RovyVon Aurora A8 Small Multifunctional Torch USB C Rechargeable, 5000K High CRI, 420 Lumens EDC Keyring Torch with Magnetic Clip and Socket (White+Red+365nm)

Product Information

If you press the mode button with the torch off the display shows the exact battery voltage of the built-in battery with a graphical display too. And it shows the memorised mode you last used and if you’re in Daily or Demo mode. The battery voltage may not mean an awful lot to many, but a lithium-ion battery is fully charged at 4.2V and empty at around 3.0V. If you’re on a budget the Thrunite Ti2 is hard to beat. It offers plenty of light, couldn’t be simpler to use and feels rugged. If you still want a AAA torch but don’t want to bother with rechargeable batteries, the OLIGHT i3E runs very well even on an alkaline battery – there’s even one included. And it’s only a few pounds more than the Thrunite. In this first article I’ll look at keyring torches, starting with the lightest. These use either an integrated battery or a replaceable AAA battery. They are super lightweight weighing less than 25g – you’ll barely even know you have them on you. They’re still surprisingly bright – way brighter and with far more reach than an iPhone 13 Pro’s torch that I’ve included as a baseline. Despite its small size, the RovyVon Aurora A8 G4 has an impressive 330mAh battery. This means that you can get up to 72 hours of runtime on the lowest setting, or up to 1.5 hours of runtime on the highest setting. And thanks to the USB C rechargeability, you can easily top up the battery whenever you need to.

One of the most convenient features of the RovyVon Aurora A8 G4 is its USB C rechargeability. This means that you can easily recharge the flashlight using any USB C cable, which is the same type of cable used by many modern smartphones and other devices. This makes it easy to keep your flashlight charged and ready to go, no matter where you are.The beam has a visible hotspot and in high mode has 580 candela of intensity equating to 48m of throw. The Fenix E03R looks very similar to the Nitecore TINI 2, and weighs pretty much the same at 22.2g. It has the same type III hard anodised aluminium body but a slightly better IP66 waterproof rating. It has two modes – half tighten the head for the 5 lumen low mode with 12 hours of runtime, and fully tighten the head for the high 180 lumen output with 23 minutes of runtime until it reaches half this initial output.

The RovyVon Aurora A8 G4 is designed to provide a more focused beam of light, which makes it ideal for tasks that require precision and accuracy. The flashlight has a maximum output of 650 lumens, which is more than enough to light up a room or illuminate a path in the dark. You can choose 6500K cool white or 5000K neutral white with high CRI (>90) as you prefer. The cool white LED is for high brightness that can illuminate a relatively larger area, and the neutral white LED is for people who like warm light and it benefits from a high CRI that renders the color as close as it is under natural light. I confirmed these outputs, although high I measured a little lower at 240 lumens – but that’s still pretty good for a light this size and weight. This drops to around 50 lumens after 1 minute. Unless I state otherwise I’m measuring the lumens after 30 seconds, as per the American ANSI flashlight testing standards.Moonlight is great for a nightlight. Low is plenty bright to see a menu in a dark restaurant. Medium is a good, general-purpose flashlight. High is surprisingly bright for such a little flashlight. The beam is well-focused and can shine a long way at its brightest. OLIGHT don’t specify the exact LED used but I measured its colour temperature as a very cool 7251K without any noticeable unpleasant tint and with a CRI of 77. R9 is an additional score that represents how accurately a light source reproduces strong red colours often found in skin colours, clothing and food. Again the closer to 100 the better but this number will usually be lower than CRI, often by a fair bit and can even be negative.

In turbo mode you’ll get 2000 candela which equates to 89m of throw which isn’t bad for a mostly floody beam. Measurement disclaimer: Testing flashlights is my hobby. I use hobbyist-level equipment for testing, including some I made myself. Try not to get buried in the details of manufacturer specifications versus measurements recorded here; A certain amount of difference (say, 10 or 15%) is perfectly reasonable. What’s Included

The 60 lumen mode should last around 1 hour and the ultra low mode can last for up to 40 hours. A long press turns the torch off. You can run the TIKI off a USB portable charger and unusually all the lighting modes are available. So it would be great for a reading light when camping for example. It’s a simple torch to operate, but it’s disappointing there’s no direct access to turbo – you need to switch the torch on and cycle up the modes. And the 5 lumen eco mode is too bright to be a true moonlight mode – for night adjusted eyes 1 lumen is usually enough and doesn’t disturb anyone if you’re getting up in the night. I measured a CRI of 85 for this white auxiliary LED with 22 for R9, a colour temperature of 4392K and a tint of 0.0056 Duv. The lower the CCT the warmer the light. What you’re after here will come down to personal preference, but generally values of 4000-5000K are preferred by most people for EDC torches providing less harsh, natural lighting.

The E03R also has a Everlight 2835 4 lumen red LED accessed with a long press with the torch off. Press the button again for a flashing mode. The red light is useful to preserve your night vision, and as an emergency beacon. I did find the user manual confusing, but that’s partly because they are a few variations of this light. You can choose a brighter cool white 6500K SST-20 650 lumens main LED that I have or a 5000K Nichia 219C LED with a higher CRI but only 420 lumens. And then you have a choice of side lights – either UV, red and white that I have, or amber, red and blue.But my favourite keyring torch is the RovyVon A8 – it has nearly every feature I want and enough lumens for outdoors too if I don’t have anything else on me. Bernard is known for bringing everyday carry out of obscurity and into the mainstream, having been published or featured in various publications such as GQ, TIME Magazine, The New York Times, VICE, HYPEBEAST, Outside, and many others. He has also played a part in curating, designing, and developing digital and physical products, resulting in successful crowdfunding projects or limited edition collaboration products with established softgoods brands. He stays on the pulse of the EDC industry by attending trade shows, participating in online interest communities, and actively engaging with fellow gear enthusiasts on social media. Seeing a display of the mode you’re in with real time information on how long you have left is just brilliant. From 60 hours in ultralow to 56 minutes in 200 lumen high mode. Turbo mode has up to 15 minutes but has temperature regulation and will step down when it gets hot. Just as a comparison I carried out all these measurements with my iPhone 13 Pro’s torch. In its highest mode it produces 15 lumens, with an intensity of 8 candela which works out as a throw of just under 6 metres. Its colour temperature is 5263K with an impressively high CRI of 95 and a neutral tint. You’ll get better performance with a rechargeable NiMH battery, ideally a low self-discharge battery like this Eneloop. I’d only use Alkaline batteries if you have to. Alkaline batteries are prone to leak and destroy your torch if you’re not careful.