RovyVon AA145 Flashlight Review
The RovyVon AA145 flashlight uses a reflector for the cool white Luminus SST-20 emitter and can run a 14500 (included) or optional 1.5V cell, too! Read on!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a referral link to the RovyVon AA145 flashlight product page on Amazon.com.
Versions
I believe there’s just one emitter option, but at the very least, the RovyVon AA145 flashlight is available in black and orange body colors. Maybe more!
Price
List price for the RovyVon AA145 flashlight is $32.95 but it looks like there’s a 20% off coupon at Amazon right now!
What’s Included
- RovyVon AA145 flashlight
- RovyVon 1000mAh 14500
- Pocket clip
- Charging cable
- Manual
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
The RovyVon AA145 flashlight is a small light, and what I’d call “characteristically RovyVon.” The e-switch, in particular, maintains RovyVon styling.
Build quality is good, and on par with $30 flashlights.
The tailcap has unanodized threads, so it’s not possible to mechanically lock out the light by loosening the tailcap.
Both the head and tail ends have springs.
There’s some knurling on the bezel, but it does seem to be one piece with the other head parts (down past the e-switch). Thus, removing the bezel isn’t really possible.
Size and Comps
81.7mm x 21.8mm and 52.9g (with battery and clip).
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
RovyVon includes a two-way friction-fit pocket clip with the AA145. The clip can attach only on the head end, as seen below. (But it is a two-way clip!)
The tailcap features a lanyard hole, but no lanyard is included.
Within the tailcap is a magnet, which is perfectly strong for holding the RovyVon AA145 flashlight in place.
Power and Runtime
The RovyVon AA145 flashlight includes a 14500 cell. Optionally, you may purchase the 2400mAh “AA” cell seen below. This cell is a lithium-ion cell with built-in charging that runs at “1.5V.”
The cell goes into this light in the usual way – positive end toward the head.
These RovyVon cells appear nearly identical. Only the labeling is different. One is labeled “AA” and the other “14500.”
Both have USB-C charging on the positive end.
The light will also run other 1.5V cells, such as a NiMH rechargeable or primary alkaline cell.
That is all positive. Now for a negative twist. The light has 4 steady modes – very observable for the 14500 cell. But using any 1.5V cell (including the RovyVon lithium-ion “AA”, which actually charges to around 1.74V), the difference in medium and high is very minimal. It’s a frustrating experience. The difference is mostly so minimal that it feels like a misclick.
You can see on the charts that there’s a low voltage blink warning with every cell and type. Between the RovyVon AA and just a regular old rechargeable NiMH, I’d probably prefer an NiMH. In other words, just skip buying the lithium-ion AA from RovyVon.
Charging
Both of RovyVon’s cells have USB-C charging. A cable is included. It’s USB-A to USB-C.
This chart covers charging for both the 14500 (red and blue lines) and lithium-ion “AA” (green and yellow lines). Both charge by USB-C.
There’s an indicator near the button on the cells – Red while charging and green when charging is complete. Note that the lithium-ion “AA” charges to around 1.74V!
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High – 14500 | 800 | 1m+1.5h | 593 (0s) 558 (30s) |
1.62 |
| Medium – 14500 | 200 | 1m+2h | 186 (0s) 182 (30s) |
0.47 |
| Low – 14500 | 50 | 13h | 56 | 0.10 |
| Moon – 14500 | 5 | 89h | 6.9 | [low] |
| High – Lithium-ion “AA” | 160 | 4h | 62 | 0.86 |
| Medium – Lithium-ion “AA” | 80 | 5h | 62 | 0.55 |
| Low – Lithium-ion “AA” | 10 | 31h | 10 | 0.05 |
| Moon – Lithium-ion “AA” | 1 | 146h | 0.5 | [low] |
| High – AA NiMH | 160 | 4h | 124 | 0.86 |
| Medium – AA NiMH | 80 | 5h | 74 | 0.55 |
| Low – AA NiMH | 10 | 31h | 11 | 0.05 |
| Moon – AA NiMH | 1 | 146h | 0.5 | [low] |
In the chart above, I did reflect being able to detect a difference in medium and high with the NiMH cell. So High does seem higher with the NiMH! But not necessarily always, and I couldn’t distinguish when it seemed to be different.
Pulse Width Modulation
What you see below (low to high in columns and 14500, lithium-ion AA, NiMH in rows) isn’t really PWM. Anyway, you’re unlikely to notice it during use.
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 RovyVon AA145 flashlight is controlled by a single e-switch. It’s a metal switch (cover), and there’s a metal bezel too. This design is very standard on RovyVon lights and will probably be very familiar to you.
The switch area is quite proud on the side of the metal tube.
Here’s a user interface table! It’s a very simple user interface but has a couple of things I don’t love. Double click for on is not a favorite. And hold for off is not a favorite. But it’s simple!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Hold | Momentary High |
| Off | Double click | On – mode memory (a mode is memorized if on for >3 minutes.) |
| On | Click | Mode advance |
| On | Hold (0.5s) | Off |
| Any | Click 3x | Strobe |
LED and Beam
RovyVon doesn’t say, but this looks like a Luminus SST-20. They do state it’s 6500K-7000K, though – cool white. The emitter uses a smooth reflector.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
The light tests warmer than the claim, but still not “better” than neutral white. It ranges from 5700-6100K. CRI is very low.
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.
The array below demonstrates that NiMH (bottom row) is brighter than the optional RovyVon lithium-ion “AA.”
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
I like the RovyVon AA145 flashlight just fine as a 14500 light but it seems some things need to be worked out for use with 1.5V cells. I’m generally indifferent to the optional lithium-ion AA cell, but would probably just skip it – NiMH performance seems better. I do like that the light will run all types of these cells, even if performance isn’t great. Low cost and a very simple user interface make this a light reasonable to just try, even if it ends up not being your jam.
The Big Table
| RovyVon AA145 flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Luminus SST-20 (Cool White) |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $32.95 |
| Cell: | 1×14500 |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | Yes |
| 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) | 800 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 558 (69.8% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 10.29 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 110 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 243lux @ 4.852m = 5721cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 151.3 (137.5% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | 6500-7000 |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 5700-6100 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
- Reasonable cost
- Runs 4.2V (14500) and 1.5V (optional cell or NiMH, etc)
- Simple user interface
- Good magnet
- Includes 14500
What I don’t like
- User interface is simple but does have some options I don’t love (hold for off, for example)
- Very low CRI
- Hard to access emitter for swaps
- Weird output on 1.5V cells
Notes
- This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
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