Customer Reviews

Streamlight 72001 KeyMate LED Flashlight, Black

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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."

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!

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.

The Streamlight KeyMate is brighter than the small MagLites, which is what I was looking for. For those who don't find it bright enough, check to make sure you have it turned on firmly. Mine lights before being fully on. If you want a tiny, bright, tough light, this is it.

My husband really likes this little light. I thought it was at least 3 times the size of what it really is. It is very small, however, my husband put it on his key chain and it works well for him.

This is the best keychain light I've yet found. It's compact enough to carry on my keychain at all times, yet bright enough to be useful. It's solidly-built, with an all-metal exterior (aside from the lens), and doesn't flex, bend, or crush with anything I've thrown at it. The clip, chain, and chain pivot connection are also metal and durable. The battery lasts for months under occasional use.

I use it when I need a light quickly or unexpectedly. It's not something I use for serious or heavy use, or when I need a lot of light. I use bigger flashlights for that. This might well be the flashlight I use to help me find that bigger flashlight, though!

I like this design in particular because it uses a twist-head on/off switch. I've had various push-button, slide-switch, and squeeze lights, but found they would always get turned on in my pocket as I sat on/against them. That killed the battery in short order. For some reason, the twist-head on this design doesn't have that problem. YMMV.

I used to own the "Black" color model, but after several months the black paint started to wear off unevenly, which looked crummy. Some time later, I lost the flashlight (I'm always losing small things). This time, I went with the "Titanium" color. As usual, "Titanium" really means "bare, polished metal", and thus doesn't have any half-worn paint problems.

Gave these as Christmas presents to co-workers. Great little light. Bright, small, bombproof. Everyone is using them and loves them. Highly recommended.

It's amazing, It works better than a normal flashlight no matter the size, providing enough illumination for almost everything you need, considering you can carry it in your pocket.

It's a key chain flashlight, don't expect thousand of candles of illumination, but it is "full of muscles".

I'm considering to buy other 2, one for my sister and a spare one for me.

I love this flashlight for my keychain. It is small, durable, and very bright. This is my second one to own. I don't think I got as long of life as advertised from the first one, but it did last quite a while. These flashlights new are as cheap as the batteries it takes to run them. The thing I like most though is that unlike a lot of keylights you buy, you don't have to keep your finger pressed on a button to stay lit. You can just turn it on and it stays lit and works very well.

I bought both this and the Streamlight 73001 flashlight. This one is about twice the size as the Streamlight 73001 and only produces a bit more light (and cost more). If you want a keychain light go for the cheaper smaller Streamlight 73001 as it produces more than enough light.

Otherwise this is a very good light.