Hi BLF!
This is my review of the Trustifire Mini X, a keychain flashlight!
The flashlight was sent by Trustfire in the sequence of their Giveaway, that I and other members won. Thanks Trustfire and Aurora for the GAW and for sending the flashlight! :+1:
More information about this flashlight can be find here (non-affiliate):
There is also a thread talking about the impressions on the MiniX, here: TrustFire Minix impressions . Check it for more/different opinions 
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
Body Colour: Black (Cool Black) (* *)
Emitters (my version): White (Neutral/Cool) + Red (620nm)
Material: Aluminium alloy
Lens: TIR optics
Battery: Lithium Polymer 300mAh (not replaceable)
Charging: USB-C Built-in charging
Switches: E-switch
Low Voltage Indication: Yes
Max runtime: 152hours (White led) / 163minutes (Red led)
Max beam distance: 86 m(* * *)
Max output: 320 lumens
Candela: 1849 candela
Waterproofness: IP66
Impact resistance: 1m
(* *) Other versions available:
Colours: Ultimate Grey, Midnight Blue, Diamond Blue, Luxury Purple
Leds: White + UV (365nm)
(* * *)
The user manual also refers 42m as maximum range, so there is a conflict of information. See below for my considerations.
PACKAGE AND FLASHLIGHT
The Trustfire MiniX arrives in a small cardboard box, with some general information on the different sides. In one of the sides you can check your colour version and also the LEDs that your flashlight has.
In mine, the boxes “Cool Black” and “Red” are checked.
Inside we find: 1 Trustfire MiniX, 1 USB to USB-C charging cable, 1 split ring, 1 user manual.
Talking about the flashlight, here’s what it is:
- it is a small, compact and lightweight flashlight
- there are no machining flaws that can be seen and everything seems to be well put together
- most of the body is aluminium, except for the front (TIR) and the back (lanyard hole), which are plastic or other non metallic material
- in the front there is a TIR optic sitting above the 2 LEDs
- the TIR optics are not completely clear as the center seems to be a bit “frosted”, eventually to avoid beam artifacts
- below the TIR, there is a red o-ring that helps on water and dust proofing
- there is no information about the LEDs used, if on the Red LED I would bet on Cree XPE, I am not sure about the White LED (I can only say it seems to have a white part on it, like Osram Leds or XP-L HD) [See some ongoing discussion on this thread: Trustfire MiniX $15.70 on AliExpress ]
- in one of the smaller sides, there is the USB-C port, covered by a silicone cover which stays in place and is not removed easily/accidentally
- on the other side there are the engravings of brand logotype, CE, disposal, battery size (3.7V 300mAh) and also the Serial Number
- on the top side, there is the engraving of the brand/model and the switch button, which does not protrude that much
- there are also 3 small grooves (let’s call it “knurling”) that can be used to distinguish the top side from the back, and that also help on the grip
- on the back side, there are only 3 longer grooves that help on the grip
- the tail of the flashlight is made of plastic, it is not flat (so the flashlight doesn’t tailstand), and it has a hole for a split ring or a lanyard, also serving as the “cover” to hold the internals in place
How do I feel about these “physical” features?
- the grip is good, not slippery, although the light feels small - as it is - in the hand (I am using a lanyard for better support
)
- although the switch button only protrudes slightly, it can be “easily” found either with the thumb or the index fingers (depending on how you hold the flashlight, of course)
- it would be nice to have it tailstanding, but that would make the light become a “brick” without forms, so that “protruding” part on the tail is not a bad design at all
- I do like that the silicone cover on the charging port is not accidentally “removed”, so it stays in place very well and the port is not exposed
- given that there is no glass above the TIR, the TIR optic is prone to scratches, which already happened in mine, without major consequences on the beam, though
- my light already felt to the ground some times (from above 1m) and the only damage it took was a slight bruise in the corners of the head, provoked by the impact
- concerning body scratches, so far, there are none.
And now let’s see some more of this light, namely weight and dimensions.
Like I said, small and lightweight!
ACESSORIES
After the flashlight, the accessories!
The split ring to be used in the tail. Not much to say about it!
The USB to USB-C charging cable, 30cm long.
The User Manual.
It is written in different languages (English, Chinese, Japanese, German, Spanish and French). It is well written and describes the main features and specs of this light. Still, it lack information about the LEDs used. It has some conflicting information, though, as mentioned above.
Click for bigger images
USER INTERFACE / BATTERY LEVELS & CHARGING / OUTPUT & RUNTIME
Moving on to the User Interface, it is quite simple, but still has some nuances!
The flashlight has 4 levels for the White LED (Moonlight > Low > Medium > High) and 2 levels for the Red LED(constant Red and blinking Red).
It also has memory for the White LED levels, so it will memorize the last used level.
There is also an electronic lockout mode.
This is how the Trustifire MiniX is operated:
- Turn the flashlight ON (if unlocked): press & hold the switch for 0.5s
- Turn the flashlight ON (if locked): click 2 times on the switch > the light unlock and turns ON in the last used level
- Turn the flashlight OFF from any level: press & hold the switch for 0.5s
- Change levels (White or Red levels): single click when ON to advance from ML > L > M > H > ML… OR Constant Red > Blinking Red > CR…
- Change between White and RED (or UV) LEDs: when ON, press & hold 1.5s to alternate between the type of LEDs
Concerning the electronic lockout:
- Lock: 2 clicks from OFF > the lights locks out and the White LED blinks 2 times
- Unlock: 2 clicks from OFF > the lights unlocks and turns ON in the last used level
While the flashlight is locked, it one clicks or presses the switch, the flashlight led will blink 2 times.
When turning ON the flashlight, the led indicator on the switch button will turn ON and show the light colour correspondent to the battery level (see below).
———///////———
Concerning the battery levels, according to specs the switch button will warn about it by having different colours when turning the flashlight ON. So:
GREEN: battery is between 100-80%
YELLOW: battery is between 80-20%
RED: battery is between 20-5%
BLINKING RED: battery is below 5%
Of course, we know that when the battery is red or blinking red, it is time to charge it!!
I tested the flashlight during a while (maybe an hour) when it was red and blinking red, and it could only be used in the Moonlight level.
It took a while before the light completely shut OFF, so you know that despite the low level of power, it will not leave you in the complete dark that soon. Still, it is convenient to charge it before it runs that low.
Unlike in the other levels, when the battery is below 5%, the led indicator in the switch will keep ON and blinking while the flashlight is ON.
As for charging, after running it to a very low level (not depleted) I charged the flashlight and it took around 50 minutes to charge. I expect that if fully depleted it will take some minutes more at around 1hour.
While charging, the led indicator will be RED, and when charged, it will turn GREEN.
Charging rate (beginning) and mAh charged (end):
———///////———
Last on this section, the Output VS Runtime!
Again, according to specs this is how the MiniX is supposed to act:
| Level | Lumens | Runtime | Range (m) (*) | Candela |
| Moonlight | 1lm | 152hours | NA | NA |
| Low | 30lm | 327 minutes | 27m | 182cd |
| Medium | 90lm | 136 minutes | 51m | 650cd |
| High | 320lm | 56 minutes | 86m | 1849cd |
| Constant Red | 136mW | 163minutes | NA | NA |
| Blinking Red | NA | NA | NA | NA |
(*)
Concerning the range/distances, I would like to say that, even without a meter to measure it, the levels have a good illumination range at:
- Moonlight: 2-3 meters
- Low: ~10 meters
- Medium: ~20 meters
- High: 45-50 meters (the user manual states both 42m and 86m for this level, and even if the total range is around 60m, depending on how dark it is, the useful beam will not be above 45-50m. I tested it during the night, outdoor, and beyond that the light can still reach some points, but don’t expect it to be a powerful light)
Concerning runtimes, I made a 10 minutes test to check how the light behaved on High and my “results” are that the HIGH decreases during 1.30 minutes, and after that it started to stabilize, with slights “ups and downs”, during at least 10 minutes (time of the test).
The light got a bit warm, but not too much. This lets me know that with a full battery the flashlight will probably hold the medium level during quite a while so I will not lose illumination all of a sudden.
Again, this is a small flashlight, with a small battery and body, so don’t expect incredible runtimes on it if using it for long periods of time.
FLASHLIGHT COMPARISON
Here is some size comparison between the Trustifire MiniX and other keychain and not-so-much-keychain flashlights and also with 2 batteries!
This flashlight is really small and despite being larger than other “tube” lights, it doesn’t become awkward due to that, when carried on a pocket.
I will be honest that I didn’t carry it in a keychain yet, only loose in a coin pocket or in the regular pockets, along with other stuff. Using a lanyard makes it easier to pull it out but without that it could still be found.
Nitecore TIP 2017 > Trustfire MiniX > Nitecore Tube
RovyVon A8U > Trustfire MiniX > Lumintop GT Nano
AA battery > Trustfire MiniX > 10440 battery
Sofirn C01 > Trustfire MiniX > Sofirn CO1R
RovyVon E200u > Trustfire MiniX
The only lights I use as keychain flashlights, from these posted above, are the RovyVon A8U and the Nitecore Tube.
BEAMSHOTS
I have to say that I wasn’t able to take some outdoor beamshots to show how this MiniX flashlight works outdoor. Even knowing that it will not be an EDC size flashlight, a keychain flashlight can be a life saver, so you need to know how it behaves if you have it in the pockets. I will try to update that part later.
Despite this, I mentioned above the “real range” for each level (eye measurement if useful beam).
So far, what I can show you is the beam pattern and compare it with other “competitors”.
Concerning PWM, it is not visible in the camera or at naked eye, only with the camera above the LED, both for the White and Red LEDs.
Nothing like the RovyVon A8U :disappointed:
Beam pattern. It has some artifcats, some of them not visible here on the photos but present at naked eye. To remove them, the best way is to “frost” the lens, by adding some kind of adhesive DC-Fix or similar.
Those are mainly “rings” and some yellowish part in the outer spill. This is probably related not only with the LED used, but also with the clear part of the TIR (except its center).
Here’s a comparison with the Nitecore TIP 2017 (LEFT)
Here’s a comparison with the Sofirn C01R (LEFT), on its 3 levels of red
Here’s a comparison with the RovyVon A8U (LEFT), with that nasty PWM in 3 of the 4 modes. It will soon be replaced :innocent:
OVERALL APPRECIATION
In general, the Trustfire MiniX is a well built flashlight, lightweight and compact, that can be used in a keychain or loose in a pocket/coin pocket.
Despite its small size, it provides good and useful illumination within certain ranges, being useful for short to middle range contexts, but not for long ranges.
Given the “simple” UI, it can be gifted to non enthusiasts without many issues.
What I like?
- Overall building quality, without machining flaws, providing good grip and overall functionality
- The secondary Red LED, even if this one will be used with less frequency. I also believe that the UV can be useful, although I do not have one to say this with 100% certainty.
- The switch doesn’t protrude, which means that it can avoiding accidental activation (like those I have in the Nitecore Tube all the time… :zipper_mouth_face: )
- USB-C rechargeabilty, just because I already carry the cables for my phone, since this MiniX charges quickly
What I’d change?
- The inaccessible battery, for eventual future replacement (although I know this will take a while to be completely unusable, so it’s actually not that relevant IMO)
- The White led, so that it could be Neutral white and High CRI
- The TIR optic, to avoid artifacts on the white and red LEDs
- The UI, by replacing :
a) the “press & hold for ON/OFF” by “single or double click for ON/OFF”, and , consequently,
b) the “single click to change modes” by “press & hold to change modes”.
c) “memory mode” by “always starts on the lowest”, or something mixed like the Nitecore TIP
d) the “press & hold for ON/OFF” by “press & hold for momentary High”
Actually, the UI is what bothers me the most in this flashlight. I do get that it doesn’t need to be similar to other flashlights on the market, but that is probably the thing that I would change the most in the Trustfire MiniX.
The other aspects mentioned, are something I can live with and will not affect substantially my use of this flashlight.
The good aspects are above the negative ones in this flashlight, clearly! And it made me realize that Trustifire may have some other interesting options to explore in other lights.
Still… I guess it will not replace the RovyVon lights as my favourite keychain flashlights !! 
Thanks again to Trustfire and Aurora for the GAW and for sending the flashlight.
As for your, readers, leave your comments if you want to 
You can also find my video review on the Trustfire MiniX on YT:
Charges just fine with a USB-C to USB-C cable from a PD wall wart. Takes about the same charge time with that as it does from a 500mA USB 2.0 port on a computer and I was seeing around 480mA charge rate from both sources. I think I’ll go ahead and mill off the bottom to make it able to tail stand, but I’m also thinking about using a thin neodymium plate magnet now, too. There’s enough meat there to cut a groove and insert the magnet rather than just gluing it over the top (if I can find one the right size).