Disclaimer: GODYGA provided me with this light free of charge. This had no influence on the review
Introduction
After I criticized a few points in my review of the Torcheye RD , GODYGA reached out to me and asked if I wanted to test the improved version – sure, a direct side by side comparison like that is certainly interesting!
Specs by GODYGA
There are multiple Versions of the Torcheye. It's best to visit GODYGA and have a look yourself. I'll show you the Torcheye UDα. You can save some bucks with the discount code GODYGAWT15 . You can find the light on Amazon, too!
Package Contents and Impressions
In the blue, two piece box, you will find the flashlight itself, a thick manual, and a charging cable (with a rubber band for winding up). Everything is neatly packaged in individual little boxes, with the light itself protected from damage by foam.
The light resembles the RD in many respects. Externally, the most noticeable difference is the ring around the display, which is now black instead of green. Build quality is at the same high level. But starting from the beginning...
The small clip light features high quality craftsmanship. The black anodization is satin smooth and flawless, while the silver accents are glossy and polished. On the front, those exact accents immediately draw your eye to the top edge of the light. Situated there like two eyes are the two LEDs. In the case of the UDα, one white LED and one UV LED of unknown type.
Below that, made a bit more subtle by the black ring, is the display with the surrounding control ring. I do not have technical specs, but the display looks almost even better to me than on the RD. Whether that is due to the readouts or the display panel itself, I cannot say for sure. The readouts are versatile and crisp.
The ring itself is constructed similarly to the RD, but feels slightly different. It offers more feedback and greater springback force, yet it does not turn noticeably stiffer. Honestly, it feels great (and even better than the RD's ring), though I must mention that it sometimes springs back instead of detenting into the next position.
Looking at the front, on the right side behind a well crafted metal sliding door, is a USB-C port. Just as with the Torcheye RD, I really like this solution!
Looking at the light from the top, you can see the laser on one side and the lens for distance measurement on the other – definitely an unusual sight on a clip light!
Size
My scale shows 57g for the Torcheye. The maximum dimensions are 27.3mm x 26.1mm (26.8 at the ring around the display) x 59.1mm.
Carrying Options
Lanyard: No lanyard is included. One could be attached to the clip, but you would need to account for it or remove it when using the spirit level.
Clip: The clip is an integral part of the light. It is metal, has good tension, and opens sufficiently wide. Thanks to double sided rubber padding, the light holds extremely well while protecting the material between the jaws.
Magnet: A magnet is integrated into the opening part of the clip. It is generally strong enough to hold the light, though on very smooth or uneven surfaces, the (itself smooth) light tends to slide a bit.
(Jacket)pocket: Due to its angular shape, the light is quite noticeable in a tighter pants pocket. In work pants, however, just like in a jacket pocket, you will barely notice it – overall, the size and weight are quite low.
UI
Outlining the full UI of the light here would exceed the scope of this review. Therefore, I will cover the basic operational concepts – once you understand these, the rest is practically self explanatory.
Operating the light is done entirely via the display as a button and the rotary dial. A short press on the display turns the light on, and it turns off automatically after a short time once all light sources and measurement functions are off. You select the mode using the rotary dial.
White and UV: If you have not enabled glare protection, the light turns on immediately upon selection. You can turn it off with a single press on the display. Holding the display depressed cycles through predefined modes, from low to high and back down, i.e., L-M-H-M-L-M-…
If you hold the display until the first vibration and then release it, you can adjust the brightness with the rotary dial in many small steps.
A double click takes you straight to Turbo. Holding the display depressed from off always lands you in the lowest white mode.
That probably sounds pretty overwhelming at first, but in practical use, it is implemented really well.
Spirit level: Select via the rotary dial, and the spirit level is active immediately. A short press holds the current value, while a long press toggles between bubble level and degree readout. A double click activates the laser.
Distance measurement: Select via the rotary dial, start the measurement with a long press, and lock the result with a short press.
Settings: The settings menu hides a few features that I don't want to leave unmentioned. There you can enable and disable screen rotation, toggle glare protection on and off, calibrate all measurement functions, and adjust display brightness. You can also set the measurement reference (tail or head end of the light) and even initiate a differential measurement. I really like the latter, for example, measuring someone's height becomes very easy this way.
Personal advice: enable the "blind yourself" protection first. It is not perfect, but it shuts off the light fairly reliably when tilted between 15% and lying completely flat. Side tilt is also accounted for, turning the light on starting at around a 45° angle. Since enabling this mode, I haven't had a single incident of "turning on the light and blinding myself" anymore. However, because the light operates strictly based on angle, it won't help if you happen to be lying under a car or similar, which should be clear.
Beam Profile and Measurements
All measurements were performed in my 30cm integrating sphere. Ambient temperature ranged between 26° and 30° C. In addition, an Opple Light Master III and a TASi TA636B lux meter were used. Please keep in mind that this is hobbyist equipment, so inaccuracies and variances are possible!
Overall, the light is primarily a tool, so I wouldn't overstate its optical qualities. The beam features a wide spot with a soft transition to the spill. Tint shift between spill and spot is noticeable, with the spill leaning slightly purple. At close range on a white wall, minor artifacts ("flower patterns") are visible around the spot – but this blends away into a nice corona at longer distances and in real world use. Even though visual inspection suggests the LED and reflector in the Torcheye RD and UDα are identical, there are noticeable differences in the beam profile. I wouldn't call either better or worse, as it ultimately doesn't matter during actual use.
Output and Beam
In my measurements, the light falls short of the claimed 650lm (though the manual "only" lists 600lm – just like with the Torcheye RD somewhat, much like the Torcheye RD. Please keep in mind that while I measure with a full battery and an appropriately matched aperture, ambient temperature, as was the case here, can be elevated. Either way, performance is anything but bad. Output on Turbo is brief, after which both Torcheyes lead the field with clean regulation. Thanks to the second stepdown, you are never left spontaneously in the dark and gain a bit more emergency runtime.
Although the light offers preset modes, it also features stepless ramping. Therefore, I did not log every single mode individually. Naturally, you still get the output numbers:
| Moon | Low | Mid | High | Turbo |
| 5lm | 115lm | 190lm | 330lm | 541lm (526lm @30s – 521lm directly before the stepdown) => 79m |
CCT, CRI, DUV, PWM
| Low | Turbo | |
| CCT | 5800K | 5000 |
| CRI | 65 | 70 |
| DUV | 0,012 * | 0,005 * |
* The spot is somewhat uneven. I measured DUV values between 0.006 and 0.012 in LOW. The stated value represents the "worst" reading I could obtain. The same applies to Turbo, where this is also the highest value measured.
Flicker is in the safe zone, PWM is not detectable by eye or camera.
All measurement data can be found here.
Beamshots
The beamshots were taken at approx. 1m with consistent camera settings, full batteries and one directly after another.
Batteries and charging
The charging curve demonstrates a textbook CC-CV charging behaviour. A full charge takes roughly 1:20h, and the light displays the remaining charging time in real time on the screen.
My charging analyzer registered a capacity of 415mAh at 5V. That corresponds almost exactly to the rated 500mAh at 3.7V.
Summary
So, Torcheye RD vs. UDα – worthwhile upgrade (or, if you skipped the RD so far, a worthwhile new purchase) or just the same light with a black ring? To be honest, I didn't expect the UDα to be so much better than the RD. For me, it is the superior version in every way. Why?
- Glare protection! Even if it isn't intelligent, camera controlled with face recognition,… – it works quite effectively and reliably – and above all, predictably. And it is quickly toggled off again, too.
- UV instead of red light. Red light is great on outdoor lights. Preserves night vision and doesn't attract bugs. But on a tool, UV is significantly more versatile. Finding leaks in a radiator, curing glue, checking the hotel bathroom (don't do it, most of what you see is just limescale anyway…!), and much more.
- Spirit level – awesome feature, especially in combination with the laser. I was surprised by the accuracy, it is really good.
- UI / Feature set significantly expanded. The differential measurement is great, even the display rotates automatically by 180° when you turn the light upside down. The near stepless brightness adjustment of the light sources and direct shortcut to the lowest white mode from off are a welcome addition.
Is it worth buying the light? If you're looking for a clip light anyway, in my view, yes. If you're looking for a compact laser distance meter anyway, it's also a great option. Torcheye really addressed my criticisms of the RD well, making the UDα feel much more refined and cohesive.
The fact that a light packed with so many features takes a little getting used to in terms of operation isn't something I would criticize, as it is probably unavoidable. You could bypass that with separate individual devices – but don't let that deter you, operating the Torcheye UDα isn't that crazy after all.
Don't have a Torcheye yet and got interested? Then check out GODYGA !