RovyVon 4th USB-C Aurora A8 EDC Flashlight, 6500K LED Max 650 Lumen, Momentary On Keychain Light with Magnetic Clip/Base, Lock Mode, for Checking Outdoor(365nm/Red/White)

Very bright, usb-c rechargeable, and tons of utility. I didn't think the UV light would be useful, but it's fantastic especially for pet owners! Red blinking light is great for riding bikes. Weighs practically nothing and small enough to fit on a keychain or in a coin pocket. I find the side lights to be just as useful if not even more useful than the main light for reading or walking around the house without having to turn on the lights and waking others up. Sidelight is similar to using your iphone light vs a flashlight. Magnets are super handy for handsfree lighting. 5000k is high CRI and easy on the eyes.

I first started using LED flashlights nearly 15 years ago when the technology was new, have since acquired a diverse and coveted collection. Now, as prices have come way down and the LED technology has matured, stunning lights like the Aurora series can be had found with features that used to be reserved only for $100+ torches. If you are already here, you likely know that RovyVon’s small A series lights are terrific. However, the differences between models may be mystifying at first. Let’s break down any confusion. We’ll talk about common features, differences, and what I recommend:WHAT KEY FEATURES DO ALL OF THE ROVYVON AURORA’S SHARE?BATTERY: A couple of years ago, RovyVon upgraded to a longer lasting 330mAH battery. Thus, almost all models currently available have it. Look for the round on/off switch and not the older vertical design.MEMORY FOR YOUR FAVORITE INTENSITY SETTING: Let’s clear up any confusion. Double click to turn on the light. Then click through to find your desired default intensity. Leave on for three minutes. Turn off light. Viola! It’s set. Note that the highest lumens intensity is extraordinary for a torch of this size but can only be obtained by keeping your finger down on the button. For good reason this blindingly bright setting can only be used for 30 seconds and not preset.SIDELIGHTS: This is a unique and cool RovyVon feature. The lights will come on with a triple click. Click again to cycle through brightness, blinking, etc. These lights come on just below the on/off switch and if unaware can be really a shock to the eyes. Keep your finger over them as you naturally would when typically turning on the flashlight. Depending on model, your third sidelight setting will either be a UV feature to make the light really glow beautifully in in the dark for many hours, or a red light version. However, here’s what I’ve learned re the UV advantages:On almost all of the A series models, UV won’t do any counterfeit bill or crime detection. If you need that get the A8UV. However, despite the similar physical look of this model you will give up the glow (GITD) ability. The red color in some models is more useful than I’d figured and can be used blinking, or not. The other models with UV instead of red do make the glow more quickly intense. However, you do not need this feature at all to ensure your light will glow beautifully, either short term or overnight.LUMENS: Plenty! Don’t worry about the numbers. All are exceedingly bright, whether the emitter is cooler XP-G3 CREE or warmer NICHIA 219. What’s most important to so-called pros like me is the lowest low setting, also referred to as “firefly” or “moonlight.” All current models will go down to either 2 or 3 lumens. The difference between 2 and 3 is not noticeable in real world use. That’s not as low as you’d think in the middle of the night. (More about this later.)DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MODELS:Very little indeed. At the time of this review, the $27 versions with GITD can still be found in either Nichia with red sidelight option, or Cree without the red sidelights. A tremendous value! (As is $38 for lights of this caliber.)A5 or A5X: Great! These can be found as low as $27 when the pricing is best. Same model, whether marketed as “X “or not.A8UV or A8U: Again, same light. This is the one that DOES NOT GLOW. But it has genuine UV counterfeit detection. The other models marked U or UV do not.A7X: It glows blue instead of green. Keep in mind blue looks cool but is not quite as bright.NICHIA OR NOT?With most having a free returns policy, you may want to pick up both the Cree and Nichia versions of the light you are interested in, if offered. As a pro photog, I like warmer tones yet these are not necessarily more accurate. You do get more perceived contrast with Nichia. And, again, in real world use don’t be dissuaded by 450 lumens vs. 650. That means little as you actually use your torch. I love these little gems so much I own both Nichia and Cree versions.DO YOU NEED A FLASHLIGHT THAT WILL “TAILSTAND” ?This is an area of needed improvement. You can technically get these to tail stand so they work like a candle. However, not with the clip on, and not easily. I’m planning to glue a small round magnetized disc on the bottom so my Aurora’s will now easily stand up.The Auroras are unusual in having the sidelights, so they can work like a lamp with the light oriented face down, but not at the lowest moonlight setting I covet late night.IS THE “LOW” AT 2-3 LUMENS LOW ENOUGH?No. I hope the good folks at RovyVon will adjust this down to .5 lumens like several competing brands like OLIGHT and EAGTAC. Is it a deal killer? Not for most people. But in the middle of the night 2-3 lumens actually is jarringly bright. Perfect is .5 lumens. Fingers crossed for an Aurora improvement to make a near perfect light even better.SHOULD YOU BUY ONE?Absolutely! These are the greatest and I feel this A5 model is the best of all. I highly recommend this series of flashlight.Much tinier than you may expect and truly just a bit bigger than a AA battery. All recent models fully charge in 90 minutes. All are profoundly excellent for the money with a better than average two year warranty, too. If this is your first LED flashlight prepare to be blown away by the brightness .If you are like many torch-heads like me, your RovyVon become a bright new “gateway drug” to starting an awesome new flashlight collecting hobby.

I have been waiting for an update to USB C for a while. I was really hoping this would make an excellent light even better but this light is a step backward in functionality for my uses even though there are some good additions.The USB C works well and is a good start but removing the momentary mode is a huge issue for me. I think most people like me tend to use these lights in short bursts and the momentary switch works perfectly for that function. Without it you now have to double click to constant on then press and hold to turn it off while juggling packages or whatever you’re holding. They said they replaced it for lockout. Why couldn’t they have used another lockout method, five clicks for example?On the positive side, it now has a magnet for the tail and clip. I like the magnet and it may come in handy but it seems to be a little weak. On the plus side, you can always remove it if it interferes with keys or other things in your pocket.Battery size doesn’t appear to have changed and it doesn’t seem to be brighter so no real upgrade from that perspective. However, the brightness is good as is. I would always want a bigger battery but it might require a larger form factor and that would be detrimental.Also, charging is definitely quicker and I like the green light to show a full charge. So improvement in that area.Rovyvon can easily fix the momentary issue with a software change and the magnet issue can also be made stronger. I hope they do have an incremental release to make these changes.Would I recommend this light? If momentary isn’t important to you and you don’t mind the double press, I do recommend it. The LEDs have a nice tint and they are bright. Runtimes are good for a light this size and the fit and finish is excellent. I only gave it four stars because the loss of momentary on is important to me. If Rovyvon changes that with an incremental release I’d gladly change this to five stars.EDIT: The new version has momentary on and is now five stars!