RovyVon A8 EDC Torch Review
RovyVon A8⌗
- Specifications
- Introduction
- Torch in use
- Build quality
- LED, bezel, lens, reflector and beam
- Size and comparison
- User interface
- Batteries and charging
- Performance
- Beamshots
- Conclusion
- Price
- Product page
Specifications⌗
| Brand/model | RovyVon A8 |
|---|---|
| LED | Nichia 219C 5000K Neutral White 90 CRI |
| Maximum lumens | 420 lm |
| Maximum beam intensity | 1,200 cd |
| Maximum throw | 70 m |
| Battery | Built-in 330mAh LiPo |
| Onboard charging | Yes (USB-C) |
| Material | Polycarbonate (body), Stainless steel (bezel) |
| Modes | 4 |
| Blinkies | Red Beacon, Red Flash |
| Reflector | TIR |
| Waterproof | IPX6 |
| Review date | December 2023 |
Introduction⌗
RovyVon is known for their wide range of EDC torches.
This RovyVon A8 (4th generation) keychain torch has a polycarbonate body, a stainless steel bezel, a Nichia 219C 5000K Neutral White 90 CRI primary emitter behind a TIR optic, three side emitters (365nm UV, 625nm red, 4000K Warm White), a metal button and USB-C charging.
Some of the improvements for the 4th generation of the RovyVon A8 include:
- Metal button
- Magnetic pocket clip
- Magnetic tail base
There are many more RovyVon EDC torches available.
You can find them with bodies made of:
- Polycarbonate
- Aluminium
- Brass
- Copper
- Titanium
- Timascus
- And the list goes on!
They also come with a variety of emitter options.
Here is a video review of the RovyVon A8:
RovyVon kindly sent this torch for review. I have not been paid for this review nor have I held back my opinions of this torch.
Packaging⌗
The RovyVon A8 comes in an semi-transparent plastic box.
The following was included in the box:
- RovyVon A8.
- Magnetic pocket clip.
- Two keyrings.
- Spare USB-C cover.
- Magnetic tail base (adapter).
- User manual.
Torch in use⌗
The RovyVon A8 feels comfortable to hold with a bunch of keys hanging off of it.
I like how it is small enough to disappear into my pocket with a bunch of keys.
The magnetic pocket clip and the magnetic tail base are strong enough to support the weight of the RovyVon A8.
The torch can tailstand.
Build quality⌗
This RovyVon A8 has a polycarbonate body for the UV light, a stainless steel bezel and a metal button. There are no sharp edges.
I haven’t noticed any scratches on the body within the first few weeks of use.
The button gives a satisfying click and it has a textured feel. There is a raised bezel to help prevent the button from being accidentally pressed.
The magnetic pocket clip fits snugly on the body of the torch. It can be reversed and shifted around the body to allow a deep carry with the head up or down.
The magnetic tail base can be clipped onto the tail. It fits snugly and it works nicely alongside a keyring.
The USB-C cover feels as though it may eventually be ripped out and become lost. Fortunately, RovyVon has included a spare USB-C cover.
LED, bezel, lens, reflector and beam⌗
The RovyVon A8 has a 5000K Neutral White 90 CRI primary emitter, a 4000K Warm White side emitter, a 625nm red side emitter and a 365nm UV side emitter.
The primary emitter is behind a TIR optic and it is housed by a stainless steel bezel.
There does not appear to be a glass lens in front of the plastic TIR optic.
The side emitters have no reflector or optic. They shine through a transparent section of the polycarbonate body.
There is a Luminus SST20 6500K version of the RovyVon A8 and there are other models with a reflector instead of a TIR optic for more throw.
CCT, CRI, and duv⌗
I have taken Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT) and Colour Rendering Index (CRI, RA of R1-R8) measurements with the torch positioned half metre away from an Opple Light Master Pro III (G3). The torch was positioned 10cm away for the Moon mode.
The CCT of the primary light is around 5143K and the CRI is around 98.
The Delta u, v of the primary light is close to neutral.
The beam produced by the primary emitter with a TIR optic has a relatively small hot spot that blends into a smooth spill. The centre of the hot spot looks slightly darker but it does not look like a donut.
The CCT of the secondary warm white light is around 4247K and the CRI is around 62.
The Delta u, v of the secondary warm white light is positive (green).
The beam produced by the warm white side emitter (mule) is very floody but it has some artifacts from the polycarbonate body that it is shining through.
| LED | Mode | CCT (K) | CRI (Ra) | x | y | Duv |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Moon | 5240 | 99.5 | 0.3384 | 0.3393 | -0.0035 |
| Primary | Low | 5090 | 97.5 | 0.3428 | 0.3510 | 0.0006 |
| Primary | Medium | 5070 | 97.3 | 0.3434 | 0.3525 | 0.0011 |
| Primary | High | 5173 | 100.0 | 0.3400 | 0.3398 | -0.0039 |
| Side | White Low | 4274 | 62.4 | 0.3736 | 0.3902 | 0.0083 |
| Side | White High | 4220 | 62.5 | 0.3764 | 0.3940 | 0.0091 |
Calculate Duv from CIE 1931 xy coordinates
Dimensions and size comparison⌗
Dimensions⌗
I took the following measurements using a digtal caliper.
| Measurement | Unit (mm) |
|---|---|
| Length | 60.27 |
| Head diameter | 15.59 |
| Tube width | 15.46 |
| Tube min height | 13.90 |
| Tube max height | 15.00 |
Weight⌗
I took the following measurements using a digital scale.
| Weight | Unit (g) |
|---|---|
| Torch | 17.71 |
Size comparison with its competition⌗
From left to right: RovyVon A8, Olight i1R 2 Pro, Nitecore Tini2, Nitecore TIP CRI
From left to right: RovyVon A8, Olight i1R 2 Pro, Nitecore Tini2, Nitecore TIP CRI
User interface⌗
The RovyVon A8 has one button to control the primary emitter and three side emitters (warm white, UV and red).
The primary emitter has four main modes: Moon, Low, Medium and High.
The warm white side emitter has two main modes: Low and High.
The UV and red emitters have one group: UV, Red, Red Beacon, Red Flash (bike light).
| LED | State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Off | Press and hold | Momentary on (High) | |
| Off | Click | Nothing | |
| Off | Two clicks | Primary light on (memory) | |
| Off | Three clicks | UV light on | |
| On | Press and hold for 0.5 seconds | Off | |
| UV, Red | Off | Click | Cycle (UV, Red, Read Beacon, Red Flash) |
| Off | Four clicks | Warm White light on (Low) | |
| Warm White | On | Click | Cycle (Low, High) |
| Off | Five clicks | Lock | |
| Locked | Click | Primary light flashes | |
| Locked | Five clicks | Unlock |
Mode memory⌗
The torch will memorise the last used mode for the primary emitter if that mode has been on for three minutes.
Low voltage protection⌗
The user manual states that the low battery voltage is 3.0V and the cut-off voltage is 2.8V.
PWM⌗
I did not notice any visible PWM (flickering).
What I like about the UI⌗
- Momentary High.
What could be improved⌗
- Reduce the time required to memorise a mode. It would be better if the torch memorised a mode that has been on for ten seconds instead of needing to wait three minutes.
Batteries and charging⌗
Battery⌗
The RovyVon A8 has a built-in 330mAh Lithium Polymer battery.
Charging⌗
The RovyVon A8 has USB-C charging.
Power supply: PinePower Desktop USB-C PD
USB Meter: AVHzY CT-3 (recommended by LiquidRetro)
Room temperature: 19 C
The RovyVon A8 took about 58 minutes to charge at a rate of 5V 0.35A. The charging indicator went from breathing blue to a solid green when charging finished.
Power supply compatibility⌗
I tried the following power supplies with the built-in USB-C charger:
| Power supply | USB Type | Protocol | Does it charge? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple 61W Power Adapter | USB-C | PD | Yes |
| Google Pixel Power Adapter | USB-C | PD | Yes |
| PinePower Desktop | USB-C | PD | Yes |
| PinePower Desktop | USB-A | QC | Yes |
| PinePower Desktop | USB-A | Yes |
USB-C to USB-C charging works.
Performance⌗
Specifications from the user manual:
Primary Light
| Moon | Low | Medium | High | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Output (lumens) | 0.5 | 20 | 150 | 420 |
| Runtime | 72h | 8h | 1min + 2h | 1min + 1h 30min |
| Beam Distance (metres) | 10 | 18 | 70 | |
| Beam Intensity (cd) | 80 | 300 | 1,200 |
Side lights
| White Low | White High | Red | Red Beacon | Red Flash | UV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Output (lumens) | 1 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | |
| Runtime | 12h | 3h | 100min |
Lumen measurements⌗
| LED | Mode | Specs | Lumens @turn on | Lumens @30 sec | Lumens @10 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Moon | 0.5 | |||
| Primary | Low | 20 | 25 | 25 | 23 |
| Primary | Medium | 150 | 166 | 138 | 73 |
| Primary | High | 420 | 470 | 288 | 86 |
| Side | White Low | 1 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Side | White High | 20 | 26 | 25 | 23 |
Moon was too low for my DIY lumen tube to detect.
The lumen output of High was slightly lower than expected after 30 seconds.
Runtime graphs⌗
I used my own DIY lumen tube with a TSL2591 sensor and forked bmengineer’s project RuTiTe to record runtimes.
Note: Lumen measurements may be off by 10% with my DIY lumen tube.
The room temperature was approximately 19 C.
Runtime⌗
Here is a summary of the runtime results:
| LED | Mode | User manual | Runtime | Turn off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | High | 1min + 1h 30min | 1h 15min 11s | 1h 18min 24s |
| Primary | Medium | 1min + 2h | 1h 45min 57s | 1h 46min 46s |
| Primary | Low | 8h | 7h 2min 20s | 7h 2min 20s |
| Side | White High | 3h | 3h 12min 4s | 3h 12min 4s |
| Side | White Low | 12h | 11h 21min 37s | 11h 21min 37s |
“Runtime” is the time until the output reduces to 10% of the output at 30 seconds (as per the ANSI/PLATO FL1 2019 Standard).
“Turn off” is the time until my DIY lumen tube no longer detects more than one lumen.
“+” indicates that the light remained on after recording had stopped.
Moon was too low for my DIY lumen tube to detect.
My runtime results were pretty close but they are slightly shorter compared to what RovyVon claims.
The RovyVon A8 puts out short bursts of over 400 lumens while holding down the button for High.
Medium can maintain about 50 lumens for an hour before stepping down further.
Low can maintain about 20 lumens for 7 hours.
Overall, the torch can last a while on low and it has the ability to provide short bursts of over 400 lumens when needed.
Throw⌗
I took lux measurements with a UNI-T UT383BT at 30 seconds. Each mode was measured at five metres.
| LED | Mode | Specs (cd) | Specs (m) | Candela measured (cd) | Distance (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Low | 80 | 10 | 80 | 17 |
| Primary | Medium | 300 | 18 | 497 | 44 |
| Primary | High | 1,200 | 70 | 1,057 | 65 |
There appears to be a typing mistake in the user manual for the beam distances of Low and Medium. Low has 80 candelas (10 metres) but it should be 80 candelas (17.88 metres). Medium has 300 candelas (18 metres) but it should be 300 candelas (34.64 metres).
Beamshots⌗
I went to a local park and aimed the RovyVon A8 at a tree 70 metres away while using High.
Beamshots were taken using a Sony RX100M2 using 3.2", f3.2, ISO 100, 5000K WB.
RovyVon A8 (High)⌗
Olight i1R 2 Pro (High)⌗
Nitecore TIP CRI (Turbo)⌗
RovyVon A8 UV and red lights⌗
Conclusion⌗
The RovyVon A8 has become my main keychain light.
An electronic lockout (five clicks) and a raised bezel around the metal button have helped prevent the torch from being accidentally turned on in my pocket.
Momentary High is sufficient for emergency use when I don’t have a bigger torch on me.
The Nichia 219C 5000K emitter produces a nice beam.
The UV and red lights are nice to have! If that’s not your thing, then you could consider a different RovyVon model with fewer emitters.
The runtime results were pretty close but they are slightly shorter than expected.
I have known that RovyVon are one of the leaders in EDC keychain lights for a while but micro USB charging was preventing me from pulling the trigger and buying one a few years ago.
I am glad that RovyVon has updated their torches support USB-C. The spare USB-C cover is a nice bonus. It’ll be cool to see if RovyVon starts hiding the USB-C port.
The magnetic pocket clip and the magnetic tail base are nice additions for those that like magnets.
I can highly recommend the RovyVon A8 (4th generation) in Neutral White!
Pros:⌗
- Good build quality.
- Nice tint.
- High CRI.
- USB-C charging.
- Magnetic pocket clip.
- Magnetic tail base.
Cons:⌗
- Lumen output is slightly lower than expected for High after 30 seconds.
- Runtime results were pretty close but they are slightly shorter than expected.
- It takes three minutes for the torch to memorise a mode.
Price⌗
The RovyVon A8 is AU$82.95 from Amazon (affiliate link)
Product page⌗
RovyVon A8 at Amazon (affiliate link)