Best Survival Watch under $200

Best Keychain Flashlight Review

Best Keychain Flashlight Review & Buying Guide

Imagine it is already dark outside and you have just arrived home in your car. You remember that there was some important data you copied from your work PC onto a pen drive so you can continue working on it at home, after dinner. You rummage in your car, on the seats and in the glove compartment to find the pen drive and don’t succeed in finding it, wherever you search. The car’s interior light does not seem to help either!

A keychain flashlight is a quick and reliable way to provide the light you need to accomplish your purpose. It’s also a great survival tool to carry with you in the outdoors while camping or hiking.

Best Keychain Flashlight 2017 – My Top 3 Choices:

  • SureFire Sidekick 300-Lumen Ultra-Compact Triple-Output Keychain Light, Black (~$75)
  • Best Small Flashlight Highest 360 lumens: UltraTac K18 Powerful LED AAA Key Chain Torch Light 4 (~$29.85)
  • Nitecore TIP BLACK 360 Lumens USB Rechargeable Keychain Flashlight with LumenTac USB Cable (~$29.95)

#1 – SureFire Sidekick 300-Lumen Ultra-Compact Triple-Output Keychain

My choice #1 for the best keychain flashlight 2017 is almost rectangular shaped and can produce a powerful 300 lumens of visible light that reaches up to 50 meters. There are three brightness settings you can choose from, at the simple flick of a button.

Best Keychain Flashlight

The rechargeable battery is the most attractive feature of the SureFire Sidekick, as with other flashlights you either replace the existing battery or remove the battery first from the unit to recharge. The charging process for this keychain flashlight is as simple as directly plugging the device into the mains through its micro USB port, as you would normally do with your smartphone. Incredible but true! Your flashlight is always readily charged as you would normally carry a power bank to charge your smartphone wherever you go!

The external body of this weather resistant keychain flashlight is very compact and the metal clip provided makes it convenient to carry around with you, wherever you go.

Features:

  • Length: 2.5 inches
  • Bezel diameter: 0.58 inches
  • Battery: Lithium-ion
  • Weight: 1.2 ounces
  • Brightness: 300 lumens (high), 60 lumens (medium), 5 lumens (low)
  • Runtime: 1.25 hours (high), 4 hours (medium), 45 hours (low)

Pros:

  • Micro USB port for charging
  • Lightweight and very compact
  • Weather resistant
  • Multiple light output
  • Flood beam

Cons:

  • Made of plastic
  • Unit becomes non-functional if the built-in battery dries up
  • Beacon mode during charging may be annoying for some people especially at nights

#2 – Nitecore TIP BLACK 360 Lumens USB Rechargeable Keychain Flashlight with LumenTac USB Cable

My #2 selection is also a very good choice for a portable keychain flashlight. The exterior material is made of water-resistant polycarbonate and is so robust that it can withstand 77 pounds in weight!

You have a choice between four modes for brightness and the highest power achievable is a brilliant 360 lumens which is quite high for a battery equipped with rechargeable Li-ion. The device memory will “remember” the last brightness mode used before the flashlight was turned off. The light beam lights up your peripheral vision and can reach up to 74 meters.

Nitecore TIP BLACK 360 Lumens USB Rechargeable Keychain

You can conveniently recharge your Nitecore keychain flashlight directly using its micro USB port just like your smartphone (very exciting?) or if you are not near an AC outlet, you can conveniently plug your device into your power bank just like the SureFire Sidekick keychain flashlight.

The advanced temperature regulator automatically stops the flashlight from overcharging even if it is plugged in, preventing the unit from overheating. You can easily loop this flashlight in your keychain using the metallic key ring to conveniently carry it around.

Features:

  • Length: 2.39 inches
  • Bezel diameter: 0.85 inches
  • Weight: 0.75 ounces
  • Battery: Lithium-ion battery
  • Brightness: 360 lumens (turbo), 150 lumens (high), 35 lumens (medium), 1 lumens (low)
  • Runtime: 30 minutes (turbo), 1.5 hours (high), 6.5 hours (medium), 46 hours (low)

Pros:

  • Lightweight and compact
  • Waterproof
  • Shock absorber up to 1.5 m
  • Multiple light output with memory function
  • Micro USB port for recharging

Cons:

  • Consumes battery in turbo mode

#3 – UltraTac K18 Powerful LED AAA Key Chain Torch Light 4

My #3 choice for the best keychain flashlight 2017 is an aluminium-bodied flashlight and one of the best keychain flashlights you can find. Since it is compatible with multiple battery types, you can use alkaline or rechargeable Li-ion batteries with this device and consequently experience a significantly higher level of brightness. You get enhanced lighting through the hidden strobe mode on this device, and four different modes of brightness through a toggle switch, the highest being 360 lumens.

UltraTac K18 Powerful LED AAA Key Chain Torch Light

The keychain flashlight is waterproof and impact resistant as the external body is made of aerospace aluminium. A direct copper thermal path inside the body ensures efficient thermal dissipation so this keychain flashlight won’t overheat.
This keychain flashlight is very compact and can be conveniently attached to your head as a headlamp using the detachable metal clip provided. Using the carabiner clip you can attach this flashlight to a keychain.

Features:

  • Length: 2.95 inches
  • Bezel diameter: 0.55 inches
  • Battery: Lithium-ion
  • Weight: 0.75 ounces
  • Battery: Li-ion 10440 or Alkaline AAA
  • Brightness: Using Li-ion 10440: 360 lumens (high), 80 lumens (medium), 5 lumens (low)
  • Brightness: Using Alkaline AAA: 110 lumens (high), 25 lumens (medium), 3 lumens (low)
  • Can be used as a headlamp

Pros:

  • Lightweight and ultra-compact
  • Shock and weather resistant
  • Multiple light output
  • Flood beam
  • Better thermal dissipation
  • Detachable clip

Cons:

  • Consumes battery in high mode during extended use

Conclusion

All three of my choices for the best keychain flashlight in 2017 would efficiently serve the purpose of providing a bright, but miniature light to help locate something quickly in the dark in a small space, or light your way on the pathway outside your home or in any other similar situation.

However, if you were to choose only one of the above, then my choice # 1 is the SureFire Sidekick 300-Lumen Ultra-Compact Triple-Output Keychain Light as it reputed to be both durable and reliable, while at the same time retailing at a very affordable price.

Best Survival Knife under $200 – My Top 3 Choices

If you have a budget constraint and are looking for a survival knife in a sub $100 budget, then check out my top picks for the best survival knife under $100

Imagine you are out in the rugged wilderness in the middle of nowhere-land and possibly facing a serious situation. You need to have a trustworthy and a dependable friend by your side in the form of a quality survival knife, to help you accomplish a wide variety of tasks, both major and minor, so you can survive the rough weather and the harsh unfriendly environment.

Some of the crucial tasks this very important tool can help you with are:

  • Splitting firewood

  • Creating a fire

  • Building a shelter

  • Cutting rope

  • Opening cans

  • Skinning game and many more

In a survival situation, your trustworthy implement or tool can help with any chopping, pounding, prying, thrusting, and cutting tasks typical of times spent in the wilderness. You can do all these and more, with a very good fixed-bladed knife from a reputed manufacturer.

My Top 3 Choices for the best survival knife under $200

My top 3 choices would be as follows:

  • Fallkniven A1 Survival Knife (~$188.09)

  • ESEE 6 (~$124.72)

  • Tops Knives Bushcrafter Kukuri (~$170.00)

#1 – Fallkniven A1 Survival Knife

This knife is my #1 all-rounder choice to survive in the wilderness by any counts. Just check out its fantastic features and you will probably understand why. At under 200$, the cost is quite affordable for the steel coloured version of this fabulous knife, and worth very cent spent on the price.

Best Survival Knife under $200 - Fallkniven A1 Survival Knife

Click Here to See Pricing, Ratings, and Reviews on Amazon.com

Constructed using Japanese VG-10 steel (translate “G” into “gold” quality) for the blade, the essentially stainless-steel blade contains a sizeable amount of carbon to combine both the benefits of stainless and carbon steel into the VG-10 blade. The Fallkniven A1 keeps its edge over a long time, is incredibly sharp and is extremely easy to maintain and (rarely) sharpen. The blades of the world’s most expensive and popular survival and chef knives, are made using VG-10.

The Fallkniven A1 has just the right blade length at 6.33” to make it an ideal survival knife. Check out some of its features; fixed blade made of VG -10, full tang for extra strength, flat top, superb handle with a fantastic grip, flat end, lanyard hole and drop point to easily pierce any object.

However, it’s not all praise for this knife either, as you do not find any real choil and jimping for this knife, else the grip on the handle could have possibly been a little better. You may need to replace the Zytel or leather sheath that comes with the knife as it wears out quite quickly. Despite these very minor setbacks, the Fallkniven A1 comes very close to being the perfect survival knife.

Pros

  • Superlative engineering in construction and design

  • Perfect knife balance and good weight

  • Superior VG-10 steel blade combines features of stainless and carbon steel.

  • The Convex ground blade is ideal for hard use

  • The amazing handle provides a tremendous grip of the full tang knife to the user even in wet conditions, as it is made from textured hard rubber

  • Great knife that has all the must-have survival features (multipurpose)

Cons

  • Some users find the handle of the knife slightly short for use

  • The sheath is of low quality and flimsy and may need to be replaced with a custom sheath

#2 – ESEE 6 Survival Knife

True knife lovers have created this #2 choice of mine – the ESEE 6 knife. I am sure Rambo has joined me in cheering loudly for this one? The knife intuitively feels, balances and grips just right. The jimping beyond the bolster aids in a better grip on the knife.

ESEE 6 Survival Knife

Click Here to See Pricing, Ratings, and Reviews on Amazon.com

The construction and the design of this knife makes it a sturdy, strong, and a durable tool, which can be used in all types of survival situations. The grey micarta scale handle feels good in the hand and has a lanyard hole in the rounded pommel at the end of the handle. The razor-sharp blade works exceptionally well for any chopping, cutting, splitting and similar tasks and holds its edge well in all situations.

The only drawback with this knife is both its length and weight, as it seems a little heavy and a little too long for some users to do some of their tasks. As far as I am concerned, I would recommend this knife to anyone who is looking for a fantastic tool to help them survive and camp, out there in the wilderness.

Pros

  • Looks and feels very good (remember Rambo cheering?)

  • 1095 high carbon steel blade, ideal for rough use

  • The knife holds its razor edge for a long time

Cons

  • A little heavy, length slightly long, for some users

  • Plastic moulded sheath

#3 – Tops Knives Bushcrafter Kukuri

My #3 choice is this incredible survival knife that is suited for any type of outdoor situation. This is an ideal knife to help you with different kinds of jobs regardless of whether you are in a survival or a camping situation. The long fixed-blade that is 7.75” long and is made of 1095 RC 56-58 steel makes this kukri extremely durable, sturdy and one very tough customer.

Tops Knives Bushcrafter Kukuri

Click Here to See Pricing, Ratings, and Reviews on Amazon.com

The blade has a lot chopping power and the handle design facilitates repeated use of the knife over extended periods or time, without injuring your hands, even in harsh conditions. The end of the pommel features a very handy lanyard hole. If you are ready to spend a little more money on this knife, the heavy-duty tough “jack of all trades” knife will be a very good accompaniment to serve your survival and camping needs. The knife feels slightly heavy and a little large for jobs that need fine blade control, but it is still very useful for most survival and camping jobs.

Pros

  • Very efficient at splitting wood and with many other smaller tasks

  • The quality of the knife and its design is par-excellence

  • The grip on the handle feels perfect

Cons

  • May feel slightly heavy for some users

  • Sheath needs improvement

  • Whittling or skinning may be little difficult

Conclusion

Considering the price, features, performance, and durability; my number one choice for the Best Survival Knife under $200 is the Fallkniven A1 Survival Knife. No doubt, this trustworthy friend will certainly accompany me, to my next sojourn in the wilderness.

Don’t forget to also check out some more options when it comes to picking survival or hunting knives:

Best Survival Watch under $200

Best Survival Watch under $200 – My Top 3 Picks

So there you are, lost, alone and surrounded by nothing but miles of wilderness. Harsh, rugged and challenging terrain separates you from the comforts of the modern world. Your only job… to survive.

Ok, so this is not a situation that many of us will ever find ourselves in, but if you did, wouldn’t you like to think that you could survive and make it out alive? What if I told you there was a tool that could help keep you sane in the face of confusion and focused on your objective and goals? Fortunately for you, this tool exists in the form of a survival or tactical watch.

Now I don’t need to tell you that watches have been around for a very long time and in their simplest form, the technology of watches has not changed much. However, the same cannot be said regarding the survival watch industry. Technological advancements combined with feature-rich platforms have developed over time enabling you to control and command a ton of information with that thing strapped to your wrist.

In this article, I’m going to look at three of the best survival watches for under $200. I’ll tell you what I like about them, what I don’t like about them and of course, what makes them at great buy at this price range.

1. Casio Men’s PRW-3500-1CR Atomic Resin Digital Watch

First up on my list of the best survival watch under $200, let’s take a look at the Casio PRW-3500-1CR Atomic Resin Digital Watch. This watch combines a sturdy and functional foundation with a ton of features.

Best Survival Watch under $200 - Casio Men's PRW-3500-1CR Atomic Resin Digital Watch

The watch is solar-powered meaning that the internal battery is charged via the sun or other light sources. This is perhaps one of the most critical elements to a survival watch. Think about it, if you’re truly lost and / or cut off from the rest of the world, aka power sources, a solar powered watch will keep on ticking simply as a result of exposure to the sun. Without power and a dead battery your watch would be rendered useless. That will not be the case with a solar powered watch. Amazingly, these watches can run for months on end without any exposure to light.

The PRW-3500-1CR is equipped with all of the major features you would expect on a tactical watch. These include low-temperature resistance, digital compass with bearing memory, altimeter, barometer, thermometer, sunrise and sunset data, world time, backlight with after-glow, alarms with snooze, stopwatch and a countdown timer.

Perhaps more importantly, this watch is also water resistant up to 200-meters. As these ratings can be somewhat misleading, I’ll help to clarify this one. This watch is good to go in rain or moisture-abundant environments and yes it can be submerged. Would I scuba-dive with it? No, but a quick dunk underwater should be no problem for this watch.

2. G-Shock Rangeman Master

Next up, we have another Casio watch, this time it’s the G-Shock Rangeman Master. For 25-plus years, the G-Shock watch series has been one of the toughest and most durable watches available. Time has treated them well and Casio continues to innovate within the lineup.

G-Shock Rangeman Master

The G-Shock Rangeman is both rugged and tough, combining a shock resistant triple-sensor with altitude, barometric pressure, temperature and direction readings. The Rangemaster also utilizes cylindrical buttons and audible tones for easy operation. Again the Rangeman is powered by Casio’s Tough Solar operation allowing this watch to run for months on a single charge.

With a dependable water resistant enclosure up to 200 meters, the G-Shock Rangeman is a survival watch that will not let you down when it matters most.

3. Casio PAG240-1CR Pathfinder

Last but not least, the the Casio PAG240-1CR Pathfinder rounds out the list of my top three favorite survival watches.

The Pathfinder is another solid and feature-rich beast of a watch from Casio. This watch lacks nothing in the major feature category providing you with a digital compass, altimeter, barometer, thermometer, low temperature resistance, backlight, battery power indicator, and power-saving function.

Casio PAG240-1CR Pathfinder

While battery life is not an issue thanks to the solar-powered operation of the Pathfinder, it is a little bit lacking in the water resistance category. With a rating of only 100-meters this watch ranks below the other two watches I mentioned above. That is really the only knock on this watch and in most cases this watch is still perfectly functional. With 100-meter rating you can still swim and snorkel with this watch so for most people there should be no problems.

The Pathfinder is another great option in the survival watch category and at under $200 it’s a great value on a lot of technology.

Conclusion:

So as you can tell after reading the above reviews, Casio has a strong position in the survival watch category, especially in this price range. They have multiple product offerings each tailored to a unique type of user. They continue to innovate and progress the technology of these watches which is why they are some of my favorites.

If you’re in the market for a survival or tactical watch, you can’t go wrong purchasing any of the the above three watches. I’ll also try my best to keep updating this list that helps you choose the best survival watch under $200.