Very thorough review! Great job! I have the A5, (with the additional red light), and a red A3 and just love them. What great, tiny and lightweight lights!
To my eyes, the XP-G3 emitters are fine. I like CW and my examples are pure white with no blue/green and no tint shift that I can notice.
There will be some that will balk at the lower capacity of the built-in cell and that it’s non replaceable, (but that could be overcome ). With all the accessories that come with these and the tiny size, anyone looking for an incredible keychain or necklace light, should give these a serious look.
Concerning the capacity of the cell in these, like you I’ve been using mine on a regular basis and on a single charge, they go for a good while before needing charging.
I also agree that RovyVon’s customer service is top notch. Rapid response to emails and willing to quickly correct any problems, if any.
Indeed these are pretty little lights Easy to carry, practical, “concealable” and useful in many situations
Hum, I find it interesting you don’t notice the shift on the beam! Still, if I could I would replace them ! Maybe I am getting a bit “tint snob” Or not
I guess the cell will be a concern if we are thinking about using it as a “primary” flashlight for extended use. Other than that, for our regular bursts or daily use in short periods of time, we’ll manage to use it well and make it last ! I guess we would get a bigger light if we wanted more runtime (Nitecore TIP or similar comes to my mind).
This one is small and puts a good amount of light so it serves the purpose!
And I am also with you, the “whole package” and features are ideal even for non flashaholics that want a practical flashlight for a keychain or for a “not bulky jeans” use
I am very tempted to get the A6, with Nichia and UV light at the same time! I wish it didn’t have the strobe, but still, it pretty nice
Luckily, I’m not a “tint snob”. I’m one of those strange ones that just want my lights to be pure white and light up the darkness and don’t give a hoot about tints. If it’s white, it’s right. To each their own and that’s what makes it great around here.
I agree that these tiny lights are for intermittent use and are so handy for what they are. I have other lights when I want long stretches of use.
Ahah, I know what you feel Every now and then, the “pure white” is what I need or want just to light the path or place! But honestly, working in a place with low light and mostly “white” is sometimes eye-tiring ! So some better rendition is what my eyes need
Or a neutral to warm (not incandescent!!!) just to get more cozy
I don’t have many keychain lights, and with “similar” characteristics I only have the Nitecore TIP, that I have attached to and adjustable 2mm paracord lanyard so that I can use it on the neck as well!
But the compactness of the Auroras win over the TIP! And being for short use at a time, I find them perfect!!
Even with the UI “issue” (Strobe) I find them winners!
And now I want the A6, specially after seeing zeroair’s thread with a 20% discount in a GroupBuy :money_mouth_face:
I will bankrupt before Christmas…. :person_facepalming:
Hum, the glow will last about 2-3h as I mentioned above! I didn’t do a “test” to see that, but while I was writing the review (that took a while) I lighted the A5R with my UV flashlight, and put it hanging on my bedroom’s door, in the dark. After a while I went there and could see it, so only in the end of the review I could go there again I could see the glow in the dark.
These are my rough estimations, but I can try to “measure” it again
Great review, MascaratumB! Your details were very influential on my decision to buy the A8. I wrote a review on the A8 A/B/R.
I also like your outdoor shots. By the way, given your location being Portugal, have you been to Madeira? Looks beautiful.
You did a fine job of taking photos of the PWM effect. I do see some of it in my A8, but I consider it mild. When looking at the illuminated subject and moving it, like a hand, I don’t notice PWM. It’s only when the reflector is in view and I move my eyes from side to side that I can see the PWM pattern (for moonlight and low). It would be nice if that wasn’t present at all, but I have seen worse PWM by some lights by other brands. My feeling is that if RovyVon can hide it altogether, it would create a better “feel good” among the flashlight community. But obviously, the average person who buys this isn’t going to notice it.
I have been in touch with them and I made the suggestion for a possible larger battery in the next release of the A8 (or A9).
Thanks xevious!
I went to comment your review already! I had different expectations for the A8 ABR , namely the UI, as I mentioned there!
Hum, I get what you say about PWM! I don’t notice it unless I use the camera/cellphone! But when I do…it is somehow annoying! Specially to compare beams.
They may increase the battery, but that will also make the flashlight bigger. I have no problems with the battery so far, as this is a keychain or neck light, not the primary one! But I do get your point!
I also read about your thoughts about the host. I’ve been carrying the A5 (luminous) in my keychain and so far the scratches is minimal. The bezel has some tips there, but barely noticeable! It is still a winner for me
The A8 is more secured below my shirt, so no risks of host scratching :+1:
You’re welcome, and thanks for your comment. I made an update already.
I wouldn’t mind the body being increased slightly. It’s already so very small, that perhaps 2mm wider would still be fine. I had tucked it in my pocket with keys for half a day and when I looked at it under magnification, I could see a few small nicks in the polished polycarbonate directly over the side emitters. So that had me a little concerned. I am going to put some vinyl film over it for protection.
I’m also impressed by how the head doesn’t get too hot to handle even after running for several minutes on high. Thermal regulation works well.
Supposedly the Samsung LH351D emitter is more efficient than the Nichia, so perhaps that could be installed in a future version for even longer runtimes. But again, overall for the mini-EDC purpose, the A8 is a brilliant light. RovyVon is a very small company compared to the “big league” light makers, but I hope that changes. More people need to know about the Aurora line. It probably would have taken a lot longer for me, if my Nitecore TIP CRI fiasco hadn’t happened (2 bad lights in a row, which forced me to look elsewhere).
I’m just looking at getting an A5 with the red side emitter and tempted to opt for the Nichia 219 version. For me with small pocket lights with limited runtimes and usage I tend to go for the cool whites as I’ll get better illumination and I choose the neutral tints for harder working bigger lights.
Couple of questions, does anyone know if the Nichia runtimes are the same as the cool white version?
Do the white side lights get the glow working or does the shell need sunlight or another light to charge it?
And, am I being daft choosing the Nichia and effectively losing about 200 lumens? I know I’ve regretted choosing neutral before now for small, occasional lights.
And does anyone have an estimate on how many charge cycles a lithium polymer battery will supply before it’s worn out?
-If you need a brighter light and for a longer range illumination, choose the Cree.
-If you will need it for closer works/needs, and need better colour rendering and less tint shift, go for Nichia.
-The RED side light on the A5R is dimmer than the A8U
-The WHITE side light on A8U is more pleasant than the one in the A5R.
About charging I can tell you that in about 8 months using them, I only charged them twice, but I don’t use them constantly. I carry the A5R in my home’s keychain and the A8U in my neck. Both are used almost everyday, but for short periods. And because of this I cannot tell you much about runtimes too, as I don’t use them for long periods of time.
About the side leds being enough for making the GITD body glow, here’s an example.
If you turn it ON and OFF quickly (5 seconds) it will lit them a bit. If you leave them ON for a longer period, they will be glowing longer too.
Sometimes I take my keys out of the pocket before entering home and within that period (it I have natural light) normally the GITD body will start glowing.
Thanks for your replies, the photos of the A8 and A5 together have convinced me it’s usually a smart decision with these tiny lights to go for the extra lumens and not worry about colour rendition too much. I’ll save my high CRI choices for the bigger lights that I use in woodland walking the dogs at night. An extremely bright high lumen cool white isn’t the best option for this application.
I think it’ll have to be the A5R with Cree.
I’ve no idea still on li-polymer battery life over time, so I’ve emailed RovyVon for an estimate. It’s an expensive light if it’s going to be useless in a few years.
Thanks again. I shall be sitting on a beach in Alvor in a couple of months time, we went two years ago and loved the little town and spectacular coastline.
). With all the accessories that come with these and the tiny size, anyone looking for an incredible keychain or necklace light, should give these a serious look.
Or not 
