has been known to have all of the Inovas, in both translucent and opaque bodies. Look on the register check-out counters and in the back near the computer displays.