I have been looking for a small keyring torch to go on my car/house keys.  I’ve tried the cheap and cheerful ‘squeeze’ type ones powered by a small coin battery but they are only usable to a very limited brightness and range so I have kept my eye out for something more suitable.  Then I came across the Nitecore Tube USB rechargable torch and ordered one to try out.

It is basically a small keyring torch available which has the benefit of being rechargable by USB.  It is available in five colours from which I chose the green as I have a green Gerber Dime multitool on my keyring already. I’ve posted some pictures below to show the packaging as well as the torch itself, using an AA battery for size comparison.  You can see how compact the Nitecore tube is:

 

Specifications:
  • USB Rechargable
  • 3 Modes: High, Low & Variable
  • Output (High) = 45 lumens
  • Output (Low) = 1 lumen
  • Battery Life (High) = 1 hour
  • Battery Life (Low) = 48 hours
  • Withstand a drop of 1.5m onto a hard surface
  • IP65 Rating (Dust & water resistant)
Operation:

The Nitecore Tube is provided without a cable but is uses a standard micro-USB connector so a phone charging cable will do the trick.  The different modes are accessed with 1 or 2 clicks with a hold on one of the clicks accessing a different function:

  • 1st click = 1 lumen then 2nd click = 45 lumens. If you pause after a click before clicking again, it switches off.
  • 1st click & hold = 45 lumens until released to switch off
  • 2nd click & hold = variable brightness from 1 to 45 lumens, repeating until released. Click again to switch off.
Impression:

The 1 lumens setting is only really bright enough to light up something very close such as a keyhole but if the specs are to be believed it will last a long time between charges if that is what you need it for most.  The 45 lumens output is actually quite bright and while it would not exactly replace a decent cree led torch, for a keyring unit it is absolutely ideal and just what I have been looking for.

The only downside I can see is that the USB charging port is covered with a very small rubber cap secured to the side of the torch.  It is quite fiddly to get out of the USB port and as a result I am not sure how long it will last being ‘picked’ at.  However that is a small concern at the moment and it won’t stop me adding one to my wife’s keyring and our outdoor shed/gate keys straight away.