Titanium Lantern Tritium Bead
Titanium Lantern Tritium Bead
Titanium Lantern Tritium Bead
Titanium Lantern Tritium Bead
Titanium Lantern Tritium Bead
Titanium Lantern Tritium Bead
Titanium Lantern Tritium Bead

Titanium Lantern Tritium Bead

$24.90 USD
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Material
Material: Titanium
Tritium - (Was $8.90 ➔ Now $8.00 per vial)
Tritium - (Was $8.90 ➔ Now $8.00 per vial): No Tritium (Shell Only - No Glow)
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LIFETIME WARRANTY

Built to last. Covered for life.

30-DAY RETURNS

Hassle-free returns within 30 days.

SHIPPING

Free worldwide shipping on orders over $79.
No import duties or customs fees — the price you see is the price you pay.
⚠️ Custom Options Not Displayed in Shop App ⚠️
The 4-Slot Color Selector is not visible here. To customize visually, tap the button < 🔗 Visit Ant Design > to switch to our website.

IMPORTANT: If you select "4 x Custom Colors (Select Below)" here, please leave a note at checkout with your Color Choices and Installation Preference.
ANTDESIGN / LANTERN TRITIUM BEAD
On your lanyardThe beadPick your colorsFAQ
Antdesign Titanium Lantern Tritium Bead

Antdesign Titanium Lantern Tritium Bead

A titanium knife bead that glows.
Glowing for the next 25 years.

A lanyard bead first: 18 mm of CNC-machined Grade 5 titanium in the lantern shape, with a 5.1 mm bore that takes 550 paracord. Four sealed tritium vials around the body turn the last knot on your knife lanyard into a glow that runs every night for decades — nothing to charge, nothing to switch on. Pick one color or four; every vial is set in its slot and fixed with UV adhesive before it ships — installed for free, and it stays put.

  • Fits any 550 paracord lanyard — knife, flashlight, multitool, pack pull
  • Four slots, eight colors — choose each slot yourself, UV-glued in place for free
  • Glows 24/7 for up to 25 years — no battery, no charging, no switch
From$24.90

Sealed Swiss-made vials, safe for everyday carry. Every "4 x Colors" option ships with four vials installed and UV-glued in place — ready to thread on.

Pick my colors Jump to colors
30-Day ReturnsSealed & SafeFactory Direct Price
Up to 25yr
Self-powered glow
5.1 mm
Bore — fits 550 paracord
0
Batteries, ever
4 × 8
Four slots, eight colors
UV-glued
Vials fixed in place, installed free

The lanyard bead you can find
with the lights off.

A knife bead usually does two jobs: finish the lanyard and give your fingers something to grab. This one does a third. Four tritium vials mark the knife, flashlight or pack pull it hangs from, so the thing you reach for in the dark is the one you can already see — in whatever colors you choose.

The knife bead that finds the knife.
On a pocket-knife lanyard it is the last bead you tie and the first thing you see on the nightstand when the lights go out.
A grab point you can see.
Pull the knife or flashlight from a deep pocket by the bead — the glow shows you where the lanyard ends before your fingers find it.
Any lanyard, any gear.
Flashlight, multitool, pack zipper, tent door pull — if it hangs on 550 paracord, the bead marks it at 3 a.m.
Built for the knife lanyard. Happy on any other.

Pocket knife, fixed blade, flashlight, multitool, pack zipper, camera strap — if it takes 550 paracord, it can carry a Lantern Bead. No charging before bed or a camping trip; the glow is simply there. It marks the item; it is not a flashlight.

Four slots.
Eight colors. Your mix.

Choose a 4 x Custom Colors set and pick each of the four slots yourself, or go all Green — the brightest — for the strongest single glow. Every set is installed and UV-glued in place for free before it ships. Use the chart below to balance reach against color.

Pick my colors — from $24.90
30-Day ReturnsSealed & SafeFactory Direct Price

Choose your set and your four colors in the product options above. For custom mixes, order the colors to match the Slot Diagram (Slots 1–4) in the product photos so we install them exactly as you picture them. Mix bright and soft colors for contrast, or run four of the brightest for maximum reach — the vials are fixed permanently, so choose the mix you want to keep.

Titanium Lantern Tritium Bead with four tritium vials
01 — Design
A lantern-shaped knife bead in titanium.
Same signature lantern shape as our Lantern Glow Fob, machined from a single piece of titanium into an 18 mm bead with a 5.1 mm bore that swallows standard 550 paracord. Four Φ1.5 × 6 mm tritium vials sit in windows cut around the body, so the glow reads as one small lantern rather than a single dot — the finishing touch on a knife lanyard, and the reason you find the knife in the dark. Each vial is bonded into its slot with UV adhesive — no rattling, no loosening, nothing to work its way out — so it arrives ready to carry and stays that way for years.
CNC-machined Grade 5 titanium Lantern Bead body
02 — Material
CNC-machined Grade 5 titanium.
Real Grade 5 titanium (Ti-6Al-4V) — the alloy of jet engines and surgical implants, not coated alloy. Precision-machined so every edge of the lantern is crisp and every slot fits its vial exactly — a tight seat for the UV adhesive to bond to — and light enough to forget on a lanyard. It won't rust, won't bend and won't age in your pocket.
Lantern Tritium Bead on a paracord lanyard
03 — Lanyard
Fits 550 paracord. No drilling, no adapters.
The 5.1 mm (0.20") bore takes 550 paracord doubled through, so it ties like any other knife bead — lanyard knot, diamond knot, snake knot, your call. At 18 mm tall and 13.1 mm across it adds glow, not bulk, and the titanium shrugs off every knock the knife takes.
Pick my colors — from $24.90
30-Day ReturnsSealed & SafeFactory Direct Price

Why it never needs charging

Glow paint has to be charged under a light and fades within hours — usually before you need it. Tritium makes its own light: inside each sealed glass vial it excites a phosphor coating around the clock, whether the bead lives on a knife in a drawer, in a pack pocket or at the bottom of a camping bin for months. Nothing to remember, nothing to switch on.

B-DECAY ELECTRONS TRITIUM GAS (H-3) PHOSPHOR COATING ON INNER WALL

Glows continuously for years

Hydrogen-3 undergoes natural beta decay inside a sealed glass vial, releasing low-energy electrons nonstop — day and night, whether you look at it or not.

Nothing to charge or maintain

Those electrons hit the phosphor coating on the inner glass wall and turn straight into visible light. No battery, no sunlight, no switch.

Sealed safely inside titanium

The phosphor keeps emitting a steady glow for up to 25 years, all self-contained. Bonded into the titanium with UV adhesive, it stays exactly where it was installed.

When sealed, tritium vials are safe to handle. Their beta radiation is too weak to penetrate the glass vial and is easily blocked by paper. The same light sources are used in watches, exit signs and aviation instruments.

Why this isn't a $5 glow stick

Tritium vs photoluminescent glow paint — the difference is 25 years.

Antdesign Lantern Bead
Glow Paint
Glow duration
Up to 25 years
2-4 hours after charging
Self-powered
Yes
Needs light
Body material
Grade 5 Ti
Plastic
Color mixing
Up to 4 colors
One
Light charging
Never
Every day
Light sources
4 sealed vials
Painted surface
Light source fixed
UV-glued into titanium
Wears off

Four vials, UV-glued into titanium.

Every Φ1.5 × 6 mm vial is fixed in its slot with UV adhesive, so it cannot rattle loose or fall out. Order any "4 x Colors" set and we do all of this for free before shipping. Shell-only buyers install their own vials the same way — a dab of UV glue and a UV light, about a minute per vial.

Installing tritium vials in the Lantern Tritium Bead
Seat the vial in its slot
Each slot is machined to the Φ1.5 × 6 mm vial. Drop it in and press gently until it sits flush — no forcing.
Add a dab of UV adhesive
A small drop of clear UV glue along the edge of the vial is all it needs. Wipe away any excess before curing.
Cure it under UV light
A few seconds under a UV torch and the adhesive sets hard and clear. The vial is now bonded into the titanium.
Thread it on. Already glowing.
Order a "4 x Colors" set and we do all of the above for free, then check every vial in the dark before the bead ships.
4 vial slotsTi Gr.5 bodyΦ1.5 × 6 mm vialsFree installation~25 year glow8 colorsUV-glued vials5.1 mm paracord bore4 vial slotsTi Gr.5 bodyΦ1.5 × 6 mm vialsFree installation~25 year glow8 colorsUV-glued vials5.1 mm paracord bore

18 mm of lantern-shaped character

Small enough to hang on any lanyard. Bright enough to find from across a dark room.

Lantern Tritium Bead size reference
Body materialGrade 5 Titanium (Ti-6Al-4V), CNC machined
Tritium vial capacity4 slots
Dimensions18 mm tall · 13.1 mm across (0.71 × 0.52 in)
Vial sizeΦ1.5 × 6 mm
Lanyard hole5.1 mm (0.20 in) inner diameter · fits 550 paracord
Vial installationFixed permanently with UV adhesive · free installation on every order
Glow typeSelf-luminous / No charging
Glow lifespanUp to 25 years
Colors8 options, mix freely across the 4 slots
In the box"4 x Colors": titanium bead with four vials installed · "No Tritium (Shell Only)": titanium bead, no vials · paracord not included

A few things worth knowing

Yes. The tritium is hermetically sealed inside borosilicate glass, inside titanium. Its low-energy beta radiation cannot penetrate the glass, let alone skin. The same light sources are used in watches, exit signs and aviation instruments. Just never open, cut or deliberately break the vial; if you ever suspect it's damaged, stop using the bead and contact us.
Think of it as a marker, not a flashlight: four clear, steady points of light you can spot across a dark room once your eyes adjust — enough to find a knife, a flashlight, a zipper pull or a bag in total darkness. The Φ1.5 × 6 mm vials are smaller than the ones in a full-size glow fob, so each point is finer; four together still make an unmistakable lantern shape. Brightness runs Green > Yellow > White > Orange > Ice Blue > Pink = Red > Purple; that's the physics of each phosphor, not a defect, so mix in Green or Yellow if reach matters more than color. Photos can look brighter than the real thing because of camera exposure.
A tritium vial keeps glowing for years without any charging, with a useful glow life of up to 25 years depending on the color and where you view it. The glow softens gradually over that time rather than switching off; most owners find it practically useful for 15+ years. The titanium body will outlast the glow many times over. How tritium illumination works
The titanium body will shrug it off, and because each vial is UV-glued into its slot, nothing comes loose or falls out. The vials are still sealed glass tubes, though: a hard drop or impact on a hard surface can crack one. Treat it as a lanyard bead, not a tool, and it will glow for years.
The vial sits inside the titanium body and very rarely breaks. If it does, nothing dangerous happens: tritium is a gas, so it spreads out and is gone. Why the risk is low A full-size 3 x 22.5 mm vial holds about 0.04 mg of tritium gas, and the tiny 1.5 × 6 mm vials in the Lantern Bead each hold far less. Tritium gas is barely absorbed by the body and is mostly exhaled, so even the extreme case of inhaling that entire amount at once works out to roughly a few days of natural background radiation. In reality the gas spreads through the room in seconds and you breathe in only a tiny fraction of it, well below a single day of background. There is nothing to clean up beyond a bit of glass. Three things not to do
  • Do not crush, cut, drill or heat a vial on purpose.
  • Do not open a vial to reuse the phosphor. The gas is the useful part, and it is gone once the seal breaks.
  • Do not give loose vials to children. The glass is the hazard, not the tritium.
No. Every "4 x Colors" order — including "4 x Custom Colors" — is installed and secured with UV adhesive by us before it ships, at no charge. If you order the shell only and buy vials from us separately, we still install them for free. Only customers who source their own Φ1.5 × 6 mm vials need to glue them in: a small dab of UV adhesive, a few seconds under a UV light, about a minute per vial — see the steps above.
Yes. Tritium beads and keychains are consumer self-luminous products, not hazardous materials, and travel in carry-on or checked luggage. If you fly a route with unusual rules, the airline can confirm in a minute. FAA packing guidance
We own the CNC machines. Design, manufacturing and shipping are all in-house, and we sell directly to you. No middlemen, no distributor markup — your money goes into the titanium, the vials and the machining, not into someone else's margin.
It depends on the variant you choose. Any "4 x Colors" option includes the titanium bead and four tritium vials, installed for free before shipping. "4 x Custom Colors" lets you pick each slot; order them to match the Slot Diagram (Slots 1–4) in the product photos. "No Tritium (Shell Only)" is the titanium housing without vials, for customers who already own Φ1.5 × 6 mm vials or want to source their own — and if you buy vials from us separately, we still install them for free. Paracord, knives, flashlights and other accessories shown in photos are not included.
The vials are securely installed in the titanium housing, but they are glass, so we ask every owner to do a quick check as soon as the parcel arrives. It takes a minute:
  1. Open the box and, within five calendar days of the delivery date, take the bead into a completely dark room.
  2. Let your eyes adjust for 30 seconds and confirm all four tubes glow steadily.
  3. Look over each tube for cracks or chips.
  4. Spotted a problem? Email us with photos of the bead and the original packaging, and we'll sort out a replacement.
Every vial is inspected before shipping, which is why the check is quick: the warranty covers tubes that arrive damaged or non-glowing. Once the bead is in use — on a lanyard, in a pocket or bag, or dropped — cracks, breakage or dimming from impacts and daily wear are not covered. The titanium body is unaffected. Email Antdesign support
Shipping options and delivery estimates are shown at checkout. Our 30-day return policy has eligibility conditions, including original, unopened packaging; contact us before sending a return. The tritium vials have their own arrival-check terms — see the answer above. Full details: Shipping & Returns.
Never search in the dark again.
The knife bead that glows for 25 years.

CNC-machined Grade 5 titanium, 18 mm tall, fits 550 paracord. Four sealed tritium vials, fixed with UV adhesive. Free installation.
Pick your mix, tie it onto your knife lanyard, and forget about batteries for years.

Pick my colors — from $24.90
30-Day Returns · Sealed & Safe · Factory Direct Price
Tritium Vial Capacity4 (vials not included; sold separately)
TritiumΦ1.5*6mm
Installation MethodUV glue (required for secure placement)
MaterialGrade 5 Titanium
Height18 mm / 0.71"
Diameter13.1 mm / 0.52"
Inner Lanyard Hole Diameter5.1 mm / 0.20"
Tritium Glow25 years (with Swiss-made tubes)
  • Quality Guaranteed by Antdesign
  • 30-Day Return Policy
  • Secure payments
  • Standard shipping: 5-8 business days
  • Express shipping: 3-5 business days

Customer Reviews

Based on 8 reviews
88%
(7)
13%
(1)
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J
Jon Cavana (United States)
Lantern Bead

Arrived quickly, I think it will be perfect for an EDC lanyard I'm planning on making.

A
Anonymous (United States)
Greqt stuff!

I ordered a few things and they were all outstanding. The lantern bead is nicely finished and glows nicely. I will definitely be ordering more stuff, thanks!

S
S.E.

Always great, perfect bead for a knife you want to find in a pitch black desert night.

S
Steven Worrell (United States)
Lantern bead

It is nice size and shape for a lanyard bead.

R
Richard (Australia)
Great

Great item

C
Christopher

Outstanding bead. It is definitely fit for a nice high end knife lanyard. Customer service was great. Package shipped and arrived promptly.

S
Sherwin (Singapore)
It looks great

It looks great. Haven't installed the tritium yet but will get around to it soon.

S
Stephen (United States)
This is a nice item

This is a nice item. Very sturdy. With the UV resin, the tiny tritium rods stay in tight. I recommend two levels of resin, though.