The Brightest Keychain Flashlight: Titan Plus

I received this flashlight, and it’s very bright and solidly constructed. I personally carry this light on my keychain. But others might find it too large — if this is the case, I would recommend the compact ThruNite Ti3 (see below).

All Surefire flashlights are designed and built in the USA, although some components are still sourced outside the US. The company says:

We do import a few components – most notably, the finest light emitting diodes (LEDs) from top-notch manufacturers outside the country – to incorporate into our products. All of that said, we do rely on as many American-made parts and components as possible, and the assembly of these components is done under our watchful eye in the U.S. to ensure optimal quality.

The Titan Plus is available from Amazon for about $90.

The Brightest Compact Keychain Light: ThruNight Ti3

The brightest compact keychain flashlight, the ThruNite Ti3 shines with 120 lumens in its highest mode. This is a very small light — it’s only 2.76 inches (70mm) in length. Its body is a titanium alloy, and at 0.56 ounces (16 grams) — this makes it one of the lightest keychain lights.

The ThruNite Ti3 uses just one AAA battery and costs about $13. It’s fully IPX-8 waterproof — it can be submerged up to 2 meters.

Here is the ThruNite Ti3 in action on its highest mode:

Personally, it’s all the light I need to travel through the forest at night.

One negative for me — when the Ti3 is first turned on, it starts in “firefly” mode (.5 lumens), and it requires a couple of more twists to get it to”medium” mode (12 lumens). However, if you keep the light off between 2 to 10 seconds and then turn it on, the light will turn on in the last mode accessed, thankfully.

The ThruNite Ti3 is available at Amazon for around $14.

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The Fenix LD01 is barely large than the AAA battery it uses (we recommend using a low-discharge rechargeable NiHm AAA battery). It is very bright — it produces 80 lumens on its highest setting, which is brighter than most full-size flashlights.

The Fenix LD01 is solidly built — it uses a Cree Q5 LED as its light source, and the lens is made of toughened, anti-reflective glass. It weighs 1.6 ounces, and it is “IPX-8 water proof”, meaning it is suitable for continuous submersion. The flashlight is also RoHS compliant — it does not contain non-toxic heavy metals or flame retardants.

You can the Fenix LD01 from Amazon for about $40.

Schrade Titanium Keychain Pry Tool

Weight: 0.5 ounces (14 grams)
Titanium Type: 6AL-4V Titanium Alloy

This Titanium Key Chain Pry Tool by Schrade is made with solid 6AL-4V titanium — an alloy that is stronger than pure titanium (the exact chemical composition is: 6% aluminium, 4% vanadium, 0.25% iron, 0.2% oxygen, and the remainder titanium).

This is 6-in-One tool, it’s: a seal belt cutter, a bottle opener, a flat head screw driver, a wrench driver, a scraper, and a pry tool. It weighs just 0.5 ounces, and it’s 3.25″ long (8.2 cm).

Titanium Split Pea Lighter

Weight: 0.5 ounces (14.3 Grams)
Titanium Type: 6AL4V Series Titanium Grade 5 Alloy

The Titanium Split Pea Lighter can be used as an candle in an emergency and carried on your keychain. A removable lighter insert allows it to be used as a waterproof titanium pill vial. It sells for $30 from County Comm.

Leatherman Charge TTi Titanium Multi-Tool

Weight: 8.2 ounces (232 grams)
Titanium Type: Alloyed Titanium Handles, S30V Stainless Steel Blades

The Charge TTi Titanium Multi-Tool by Leatherman is one of the few multi-tools that incorporates titanium into its construction. This tool has titanium handles and a titanium outer coating for extra strength, and a little bit less weight.

You can get the Charge TTi Titanium Multi-Tool on Amazon for about $100.

Leatherman Micra Tool

Leatherman Micra is a keychain-sized multi-tool that contains a total of ten tools, including a pair of scissors. The Micra weighs 1.6 ounces, and it’s 2.5 inches long when closed. Leatherman tools are guaranteed for 25 years (10 years for their lights). Specifically, the company says “we will gladly repair or replace it, at our discretion, with one of equal or greater value”. Over 120 buyers on Amazon, rated it an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars. The Leatherman Micra is available on Amazon for around $20.

Another good keychain-sized multi-tool is the Gerber Shortcut Mini-Scissor Tool.

Arc-AAA LED Flashlight

Designed for keychains, Arc-AAA flashlights are barely larger than the AAA batteries they contain. The exact dimension are: 2.5 inches in length, 0.5 inches in diameter, and 0.75 ounces in weight. The Arc-AAA is made in Phoenix, Arizona by Arc Flashlights. The company only makes keychain-sized flashlights, and put a lot of attention into the design of their lights (see the FAQ page of all the technical details).

The Arc-AAA is warrantied for life against manufacturing defects. It features a Nichia white LED light, and is waterproof to 100 feet. I’ve used this flashlight for about five years, and I’ve never had any issues with it. It has fewer scratches on it than my other keychain lights, perhaps due to its “Type III Hard Anodized 6061 Aluminum” casing.

The price is $29.95 for the standard model, and $44.95 for the premium model Arc AAA. It’s available directly from the manufacturer Arc Flashlights. There’s also three titanium models available that range in price from $125 to $140.

We like this flashlight because it’s made in the U.S. with a lot of attention to design detail. It’s also slightly smaller than the Fenix LD01 (below). However, the Fenix LD01 (see above) is much brighter than the Arc AAA, producing 80 lumens, which is quite bright for a keychain-sized flashlight. 

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