help...buying the best keychain light???

Hi There! I need help..im a newbie and im trying
to buy a light..small enough to carry in my keychain..
any suggestions on whats the best keychain light out
there??thanks

I like the Streamlight Keymate which is like a tiny mini flashlight.

But most practical is the Photon Freedom.

Hi, mikeskim.

IMHO, two main factors would come into mind if I were choosing a keychain light:
1) Runtime vs brightness
2) Small 'enough' to be a keychain light

I would say ARC(which no longer produces) and Peak LED solution makes pretty good keychain light using easy-to-find AAA; orelse I would suggest Photon for an even shorter form.

Personally, I have both Photon III and Freedom, but I do prefer III over Freedom since it has an auto turn-off function and it will remember which 'state' it was in(strobe, low light, etc).

Good luck searching! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif


btw, some may argue that 'form' factor is never a real consideration for a flashaholic... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


('Real men carry an Ultra Stinger on their keychains,' said powernoodle. Original post please see here)

Fire~Fly II

it depends what your expectations are. I like a really small light and carried a tag for a while, but the plastic was problematic. I finally got a br-435 powered light at target sold under the Eddie Bower moniker (Coast also sells a similar one. I unscrewed the head and replaced the stock LED with one from superbrightleds.com. Great little flood. The batteries are a PITA to find, but it is for intermittent use so they last awhile. The body and head are very robust and at 10 bucks, I don't worry about scraches from my keys. There are nicer lights, but they are expensive and I wouldn't want them banging up on my keys. It is read because the br-435 is a lithium with 3V availible -- not enough voltage to run a white or blue.

Yep - really depends on what you're willing to tolerate on your keyring. While a bit large for my tastes (on a keyring that is) a Gerber Infinity Ultra is probably one of the best for runtime and decent output. The Gerber Sonic is certainly smaller with less output and a finicky switch. If you want something pretty bright and cheap the Dorcy AAA is inexpensive and pretty small.

If you're looking for something you won't notice at all the Photon Microlights are great choices - but you sacrifice runtime for the very small size.

my vote goes for the infinity ultra
its fairly bright (for a 5mm led)
and has a looooong runtime - i just recently changed the battery in mine - the old one had been going for over a year, and it sees a fair amount of use

anyway - welcome to cpf and have fun

LOL that pic is funny auroralite!!hehehe I found out that the arc aaa has the best reviews yet the price are sooo expensive...i might just have to get the gerber ultra or the peak led matterhorn...thanks for the help!!

The Streamlight KeyMate is nice..cute but I prefer the ARC - P and EDC it. I have a Peak 1 LED Snow that would work OK. If you can stand a slightly bigger light you can not beat the Infinity for runtime and durability...or an ARC AA if you can find one. Some people awear by the Dorcy. Some like the TNC..it looks really nice but I don't have one so I can;t compare. One slight step up in size gets you to the E1e or the E1e with a Kl1. A Vital Gear body shrinks the E1e combos some. If you are willing to consider the 1XCR123 combos like the E1e then you could shop around for and ARC LS. The Clicky is nice but the twisty on an ARC makes it saller. If you're not concerned with runtime and consider size the deciding factor the Photon Freedom is a good choice. Almost forgot the CMG Sonic...good 1XAAA light also.

Check Craigs site: LED Musem for great info. Thes section titled "LED FLASHLIGHTS AA, AAA, AAAA & N CELL" might help you.

You might check this out for a high power keychain light, and rechargable!

Brass Lux III peak 1 AAA with recharchable Lithium

Rechargeable??? I dont want a rechargeable key chain light. Rechargeables have the memory affect, which is a pain in the butt. I prefer normal battery lights.

I carry the Streamlight Key-Mate to school every day. ( Black + green LED)

-tom

The Vortex Tac-Light looks intriguing although I'm not sure it has a lanyard hole...

Hello Tom,

Lithium cells do not behave in the same way that NiCd or NiMh cells do. There is no problems with voltage suppression (or memory effect) with them.

The advantage of running the rechargeable lithium AAA is that you can get decent light from a very small form factor, and use it over and over and over again.

Tom

While an Arc AAA or Peak will provide long run time, for me they're just too much extra bulk on my keyring. My Arc AAA rides in the other pants pocket with my knife and lays nicely along side so I don't notice it.

The Photon is a favorite of many CPF members but I prefer the Inova MicroLight for several reasons. BrightGuy sells them for $6 instead of $15 -$20+ for the Photons. The recessed LED in the Inova protects it and prevents any side light from interfering with your vision. I prefer the dual switch action of the Inova, too.

If price is no object, the covert Photon option will prevent sidespill and it's a smaller package than the Inova. Try an Inova and if it's too large it can always be used elsewhere - and it's not THAT much bigger.

i'd have to go with the Inova keylights....they are extremely bright, rugged, and you can replace the batteries easily. i recently changed the batteries in mine after about a year and a half....and i only did it cuz it was getting slightly dim...i have several and think there awesome

I like the simple but strong Streamlight Keymate, for it's size it does a great job!