We now live in a market where a single flashlight with a single switch can perform dozens of features with just a series of clicks. But a light that tries to do everything isn’t always the best when you need something that works on the first try, every time. And that’s what Prometheus set out to do with their latest pocket flashlight: the Beta Magnetic makes use of the brand’s signature quick-release system to instantly activate its beam. With nothing to press, configure, or navigate, you get a useful light with a simple pull, making it one of the most unique and efficient lights you can EDC.
The Beta Magnetic’s anodized aluminum form factor will be familiar to those who’ve used and owned Prometheus’s keychain light before. The original Beta QRv2 pairs an intuitive, high CRI twisty flashlight with a robust canted coil spring quick-release tail. These are wrapped in your choice of exotic materials and colors in a grip-friendly machined body, giving you one of the best keychain lights you can carry.
The Magnetic both simplifies the formula and improves on it: it comes in the same Beta profile (but slightly smaller), and upgrades its quick-release tail to add a magnet which is the new key to its activation. Rather than the original’s three-mode twisty interface, the Magnetic outputs a single 40-lumen mode upon disengaging the tail. That number may be smaller than you’re used to, but two new factors allow the light to be one of the most useful additions to your collection.
The first is its use of a Yuji 3030 G04 LED, one of the few—if only—emitters currently able to break the 95 CRI mark at 4000K CCT. This is as good as it gets for color rendering, giving you top tier tint when color accuracy (or simple viewing pleasure) is needed. Not only that, the lower output allows a 2-hour continuous runtime from its included rechargeable AAA battery. The second factor is the Magnetic’s use of a “mule” head: no reflector behind the LED, which means its output is a perfectly wide and even flood, pairing well with the light’s intended use case as an instant, up-close-and-personal-light.
For being “just” a keychain light with a single mode, the Prometheus Beta Magnetic offers a unique flashlight experience packed with features and built for the long haul, thanks to its time-tested design and longevity from modern and reusable fuel. It deserves a spot on every EDCer’s keychain—pick it up at the link below.
