Rofis KR20 tactical flashlight Review

Rofis KR20 Review

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Hey folks today we will be reviewing the Rofis KR20 every one seem to love the Rofis TR20. This is for a good reason the TR20 came with great features. The Rofis KR20 is a more tactical style counterpart to the TR20. But the KR20 is still feature packed with all the goodies you want in a more robust outdoors and sports style flashlight. You lose some features from the TR20 but they are more then made up by the added features you get with the KR20.
The KR20 is more beefy and robust compared to the TR20. The TR20 is more of a work style flashlight it has all the features you need to make it a great light for work in the trades. I guess you could call the KR20 a work flashlight also if your in the military or a police/fire officer or even a security guard. The KR20 would come in handy if you do any of these jobs. Well to me a flashlight comes in handy no matter what job you do Gynecologist? Ha Imagine losing a flashlight up there going home and being like where did I leave it? Oh no! The same could also be said if you need your hemorrhoids checked. That would be a pain in the arse!

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Flashlights like the Rofis KR20 the more tactical style flashlights are my favorite style flashlights they kind of bring out the big kid in me they look the part. Thinks of playing cops and robbers when you where a kid and what looked cool? Tactical style Flashlight like the KR20 always catch people eyes and makes them want to see more. Makes people ask questions about the light.
The KR20 is an awesome looking light! This is a good place to start I guess its the kind of light you would gun mount on your rifle. Its small but not to small coming in at 136.5mm (13.65cm) in length its a tad shorter then a Convoy C8. The head diameter is 34.8mm (3.48cm) and the body width is a messily 25.4mm (2.45cm). The KR20 is marketed as a thrower and it is defiantly a thrower but by the specs you can see it will have limited throw. The reflector is deep but is not to wide you get the extra throw from using a XPL-HI width wise the reflector is probably half the width of a C8.

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So for the purpose of this review I will call the KR20 a pocket thrower. This is where theKR20 holds its place in the pocket throwing market. It is much smaller then a Convoy C8 but offer about the same amount of throw compared to a stock XML2 C8. The KR20 will give you 336 meters of throw with a peak beam intensity of 28360cd not bad for a flashlight that only weights 118 grams with out the battery. The KR20 achieves its throw from using the Cree XPL-HI in a cool white tint. The TR20 also uses a XPL-HI but the reflector is about 1/3 of the size of the KR20.
In fact right now I will take the reflector out of the KR20 and do some measurements. Ha the bezel is glued real good I will have to work on this light to get it apart. The head is held together with a stainless steel bezel which gives the KR20 an awesome look. The stainless steel bezel serves a purpose on taticial flashlight for more then just looks.
The use of stainless steel bezel are there to offer extra protection for the flashlight and the components because stainless steel is a harder material then alloy. Sow when you are playing solder with your mates and need to breach a door when your weapon is mounted on your AR15 you will have no issues.

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Now I am probably just being biased because this is favorite style flashlight but the KR20 a good looking light yes I know have already said this.
I love Everyday carrying these Rofis flashlights for testing purposes. The KR20 looks like you can just hit some one on the head with it and save the world which I guess that is kind of there purpose. It does have the crenelated bezel after all. These style flashlights are made for hunting so when you weapons Mount them or have them in the field they last a long time and do not get issues. Rofis does offer a good warranty and plus they have active reps on BLF and CPF so they are easy to find if you have any issues.

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Rofis done a good job on the KR20 they some how managed to make the KR20 so short its amazing compared to my other tactical flashlight this is the shortest tactical flashlight own.

Rofis still managed to give the KR20 a manual switch which means it has the greatest feature known to man a manual lockout. Considering how small the KR20 is I am surpirsed that that Roifs opted for dual switches. The back switch is mechanical and the KR20 also features a back lit side switch which acts as mode selection and a battery indicator and location beacon for when you leave the KR20 unlocked. One thing to note is when you are charging a cell inside the KR20 the tail cap switch has to be in activated mode or else the battery will not charge.
The KR20s back mechanical switch and memory mode means you can select a mode and mechanically turn of the KR20. Then when you turn on the KR20 it will still be in the same mode. When using the back switch the KR20 will always start on your last used mode with out having to cycle modes again. This feature is used a lot by hunters when they want to spot out prey usually they would be using a remote pressure switch but this elevates some of the need for a remote switch. The back switch also acts as a momentary switch so you can half press the button and the KR20 will stay on for as long as you are holding that button. Might as well throw away all your pressure switches.

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The KR20 uses hard anodizing type 3 with a semi gloss finish its dark but not way to dark it would be a similar finish to the TR20 the anodizing on the KR20 is thick and will last. The KR20 also uses AR coated glass lens. The KR20 is built out of the usual Aircraft grade alloy aluminum. The knurling is so fine on the KR20 but it does do its job well plus you have the added luxury of the tactical ring which helps hold the light when using the rear switch and using gloves.
The Rofis KR20 is water resistant with an IPX rating of 8 this IPX8 rating means a minimum water resistance to 1 meter under water. But Rofis went one step further and mde the KR20 up to 2 meters water resistant. Its not a dive light so don’t be goofing around diving with it.
The water resistant rating is thanks to the KR20 using a O-rings and a USB rubber boot charging cover to cover the integrated charging USB port. The port cover fits on nice and snug and tight you can lube that port cover up for extra protection. This sounds like I am heading in a dirty pun direction right? What are we 10 years old?

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The USB charging port is a great addition to the KR20 it charges at about 750mah if I am correct I did check my self . This is with the included Rofis USB cable and this chraging rate also depends on the USB charging port you are using. The termination voltage is 4.20 volts on the dot! This is amazing how they get it so close it could be a fluke checked with my fluke multimeter if you know what I mean. It appears to have the correct charging algorithm by droping current but keeping voltage the same amount at the end of the charge cycle which will add charging time but keeps your batteries happy. When you are charging a cell in the KR20 the red indicator the side switch will be on. Once fully charged the switch will turn to the standard green indicator so you know its done. When the charge cycle is almost done the switch flashes green while staying red at the same time. I like leaving the KR20 on standby mode so the location beacon flashes makes me feel all fuzzy in side.

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The Rofis KR20 has a max output of 1100 lumens on turbo mode. All these numbers for the KR20 are ANSI rated using the included 3400Mah 18650 battery I think it is a re-branded Panasonic cell I will take one apart soon and have a quick look around. You can also use either 16340s or CR123 in the KR20 but run times will suffer. Also the USB charger will not work with these style cells the inbuilt charger will only work with a single 18650 battery. The batteries point towards the head in case you where wondering.

Mode selection on the KR20 is easy I love using a simple UI give me one button to push like a monkey and I am a happy man. Basically all your modes are accessed by using the side switch the 5 standard modes are easy as to access. Simply make sure the KR20 is unlocked and push the side switch to cycle modes. These modes are as follows.

The KR20 has 5 standard modes these include.

  • Ultra low mode:12 lumens @135 hours
  • Low mode:80 lumens @ 29 hours
  • Medium mode: 220 lumens @ 10 hours
  • High mode: 500 lumens @ 2.8 hours
  • Turbo mode: 1100 lumens @ 1.5 hours

Hidden modes Unknown run times for blink modes. These are accessible by double clicking the side switch.

  • Strobe: 1100 lumens
  • Beacon 1100 lumens
  • SOS 1100 lumens

Moonlight mode is hidden you have to hold the sides witch while the tail cap is in the of position. Then activate the tail cap while holding the side switch to get into moonlight mode I think this is a great feature seeing as I do not use moonlight mode to often.

Hidden mode moon light: 4 lumen @ 210 hours.

Tree 100 meters
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The KR20 comes with a momentary switch another great features for hunters and outdoors enthusiast this means you can momentarily turn the KR20 without fully activating the flashlight. Using the momentary switch the KR20 will turn on last used memory mode you can cycle through modes while holding the momentary switch by using the side switch. When you go to use the KR20 the next time it will turn on your last used memory mode from the momentary settings.

Looking at the internal of the KR20 it looks like you could get some extra power by just doing a spring bypass the springs they used on the KR20 are a bit small. I am not sure why they chose these springs. I know the KR20 isn’t pushing amazing power its only doing around 3 amps but I think you could possibly get a slight boost by doing spring bypass on the driver side and tail cap side. I know the KR20 is a small flashlight but bigger springs may have helped with current draw. But I think because you can use CR123s they went with smaller springs so you can actually fit the cells inside. Size is the key factor but they do look like they are quality springs. Come to think of it the Nanjg drivers come with tiny springs also. I would usually bypass them the Nanjg springs.
Trying the 16340s cells they have a bit of space so they may rattle a little bit just the normal amount they battery tube is just wide enough to fit the included protected 18650.

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What is included with the KR20?

  • KR20 flashlight
  • Sheath
  • Lanyard
  • 18650 battery
  • USB cable
  • Clip
  • Tactical ring
  • Spare O-rings
  • Spare USB port cover

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Once again you get all you need to use the Rofis KR20 straight away which makes this a great buy for a flashlight noob. You can gift the KR20 and not have to worry about the flashlight. The battery charges perfect and the KR20 works like a dream. Buying the KR20 you are getting a thrower beam so its great to impress people with the awesome hot spot. The Included 18650 is a protected battery which makes this safer for normal use. Being a standard USB micro port using charging port on the KR20 means the KR20 can be charged any where you are.
You can even use a portable battery bank or your car! If your like me and you like being different roll out your portable solar panel and use that to charge the KR20 then you get free electricity.

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I think the KR20 could be used as an Every day carry especially with the waterproof rating of 2 meters and the drop resistance rating of 1.5 meters. The KR20 will get dropped at some point I have dropped mine already I know not every one is me but some times it happens I guess. All up I would recommend the KR20 to any one who is after a great all round tactical flashlight. It has all the right features and nothing on the KR20 was over looked by Rofis. The parts are sealed so if you want to mod the KR20 it may be a pain but its built for a tough purpose and gluing parts together helps keep the KR20 in one piece.

Moon light mode its a bit bright! 4 lumens
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Ultra low mode
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Low mode at 10 meters
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Medium mode
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High mode
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Turbo mode
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Turbo mode
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Rofis KR20 left and Jetbeam Jet 3m pro right
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Rofis KR20 left and lumintop TD16 right
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Rofis gave me this link but they do not sell directly
Rofis KR20

Thanks for taking the time to read and i hope you enjoyed the review!

Regards Chris

Looks like a decent light. On phone now will have to check out more when I get to pc.
Thanks for taking the time.

Thanks mate.

How does standby mode work? How bright is the switch light?

Standby works by leaving the tail cap clicked on and you cycle through till you get to the standby mode using the side switch . Its not to bright i have one pic of it on in these pictures its still bright enough for you to see in the day time. I will try and compare it to another light for you. I would say because the side switch is still half black and only has two clear windows its bright enough for you to see but to not to bright to disturb you. Its no where near as bright as the BLF X5 and X6. But it is green so its noticeable.

Nice review, love the pics!

Thanks miller!

I added the video finally :smiley:

Nice review
Seems like a fit for purpose and well thought out light
Pretty small too

Thanks mate! Where you been hiding?

If any one is interested i may be able to get a discount on these.

I’ve been here learning heaps from you and others - keep the reviews coming mate, we all get so much out of them

yeah $50 is way too much no mater how nice it is.
whip up some really good fai price for a limited number of BLFs will ya :wink:

I am interested, maybe without battery deal woud be much better?

Maybe if we get enough people i can organize a group buy? I added that link because it is an official Rofis re-seller. I will see what else i can do.