Dimensions & Weight
Case Material
Case Features
Case Access Type
Switch Type
Reflector Type
Lens Type
Bulb Type
Circuit
Beam Type
Beam Characteristics
Overall Output
Nominal Color
Battery / Power Type
Battery Life (advertised)
Environmental Protection
Accessories
Special Items of Note
Warranty
Retail Availability & Cost

1- The TnC, Key-Lux AA is a keychain sized pocket flashlight that reflects the silhouette of classic flashlights- its head being a shorter and wider section than the body- but it's diminutive size makes it a miniaturization of the larger products produced by this maker. The Key-Lux AA uses a 1Watt Luxeon LED powered by a single AA size battery. The Key-Lux AA is a custom machined limited edition personal object that exudes high quality fabrication.
2- The light is a radially symmetrical cylinder with only a bilaterally symmetrical tailpiece- differentiated from the head by a standard style keyring hole.
3- Though small, the Key-Lux AA is at the largest limit for what one might describe as a pocketable keychain light, The TnC Key-Lux 'N' cell has the same emitter and output but due to a smaller battery, yet it's less than half the size of the Key-Lux AA.
4- The Key-Lux AA is ideal for situations where high output combined with a light-weight form factor are essential. This makes it useful for individuals of all hand sizes and in situations where compactness is an important usability criterion.
5- Circumferential bands of aggressive diagonal knurling separated by plain areas of relief- enhance grip ability and functionality and accentuate the visual differentiation between head, body and tail sections.
6- The aluminum wall thickness of the battery tube is 1mm and knurled sections are 2mm.
7- All sections are crafted with a jeweler’s precision and fit together very precisely with a smooth threading action. One notices from taking the Key-Lux AA apart that it is a tool made with high precision engineering.
8- The sample we evaluated sports a 'Natural' Type III hard anodizing throughout. This anodizing should be effective against corrosion as well as in reducing glare both in the daytime and at night.The olive drab color matches well with miltary as well as olive drab apparel and gear.
9- There is no 'play' or rattle anywhere in the Key-Lux AA. Substantial 'O' ring seals at all junctions between sections provide, a snug fit and a seal against the elements- especially water. An additional 'O' ring seal prevents water from entering the bezel through the front lens.

1- Stowage- None Applicable – keyring hole in tailcap.
2-Basic activation- in normal use, light emits from the front of the flashlight when activation occurs through a full clockwise turning of the head. There is no follow-through before turning stops. An anticlockwise turning of the head in relation to the body conversely effects de-activation.
3-The head section is finely threaded to the body section, allowing for easy access to the enclosed LED module or ‘sandwich’. The front bezel is threaded to the head and allows for access to the lens and its ‘O’ring. Taking these components apart requires no specialized tools or skills.
4- A removable tailpiece protects the battery compartment from the environment by a single stylish red 'O' ring and allows for battery replacement and keyring or lanyard attachment. Contact pressure with the battery is furnished by a stylish copper coiled spring in the tailpiece.

1-The Key-Lux AA’s On/Off functionality is standard and fundamentally as simple to activate as any of several flashlights of its genre. Turning the head of the Key-Lux AA does not affect beam angle in any significant manner.
2- An extraordinary usability characteristic of the TnC Key-Lux AA- is the fact that it produces a wide and relatively bright beam for its small size- indeed it puts out a brighter and more useful beam than any light of it's size and emitter class.
3- We didn’t perform physical tests but judged that the diagonally patterned knurling would be very effective in preventing slippage and loss in most situations, even with wet or gloved hands. Such attention to ergonomic and aesthetic details- is noteworthy of the Key-Lux AA when contrasted with mass-produced keychain lights that provide merely cosmetic knurling that often has marginal usefulness in less than ideal conditions.
4- The TnC Key-Lux AA is a light that can be carried by itself, on a lanyard or on a keychain. As such, this it highly versatile for many end-users with varied preferences for stowage. As is often the case with keychain lights, the keychain itself-with its attached keys are most of the ‘handle’ while the light may additionally be partly supported by the user’s hand. The great advantage of the Key-Lux AA is that it can be used as a handy key-fob that happens to provide its owner with a premium quality of illumination for most everyday tasks.

The TnC Key-Lux AA scored Maximum Distance for Object Identification or MDOI at 40 feet -more than adequate for general searching or navigation in an emergency- though not really sufficient in tasks with which larger and more powerful lights are typically associated -such as tactical or emergencies of long durations or covering a wide field. Unfortunately, the Key-Lux AA’s close range wide-angle brightness is offset by a single ‘high’ brightness setting that consequently depletes the battery’s energy in between 50 and 60 minutes. This is sufficient for most short-use tasks and medium-run emergencies such as a tire change, it’s not quite long enough to serve in emergencies that may run for an hour or longer. As a result, back-up replacement batteries are highly advised. Indeed, a similarly styled waterproof spare battery carrier would be a welcome accessory.
Beam-shots Page >>

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Keychain not included

Footnotes:

(*1) Medium Men's glove size- Also, a Standardized Flashlight Hand Size Metric (SFHSM)

		Small A-B = 4.5" or Shorter
		Medium A-B = 4.5"-5"
		Large A-B = 5"-6"
		X-Large A-B = 6" and Longer

(*2) Maximum Distance for Object Identification (MDOI). The maximum distance that a person without the aid of magnification-can with normal or corrected vision, under a given ambient level of light, identify an object of known size, and clearly distinguish it from its surroundings. We have tentatively identified the following scenarios for such measures:

• A single average sized person/body identification scenario
  • Urban (city, inside buildings, dark alley, lit streets)
  • Rural (countryside,farm residential backyard)
  • Environmental (dessert, woods, wetlands, over water)
  • Natural & manmade disaster (fire, flood/mudslide,earthquake, hurricane /tornado,bombing scene, collapsed structure etc)
• Small Inanimate Object (smaller than a shoe-box)
• Medium Inanimate Object (Black Plastic 33 Gallon (124Litre) Garbage Bag stuffed with a big sleeping bag)

(*3) Usability testing results - in progress.

(*5) Context Inclusive Illumination Window (CIIW) as compared with a Context Exclusive Illumination Window (CEIW) .

• CIIW describes a subject illumination paradigm wherein the illumination target is the focus of the beam's brightest disc or 'Hotspot' and peripheral objects to the target are more dimly illuminated in a larger disc that surrounds the focus or hotspot. This outer region is also referred to as a corona or penumbra.
• CEIW describes a subject illumination paradigm wherein the illumination target is the focus of the beam's brightest disc or 'Hotspot' and peripheral objects to the target are not sufficiently illuminated to be easily discernable at the periphery of subject beam's focus or hotspot.

© 2004 - Imägo Metrics - All Rights Reserved
Original standards designations (including acronyms) depicted in this, as well as all of our evaluations are the exclusive intellectual property of Imägo Metrics LLC and subsidiaries. Reproduction without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.

All Photographs © 2004 - Imago Media