A tiny torch with a powerful punch
Price: £12-£15 Typical on Amazon (other retailers similar)
Length of ownership: 3 Yrs
Weight: 11.8g (0.4oz)
Dimensions: 41.5mm length
Battery: Rechargeable (Micro USB)
Other: IP68 waterproofness rated
Owned for: 3 Years
You can check the price or buy the Lumintop EDC Pico from Amazon at the following link*:
Over the years I have carried all manner of gadgety wallet size, or keyring size multitools around. They all have one thing in common. They are universally crappy at every task. They typically offer a crappy bottle opener, with a crappy blade and an even crappier screwdriver, maybe a tiny LED torch which is usually, you guessed it, crappy. So a while back I ditched these typically card shaped horrors and focused in on the two things I use most often. A legal carry sized pocketknife and a keyring torch.
These fulfill the two tasks that I actually need to fulfill frequently, and do so well! My choices for these two are the Opinel #5 pocketknife in carbon steel and the Lumintop EDC Pico, the subject of this review.
Build quality
Having had this little beast clipped to my house keys for over 3 years it has lived a fairly busy life, but is standing strong and still working as expected. The anodised aluminium body, with knurled finish is seemingly bombproof. Whilst mine sports a nice array of scratches, it still twists super smoothly to switch on, with no deformation or problems experienced. The lens is undamaged and seems plenty tough enough. There is a small loop at the back for a mini split ring to allow keychain attachment. I keep it permanently on the tiny accessory crab it came with, clipped to my keys.
Functionality
This is where this torch really suprised me. For such as genuinely tiny bit of kit, it really is impressively bright. It offers two brightness settings. See the video for examples. The low setting is just the thing for finding a keyhole or rummaging in a dark car, the bright setting ideal for navigating a pitch black path or hunting for something dropped in the grass.
The torch boasts an OSRAM GW PUSRA 1 LED which claims 50,000 hours of lifetime and it does the job well. The lens also diffuses light effectively and in a very usable pattern. As with most modern tech I suspect the final failure point will be the battery, well before the LED sees 50,000 hours, although I have had no problem with mine. I did see one review where the reviewer suffered quick battery drain but I have not experience this, so that was clearly a bad unit. I can leave mine for weeks without use and no problems are experienced.
The compromise of such brightness in such a tiny package is battery life. The Pico offers a claim of 4hr on low setting and 25mins on high. For my typical use cases, looking for a rattly thing under the car, or trying to find the keyhole in an unfamiliar place I haven’t had cause to test this, but again I have experienced no problems. This is a torch for when you really need a torch unexpectedly, not as the main light source for wild camping or lengthy powercuts.
Charging functionality is a little different. You unscrew the top half of the housing to reveal the micro usb charge port but this is a clever solution to keeping the port protecting from water ingress and reducing unit size. It charges quickly with a green glow indicating full charge.
Conclusion – Is the EDC Pico a good buy?
To my mind this is a simple answer, yes. It isn’t the cheapest micro torch available but has knocked all the others I have used into a cocked hat. And probably saved me money by actually lasting. Brighter, tougher and more dependable than the others and something that will remain stuck to my keychain for a good while yet! Being rechargeable there is never a battery to hunt for and the dinky size means it really is something I carry everyday, whether popping to the shops, into the city, or helping a friend with a random task.
Check the price or buy the Lumintop EDC Pico from Amazon at the following link*:
Usual disclaimer: * Whilst I have purchased and used this product myself with no money or products taken, the above link is an affiliate link so may earn me a small commission if you choose to buy the product after clicking it.