Jetbeam Mini-One - stainless steel $22.49 (price paid)
Nitecore Tini2 - anodized aluminum $ 29.96 (price paid)
I had pointed out both these lights as possibilities and ended up buying both to check out.
Both appear to be well made and I’d say in the world of advanced flashlights these brands are respected in the middle to upper middle of the crowded market. Both go as low as 1 lumen and amazingly as high as 500 and both are keychain and easily lost tiny size. The larger Nitecore has about twice the capacity as the Jetbeam. (60 hrs vs. 15 hrs. at one lumen.) Both use USB-C for charging non-removable batteries. Rubber plugs cover the USB-C slots. They memorize the last used light level.
The cylindrical Jetbeam also has red, blue, green and UV and various flashing options. One short press to turn it on, long press to cycle through light levels. Two short presses to access the RBG options with long presses and three short presses for UV. Short press to turn off. From off, holding a long press gives 500 lumens which will shut off after 30 seconds. Hmmm, there is a bit of a learning curve but once acclimated, not as bad as it sounds.
The Nitecore has a cool LED screen with output level, time remaining and voltage. For a small light requiring USB charging, knowing the state of charge is very handy. It has two buttons- on/off and mode. Click to turn on, then use mode button to cycle through output. From off, hold the power button to go straight to 1 lumen. Or, hold the mode button to go right to turbo 500 lumens. Buttons can be locked out and then canceled with a short then long press. It also has what it calls demo mode where it will shut itself off after 30 seconds, maybe useful for some who only use a light for very brief times. Easy to switch to normal mode, something most users would only do once anyway.
I like both but give the nod to the Nitecore Tini2. While lacking RBG/UV of the Jetbeam Mini-One, the more intuitive user input and screen info of the Nitecore makes it easier to use. However, both go as low as one lumen making them useful on the boat while not disrupting night vision. But also blaze the path ahead, however briefly, with 500 lumens.
One issue I have with many of these newer electronically controlled flashlights of any size, is the wide variety of user inputs. Of the dozen flashlights I have on the boat, maybe two of them operate the same way. Even within the same brand, UI aren’t always the same. I have to hold weekly briefings and seminars with my wife and guests just to enable them to turn on a light.
