The flashlight images in this review are from FlashlightBrand (www.flashlightbrand.com), and the images are being used with their permission.
I used a program called Topaz Gigapixel AI to improve the image quality.
The flashlight was provided by FlashlightBrand in exchange for this review. Even though I received this light for free, this review is as honest as possible. I will go over every negative (and positive) point that I think is relevant.
I received this keychain flashlight today.
I am mightily impressed.
This is the best keychain flashlight I have come across, though of course it's not perfect.
Before now the RovyVon Aurora A3 held the title of "best keychain flashlight" in my book.
I chose the CREE XP-L HD version because it outputs more light and produces less heat than the Nichia 219C.
If you care more about high CRI, go with the Nichia 219C.
The manual says that the tint is cool white (6500-7000K).
This is not true.
The tint is neutral white.
It's about 4000K to 4500K.
Luckily for me, I like neutral white more than cool white, though I prefer warm white the most.
Here are the brightnesses according to the documentation:
1 lumen Moonlight, 40 lumens Low, 170 lumens Medium, 700 lumens High, 1000 lumens Turbo.
I'd say that the mode spacing is excellent.
Moonlight is pretty dim, but that's to be expected for Moonlight.
The light gets hot quickly on Turbo with a fresh battery, so I prefer High.
When the flashlight is off, press the button for momentary on. The flashlight will be on turbo for as long as you hold down the button, unless it happens to step down. (Which doesn't seem to ever happen. More on that later.)
When the flashlight is off, double click quickly to turn it on.
Then each short press of the button goes to the next mode.
Low to Medium to High to Turbo, back to Low, and so on.
Do a long press to turn the flashlight off.
When the flashlight is off, triple click quickly to get to Strobe and SOS. From there, a single quick click switches from Strobe and SOS.
When the flashlight is off, quadruple click quickly to get to moonlight.
The light has memory, but it is not ideal.
The flashlight has to be on a mode for at least three minutes for that mode to be memorized.
Then if you turn off the light, it will come back on at the memorized mode.
I think three minutes is WAY too long.
This is my biggest complaint about this light.
I think maybe three to ten seconds would be much more appropriate.
Three minutes is pretty ridiculous, but luckily I don't have any other major complaints.
Also, according to the documentation, on High and Turbo, after 1.5 minutes, the flashlight is supposed to step down.
I do not think this happens.
I had the light on Turbo for 2 minutes, and it did not step down.
Then I tried High for 5 minutes, and again it did not step down.
This is actually good for me because I like to use High, and the light does not get hot on High.
The documentation says that the li-polymer battery is replaceable. Although opening up the flashlight is not difficult, I couldn't figure out how to take the battery out. I didn't try very hard because I was afraid of breaking the light. I'm not going to put more effort into trying to take the battery out until the battery eventually dies completely. So replacing the battery may be possible, but I don't know how to do it.
The user manual is in Chinese, English, and Japanese.
I don't know Chinese or Japanese, but the English part is surprisingly well written. Usually flashlight user manuals are not written very well. Portions of the info might not be correct, but the English version is at least easy to read. Considering RovyVon is a Chinese company, their English is top notch.
The flashlight comes with many accessories. It has an out-of-the-way clip. The clip is removeable, but because it's not in the way, I'll leave it attached. The light also comes with an extra o-ring, a stainless steel keyring, some paracord, a USB charging cable, a really nice lanyard, a user manual, and a warranty card. I don't think I'll be using the clip, the paracord, or the lanyard, but I know others will.
By the way, it is possible to charge the light with the keyring attached. It looks like it might be difficult or impossible to do, but it's doable.
The fit and finish of this light are superb.
There are no sharp edges anywhere, and the ergonomics are great.
I also really like the metal switch.
It has a good feel to it, and because you have to double click to turn the light on for good, it probably won't accidentally turn on in my pocket.
I mean, it may accidentally turn on momentarily, but it probably won't accidentally stay on for long.
I really like the size of this keychain flashlight. It's large enough to have a decent sized battery in it, but it still fits on my keychain (and in my pocket) just fine. It's the perfect size for me.
Compared to the RovyVon A3, the A23 is much brighter and has a better UI. The A3 has strobe that isn't hidden, and I don't think the A3 has memory. The A23 is quite a bit larger than the A3, but it isn't all that more expensive. For me, the A23 is the best keychain flashlight currently available.
THE END