I reached out to RovyVon and they kindly sent the RovyVon A8 for review.
It is the 4th generation of the A8 keychain light.
The main improvements are:
Metal button.
Magnet in the pocket clip.
Magnetic tail base attachment.
I’ve known about RovyVon for a while but I didn’t pull the trigger and buy one a few years ago because their torches didn’t have much USB-C charging at the time. These days their torches have USB-C charging.
This particular A8 has a Nichia 219C 5000K 90 CRI primary emitter and three side emitters: 365nm UVC, 625nm Red and 4000K Warm White (60-70 CRI).
The RovyVon A8 has replaced an Olight i1R 2 Pro as my keychain light. The aluminium is wearing away on the i1R 2 Pro. I’ll see how the polycarbonate body of the A8 holds up over time.
Very nice review! Lots of good attention to detail. Jon Gadget also did a nice review of this one back in 2022 (LINK).
I have the A5 G4 version of the Aurora series, which is very much like the A8. It does away with the red LED and instead you get dual white side LEDs plus a GITD polycarbonate body. I have the G2 version of the A5 with a Nichia 219C 5000k, so I opted to get the SST-20 6500k (it was a good $10 cheaper at the time). The G4 SST-20 version is noticeably brighter on high and curiously enough has a lower low than the G2 Nichia version.
I’m a little mixed about the new metal switch. I first got to experience it on a larger A28. And I quite liked it because its tactile control is nice, and it’s silent (no audible click). The bezel around it is sloped inward, so it leaves a rather noticeable high ridge around the outer edge. This makes it very easy to find the switch without looking… but I think Rovyvon should have chamfered it just a bit more. On my G4 A5? The tactile feel is different. There’s an audible click sound and it’s not quite as smooth as on my A28. The buttons look identical. Also, that bezel? It’s the same… and because the A5 is much smaller in diameter, the sharp ridge is more pronounced (and I’d prefer it was more chamfered).
In contrast, the A5 G2 model I’ve got has the 2nd generation rubber covered switch. Unlike the first opaque black one, it’s a translucent grippy rubber-like cover with a slight “pip” in the center. Because of the stark texture difference from the smooth hard polycarbonate body, I’m able to locate it by feel. It also has a nice tactile control. I’m finding I actually prefer it a bit to the metal version, at least on the A5.
There are people who immediately reject this flashlight on the whole captive proprietary battery factor. Yes, it’s true that the A5 and A8 are sealed–battery not user replaceable. But I’ve got an old 1st gen A8 and the battery is still holding up quite well. I’m pretty confident the G4 versions will do even better with the beefier 330 mAh LiPo.
My only gripe with the Aurora series is the mode memory. I’ve found I just don’t need mode memory on a flashlight like this. And in the Aurora, when you have it on a select brightness for at least 3 minutes, that mode is memorized to come on first when you double-click. There is NO means of forcing low. So for instance, if you prefer the flashlight to start on low and it has memorized medium or high, you have to scroll to low and let the flashlight sit for 3 full minutes to reset it. The UI has been like this since the first version. And I’ve written to Rovyvon about it. They thank me for my input. But clearly they’ve made no effort to either get rid of this mode memory or include some click command to clear it (like clicking 6 times in a row).
All 3 of my Rovyvon Aurora keychain sized flashlights are in service. A8 1st gen is on my house keys (it’s 120 mAh and very small; no longer available and becoming a collector item), while my A5 2nd gen is house carried and the A5 G4 is taken when I head out of the house.
Yeah, although RovyVon lights are very nice, I think they’re all overpriced.
Also, I prefer metal flashlights over plastic ones because I like durable lights, though I know that many BLF members don’t seem to mind plastic keychain lights.
The A28 is fine for EDC. It’s about the same size as a Wurkkos TS10.
The 1st gen version is frequently on sale at $25 USD, which is a very good price… if you don’t mind cool white for the emitter. I prefer the single button interface. The 2nd gen A28 has 2 buttons and a different UI. Too pricey at $57 USD.
As for the prices on other models, the Aurora A5 and A7 are sometimes as cheap as $25 on sale. I still think it’s worth it at $35 USD. Those who scoff at it haven’t owned one. It’s excellent build quality. And as for “plastic,” the shell is polycarbonate. Very tough. The only way you’re cracking it open is with a sledgehammer against it on a hard surface. Going with metal forces the loss of side LED’s. Plus, the translucent polycarbonate shows off the internals, which is a neat look.
I’d love to try one of these lights, they SEEM to fit into one of my main carry niches. (Not keychain, I wear a light on a easy grab magnetic release around my neck all the time).
But every time I seem to find one I like the features (or more accurately lack of the stupid “features” like uv and red/blue side lights, multi switches), it turns out to have a screwy interface.
They’re trying too hard. For me anyway. Too many models, generations, and blended mixes of kitschy features and UI concepts.
