Keyring Torch Review: I’ve Worn Out Two and I’m Buying a Third

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I have owned this keyring torch for three years. Actually, I’ve owned two of them, and I’ve used them so hard that I’ve worn them both out and I’m buying a third. Nobody at BORUIT asked me to say that. It’s just what happens when a small torch turns out to be the one you pick up every single day.

The BORUIT V3 keyring torch is my favourite general-use torch, and it outshines (pun intended) every other torch and head torch I own. It’s tiny, it weighs next to nothing and it goes everywhere with me. Here’s why I keep buying it, and how to get the most out of its small battery.

Why I’ve Worn Out Two of This Keyring Torch

I live rurally and walk the dog every night, in proper dark, with no street lights to help. The main beam on this keyring torch does that job every evening, and the light quality is excellent. The stepped brightness works a treat too, so you can pick the level the job needs rather than having it blast out on full every time.

“Worn out” needs a bit of explaining. Both of my torches still work. After three years of constant use, they just don’t hold quite as much charge as they used to, which happens with every rechargeable battery. Nothing has broken. I’m buying a third because I use this keyring torch so much, and for a torch this size, three years of nightly dog walks is a very good innings.

What the BORUIT V3 Keyring Torch Can Do

For something this small, there’s an awful lot packed in. It’s a 33g pocket torch, slightly smaller than a matchbox, with two separate lights and ten modes between them.

• Main light: five brightness steps, from Turbo down through High, Medium and Low to Economic.
• Side light: five more modes: bright white, UV, red, flashing red and flashing red and blue.
• Size: 56 x 31 x 25mm and 33g, so it fits in the palm of your hand.
• Charging: a built-in 500mAh battery with USB-C charging in about two hours, behind a rubber plug.
• Build: 304 stainless steel and tough PC, rated IP65 water resistant.
• Mounting: a strong magnet in the base, plus a split ring so it can go on your keys.

Here’s how long each mode runs on a full charge:

Light	Mode	Run time
Main light	Turbo (900 lumens)	1 hr 15 min
Main light	High (650 lumens)	2 hr 7 min
Main light	Medium (450 lumens)	2 hr 40 min
Main light	Low (180 lumens)	6 hr 30 min
Main light	Economic (5 lumens)	76 hours
Side light	White	9 hr 30 min
Side light	UV	2 hr 10 min
Side light	Red	3 hr 30 min
Side light	Flashing red	11 hr 30 min
Side light	Flashing red and blue	5 hours

The extras are what make this small rechargeable torch special, because they aren’t gimmicks. I use the red light, the flashing red and the bright white side light for real. The bright white side light is a good one for reading by, or for hands-free light to fix that “thing” you’re struggling with in the dark, either stuck on with the magnet or stood on its end.

The Night the AA Found Me by a Flashing Red Light

I once broke down in the dark. I put the torch on flashing red, stuck it to the top of the car with the magnet, and left it there so the AA could find me. It’s not a job you’d expect from a keyring torch, but the flashing red and the magnet together made it the perfect tool for the moment. I’d told the AA what I’d done, and when the patrolman got to me, he said he’d spotted me from quite a way away.

The red light has had its uses with the dog too. I’ve clipped this keyring torch to the dog on the red light when needed.

The Small Torch You Actually Use Every Day

Breakdowns are rare. The everyday jobs are why this keyring torch never leaves my pocket. Looking at the back of a kitchen cupboard, into those dark corners that haven’t seen daylight in years. Getting under a desk to plug something in or sort out the wiring. A big torch stays in a drawer until you need it, and then you can’t find the drawer. This one’s already on you.

That’s also what makes a keyring torch good to have in a power cut. The best torch in a power cut is the one that’s already in your pocket when the lights go off, and the one you can carry around and use without thinking about it.

I should confess something, given the name of this review. I don’t actually keep mine on my keys, even though the split ring is there and it’s small and light enough to go on a keyring, in a rucksack or in a handbag. I use mine so often that a bunch of keys hanging off it would just get in the way, so it lives loose in my pocket. That’s only my preference, and it’s still a proper keyring torch if you want it to be.

One to Wash, One to Wear: Battery Life

On the brighter settings, you’ll be charging it often. Drop it to the lowest setting, which I’ve found is still plenty for walking in the dark, and it’s listed to run for days. It’s a very small rechargeable torch with a very small battery, so the setting you pick makes all the difference.

I top mine up daily, which is the real reason I’ve got two. It’s one to wash, one to wear: one on charge, one in my pocket. That’s because I use them a lot, and they don’t take long to charge. It’s rare for me to run one flat, but when the battery is nearly out, a small red indicator flashes to warn you, so it doesn’t catch you by surprise.

The UV Torch and the Glow in the Dark Body

The side light is also a 365nm UV torch, and yes, I’ve used it. I use mine for following glow in the dark rodent tracking dust, which I accept isn’t everyone’s Tuesday night, but I do work in pest control. It’s a handy thing to have, though, for anything that shows up under UV light.

My favourite little trick isn’t advertised. There are two versions of this torch, one black and one clear, and we link to the clear one because its body glows in the dark. Shine the built-in UV light on it, turn it off, and the body keeps glowing. It’s a bit of fun, and it also means you can find your torch in the dark, which is a surprisingly useful thing for a torch to be able to do.

Who Should Buy This Keyring Torch

This is a torch for anyone who wants a good light on them all the time: dog walkers, anyone rural, anyone who’s ever crawled behind a TV unit with a phone in their teeth. It would also make a good little present, because it’s the sort of thing people don’t buy for themselves and then can’t stop using.

If it’s going in a kit bag, keep it topped up and use the lowest setting to make the charge last. If you want the keyring torch that’s in your hand every day and ends up being the one you rely on, I’ve been buying this one for three years, and I’m about to buy another.

What the Rest of the Team Think

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Pros and Cons

Pros

• This keyring torch is tiny and light at 33g, so it goes everywhere
• Excellent light quality, with stepped brightness that works a treat
• Red, flashing red and white side lights that get real use
• A strong magnet that holds it on a car roof, steel pipework or anything else magnetic
• USB-C charging in about two hours
• A clear body that glows in the dark after a burst of its own UV light

Cons

• The brightest settings drain the small battery quickly
• Heavy users like me may end up charging this keyring torch daily
• The built-in battery holds less charge after a few years of hard use

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