Review: True Utility NanoLite

Other Types of Lights Keychain / Pocket Flashlights
1

True Utility claim these are smallest torch in the world. The NanoLite retail on their site for 6.50 GBP plus shipping. True-Brands were very quick at shipping these out to me. Just in time for Christmas! :santa:

Nice finish to the aluminium, but at a guess, only type I anodize. I was very careful handling the light but there are already marks in the soft aluminium from the attached steel split-ring.

Most striking was the rather large wasteful packaging, styled like a waterproof canister of sorts, it might look the part but it certainly isn’t. It feels like the kind of plastic that will crack when dropped.

Soft plastic lock:

Card inlay and contents:

The light runs on four LR521 button cells which were already fitted. An additional eight spare cells are included:

In the off position:

A small twist of the split-ring clockwise, tightening the tailcap to turn it on:

Disassembly shows its simple construction. 5mm white LED, direct drive. A rubbery pad presses against the cells to make connection:

White wall beamshots at 1 metre, 100 ISO:

NanoLite (left), Tank007 E09 low mode (right):

NanoLite (left), DX 20cd fauxton (right):

The NanoLite does not let out much light:

For a smaller light it is actually a little heavier than the DX fauxton. Unfortunately I have noticed flickering due to the switch construction, one must twist it quite firmly or it will flicker. Sadly I do not expect this light to last as long as a fauxton. In spite of the well placed knurling, the light is quite difficult to operate with one hand even with the light attached to a set of keys. Some silicone grease on the threading may help. For the same price, one could get 20 fauxtons shipped from China, of which most will work.

Inner diameter of keyring hole 3mm. I thought about wearing it as a pendant, but the hole is too small for my necklaces, so an additional ring is required.

Overall length, 35.5mm:

Outer diameter, 7.5mm:

At 0.5mm the aluminium tubing is slightly thicker than the 0.3mm stainless steel of my Preon P0.

2

Thanks for the nice review Chloe..

Does not seem like the light is worth the $$..

3

ice review!!

:)

4

Thanks for sharing .

5

I hope you didn’t pay that much for it, BHS sell it for £5.00

6

Check out the egear pico light… works very well… unlike the Streamlight Nano (that the head tends to uncrew itself).

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Thanks, everyone! :bigsmile: I updated with some more pics and measurements.

8

so what's your final verdict, do you like it more on your keychain than e09? :O

9

Maybe a nice trinket but not really a serious keychain light. :zipper_mouth_face: Better to get a set of fauxtons (larger but lighter, easier to use, and brighter):

Sorry for poor lighting. If it makes a cute necklace I’ll post a pic.

10

it may be a good host for modding with a nichia 30 lumens 5mm led.
it will have more light than fauxtons and will have nice NW tint.

11

Thanks for the review Chloe.

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Thanks, Steve!

I wonder about runtime, but might be worth trying. For 5mm LED, the clear fauxtons have the advantage as they let out a lot more light than those with opaque bodies.

I’d rather try fitting a small tiny star, regulator and aim for a moonlight low/flood. It could be cute then.

The switch is most annoying as it relies on the compression of a small rubber insert, which takes several twists to turn it on reliably otherwise it may blink. The tailcap also needs a ring/split-ring of some sort as there is very little to grip otherwise.

13

Small update after carrying it on my keyring for a couple of months. I thought it was only fair to try it, since it is so small and light.

Only one issue, even though I had turned the tailcap a couple of times to prevent it turning on, somehow I came back to my keys to find it on. My keys are quite heavy so the weight may have activated it, just from setting them on the table. Not terrible, but not ideal either. I have not had this issue before with any of my lights.

I thought it might get scratched, but due to its size and how I’ve arranged my keys it only rubs against the parts of the keys protected by keycaps.

14

It’s a neat lookin’ light, and yeah-I’ve heard it doesn’t put out much light…but it’s slim enough to not be a bother. I like the looks better than the standard pico, nano, or fauxton.

Buuuttttt I like the variability on D2. A little heavy though and sorta bulky :frowning: and after this can’t really justify a spy, but those look like next best. Oh well, looks like I’ll skip this one.

15

I did try replacing the LED with one of these 14cd from FT but the light output was lower than the stock LED; the LR521 cells don’t put out enough current…

16

The light seems OK. I would buy it for $5 especially if that case was thicker. It sure looks handy. I can use it for all kinds of things. But since you say it is not waterproof & cheap I am not interested.

Thanks for taking your time.

17

Yeah-thanks for the review. I was lookin into it back when they put it on kickstarter. Still-looks cool!

18

After some six months living on my keyring it comes apart whenever I tighten the tailcap to turn it on, so now it is pretty useless. :frowning: I already had to change the LED once because the leg on the old one broke (it is bent to make contact with the batteries).

The light is made of three sections; the retaining bezel is press fit.

I do not think it is aluminium, as there is gold metal (brass?) under scratches/wear points in the silver finish.

19

You could probably glue the head back in place with “JB weld” (if that’s like the grey Bison 2-component epoxy)
Just make sure you still have electrical contact.

In all i think it’s a strange product…
What’s the point of the box anyway?
And for the price it shouldn’t be falling apart so terminally.

20

I will try some JB Weld. Thanks. It is a pity the bezel is not part of the body/tube.

I think the box is part marketing as they released many products in them, maybe to convey a sense of ‘utility’ or added value. The box is really not very robust.