brian hefele's untidy spaceThere's a lot of talk in certain circles about everyday carry (EDC) items. One of the more common places you find the term tossed around is among the gun-toting crowd, a crowd which I am happy to stay far away from. The heart of the matter though, is simply items which you feel you should have on your person at all times - be they for the sake of convenience, preparedness, whatever.
My first serious LED-based flashlight was a Surefire E1B, a seemingly indestructible tank of a light. Surefire has a great reputation, and it's a light that I know will always work when I need it to. It's a format I've tried to stick to - lights driven by a single 123A battery, with a tailcap switch. The single 123A format makes for a rather small light with great output. Small enough to pocket easily, great for taking out on nighttime walks. It's my everynight carry light. But I realized that I don't have an everyday carry light, something that is always on my person.
To me, the keychain is the EDC toolbox. I like to think of myself as a bit of a minimalist, so if I can get a reasonable amount of EDC gear on my keychain, I think I'm in good shape. That's part of my rationale. The other part is that I always need to have my keys on my person when I'm out. Since I know this, I always keep my keys on my person while I'm home as well, no chance of leaving them behind. I have never once lost my keys. Also, having driven a Saab with the ignition on the console, having a little extra weight on my keychain poses no threat to the ignition switch. I keep a Leatherman Squirt P4 on my keychain to have a handful of tools at my disposal, and I went through several Cross Ion pens before they got discontinued (I have yet to find a suitable replacement). The latest addition is a Muyshondt Aeon flashlight.
I wanted something small, but powerful in an EDC light. I also wanted something tough. To shrink my EDC down from the size of a 1x123A format light, I would clearly need to switch batteries. I prefer to deal with single batteries at a time, and I like 3V lithium primary batteries. This left me choosing from a handful of lights powered by a single CR2 battery. The Muyshondt seemed like a winner, with 40 hrs runtime in low mode, a very capable high mode, and quite miniscule size. It's made of hard-anodized aluminum (or titanium, if you're willing to get spendy) with a sapphire front window - it's definitely a solid light. I'll still confidently throw my keys across the room to a friend, without fear of this light breaking when it inevitably hits the floor. I got mine in natural finish aluminum, and though I know the anodizing will wear, I bought the light to look with, not at. The anodized surface looks great, overall fit and finish is lovely.
All in all the light is everything I hoped it would be. Mine came well wrapped, in a box much larger than the light itself - unwrapping all the paper it was packed in was fun, as it just got smaller and smaller. Finally I was left with a tiny cylinder - the cardboard presentation tube! When I got the light itself out of the tube, I practically laughed at how small it is. It won't overpower my Surefire, but it's not that far off. Negatives? Well, the price - $125 for aluminum, $295 if you want titanium. Depending on your outlook that will either be expensive or exorbitant. It uses a reflector, whereas I prefer an optic (though the beam is quite smooth, even considering the fact that the emitter on mine is slightly off-center). It gets warm quickly. And of course, CR2 batteries are more expensive than and have a lower capacity than 123As. But in this case, the pros crush the cons to pieces, and what you're left with is an amazing (and amazingly small) flashlight - perfect for keychain EDC.
Note: There aren't many dealers for the Muyshondt Aeon. I ordered mine from BrightGuy, whose price was fair, and whose shipping was prompt. My first experience with this dealer so far, but based on this transaction, I would not hesitate to recommend.