RovyVon GL8 Pro Weapon Flashlight Review
The RovyVon GL8 Pro weapon flashlight has excellent build quality and includes an 18650. There is UV, IR, and LED output, and a remote switch is available!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the RovyVon GL8 Pro weapon flashlight product page.
Versions
There’s just one version of the RovyVon GL8 Pro weapon flashlight but a few options therein. There’s a GS4 remote switch and a couple of mounting options, too.
Price
The RovyVon GL8 Pro weapon flashlight doesn’t come cheap. The base price is $299.95. The GS4 adds around $40. The 18650 shown in this test is included.
What’s Included
- RovyVon GL8 Pro weapon flashlight
- Charging cable
- RovyVon 3400mAh 18650 (pictured below)
- Spare o-rings (2)
- Spare tailswitch cover
- Mounting parts, including Hex key
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
The RovyVon GL8 Pro weapon flashlight has a special kind of robustness that I’m unable to adequately describe. The body feels firmer than any other light I can recall.
Below, you can get a good idea of the interesting switch cover. There’s a rubber cover for the threaded bit (where the remote switch would go).
The head has a bit of grip but you won’t need that for swapping cells or anything. It may help when twisting the mode selector.
The switch is an e-switch, so as expected, there’s an inner metal sleeve for connection. The threads are unanodized (more on that below).
Both ends have a beefy spring.
Size and Comps
160mm x 38.6mm x 37.5mm
Weight 260g
If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here. If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll also show that here too!
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!
In the photo above, you may note that the SRM (standard reference material) flashlight for comparison has changed! I used a TorchLAB BOSS 35 for ages. Now what you can see as the 18350 SRM is the Hanko Machine Works Trident. While I have not reviewed or tested the Gunner Grip version seen here, I have tested a Hanko Machine Works Trident Total Tesseract in brass. I love the Trident, and it’s a striking contrast next to the inexpensive Convoy S2+, which also makes a great standard reference material.
Retention and Carry
This is not an EDC flashlight, so you won’t get the usual pocket clip or pouch and things like that. What you do get is a very secure rail adapter that can fit 1913 Picatinny or GL style mounting.
The attachment is keyed. You can see that below by noting how the rectangles are of different sizes.
The silver part below is the GL or 1913 adapter, whichever you’ve selected in the order process. (I do not believe both are included.)
Mounting with the quick-release is very simple (and quick, of course).
Power and Runtime
The RovyVon GL8 Pro weapon flashlight runs on a single lithium-ion cell. A 3400mAh 18650 is included.
The cell goes into he light in the usual way – positive end toward the head. There’s also a printed icon indicating proper cell orientation.
Charging
While the RovyVon GL8 Pro weapon flashlight doesn’t include charging, the included cell does. There’s a USB-C charging port on the positive end of the cell.
A USB to USB-C charging cable is included.
Charging proceeds at around 2a and requires only 2 hours.
While charging, a tiny red indicator is lit in the positive terminal area. When charging is complete, the indicator turns green.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | 1800 | 1h20m | 1169 (0s) 1115 (30s) |
| Low | 10 | 86h | 15 |
Pulse Width Modulation
Neither of the steady modes use PWM.
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
When operating the RovyVon GL8 Pro weapon flashlight, first, you’ll need to select the mode. Below you can see “OFF” in the foreground with “W” (for white output) selected.
After selecting the appropriate output (between White, IR, and UV), the mode switching is done with this tail switch.
I don’t quite know why this switch cover had the extra bits connecting around the body of the tailcap. The whole piece is intended as a cover to the place a remote switch screws in. I suppose all told, this is the most secure way to keep the rubber bit on the switch.
The action of this switch is very deep. It seems like a mechanical switch, but it is almost certainly an e-switch.
The zone between fully clicking (which will get strobe) and clicking just deep enough to get low white and then high white is fairly thin. I found myself getting strobe more often than not. The spot is reliable, though, so with a bit of practice, you’ll be able to hit the right zone for whichever mode you want.
Here’s a user interface table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Rotary Switch in “W” – Off | Half press and hold | High White |
| Rotary Switch in “W” | Full press and hold | Strobe |
| Rotary Switch in “W” | Full press | Momentary Strobe |
| Rotary Switch in “W” | Half press (and release) | Low |
| On in Low | Half press (and release) | High |
| On | Full press | Off |
| Rotary Switch in “IR” | Full press | IR on |
| Rotary Switch in “UV” | Full press | UV on |
LED and Beam
RovyVon does not state what emitter is used in the GL8 Pro weapon flashlight. It looks like a Luminus SFT-40. There is an IR and UV emitter too, and each emitter has its own smooth reflector.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
RovyVon doesn’t state what CCT is used, but it is very cool white – around 7000K on high. CRI is also low, at around 68.
CCT (Correlated Color Temperature) refers to the measurement of the color appearance of light, expressed in Kelvins (K), which indicates whether the light is warm (yellowish) or cool (bluish). A lower CCT (below 3000K) is considered warm light, while a higher CCT (above 5000K) gives cooler, bluish light.
CRI (Color Rendering Index) is a measure of how accurately a light source renders colors in comparison to natural sunlight. Scored on a scale from 0 to 100, higher CRI values indicate that colors appear more true to life and vibrant, similar to how they would look under the sun.
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.
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 GL8 Pro weapon flashlight has extraordinary build quality. I like that a remote switch is available. Because the outputs are separated with the rotary control, it’s possible to totally avoid any emitter type (IR, UV, LED) that you don’t wish to see. The light is quite expensive, though, at $300.
The Big Table
| RovyVon GL8 Pro weapon flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Luminus SFT-40 |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $299.95 |
| Cell: | 1×18650 |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | Yes, with warning |
| Switch Type: | E-switch |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | ? |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C (on cell) |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | – |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 1800 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1115 (61.9% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 22.4 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 200 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 741lux @ 5.806m = 24979cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 316.1 (158.1% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 6300-7200 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
- Excellent build quality
- Multiple output options
- Simple user interface
- Includes 18650
- Charging works very well
What I don’t like
- Switch is very sensitive in the area between steady output and strobe
- Very expensive
- Doesn’t hit output specifications
Notes
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