The Blukar Mini Torch is a keychain torch you barely notice until you need it. I paid $18 for it. We keep it in our rooftop tent for toilet runs at night, and for a look around the tent on the rare nights we hear a noise outside. It’s much more compact than a head torch, so it stays up there without getting in the way.
What’s in the box
A small black aluminium torch, 66 mm long and 16 mm across, with a key ring on the tail and a short USB-C charging cable. One button on the side does everything, and a ring in it lights up green or red. The battery is built in and charges through a USB-C port under a rubber cover.
What we like
- Tiny: 28 g on our scale
- Solid, with a soft-touch finish
- Good beam for its size
- Remembers the last mode
- Button shows the battery level
- USB-C and IPX6
What we don’t
- Battery can't be replaced
- No zoom: one fixed beam
- 5.5 hours at most, on Low
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Blukar |
| Model | K9183 |
| Material | Aluminium |
| Colour | Black |
| Weight | 28 g |
| Size | 6.6 × 1.6 × 1.6 cm |
| Brightness | 360 lumens |
| Modes | HighMediumLow |
| Battery | 130 mAhBuilt in |
| Charging | USB-CAbout 2 hours |
| Run time | Up to 5.5 hours on Low |
| Water rating | IPX6 |
Size and feel
The size is the point of this torch. It’s about as long as a finger and weighed 28 g on our scale, so it goes on a key ring, in a pocket or anywhere in the car, ready for whenever you need some quick light. The aluminium body feels solid, and the finish has a really nice, almost soft feel in your hand.
Beam and modes
For something this small, it throws a good beam. Blukar rates it at 360 lumens, which is plenty for a toilet run at night or a look around the tent. There’s no zoom, though: you get one fixed beam.
Press the button to switch it on, and keep pressing to step through High, Medium and Low. It remembers the last mode, so if Low is what you use in the tent, that’s what you get next time. To switch off, hold the button down in any mode, or, once a mode has been on for more than 8 seconds, press it once.
Battery and charging
The battery is small: 130 mAh, which Blukar says lasts up to 5.5 hours on Low. High uses it up much faster, so this is a torch for toilet runs and quick checks, not a long walk. The light in the button tells you when to charge it: green while it’s on, red when the battery is low. A full charge over USB-C takes about two hours, from a power bank or the car. The battery is built in, so when it wears out after years of use, you replace the torch.
The USB-C port sits under a rubber cover marked with the USB symbol, and the torch is rated IPX6, so rain on the walk to the toilet is no problem. The key ring clips it to keys, a bag or a loop in the tent.
Mini vs the Blukar Torch
We also tested the bigger Blukar Torch, the K9132. It’s a pocket torch with a zoom from wide flood to spotlight and a much bigger battery. The Mini is the one that’s always with you; the bigger torch is for longer jobs and for spotting further away.
Tested Blukar Mini Torch | Bigger Blukar Torch | |
|---|---|---|
| Zoom | No | Yes |
| Modes | High, Medium & Low | High, Low, Strobe & SOS |
| Water rating | IPX6 | – |
| Max brightness | 360 lm | 2,000 lm |
| Battery | 130 mAh | 1,800 mAh |
| Run time on Low | 5.5 h | 16 h |
| Length | 66 mm | 113 mm |
| Weight on our scale | 28 g | 94 g |
| Price paid | $18 | $23 |
| Our score | 9.0 | 8.7 |
Conclusion: Blukar Mini TorchConclusion
The Blukar Mini Torch weighs 28 g, feels solid with a nice soft finish, and throws a good beam for its size. It has three modes with memory, charges over USB-C and is rated IPX6, and the button turns red when it needs charging. The battery only lasts 5.5 hours on Low and there’s no zoom, so it’s for quick jobs. I paid $18, and it lives in our rooftop tent for the toilet runs at night.
A 28 g aluminium keychain torch with 360 lumens, three modes, memory, USB-C charging and IPX6.
The battery is small and sealed in, and there’s no zoom. $18.
- Rooftop tents
- Everyday carry
- Emergency kits
Yes. I paid $18 for a solid little USB-C torch that we take up into the rooftop tent every night. For long walks, take a bigger torch.
