RovyVon GL5 Weapon Flashlight Review
The RovyVon GL5 weapon flashlight features one white emitter, a laser, and an IR output. There are even a couple of windage adjustments! Two mounts are included.
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the RovyVon GL5 weapon flashlight product page.
Versions
I believe there’s only one version of the RovyVon GL5 weapon flashlight.
Price
The RovyVon GL5 weapon flashlight is listed at $199.95 at rovyvon.com.
What’s Included
- RovyVon GL5 weapon flashlight
- Charging cable
- Manual and paperwork
- 1913 adapter
- GL adapter
- Zeroing coin
- L wrench
These two little patches were separate items at RovyVon – I requested them special! They glow (GITD) so of course I was interested.
They’re also pretty neat little PVC Patches. The back is the hook side of hook and loop closures.
They aren’t expensive and I recommend grabbing a few with your next purchase! Both can be purchased here.
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
The RovyVon GL5 weapon flashlight build quality is excellent. This feels like a solid, robust light!
I’ll talk more about this below but for now you can see the windage adjustment. I know nothing at all about those but apparently it’s for aligning the laser so you can stay on target. This adjustment is for windage. There’s one on another side for elevation! Neat! The slot is suitable for coins but a washer is included if you have eschewed a cash-based currency system and no longer have coins.
Here’s the top or connection side of the RovyVon GL5 weapon flashlight. The mounting piece seen there is the default option
There’s not a ton of branding, I’d say.
Size and Comps
69mm x 42.7mm x 35.2mm and 150.8g.
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+. The version below is a custom laser-engraved Convoy S2+ host by GadgetConnections.com. I did a full post on an engraved orange host right here! Or go straight to GadgetConnections.com to buy your Convoy S2+ now!
Also above is the light beside a TorchLAB BOSS 35, an 18350 light. I reviewed the aluminum version of that light in both 35 and 70 formats. I also reviewed that specific edition, the “Oveready BOSS FT Collector Vintage Brass” 35. I love it!
Retention and Carry
The RovyVon GL5 weapon flashlight is a weapon light. You’d never use this light as an EDC light, of course.
There’s a quick release lever – it’s on the bottom side in the photo above. This is a very functional lever. In the open position it sticks straight out. You’d notice this and not leave it open. It also stops when fully open so there’s no ambiguity.
The RovyVon GL5 weapon flashlight is of course more suited for hand held weapons but here I’m using what I have. It also fits just fine on Picatinny rails (with the default adapter).
In fact, depending on how you carry, the RovyVon GL5 weapon flashlight could be fine also for your long guns!
Both windage adjusters are accessible while the light is mounted. The charger is too!
I have had a number of weapon lights – fine ones, too. This seems like the “weaponiest-weapon light” that I’ve had though. It feels extremely official.
Power and Runtime
RovyVon says the GL5 has an 800mAh battery. Almost certainly a LiPO but they don’t seem to state that. And I imagine if it was a 16340 or something (which do come in 800mAh size, I think), they’d make it accessible. In this case, the cell (or battery, or pouch or whatever) is not accessible through normal means.
RovyVon states the runtime is 0.5h but in my testing I don’t even see half that. That’s conceivably ok though, because the output does stay fairly stable through out the minutes it’s on.
Charging
The RovyVon GL5 weapon flashlight uses a USB-C charging port. This port is accessible while the light is mounted.
There is a runtime and charging indicator and I love how tucked away it is. It’s such that it should never interfere with a tactical situation. It’s quite dim and also tucked away where you’ll need to observe it intentionally. That said, it is visible when the light is mounted!
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens |
|---|---|---|---|
| White light | 1000 | 0.5h | 1169 (0s) 1111 (30s) |
Pulse Width Modulation
Neither of the modes that use white light use PWM.
I found it very interesting that while the white light does not use PWM, the laser does! I can’t remember seeing a laser with PWM before, but here is one! I wouldn’t say it’s distracting, but I did notice it.
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
First, there’s a selector switch. In the photo below, the selector is pointing at “1” (it could be a bit confusing – the pointer is… unusual.)
There’s a very complete chart describing what the various settings are:
On the back of the light is this sticker. It’s not really a perfectly-sized sticker, and the edges stick out just a little bit.
These switches move independently and also move up or down. Each of the four has exactly the same action as the other and the light can be turned on or off from any of them at any time.
The paddle-style e-switches have a great action. It seems like an appropriate amount of travel, especially when mounted.
To me, the selector seems more like a “set it and forget it” – it can be changed fairly easily intentionally, but changing it without looking is less easy.
There’s no need for a table here. Any of the paddle switches in any direction will iterate the state of the light in the selected mode.
RovyVon does provide one wrinkle, though. The switch can be held for momentary or “clicked” (more like “actuated quickly” for steady on.
LED and Beam
RovyVon doesn’t state what the emitter is. I would guess it’s an Osram P9, but again they don’t say. And anyway, you can see the CRI, etc in the next section.
The emitter has a reflector. Laser and IR are there to the right!
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
The single output for white has a CCT of around 7600K, which is very cool. The CRI is low, too, at around 72.
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.
That third photo above (and below) is laser and white output together.)
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. These photos are taken around 18 inches from the door.
I compare everything to the KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!
Summary and Conclusion
The RovyVon GL5 weapon flashlight seems like a comprehensive weapon light. It has features I have never seen in person before and the USB-C charging seems to work well. It’s a very dedicated weapon flashlight, so I understand why there’s just one mode. I’d like to see closer to the claimed runtime though, or a separate lower mode.
The Big Table
| RovyVon GL5 weapon flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Unstated |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $199.95 |
| Cell: | Internal |
| Runtime Graph | |
| LVP? | ? |
| Switch Type: | E-Switch |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | ? |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | No. |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 1000 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1111 (111.1% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 5.61 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 150 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 195lux @ 5.788m = 6533cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 161.7 (107.8% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 7600 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 I like
- Robust set of options
- C to C charging work well
- Indicator LED is properly tucked out of sight
- Four paddle switches
- Hits output specification
- Hits throw specification
- Maintains nearly steady output for duration of runtime
What I don’t like
- Just one mode with white (not considering white and laser together)
- Runtime is very short
- Very cool white
Notes
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