- Joined
- Jul 10, 2008
- Messages
- 1,133
+1 I LOVE my ARC AAA, it's been in my pocket for years and I rarely have to change the battery in it.
I will also have to try a Fenix E01 from all the suggestions
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Keychain lights that take "Rat" abuse and keep ticking?
- Thread starter Agent Iron
- Start date
+1 I LOVE my ARC AAA, it's been in my pocket for years and I rarely have to change the battery in it.
I will also have to try a Fenix E01 from all the suggestions
Cheap and quality don't mix very well. You get what you pay for:
http://www.surefire.com/The-T1A-Titan
http://www.surefire.com/The-T1A-Titan
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2007
- Messages
- 4,186
I like surefire a lot but that only has a runtime of 1 hour on a cr123 battery. Granted it's 7 times brighter than the E01 but the fenix runs for 19 hours on a common AAA batt. It's hard to beat the single AAA flashlights for keychain carry. If you need more light though, this would be an excellent choice. Thanks for posting, I haven't seen that one before.Cheap and quality don't mix very well. You get what you pay for:
http://www.surefire.com/The-T1A-Titan
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2005
- Messages
- 299
ITP A3 EOS Keychain LED Light
I ordered some of these from KSF. Price was great, and reviews seem fantastic. In the picture it shows a belt clip and key chain....do these come with the light, or is it deceptive?
There is information on the AAA batteries, but I am confused. What batteries will work in it without overheating, and are there any great batteries that you would reccomend? Can these batteries be obtained locally?
Thanks
AI
I ordered some of these from KSF. Price was great, and reviews seem fantastic. In the picture it shows a belt clip and key chain....do these come with the light, or is it deceptive?
There is information on the AAA batteries, but I am confused. What batteries will work in it without overheating, and are there any great batteries that you would reccomend? Can these batteries be obtained locally?
Thanks
AI
I think the ARC is more durable than the Fenix E01
-The Arc has a better HAIII coating to handle keychain abuse.
-Based on my experience the the ARC has better water resistance as well.
-It has slightly lower runtime than the fenix but at the same time the ARC is brighter than the fenix.
-The ARC is made in the USA like the RAT!
-The ARC has also has a proven history, the E01 is still to early to tell
Here is a ARC that has been in a river for five years and still works
Here is one that fell off a mountain
-The Arc has a better HAIII coating to handle keychain abuse.
-Based on my experience the the ARC has better water resistance as well.
-It has slightly lower runtime than the fenix but at the same time the ARC is brighter than the fenix.
-The ARC is made in the USA like the RAT!
-The ARC has also has a proven history, the E01 is still to early to tell
Here is a ARC that has been in a river for five years and still works
Here is one that fell off a mountain
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2008
- Messages
- 20,082
The light does come with a clip and chain :thumbup:
I would recommend Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries.
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2007
- Messages
- 4,186
Lithium batteries are lighter than alkaline so I like them for the keychain and for backpacking.
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2009
- Messages
- 2,932
The "Princeton Tec Pulsar 2" keychain light is a great one. It is a copy of a photon light that only costs me about 6-7 bucks. I would think it is about as strong as a photon brand light, if that is strong enough for you.
Here is a link with specs to check out. Click on the "specifications" link, as well as the "Technology" link.
http://www.princetontec.com/?q=node/82
Here is a link with specs to check out. Click on the "specifications" link, as well as the "Technology" link.
http://www.princetontec.com/?q=node/82
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2005
- Messages
- 299
ITP A3 EOS Keychain LED Light
I ordered four of these babies at the reccomendation of Dave Reb. The pricing was great, barely more then an E01. I got them from Knivesshipfree. Great service, and great pricing.
The light......ridiculous! I know I live in the stone age, and this is all new to me, but really the light this throws is crazy! On medium it is more effective then my 4D Maglite. It does not have the spot light quality, but a great broad clear view. On bright.....Wow.....just a fantastic light throw. Again not a lazer beam, but a great wide clear view. The low light level would be great for reading a map, or general walking in familiar territory.
I was able to use it one handed with gloves, which is great. The clip mechanism seems solid enough, and the key ring looks pretty tough and useful. All and all, I am ecstatic! Thanks for your help fellas, really. I plan to add some E01's as Christmas gifts and to stash around. I know they will not rival the A3 in light throw, but I think they will be handy, and tough for years of service. I also want a Photon REX, and the freedom with clip.
Great stuff guys....a new addiction!!!
AI
I ordered four of these babies at the reccomendation of Dave Reb. The pricing was great, barely more then an E01. I got them from Knivesshipfree. Great service, and great pricing.
The light......ridiculous! I know I live in the stone age, and this is all new to me, but really the light this throws is crazy! On medium it is more effective then my 4D Maglite. It does not have the spot light quality, but a great broad clear view. On bright.....Wow.....just a fantastic light throw. Again not a lazer beam, but a great wide clear view. The low light level would be great for reading a map, or general walking in familiar territory.
I was able to use it one handed with gloves, which is great. The clip mechanism seems solid enough, and the key ring looks pretty tough and useful. All and all, I am ecstatic! Thanks for your help fellas, really. I plan to add some E01's as Christmas gifts and to stash around. I know they will not rival the A3 in light throw, but I think they will be handy, and tough for years of service. I also want a Photon REX, and the freedom with clip.
Great stuff guys....a new addiction!!!
AI
I have been happy with my streamlights. I have a stylus pro that I use at work. It's a not a keychain light but it gets beat up, dropped and used constantly all day(I'm a mechanic) and continues to work. I got the microstream for my edc. Its the same thing but only 1 batt vs. 2. I got the nano for my keychain and has performed well for me so far. I have a couple single and double cr123 cell surefires that are awesome too.
That said, I have on order a ITP A3 E0S upgraded and a fenix E01 to try out.
That said, I have on order a ITP A3 E0S upgraded and a fenix E01 to try out.
glocktenman
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2008
- Messages
- 2,026
Gerber and Inova both make a small low cost keychain light. Both are good quality. I've had one of each for over a year with no problems.
- Joined
- May 24, 2006
- Messages
- 2,212
I'm a big fan of the Fenix CR 123 lights. I have the P1, P1D CE, P2D, P2D Q5, PD20. NiteCore also has some nice lights. I've got the EZ AA and Fenixstore.com had the EZ CR2 on sale so I picked one of those up too since I have about 20 CR2 batteries originally purchased for a camera that I don't use any more.
I've also got Photon II, Fauxtons, Micro Fauxtons, The clipless and clipped CountyComm micro lights, Streamlight Keymates.
Here's a couple shots for size comparison on the CR123, AA lights. These were taken before I got the EZ CR2.
I've also got Photon II, Fauxtons, Micro Fauxtons, The clipless and clipped CountyComm micro lights, Streamlight Keymates.
Here's a couple shots for size comparison on the CR123, AA lights. These were taken before I got the EZ CR2.
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2009
- Messages
- 2,809
I am an ARC AAA fanboy and have been for years - it is one tough light and the same one has been on my keys for about 3 years and still going strong. It is a tad smaller than the e01 and that is why I choose to carry it.
With that said, for gifts, youd be crazy not to go with the e01. Like the arc, the E01 is also one tough mother at a fraction of the cost. I spend a lot of time over on candlepower and the durability of the E01 comes up quite often - its been out for over a year and I think almost everyone on cpf owns at least a few - so far no reports that one has failed other than a alki battery crapping up the inside. Some argue that eventually the pos battery contact (which is just metal against the battery - no padding like the arc) will eventually wear away and thus cause the light to stop - I dont think this would realistically be an issue.
In fact, there was a thread on cpf a while ago where some dude dropped both the arc and e01 from the side of his building and the corner of the arc actually bent in rendering it unusable while the e01 survived in working order. Yes, it was most likely the arc hit at a bad angle, but still shows that the e01 will take more than you can dish at it.
If surviving a fall from a building doesnt sell you on the e01, well, I gave one to my father for his keys over a year ago and its still alive and kicking
Its sort of a sad time where a $15 chinese made light can easily stand toe to toe with a $50 american made light, but that is life.
The maratac aaa over on countycomm is also an excellent little light that gives three modes and decent output. I actually also keep this on my keys along with my arc. Its only been out for a short time so no long term testing yet, but I love the thing and it feels very well built. Good reception on cpf. Its $28.
As a gift though, I'd still stick with an e01 - they are the ligths I gift and everyone always loves them - I have created quite a few flashaholics this way
Buy from 4sevens.com - he is a great guy and supporter of cpf. He also offers free shipping worldwide on any order. On orders over $20 use the coupon code "cpf8" for 8% off.
With that said, for gifts, youd be crazy not to go with the e01. Like the arc, the E01 is also one tough mother at a fraction of the cost. I spend a lot of time over on candlepower and the durability of the E01 comes up quite often - its been out for over a year and I think almost everyone on cpf owns at least a few - so far no reports that one has failed other than a alki battery crapping up the inside. Some argue that eventually the pos battery contact (which is just metal against the battery - no padding like the arc) will eventually wear away and thus cause the light to stop - I dont think this would realistically be an issue.
In fact, there was a thread on cpf a while ago where some dude dropped both the arc and e01 from the side of his building and the corner of the arc actually bent in rendering it unusable while the e01 survived in working order. Yes, it was most likely the arc hit at a bad angle, but still shows that the e01 will take more than you can dish at it.
If surviving a fall from a building doesnt sell you on the e01, well, I gave one to my father for his keys over a year ago and its still alive and kicking
Its sort of a sad time where a $15 chinese made light can easily stand toe to toe with a $50 american made light, but that is life.
The maratac aaa over on countycomm is also an excellent little light that gives three modes and decent output. I actually also keep this on my keys along with my arc. Its only been out for a short time so no long term testing yet, but I love the thing and it feels very well built. Good reception on cpf. Its $28.
As a gift though, I'd still stick with an e01 - they are the ligths I gift and everyone always loves them - I have created quite a few flashaholics this way
Buy from 4sevens.com - he is a great guy and supporter of cpf. He also offers free shipping worldwide on any order. On orders over $20 use the coupon code "cpf8" for 8% off.
- Joined
- May 24, 2006
- Messages
- 2,212
Agreed, David (4sevens is his handle at CPF) and his crew at 4sevens.com and Fenixstore.com are some great guys. I've bought most of my recent lights from them - my NiteCore, Fenix, and Civictor lights have all come from them.
meako
Gold Member
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2006
- Messages
- 9,921
I just bought my MRS a led lenser P4 for Xmas. Shes a nurse & asked for a little torch to look at Patients without turning the ICU ward lights on. You could hang this thing off a chopper & search the bush. I'm keeping it & she can have my old minimaglight from SANTA. Because you could damage the eyes with the P4 (as per warning)