IMHO, the 10180 battery is absolutely worthless. The run time is horrible, its not readily available, and very few to choose from. Not to mention, there is no real desktop charger that I know of that can charge it.
Good for a novelty light like the GT Nano to wow your friends.
Cant see using it for real world flashlight uses.
I have a Mecarmy 10180 Ti. I quite like the form factor. Just top of the charge occasionally and it's good to go. It is actually on my keychain and is always available.
This one looks very nice.
Maybe the 10180 battery is absolutely worthless for your specific needs. But consider the size and common application. Something like this makes for a great keychain light. I have an Olight i1R that sits very comfortably on my car keys ring and has a usable low, impressive high. Because I use it only once in a while, I charge it up every few months. This Mini2 is larger, but not terribly so. And for charging? It should work fine plugged into a laptop or a USB wall wart. Plus, it looks like the battery can be changed out if needed. The Olight i1R doesn’t have a user accessible battery.
Most basic keychain lights like this have 2 modes because it’s a pressure switch invoked by twisting. I have an i1R that has a low of 5 lumens and high of 150 lumens and it’s very usable.
Of course we all have an opinion. Again, IMHO, a CR123 based light has more umph and is about the same size.
The MINI2 size is 38.9mm(length), 13.8mm(diameter), and weighs 0.41oz/11g.
The Olight i1R size is 44 mm (1.73 in) in length, 14.8 mm (0.58 in) in diameter, and weighs 0.46 oz (13 g).
A CR123 is 34.5 mm (length), 17 mm (diameter).
This is tiny and SMALLER in width than a CR123. Now build a flashlight around that. MUCH bigger. CR123 does not lend itself well as a keychain light power source.
See what a little searching turns up?
So you don’t think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? Certainly, you may tolerate a bit bigger size if there are other benefits? Especially if those benefits mean a lot to you. For example, I like being able to walk in to a store and get a replacement battery for $1 or so. To me the slight bigger size is a small price to pay for that convenience.
You seem determined to deride this light for one reason or another. I think you misunderstand the nature of intended use of this light. I’ve had my Olight i1R on a keychain in my pocket for 6 years now. Battery is still fine. The i1R doesn’t have a user replaceable battery, but at least the Mini2 does if that time ever came. Given how you buy multiple lights per month, you must be buying batteries too. How hard is it to add a 10180 battery to your order? :person_facepalming:
I am just presenting alternatives that may be of interest to someone out there. I think people should consider all aspects of any purchase and not zero in on just one.
The only thing I am determined to do is enjoy the good weather in NYC today.
And that really gets us going down the rabbit hole (not that there is anything wrong with that 
). This is a light for a specific purpose. A 16340 is bigger, or puts out more lumens but starts getting to big for a key chain but is perfect for a pocket. But in a pocket, it is disadvantaged by battery capacity and lumens to an 18650 and then …
Each to his own. I prefer a 10180 of my keychain. I don't put a lot on them and this size complements that philosophy well.
I didn’t see any alternatives presented by you, other than a complaint that the battery isn’t a CR123 for easy replacement. You didn’t offer any alternatives as I did (Olight i1R 2). So I wasn’t zeroing in on “just one.” But go ahead and enjoy your day in NYC. Maybe the sunshine will lighten your mood.
I also find the 10180 sized keychain light to be about perfect. The Olight i1R EOS was a screaming deal when Olight was putting it on periodic sales, like $1 and then $5 for shipping. I picked up 4 of them at that time and gave several as gifts. Now their $1 (or free) deals are with the aging simple EOS AAA. The cheapest I’ve seen the i1R v2 at this point is $15. One thing I like about the new i1R EOS v2 is that you don’t have to remove the head to charge it (you do with the Mini2). USB-C would be preferable to micro USB… and I don’t know if USB-C is either too expensive at this price point or if it’s a larger piece of hardware that would require enlarging the light. It’s not a huge problem, especially if the socket is designed so that it’s easy to see orientation. Often with lights having the socket deeply recessed with a rubber plug to fit over it, the shape can be difficult to make out for orientation.
I looked up what battery the RovyVon Aurora series has.
The typical capacity is 130 mAh and the size is "501030."
I've never heard of a 501030 before.
The RovyVon Aurora A8 is almost painfully small and I think it has the 501030. It’s about the size of my smallest finger. Some of their other keychain lights are using a larger battery now, but still not user accessible. Anyway, the A8 is a nifty little thing and powerfully bright with multi-LED side function. It has a clip, but it doesn’t hold onto a pocket well enough… can’t really EDC it clipped. And in my pocket, it’s actually a little too small—have to rummage around to find it. It could serve as a keychain light though… but I don’t like how the lanyard/ring hole is surrounded by polycarbonate instead of metal.
Two things I don’t like about it: 1) double-click to turn on (press-hold to turn off), and 2) noticeable PWM. The newer A8 was supposed to address the PWM, but I saw a review that mentioned it’s still visible. That is a disgrace in my book for a light at that price.
?!? Not even close.
My Jet-II is a tubby little light compared to the i1R, and even the nekkid ’123 is fatter than the entire i1R, and almost as long.
I don’t use “keychain” lights because I don’t want them getting beat to Hell. I got my i1R on one of those cloth “necklaces” like you’d wear a building-access badge. If I’m wearing shorts or sweats with no pockets, I just grab that and it’s there when I’m wearing it.
So this Mini sounds quite nice, actually.
It’s all about the use-case. If you’re going hiking, forget it, it might light your trail for all of 10min before pooping out. But for a 10sec check in a cabinet or dark room, it’s perfect for the size.
And fwiw, for all my use of the i1R, I only charged it once on getting it, and topped it off once, maybe twice, and not even that it “needed” it (as in getting dim, etc.).
Again, it’s all about how you’ll be using it.
As for any “keychain light”, mine is a squeezy key-blank light,
which has red 0-cri light which is just fine for letting me stick a key into a lock one-handed.
I put my i1R on my car keychain and yeah, the anodizing has worn off quite a bit on the back part. But, it’s no big deal for me—I expected the anodizing to wear off to some degree. Not a showpiece by any means. And because you have to destroy the light to get to the battery, it is ultimately “disposable.” But whatever battery they put in it, it holds a charge for a very, VERY long time! When I top mine off about 3 times a year, it doesn’t take long to reach full.
My older alternate is still hanging on the ring as well. A Photon Freedom. Actually a cool little 2xCR2016 5mm light with some extra functions and ramping. I’ve had it for 10 years. Went to replace the battery today and found I had just one CR2016. But I had a strip of CR1620’s… put one of each together and it worked like a charm. The battery hatch cover developed a crack when I removed it this time… ended up filling it with Crazy Glue. Replacement can be had from the maker for just $2. Of course, shipping is $4.50, so gotta order more than just that. They’ve got some decent accessories, like nice quality lobster claw clips for $2 ea. I’ll probably wait until there’s a holiday sale, get a spare light and pick up a few hatches then.
Had to goggle the PF, interesting…
That’s what I was trying to say. There is a tradeoff between utility and size. I prefer the utility as I carry one light. It’s personal preference. I also would not put a light on my Keychain for the same reason.
A lot of people say they drive a small car because they want to save gas. This is perfectly OK as long as you know getting up to highway speed will be a problem as will hauling stuff from home depot.
I have many small lights and many big lights. I like then all but my preference is a bit on the larger side for edc. This is because I put more weight on the run time and power over size.
As long as we are all allowed to have an opinion, the above represents mine.
Yeah, it’s not a bad little squeeze light. It was great for the price when I bought it way back when—there wasn’t much in other offerings at the time. Now priced the same as a Mini2 or i1R… but it has ramping. Also it has a momentary lockout as well to help prevent accidental activation (you enable it with 4 separate clicks, then disable by a long press). Of course, max output can’t compete with those 10180 cell lights.
Useless torch.
2 hands to operate? I pass, thanks.
I don't buy twisties anymore either. 