Nitecore TIKI Keychain Flashlight Review
What can I say about the Nitecore TIKI Keychain Flashlight that I haven’t already said about the RovyVon Aurora series? Here’s some testing!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the Nitecore TIKI Keychain Flashlight product page.
Versions
Of the TIKI, there’s just one version. There’s also the TIKI LE, which I’ll cover later. It offers different secondaries.
Price
The TIKI doesn’t seem to be available, but the TIKI LE is available on Amazon for $19.95 (referral link).
Short Review
The build is fine. The output is fine. I absolutely hate that the design has been lifted from RovyVon in this way, and not improved in a meaningful way. Also noteworthy is that the updated RovyVon fixes many of the issues I’ll mention later…
Long Review
The Big Table
Nitecore TIKI | |
---|---|
Emitter: | Osram P8 |
Price in USD at publication time: | $19.95 on amazon |
Cell: | Internal |
High Runtime | Medium Runtime |
LVP? | ? |
Switch Type: | E-Switch |
Quiescent Current (A): | ? |
On-Board Charging? | Yes |
Chargetime | |
Power off Charge Port with no Cell? | |
Claimed Lumens (lm) | 300 |
Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 282 (94% of claim)^ |
Claimed Throw (m) | 71 |
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 57lux @ 4.218m = 1014cd |
Throw (Calculated) (m) | 63.7 (89.7% of claim)^ |
All my Nitecore reviews! |
^ Measurement disclaimer:Â Testing flashlights is my hobby. I use hobbyist-level equipment for testing, including some I made myself. Try not to get buried in the details of manufacturer specifications versus measurements recorded here; A certain amount of difference (say, 10 or 15%) is perfectly reasonable.
What’s Included
- Nitecore TIKI Keychain Flashlight
- Keychain connector
Package and Manual
I think this is one of those “frustration-free” packages, but I was extremely frustrated with it. That line you see on the bottom right – the scissor mark – doesn’t actually denote where you’ll need to cut. And when you do cut high enough, you’ll be cutting the serial number off the package.
Here’s the manual.
Build Quality and Disassembly
Build quality is good.
The bezel on the TIKI is metal – stainless I’d guess.
The body is clear on the TIKI – and there’s a bit of molded branding on the back.
Size and Comps
Officially:
Length: 55mm
Head Diameter: 14.7mm
Weight: TIKI: 12g
TIKI LE: 10.5g
It’s a tiny little thing.
And the comparison you should be most interested in. The TIKI between two RovyVon Auroras. One is even mostly clear, so you can see the guts of both….
Retention and Carry
Interestingly the only way to carry this little light is the included keychain clip. There is no pocket clip, as there is on the RovyVon lights. The clip attaches to the tailcap, making this a very dedicated keychain light. Since there’s no clip, it’s not possible to use the light on a hat.
Power and Runtime
The TIKI is powered by an internal battery – it’s a lipo pouch! Since it’s built-in and the light isn’t really able to be disassembled, the TIKI will essentially be disposable. But it’s rechargeable, and the battery will likely last a good while!
Here’s a runtime on High. The output is stable for over a minute, which is good, and almost hits the output specs.
A runtime on the second-highest mode. Output is fairly stable but also fairly low.
And here’s a runtime on the High CRI NW sidelight. This output is sable for even longer. Not bad.
Charging
Since the cell is built-in, of course, there’s built-in charging. This happens by micro-USB. The cover is press-in and feels pretty secure.
Charging is exceptional and well regulated. Also fairly fast, at just over an hour.
When charging is happening, there’s a blue indicating LED. When charging finishes, the light goes off. I like this setup…. No always-on blue light when charging is complete.
Modes and Currents
Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
---|---|---|---|---|
High | 300 | 30m | 282 | – |
Mid | 60 | 1h | 84 | – |
Low | 15 | 4h | 19 | – |
Ultralow | 1 | 40h | ~ | – |
Aux White | 22 | 1h30m | 28 | – |
UV | 500mW | 45m | – | – |
Pulse Width Modulation
The PWM on the lower modes is very bad.  Maybe you’ll recall that one of my biggest issues with the original RovyVon was the terrible PWM (which they fixed in later versions!). The PWM seen below is extremely noticeable, and essentially a deal-breaker for me in this light.
For reference, here’s a baseline shot, with all the room lights off and almost nothing hitting the sensor. Also, here’s the light with the worst PWM I could find. I’m adding multiple timescales, so it’ll be easier to compare to the test light. Unfortunately, the PWM on this light is so bad that it doesn’t even work with my normal scale, which is 50 microseconds (50us). 10ms. 5ms. 2ms. 1ms. 0.5ms. 0.2ms.  In a display faster than 0.2ms or so, the on/off cycle is more than one screen, so it’d just (very incorrectly) look like a flat line. I wrote more about this Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight and explained a little about PWM too.
User Interface and Operation
There’s a single e-switch on this light. It’s on the side, near the head. The switch is clicky, and ok… it can be a little difficult to consistently double or triple-click it, though.
Here’s a UI table!
State | Action | Result |
---|---|---|
Off | Double Click | Ultralow |
On | Hold | Off |
On | Click | Mode advance (Ultralow, L, M, H) |
Off | Hold | High |
Off | Triple Click | UV |
UV | Click | Mode Advance (Aux White, Aux White Flashing, UV) |
LED and Beam
The listed emitter is an Osram P8.
There’s a TIR in front of that emitter.
Also, secondarily, there’s a high CRI NW emitter, and a UV emitter. These are projected through the plastic body.
Despite UV not penetrating polycarbonate, the UV most certainly exits the body.
These beamshots are always with the following settings:Â f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure.
UV:
NW:
Tint vs BLF-348 (KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b version) (affiliate link)
I keep the test flashlight on the left, and the BLF-348 reference flashlight on the right.
I compare everything to the Killzone 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!
Conclusion
What I like
- Build quality is good
- UV is a fun party trick
- Charging seems very good
What I don’t like
- It’s like the original RovyVon Aurora, and the new Auroras are better.
- Non-replaceable battery
Notes
- This light was provided by Nitecore for review. I was not paid to write this review.
- This content originally appeared at zeroair.org.  Please visit there for the best experience!
- For flashlight-related patches, stickers, and gear, head over to PhotonPhreaks.com!
- Use my amazon.com referral link if you’re willing to help support making more reviews like this one!
- Please support me on Patreon! Feeding flashlights is expensive! And funding Fun Fund Friday even more so. I deeply appreciate your support!
Such a shame about the PWM.
Come on Nitecore, you know better than that.
I have the Rovyvon A3X. What I really dislike about it is the modes. It leaps from 15 to 260 or 280. 15 lumens is pretty much worthless for anything I need (and it does have moonlight mode), and 260 or 280 is too bright for much of what I need. The Nightcore has a much more sensible spacing between modes. Regarding the PWM, I don’t know enough about this to know what your charts translate to in real life use. I’ll look for a video of the light in use to see what that looks like.
Regarding the PWM here: Imagine using a strobe light…
Pwm is worse than rovyvon but I cannot detect by eye. Just by camera.
The best part of the tiki UI is no timers to change the behavior when shutting off. Also no timers for memory when the light is on. It’s more simple and useful compared to the aurora.
Really the trump card of this light is the price 20usd. I wonder if rovyvon will make a budget model to compete.
I am extremely surprised you can’t detect the PWM by eye.
Same here though, maybe u had a very bad one, because I can only see it in a video.
I like the Tiki alot, it’s so much better than the Tube I used before. Before I bought it I have looked at the Rovyvon, but they are alot more expensive and harder to get were I live and as said before the output modes are more usefull as is the UV (I work in a copy shop).
I’ve had mine in daily use since April and can’t say I’ve noticed even the slightest PWM.
Great!
I have the Rovyvon a5u and a5r. I edc’d the u for a week and didn’t enjoy it. Otherwise, I edc nitecore, the tip, tini, a tip2 (carried once, too darn big) but the tini made me give them away, all but one tini, and one tip. It’s bright, seems brighter than the A5, and seems to drop off less and less fast. The UV can escape the non gitd case. The side light is much brighter. And the ui is much better than the A5, 4 clicks for uv 3 for the other side lights and 2 for the main, as well as the standard nitecore pocket ui with nonresistive buttons. So far it hasn’t been lighting up my pocket.
And I paid less than 19 both times I bought. Yes, I stocked up during their nitecore sale for $15 (25% off) at battery Junction, which, so far beats all the Chinese outlets and ships instantly.
Like others I’ve not noticed pwm, maybe yours is defective.
All in all I am really enjoying the light and its cheap!
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I have one of these myself and have been very satisfied with it… until 5 minutes ago.
When I took of my jeans (the Tiki has been clipped to it) the Tiki suddenly switched on, full power.
It’s not responding to button-presses, no way to turn it down/off.
I’ve ended up putting the unit outside (where it’s -12°F/-10^C) in the hope the battery dies without the unit overheating…