BLF-348 doesn’t have onboard charging, but otherwise fits the bill. (It’s even high CRI.)
https://www.gearbest.com/led-flashlights/pp_227505.html
Nice light, nice price, but there’s no way an 89mm long object is going on my keychain.
I don’t know why I keep having to repeat this, but I’m looking for the SMALLEST tubular lights around 40mm long. ~60mm would be a stretch, and considered only if nothing in the smallest category is suitable in reliability and price.
Of course it’s your choice, but I hope you realize that those dimensions either means low lumens or ridiculously short runtimes.
Yes, and neither of those points really matter for the keychain use-case.
The typical (100/10 lumens, 0.5/6 hours, High/Low) specs are quite sufficient for something imperceptibly small and light on a keychain that is present at a rare moment where light is needed briefly.
I do, too.
I have one with the possibility of lockout.
the Olight i3E now lives on my keys. it’s great. really small and light and so far perfectly reliable. barely feel it in a suit jacket or pants pocket with the keys. last week i tried switching it out for a nitecore tube which is just slightly lighter and rechargeable but it didn’t last a day. I’m typically using it to look for something under a table in a bar or in a staircase that doesn’t have lights or power yet and the one mode beam is great for that.
the tube is omni directional, not good for looking at things, and I think will live on a backpack or something as a backup camping or location light.
I concur. Although my TIP CRI is the 2018 version without lockout, I cover the buttons with the clip to avoid accidental activation. It has never turned on in my pocket.
Mine was from the first batch.
I believe the second batch didn't have lockout.
I don't know what happened after that, but I wouldn't get one without lockout.
Jetbeam Mini-1 has served me well for years.
My solution was a no compromise carry of a 10440 light and a similar sized knife hanging separately on a corner of my pocket.
My key-chain only has keys on it.
The list prices from DQG are high but there are serious deals sometimes. I’ve had a Fairy for $10. Twice. I think I’ve seen Spy for like $12. Hobi? I wasn’t interested.
I never saw the utility of a light that’s closely tethered to a noisy clump of metal. For me, “keychain light” is one of these
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LNWVY4
to literally light up the hole the key is supposta go into.
Even my Glarees (about as lightweight of an AAA twisty as you’re gonna get) I keep separate, and not attached to a pile of keys.
nydude The Olight i3E is appealing as an AAA light since it’s among the smallest in that class. I do wish it had a low mode though. I agree, some directionality is useful for this type of light.
BOO5TED The Jetbeam Mini-1 is quite nice, if only they cut the price in half…
chinooker That’s a reasonable solution if it works for you. I like having just one cluster to bring with me, plus I prefer not having the knife visible since it seems to make people uncomfortable. How long is your knife? Mine is 65mm and although it’s the bulkiest and heaviest item on my keychain, it’s been so useful to have it with me all the time.
Agro Those prices are more like it! Though the lack of USB charging on several of them is still disappointing. At least the Hobi Plus has that. When/where were the deals?
Lightbringer Don’t worry, photons aren’t bothered by noise. 
I think that argument would be more relevant for a knife on a keychain, and yet it’s been very useful for me. To each their own! Gotta say, for an AAA light at 70mm, the Glaree E03 seems pretty nice: moonlight/low/high and weighing 12g. Price isn’t terrible, but it’s still double the Sofirn C01S which lacks moonlight, but has high CRI…
After reading some more, the RovyVon Aurora A3 upgrade seems interesting. At 57mm long and 19.5g it’s 1.5X as long and 2X as heavy as the smallest options, but it compensates with a 260mAh battery, 2lm moonlight mode, and crazy (short duration 450-650lm) brightness. Plus there’s no head to unscrew/lose and build quality looks good. So it might be something to rationalize, but the 30+ USD price plus shipping is hard to swallow.
I won a RovyVon Aurora A3.
I love it.
It's amazingly small and bright (for its size.)
It is pricey, though.
In all 3 cases that was gearbest. Not any special date, just an incredibly good coupon out of the blue.
Really, I can’t recommend waiting for coupons this good. You are likely to wait for a year or more and if you’re unlucky that price won’t appear ever again. If I wanted another Fairy I would be glad enough if I managed to buy for $16. And I would seek such price only if I was really not in a hurry.
BTW I wonder who will be the first to introduce Type C to this kind of lights.
A friend of mine could use a nice pendant but I won’t buy her something with micro USB for the simple reason that it’s an extra cable to carry around.
Could work, thanks for the suggestion. But it just doesn’t feel right to give a decorative present with incompatible connector and throw an adapter needed to make it useful.
No, you’re right and I agree but it’s a workaround until a light comes out with USB C.
BOO5TED He would need it the other way around: USB C to Micro USB adapter
Agro I don’t mind waiting for the right price. My main concerns for a keychain light are the practicality (small and lightweight, ideally imperceptible) and reliability (what good is it if the head gets lost on its own, or it self-discharges, or is frustratingly flaky/flickering?). I keep reading but I have my doubts whether what I’m looking for exists.
Right now I’ve ordered a C01S at a good price and I’ll put it on my keychain a little while to evaluate the size/weight. I really have misgivings about it being too big, but the C01S will be useful to me aside from a keychain light anyway, plus I get to check out my first CRI light. 
As a side note, I took several weight measurements:
- my entire keychain currently weighs 61g
- my pocket knife (on keychain) is 19g
- my USB flash drive (on keychain) is 5g
- an Eneloop AAA is 11-12g
- my 18650 laptop pulls are 41g
I also measured an AA Eneloop but I forgot its weight. I think it was around 25g, roughly double the AAA.