Is that real or a fake?

This flashlight will amaze you – but does it really exist, the high-performance flashlight in micro format? (Image: RobinHiggins via Pixabay)

Light up an entire room with a flashlight that easily fits between your thumb and forefinger? This is exactly what the tech-savvy content creator Kyle Krueger shows on his TikTok account.

In the video, Kyle is holding a keychain-sized flashlight — lighting up an entire room.

Previously, many viewers had expressed Kyle’s skepticism about whether such a bright flashlight with such a compact form factor was even technically feasible. In response, Kyle shared the now-released video demonstrating the flashlight’s authenticity.

Is the video really real? Kyle demonstrates authenticity by running his fingertip over the light source while the mini flashlight is on – causing the entire room to plunge into darkness. A little later he takes his finger off the light source again; after which the flashlight illuminates the entire room again. Or at least that part of the room that Kyle films with his smartphone.

Is this real or a trick?

One of the users even said that such a mini flashlight with such monstrous brightness should actually burn through Kyle’s hand. Even after the video that has now been released, many users express their doubts about the credibility – and suspect that Kyle could have tricked with video editing.

At least since the MS18 from Imalent, which has 100,000 lumens of radiance, we have known what incredible radiance fits into a single flashlight. All right. But the flashlight Kyle pulls out in his video is many times smaller compared to an Imalent MS18.

Is that really the flashlight with which the TikToker supposedly leads his followers behind, well, light?

So how do you solve the mystery surrounding light and shadow?

I have good news: Based on my research, Kyle uses a Nitecore Tini 2. The keychain-sized flashlight has 5 brightness modes with respective runtimes:

How does the table help us? At its peak, the Nitecore Tini 2 has a luminosity of 500 lumens. But is 500 lumens enough to illuminate an entire room?

As a rule of thumb, it takes around 1,000 to 1,500 lumens to illuminate an average living space. For comparison: a conventional ceiling light provides between 1,000 and 2,000 lumens.

What speaks for the authenticity of the video? So how does Kyle fare with his 500 lumen keychain light? Considering the fact that only about a quarter of his space can be seen in the TikToker’s video, it is quite believable when Kyle illuminates his image section with 500 lumens of power.

What speaks against the authenticity of the video? On the other hand, it is less believable if the light supposedly emanating from the key fob spreads evenly in all directions. In other words, shouldn’t we see a cone of light emanating from the flashlight?

So my verdict is undecided. However, I tend to remain skeptical – and will try to put my hands on a Nitecore myself.

Do you think Kyle Kruege’s video is real – or is it a clever fake no better than the latest in the world of crop circles and UFO sightings? Feel free to write about it in the comments – especially if you have a Nitecore Tini 2 yourself!