Rechargeable USB Mini Torch Keyring
Price: 85p
Manufacturer: unknown
Model: Unknown
Power: Unknown diode 25 lumens output
Run By: Internal lithium Cell unknown capacity
Lens Type: Fixed Focus
Charge Time: 15mins
Run Time: 2 hours from a 15 minute charge
Vendor: bessky_star on ebay
Shipped From: China
Description: Mini USB Rechargeable Flashlight
The USB Port Is Hidden Behind The Key Ring
First Impressions
Making its way through my letterbox this week is the rather curious USB keyring torch which seems to be all over ebay at the moment.
The usual 'buy it now' prices tend to be around the £1.20 mark so bagging this one for 85p didnt seem too bad at all.
Delivery from the far East was a lengthy one but it did arrive within the estimated time. Roughly 2-3 weeks.
This tiny little torch weighs absolutely nothing. Despite the fact that it has a lithium battery built into it.
It's only a couple of inches long and can easily be stowed in any bag, pocket or whatever else.
The main body of the torch is made from cheap yogurt pot plastic. Nothing special.
The LED is mounted behind a diffuser lens of sorts. I can't tell which type of LED it is but it's definitely NOT a Cree offering.
Also contained in the head is a red LED which only comes on when you charge the torch.
The torch is powered on by twisting the head a quarter turn. Dead simple. No stupid strobe or SOS modes to have to cycle through. A straight 'on' and 'off' will do.
One slight concern with the head section is its sloppy fitting to the main body. It's a little loose.
At the rear of the torch is the end cap and keyring.
Twisting the cap reveals the USB port necessary for charging it up.
The cap is actually quite good in protecting the port and fits snuggly to the torch. The keyring is cheap crap to be honest.
Charging the torch is a little strange.. apparently the torch has to be charged for 15 mins for a 2 hours burn time. Fair enough. But the little red led indicator does not go off after 15 mins and remains on constant. Does this torch have over charge protection? As you don't get any instructions it's a little difficult to gage the charging time. hmm
Testing
As expected it's not very bright. The 25 lumens quoted by the seller is in this case very accurate.
There is nothing wrong with a low brightness torch, on the contrary it could be very handy for close up work, map reading or covert applications.
However, for some reason the crisp white light on the torch is spoiled by yellowy artifacts in the lens. It looks like piss stains for want of a better phrase!. Very off putting it has to be said.
Horrible yellow tinge in the beam circle
Despite the yellow artifacts, the diffused light is plenty bright enough for most close work applications. It works well.
Rating: ✅✅✅ 3 out of 5
Hmmm it's a little crap to be honest. The design is good but the materials leave a lot to be desired. I just can't ignore those yellow marks within the beam. Questionable battery protection too.
It's possible to bag a SkyWolfEye 320 for the same price so this doesn't seem such a bargain.