Short Description:

The ASP Elite series of lights is the next evolution of their standard ASP LED lights. These lights have a constant-on switch, a blink mode, and an SOS mode. There are 3 different Elite models available; the Aspen with a white LED, the Sapphire with a blue LED and the Navigator with a red LED. The unit reviewed is a Navigator. These lights are available from The LED Store. They come in a variety of case colors as well.

The ASP Elite lights are made from a polycarbonate with anodized aluminum side panels and a triangular spring clip on the end. The switch is located on the side of the light in the form of a raised rubber pad that activates the light when pressed. Pressing the switch once turns on the constant-on setting which also has a 1 hour auto shutoff. This is presumably to keep the light from draining the batteries completely if activated accidentally. Pressing and holding the switch for 5 seconds causes the LED to start blinking. This mode is remembered if you shut the light off, so reactivating the light causes it to go into blink mode until the switch is held down for another 5 seconds while on. The SOS mode is reached by pressing the switch 3 times rapidly. This mode is not remembered. Switching to the SOS mode while the light is in blink mode causes it to forget the blink mode when it is shut off - it returns to the constant on mode.

There is no water resistance to the unit other than the tight fit of its parts. I would protect it from getting too wet.

All three models of the Elite use a single 5mm LED for light. The LED is not recessed in the case and could be susceptible to damage or marring from a direct impact.

The Elite series uses a proprietary little "power pack" for its power source. This is nothing more than a couple of 2016 lithium coin cells inside a plastic carrier designed to fit in a chamber in the light. There is a contact on either side of the little carrier that mates with contacts inside the light. A the base of the carrier is a pin that fits in a hole that is exposed at the bottom of the light. By pressing the tip of a ball-point pen in the hole the battery pack is pushed up enough for you to catch it with your fingernail at the top (there is a fingernail groove in the pack as well) and lift it out. The pack is keyed so it can only be inserted one way.

The package includes one Elite light and one battery pack.

Reviewer's Impressions:

The ASP Elite series is, for the most part, a good step forward for ASP in its line of LED lights.

The fit and finish are rather good. The anodized side panels look very nice and were not marred or scratched in any way on the unit reviewed. They give the light a very "classy" look that many other keychain lights are missing. The plastic areas of the light have some obvious gaps but no sharp edges.

The durability of the light is pretty good. I wouldn't step on it if it could be avoided, but it seems that it takes most normal bangs and drops in stride. Since the LED is exposed it could be nicked or marred by direct impacts from drops.

Output is quite good and about what you would expect from a single LED light. The red Navigator model put out 5 lux at one meter.

Beam quality is OK. There are some obvious rings and artifacts, but nothing too severe. In use these "defects" would not be that noticeable or distracting.

Water resistance is nonexistent. Avoid water with this unit. If it gets too wet, remove the batteries and let it air dry for a while.

The combination of the plastic clip on the end and the fact that it has a constant-on switch makes the light very "mouthable" AKA you can hold the clip in your teeth to direct the light where you need it if both hands are needed for the task.

Important things to note: The clip has a "T" shaped dovetail type joint built into the areas where the two halves of the mouth of the clip overlap. As a result, even under tension or horizontal stress the two halves of the clip will not open up (within reason - it's only plastic after all) unless the clip is pushed inward. This shows nice attention to detail on the part of the manufacturer. Also note that the raised switch could be subject to accidental activation inside a pack or pocket so reasonable precautions should be taken. A one hour auto shutoff seems a bit long for a light designed only for temporary or intermittent illumination.

The batteries. Hmmmm.... This is a bit of an irritation to me. Where most lithium coin cell keychain lights are either so cheap to be disposable or are a pain in the neck to open to change the batteries, ASP has decided to make these special little battery "power packs" to ease the battery change process. As a result, changing the batteries is extremely easy - pop out the old pack and pop in a new one. So why is this an irritation? Because instead of going to a hardware store and buying 2 coin cells for $1.70, you have to shell out $4.50 for the same cells because they are in a proprietary little plastic carrier that fits in the light. The carrier cannot be opened so you can't just change out the coin cells - you have to buy the ASP special proprietary battery pack. To me, that's just annoying and a sneaky way for ASP to try to make extra profits off of commonly available batteries by repackaging them. I would think they could have made the carrier open on one side so that you pull it out like a drawer and just drop in 2 new cells instead of trying to get a few extra dollars from the consumer. However, I'll give them bonus points for making the battery change incredibly simple and nearly foolproof.

A sharp looking light that will add a little bit of a classy touch to your keychain and has some handy features as well. I give the light 3½ Stars per the pluses and minuses, below.

+ + + Pluses: Tough, Multiple lighting modes, Bright, Very easy battery change, Lightweight, 1 Hour auto-off, Easy to use clip, Low temperature tolerant, 10 year shelf life for batteries.

- - - Minuses: Not water resistant, Proprietary "power pack" instead of bare coin cells, Accidental activation possible in pocket

Quick Facts Table: