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!

Here’s a link to the Nitecore TIKI Keychain Flashlight product page.

Of the TIKI, there’s just one version.聽 There’s also the TIKI LE, which I’ll cover later.聽 It offers different secondaries.

The TIKI doesn’t seem to be available, but the TIKI LE is available on Amazon for $19.95 (referral link).

The build is fine.聽 The output is fine.聽 I absolutely hate that the design has been lifted from RovyVon in this way, and not improved in a meaningful way.聽 Also noteworthy is that the updated RovyVon fixes many of the issues I’ll mention later…

^ Measurement disclaimer:聽 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.

I think this is one of those “frustration-free” packages, but I was extremely frustrated with it.聽 That line you see on the bottom right – the scissor mark – doesn’t actually denote where you’ll need to cut.聽 And when you do cut high enough, you’ll be cutting the serial number off the package.

Here’s the manual.

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.

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.聽 The TIKI between two RovyVon Auroras.聽 One is even mostly clear, so you can see the guts of both….

Interestingly the only way to carry this little light is the included keychain clip.聽 There is no pocket clip, as there is on the RovyVon lights.聽 The clip attaches to the tailcap, making this a very dedicated keychain light.聽 Since there’s no clip, it’s not possible to use the light on a hat.

The TIKI is powered by an internal聽battery – it’s a lipo pouch!聽 Since it’s built-in and the light isn’t really able to be disassembled, the TIKI will essentially be disposable.聽 But it’s rechargeable, and the battery will likely last a good while!

Here’s a runtime on High.聽 The output is stable for over a minute, which is good, and almost hits the output specs.

A runtime on the second-highest mode.聽 Output is fairly stable but also fairly low.

And here’s a runtime on the High CRI NW sidelight.聽 This output is sable for even longer.聽 Not bad.

Since the cell is built-in, of course, there’s built-in charging.聽 This happens by micro-USB.聽 The cover is press-in and feels pretty secure.

Charging is exceptional and well regulated.聽 Also fairly fast, at just over an hour.

When charging is happening, there’s a blue indicating LED.聽 When charging聽finishes, the light goes off.聽 I like this setup….聽 No always-on blue light when charging is complete.

The PWM on the lower modes is聽very bad.聽聽Maybe you’ll recall that one of my biggest issues with the original RovyVon was the terrible PWM (which they fixed in later versions!).聽 The PWM seen below is extremely noticeable, and essentially a deal-breaker for me in this light.

For reference, here鈥檚 a baseline shot, with all the room lights off and almost nothing hitting the sensor.聽 Also, here’s the light with the worst PWM I could find.聽 I’m adding multiple timescales, comparing them to the test light will be easier.聽 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.聽 5ms.聽 2ms.聽 1ms.聽 0.5ms.聽 0.2ms.聽聽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.聽 I wrote more about this Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight and explained a little about PWM.

There’s a single e-switch on this light.聽 It’s on the side, near the head.聽 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!

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.聽 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:聽 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.

UV:

NW:

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!