Streamlight 72001 KeyMate LED Flashlight, Black

by Streamlight

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Remember that little flashlight your grandma had on her keychain? Remember the sad little pool of brown light it produced? This is not that flashlight. This one-ounce keychain flashlight is engineered to put up to four times the illumination of a typical keychain flashlight (the company rates its light output at 10 lumens). It's sturdy, too, with an anodized aluminum case, unbreakable polycarbonate lens, and O-rings to keep the moisture out. The high-intensity LED is rated to last up to 100,000 hours, and the four alkaline "button" batteries (included) will give you up to 96 hours of run time. For a flashlight that fits in your pocket, it's hard to beat the KeyMate for durability and lighting power.--Josh Dettweiler

What's in the Box
Flashlight with clip, neck lanyard, four batteries (LR 44 alkaline coin cells)

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00008BFSE
• California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 warning.
• Item model number: 72001
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,695 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)
  • #26 in Home Improvement > Hardware > Flashlights > Key Chain Flashlights

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

108 of 109 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice, but the Nano is a much better "keychain" option, August 19, 2009

By 

Aaron702 (Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Streamlight 72101 KeyMate with White LED, Titanium (Tools & Home Improvement)

My wife and I have had the Streamlight Nano lights for a few months and we wanted to try the KeyMate to see if it addressed the shortcomings we had with the Nano. The KeyMate does, but it brings another issue that makes it a less-than-ideal replacement.

The Streamlight KeyMate is a rugged, bright unit for its size. It has a slightly bigger LED that shows a somewhat larger, brighter beam than the Nano does. The bezel portion is a bit more difficult to turn, making it less likely that the light will either turn itself on or fall apart in your pocket (or the car floor), as can happen with the Nano. The batteries are a larger LR44, so they will work quite a bit longer than the LR41s used in the Nano.

Unfortunately, the KeyMate's size is almost 3X the volume of the Nano. I was expecting something that would still be unobtrusive on a keychain, not something that would draw undue attention to my pants. Consequently, the KeyMate will find its life as a spare flashlight in the car, instead.

For our keychains, I think I will simply add some silicone grease to the Nano's threads, likely eliminating the Nano's looser bezel issue.

While I had been concerned about battery replacement for both, I no longer am. Amazon has replacement batteries (LR41 for the Nano and LR44 for the KeyMate - both use four) available for shockingly little cost in multi-packs.

Final analysis--both flashlights are good buys for different needs.

UPDATE: Be careful to hold the KeyMate when locking or unlocking your car. The metal rim around the bezel can definitely leave scratches on paint. FYI, the Nano does not do this simply because it has a rounded bezel, is much lighter and hangs a little higher when dangling on your keychain.

Also, I have had the KeyMate fall apart in my pocket now. To best prevent this, use either teflon tape or "purple" Loctite (Loctite 222) on the threads. This is a small red bottle, but the fluid inside is purple. This is considered a "temporary" hold version of Loctite rather than a "semi-permanent" or "permanent hold."

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Without equal, April 3, 2006

By 

The Grumpy Hacker (Milwaukee - Top 5000 Reviewer!) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

Streamlight makes fantastic torches and this one's no exception. I've used many keychain/pocket/micro torches over the years including traditional bulb and LED; AAA and button cell; and the Keymate is far and away the best. It's small, light, bright, attractive, durable, waterproof, burns for days on a set of batteries, and the LED is good for over 10 years. It comes with a pocket clip, a zipper clip, a lanyard and batteries. In addition to the titanium with white LED model, it's available in black with a white, green, or blue LED.

Its twist-on/off functionality can be operated with one hand and makes it hard to be accidentally switched on when bumped around in a pocket or bag; the only downside is that it can't easily be used for signalling. Another very minor point is that the pocket clip isn't reversible so it can't be clipped to the bill of a cap. Also keep in mind the beam is NOT focusable despite the twist-on/off switch; it employs brightness-enhancing reflector optics which wouldn't work with spot-to-flood focusing. See Steamlight's web site (http://www.streamlight.com/keymate_info.htm) for the facts. Also note their suggested retail price is about 15, so don't be fooled by sites that charge more or claim they're "discounting" it to 15!

The bottom line is, you will NOT find a better one-ounce flashlight!

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More rugged than a Nano; not much brighter, March 12, 2009

By 

smgsmc - See all my reviews

This review is from: Streamlight 72101 KeyMate with White LED, Titanium (Tools & Home Improvement)

I also bought the Streamlight Nano, and previously have used the Maglite Solitaire. The Keymate is larger than the Nano, but smaller than the Solitaire. Both the Keymate and the Nano are much brighter than the Solitaire, which is now languishing in my junk drawer. I was surprised that the Keymate is not all that much brighter than the Nano, especially since the Keymate has a reflector bowl and the Nano doesn't. I don't know whether the Keymate lasts longer on one set of batteries than the Nano. Anyone have experience?

Compared to the Nano, the Keymate is more rugged, in particular the bulb in the Keymate is protected by a lens. The Nano has no lens. Both turn on/off by turning the head. The head on the Keymate is harder to turn and there are more turns before it pops off, so the Keymate won't accidentally turn on or come apart if it's banging around with a bunch of keys. Surprisingly, the keyring clasp on the Nano is sturdier than the one on the Keymate. If small size is the most important feature, I'd go with the Nano. If ruggedness is the most important factor, go with the Keymate. Dependable operation is important, but unless you can get high quality replacement batteries at a low price, longevity may not be an issue. For both Nano and Keymate, I've seen ads for replacement batteries which cost about the same (or more!) than a whole new unit.