RovyVon Angel Eyes E3 Plus Flashlight Review
The new RovyVon Angel Eyes E3 Plus flashlight! This neat little rectangular light has a built-in LiPO but will also run a single AAA cell! Read on!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the RovyVon Angel Eyes E3 Plus flashlight product page.
Versions
There are a ton of versions of the Angel Eyes lights by RovyVon. This is the E3, which itself is an update – this one is called the E3 Plus (G2) and has the neat Marble Gray (which I think is sort of partial MAO?) finish.
Price
As pictured here, the RovyVon Angel Eyes E3 Plus flashlight is $49.95. The High CRI version is the same price.
Short Review
These rectangular lights by RovyVon are fantastic. I love the departure from the “regular round” because it’s nice to not have something rolling all over my desk. The new dual-switch is fine too. I appreciate this marble gray finish and like it more than just straight-up MAO because it seems more robust. Even if it’s not more robust, it definitely hides damage better than MAO!
Long Review
The Big Table
| RovyVon Angel Eyes E3 Plus Marble Gray | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Unstated Cool White (probably Luminus SST-20) |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $49.95 |
| Cell: | Internal |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | Yes |
| Switch Type: | E-Switch |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | ? |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | lowest two modes (and not possible to select battery while charging) |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 700 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 676 (96.6% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 4.52 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 70 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 155lux @ 4.727m = 3463cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 117.7 (168.1% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | 6500 |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 5400-6000 Kelvin |
| Item provided for review by: | RovyVon |
| All my RovyVon reviews! | |
| RovyVon Angel Eyes E3 Plus Marble Gray | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Unstated Cool White (probably Luminus SST-20) |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $49.95 |
| Cell: | 1xAAA |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | Yes |
| Switch Type: | E-Switch |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | ? |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | – |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | lowest two modes (and not possible to select battery while charging) |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 100 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 78 (78% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 5.62 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | – |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 25lux @ 3.818m = 364cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 38.2 |
| Claimed CCT | 6500 |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 5500-5700 Kelvin |
| Item provided for review by: | RovyVon |
| All my RovyVon reviews! | |
^ Measurement disclaimer: 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
- RovyVon Angel Eyes E3 Plus flashlight
- Pocket clip
- Split rings (2)
- Spare charge port cover
- Manual etc
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
The RovyVon Angel Eyes E3 Plus flashlight features an internal LiPO battery along with support for a single AAA cell. Interestingly they can sort of operate independently, but more on that later.
The build quality is great. This is very much like many of the RovyVon keychain lights (like the Aurora series) but I’d say it’s a better build quality – it just feels sturdier in hand. Again, I really like that it’s rectangular!
The lanyard hole is built into the tail.
On the front near the switches are a couple of LEDs, too. The blue indicates LiPO is in use and the AAA indicator is green.
Size and Comps
66.1mm (L) x 27.5mm (W) x 13.5mm (H)
Weight: 35g
If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here (usually the third photo). If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll also show that (usually in the fourth photo).
Here’s the test light with the venerable Convoy S2+. Mine’s a custom “baked” edition Nichia 219b triple. A very nice 18650 light.
Also above is the light beside a new standard 18350 light! It’s not one I’ve reviewed yet but this is the CWF Arcadian Peanut in aluminum. This one is stonewashed and has the new Quantum Dragon driver – a whole new product! Stay tuned for a full review of this tiny powerhouse!
Retention and Carry
The RovyVon Angel Eyes E3 Plus flashlight uses a typical RovyVon-style pocket clip. The clip hugs the body in a very tight manner. There are three grooves along the edge to allow different clip placements, but holding the light in hand, this (below) really seems like the only one that doesn’t block something else. Lower than this blocks the charge port. Higher than this blocks the head twist. On the other side blocks the switch.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t install this pocket clip on the Marble Gray. I never use these lights in this way! These are deep carry or coin pocket lights for me.
There are also a couple of split rings included. You could probably use either of those, and they’ll attach easily on this tailcap bumpout.
Power and Runtime
There are two power sources for the RovyVon Angel Eyes E3 Plus flashlight. First is an internal LiPo battery. As with many RovyVon flashlights, this battery is not user-serviceable.
The other power source is a 1.5V AAA cell. I used an Eneloop AAA NiMH cell for testing, but other types should work fine too (i.e., primary alkaline, etc.). A 10440 cell is not supported, though. An AAA battery goes into the light as most lights – positive end toward the head.
There are some interesting points to make about the power source. The different power sources have different output levels. If the E3 has only the LiPO, then the output for the highest 3 modes is higher. If there’s an AAA cell installed, you get the lower modes (mostly, keep reading!)
The body has two little indicating LEDs to show which power source is being used, too. Now, one interesting thing about the E3 is that it can still operate when the head is open, like when you’re swapping the AAA cell. This brings up some interesting user scenarios, which I’ll cover below. I’m pleased to see the output on Turbo here – it essentially matches the claim of 700 lumens. Not only that but the high output is held for around a minute! That shouldn’t be remarkable, but it still is.
I also did a couple of runtimes with the AAA battery installed. Two ways are shown below. First, on the highest output, is a test where the internal LiPO had been charged. Then there’s a test on the second highest mode where the internal LiPO had not been charged. That shows some interesting information! First, the output will jump when the AAA is discharged and the LiPO is charged. Second, the output will stay steady if the LiPO is already discharged.
Charging
USB-C charging is available on the E3 Plus. This charging port is on the bottom and back of the light. The cover presses in and says in place fairly well.
A charging cable is not included.
Beside the charging port is yet another LED to indicate the charging status while charging. When solid blue, charging is complete. If charging is ongoing, the blue indicator will “breathe” – not quite a blink, but a slow fade in and out. Also, this LED is tiny (like the ones on the front) and not overpowering in a dark room (like your bedroom or wherever you normally charge lights!). It’s a good indicator.
Unfortunately, I think the onboard charging is only for the internal LiPO battery. You won’t be able to charge an AAA cell with the USB-C charging. Both A to C and C to C work for the LiPO, though.
Modes and Currents
LiPO:
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | 700 | 3m+1h | 801 (0s) 676 (30s) |
| Medium | 100 | 2h | 103 |
| Low | 10 | 14h | 14 |
| Moonlight | 0.5 | 62h | 0.31 |
AAA:
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | 100 | – | 78 (Peak at 192 when switched to LiPO) |
| Medium | 20 | – | 17 |
| Low | 5 | – | 5 |
| Moonlight | 0.5 | – | 0.25 |
Pulse Width Modulation
There’s a good bit of SMS ripple on the middle modes. Top row is LiPO only and the bottom is AAA – lowest to highest.
Here you can see a “baseline” – a chart with almost no light hitting the sensor. Then there’s the Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight, which has some of the worst PWM I’ve seen. It’s so bad that I used a post about it to explain PWM! Here are multiple timescales (10ms, 5ms, 2ms, 1ms, 0.5ms, 0.2ms) to make comparing this “worst” PWM light to the test light easier. That post also explains why I didn’t test the WF-602C at the usual 50us scale.
User Interface and Operation
The switches on this E3 Plus flashlight are metal cover e-switches. It’s very much in design like the Aurora A24Ti (for example, but there are others.) I believe the dual switches are what makes this E3 Plus the Plus model! The other E3 I tested had just one switch.
A bezel around the switch protects it reasonably well from accidental activation.
There are two buttons! The forward button is called “Button 1” (for “daily modes”) and the rear button is “Button 2” (for “quick access”).
Here’s a user interface table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Click Button 1 | Moonlight (and brief battery check display on LiPO/AAA LED) |
| Off | Double Click Button 1 | Memorized mode (from Low, Medium, or High) (and brief battery check display on LiPO/AAA LED) |
| Off | Hold Button 1 | Battery check display on LiPO/AAA LED
Momentary High (and brief battery check display on LiPO/AAA LED) |
| Moonlight | Click Button 1 | Off |
| Moonlight | Triple Click Button 1 | Iterate battery selection (pick between AAA or LiPO option) (or three blinks from LiPO LED to indicate “switch failed” (maybe AAA is not installed or depleted) |
| Off | Click Button 1 3x | Lockout (LiPO LED blinks 3x rapidly to indicate lockout) |
| Lockout | Click Button 1 | LiPO LED blinks 3x rapidly to indicate lockout |
| Lockout | Click Button 1 3x | Unlock (AAA LED blinks 2x rapidly to indicate unlock) |
| On (except Moonlight) | Click Button 1 | Mode advance (L,M,H) |
| On (except Moonlight) | Hold 0.5s Button 1 | Off |
| Off | Hold Button 2 | Momentary High |
| Off | Click Button 2 2x | Emergency Mode (Strobe in High) |
| Emergency Mode | Click either | Off |
LED and Beam
RovyVon doesn’t state what emitter is used in the Angel Eyes E3 Plus flashlight but regardless, we’ll see what the characteristics below. Notably, these two emitters use a TIR optic and despite being side by side, have a nice (normal, round) beam shape. (The emitters are probably Luminus SST-20, which is what the other E3 has.)
On the versions that have two of the same emitters (cool white x2 or warm white x2), the emitters can’t operate independently. 
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
The claim made about these emitters is that they’re 6500K and 70 CRI. That’s approximately right, and if anything the trend is “better than 6500K” (for me) because it’s warmer than 6500K. Still, there’s a ton of green in the output, as you can see from the positive Duv value. Unless you absolutely require high output, there’s no good reason to get anything but the warmer, high-CRI version!
Beamshots
These beamshots always have the following settings: f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure. These photos are taken at floor level, and the beam hits the ceiling around 9 feet away. On the highest output, the difference between AAA and LiPO is very evident. But on the three lower modes, it’s very hard to discern a difference. I’ll add that moonlight of (claimed) 0.5 lumens is a very very low output.
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 KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!
Conclusion
What I like
- Unique LiPO/AAA mix
- LiPO can still power the light when AAA is being swapped – continuous usage!
- Possible to select between battery options (even with AAA installed) (this allows access to the 400 lumens high even if AAA is installed)
- Warm white emitter options
- Great build quality
- USB-C charging
- Indicator LEDs are quite useful
- C to C charging works!
- Glow gasket between head and body
What I don’t like
- LiPO can’t be changed
- Latch can be a bit hard to lift (but at least it seems secure)
- If the latch gets damaged, then the seal between head and body will be questionable (at best)
- USB-C charging doesn’t charge the AAA cell
Notes
- This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
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