You often need a flashlight most when you don’t have one with you. Whether it’s locating a keyhole in the dark or unexpectedly finding yourself walking on a dark road, having a flashlight small enough to always have on your keyring and in your pocket is undeniably a good idea. As anyone who’s relied on their phone flashlight for more than a few minutes as the battery runs down will also confirm.
When it comes to buying a keyring flashlight, it’s important to get a good balance between size and brightness. You don’t want anything too bulky that you can’t attach your keys to it. Similarly, you don’t want something that’s so small it can’t have the power to give you a decent beam of light for a good length of time. Some weatherproofing and impact resistance is important too as you want a light you can rely on. Here are our favorites.
Streamlight 73001 Nano Light Miniature Keychain LED Flashlight
Small but powerful
Compact enough for any pocket at just 1.47 inches long, this mini flashlight throws large amounts of light from its high intensity LED. Powered by 4 LR44 batteries (included) inside the weatherproof machined aluminum case, it attaches easily to any keyring with a non-rotating snap hook to save your fingernails.
AIDIER A7 EDC Keychain LED Flashlight
Rugged and waterproof
This beams a super-bright 180-lumens light from its small 2.96-inch body, made from aircraft-grade aluminum. Three modes are available: high, low and strobe, selectable by halfway press of the tail switch. Waterproof to 2 meters and impact resistant to 1.5m drops, this one AAA-battery powered mini flashlight won’t let you down.
RovyVon 550 Lumens CREE XP-G3 S5 LED Flashlight
Rechargeable and super-bright
Fast charging for 45 minutes through a micro USB port will power up this diminutive flashlight’s super-bright 550-lumen beam that can reach over 80 meters. The stainless steel body is weatherproof and there are four lighting modes: low, medium, high and strobe, all selectable from the on/off button. A red light indicates low battery and a blue one when it’s fully charged.
Maglite Solitaire LED 1-Cell AAA Flashlight Black
Small but mighty light from a classic brand
Manufactured in America, this iconic flashlight brand packs its smallest model with plenty of punch. It delivers 47 lumens brightness and a beam distance of some 46 meters. Running for one hour, 45 minutes it’s waterproof and drop resistant for two meters. The Solitaire’s design lets you focus the beam from wide-angle floodlight to a narrow spot. It comes with an alkaline AAA battery, lanyard and there’s a spare lamp inside the tail cap.
Bottom line
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While you wouldn’t want to rely on such a small flashlight for all occasions, you’ll be thankful you have a good keying light when you need it. There are vital moments where you need to throw light on the situation, like finding something valuable you have dropped in the dark or warning drivers you’re in the road. This make a keyring flashlight an essential item to carry every day. For a perfect balance of size to brightness, we would recommend the Streamlight 73001 Nano Light Miniature Keychain LED Flashlight. It’s got the beam of a much bigger flashlight and has a clip that makes it easy to attach to any keyring. What more could you want?
If you prefer AAA batteries to button cells, the Maglite Solitaire LED 1-Cell AAA Flashlight is a good choice. It’s a dependable, bright light from a classic American company.
