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Critter acting up? See the troubleshooting fixes
An RGB light cannot be judged on the lumen scale built for white LED flashlights. Lumens measure how bright a light looks to the human eye, and the eye is heavily weighted toward yellow green. Deep blue and deep red score very few lumens no matter how much light is actually leaving the LED, so any saturated color rates low on a scale that was built for white torches. A high lumen white flashlight is not putting out that much more light than a Critter, it is putting out more of the one color your eye happens to be best at.
On camera, RGB light exposes brighter than white light. A camera sensor does not see lumens. It sees three separate red, green and blue channels. White light spreads its energy across all three, so no single channel fills up. A saturated color puts everything into one channel, and that channel reaches full exposure long before the frame as a whole looks bright. That is why a red or blue trail records as a hot, fully saturated stroke while the meter still reads the scene as dark, and why the Critter photographs far stronger in a long exposure or a video frame than its lumen rating suggests to your eye.
So judge it on footage shot with the tool, not on a spec sheet number.
Most of our accessories are threaded and twist straight onto the front of the RGB Critter, no adapter needed.
A few need a mount instead. It is sold separately unless it comes as part of a kit:
Everything else, including our threaded sabers, dusters, illuminators, orbs and the rest of the twist-on range, goes straight on.
Two exceptions worth knowing: the Silicone Sleeve fits the RGB Critter 1.0 and 2.0 only and does not fit the BT, and our first generation color changing flashlight from before 2018 used a different thread, so no RGB Critter accessory fits it in either direction. Full detail is in the compatibility guide.
If you are not sure what a particular piece needs, email support@antsonamelon.com and we will tell you before you order.
You can connect Light Painting Brushes (LPB) tools to the RGB Critter using the Critter To LPB Adapter.
You do not need a phone to use the light. The RGB Critter BT has three onboard buttons and works straight out of the box.
The free Ants on a Melon app is where the depth is: 16.7 million colors, custom modes, playlists and group sync. It runs on iPhone and iPad (iOS 17.0 or later) and Android 7.0 or later.
Your RGB Critter BT’s serial number lives on the Devices page of the app, which is handy to know if you ever need support.
The RGB Critter BT charges over USB-C through the port on the back, using the cable in the box. Runtime is about 7 hours in color and about 2 hours on full white.
One thing to know: the BT does not support USB-C Power Delivery. If a modern fast-charge wall plug refuses to charge it, use a standard 5V USB-A source instead. Nothing is wrong with your light.
The 2500mAh 18650 battery is replaceable, so you can swap in a fresh one and keep going. Only use an Ants on a Melon 18650: other cells can damage the light. Please read our battery safety notes before you store or travel with spares.
Standalone batteries cannot be shipped to international addresses, so if you are outside the US your spare has to travel inside a light.
Yes. All three RGB Critter generations, 1.0, 2.0 and BT, share the same front thread, so whips, sabers, blades, tubes, dusters and costume bundles twist onto any of them.
Two exceptions: the Silicone Sleeve fits the 1.0 and 2.0 only, and our first generation color changing flashlight from before 2018 used a different thread, so accessories do not cross over in either direction. Charging differs too: USB-C on the BT, Micro-USB on the 1.0 and 2.0.
The full breakdown is in our RGB Critter Compatibility Guide.
No. The RGB Critter is not waterproof and carries no IP rating. Do not immerse it in water, and do not charge it outdoors.
It is an aluminum body built for real sessions, so it copes with normal outdoor use, but treat rain, spray, damp grass and dust as things to keep it out of rather than shrug off. Water and environmental damage is not covered by the warranty.
Two habits that prevent most of the physical damage we see: always keep an accessory on the front end and always keep the end cap in the back. Running it bare is what dents the housing.
More in our product disclaimers.
From Friday, October 16, stocked orders placed before 9am Pacific time, Monday to Friday, ship the same day. Orders placed after 9am ship the next business day, and stocked items always ship within 2 business days.
Light painting blades and any saber cut to a custom length are made to order, so those need a short build time before they ship.
If your order mixes stocked and made-to-order items we will email you the timeline, and we are happy to split the shipment if you need part of it sooner.
Free within the United States on orders over $99. Under that, standard shipping is calculated at checkout.
Domestic options are USPS Ground Advantage (1 to 4 days), USPS Priority (2 to 3 days), UPS 2nd Day Air and UPS Next Day Air Saver (overnight). International orders ship by DHL Express. Most countries pay one flat rate set by the weight of your order and shown before you pay, and everywhere else is priced live at checkout.
We guarantee delivery on every order, domestic and international. If a package is lost, damaged or stolen, tell us within 30 days of the ship date and we will replace it at no cost.
Yes. We ship worldwide from Oregon, and the UK and Europe are among our most common destinations.
Canada, the UK and Europe ship at one flat rate, set by the weight of your order and shown before you pay. It ships by DHL Express, fully tracked door to door, typically 2 to 7 business days plus customs clearance. Everywhere else ships by DHL Express Worldwide, priced live at checkout for your address.
We do not have a European stockist or an Amazon storefront in Europe, so ordering direct from this site is the way to get our gear there. In the US and Canada you can also find us on Amazon.
See our International Order Information page for delivery estimates and what to expect at customs.
From Friday, October 16, yes if you order before 9am Pacific time, Monday to Friday. With overnight shipping (UPS Next Day Air Saver) your order ships that day and is delivered the next business day.
Order after 9am and it ships the next business day and arrives the business day after that. An order placed Monday after 9am ships Tuesday and arrives Wednesday. An order placed Friday after 9am or over the weekend ships Monday and arrives Tuesday.
Possibly, and it depends entirely on your country. Import duty and VAT are set by your own government, are separate from the shipping you pay us, and where they apply they are paid to the carrier on delivery. Many destinations charge nothing at all on smaller orders, so "may" really does mean may.
United Kingdom: the £135 threshold applies to the value of the goods alone. Postage is not counted toward it. At or under £135 of product value there is normally nothing further to pay on delivery, no duty, no import VAT at the border and no carrier handling fee. Above £135, UK VAT is worked out on the goods plus postage, and duty and a handling fee may apply as well.
We are not able to mark orders as gifts or reduce the declared value on customs forms. If you would like an estimate for your country before you order, email support@antsonamelon.com and we will help.
Yes. Returns are free within the US and your item just needs to reach us within 30 days of delivery. There is no restocking fee.
It has to come back unused and undamaged, in the original packaging with all accessories. The only other exception is a custom order made to your own specification, such as a saber cut to a non-standard length.
Fiber optic products are stricter, and we want you to know why. Fiber strands trap dirt, hair and smells and cannot be cleaned back to new, so a fiber whip, duster or costume piece can only come back unopened and unused, in its original sealed packaging. Once the fiber is out of its bag it can pick up dirt, hair or scent, and then it cannot go to the next person.
Broken in use? That is a warranty claim, not a return, and there is no 30-day limit on it.
We will ask what went wrong, because we can often fix it faster than a return can. Once we send your prepaid label, please ship it back within 14 days. If we issue your label near the end of the 30 days, the 14-day label window is the one that counts, so you are never caught out by both clocks at once.
We accept international returns on the same basis: your item must reach us within 30 days of delivery, but return shipping is not covered for international customers. You are responsible for the return postage.
Yes. If you live in the European Union or the European Economic Area you have a legal right to cancel your order within 14 days of receiving it, for any reason or none. That sits on top of our standard 30-day policy, so use whichever gives you more time.
Under that statutory right we refund everything you paid including the standard outbound shipping, within 14 days of you telling us. Return postage on international orders is still yours, but the unused-and-undamaged rule does not apply: you may handle the goods as you would in a shop.
Email support@antsonamelon.com with a clear statement that you want to cancel, or use the model withdrawal form in our refund policy.
Email support@antsonamelon.com to begin your return.
We will send you return instructions and the next steps.
Once we receive your return, we will inspect it and process your refund within 3 to 5 business days.
Yes. Orders placed November 1 through December 31 qualify for returns until January 31.
Perfect for gifting.
Email support@antsonamelon.com right away, and send us two photos:
The slip lists exactly what was picked and packed for you, so with both photos side by side we can usually spot the gap in minutes. Small parts hide in packaging more often than you would think, so the photos genuinely do save you a wait.
Once we have them we send the correct item or the missing pieces at no cost to you. If the packing slip did not make it into your box, just say so in your email and we will work from your order number instead.
We fully guarantee delivery on every order, anywhere we ship. If your package goes missing, arrives damaged or is stolen off the porch, email us within 30 days of the ship date and we will replace it at no cost to you.
Photos of the packaging help if it arrived damaged, but they are not a condition of us sorting it out.
That is for a whole package. If your order did arrive but something inside it is missing, we do need photos: everything that came in the box, and the packing slip that shipped with it. See What if I received the wrong item or something is missing? above.
We cover defects in materials or workmanship, including electronic components. If something fails that shouldn’t, we will take care of it.
The full terms, including coverage by product type and everything we do not cover, are on our Warranty Information page.
The RGB Critter BT includes a 2-year warranty.
A Lifetime Warranty upgrade is available in the cart.
It is worth a minute, though it is not a condition of your cover. Registering puts your serial number and purchase date on file, so a future warranty claim needs nothing from you but an email.
Your serial number is on the Devices page of the Ants on a Melon app. Register here.
Accessories do not need registering. Their 2-year warranty applies from purchase either way.
Every accessory, including every saber accessory, comes with a 2-year warranty from the date of purchase. A Lifetime Warranty upgrade is available in the cart.
Two exceptions: the Orb does not include a warranty, and replacement batteries carry a 60-day warranty because cells are a consumable and lose capacity with use.
Accessories bought before September 24, 2026 keep the lifetime warranty they were sold with.
Yes. Our products are built for real-world flow, and normal drops happen. Electronic failures within reasonable use are covered.
Physical damage to the housing itself is not covered by the warranty, but we will still repair it at cost. You pay postage and parts, we do the labor for free. Email support@antsonamelon.com with photos and we will confirm the cost before anything is charged.
The warranty does not cover:
None of that means we cannot help. Anything the warranty does not cover, we will repair at cost: you pay postage and parts, the labor is free. Email us with photos and we will quote it before charging anything.
Email support@antsonamelon.com with a description of the issue.
Photos or a short video help us troubleshoot faster.
Within the first 60 days of the original delivery date, yes. The new owner needs proof of the original purchase, and we will move the claim over.
After 60 days the warranty stays with the original purchaser. If you are buying second hand and are not sure where you stand, email us and we will tell you straight.
First 60 days: We cover return postage.
International customers: if a hardware issue turns up in the first 60 days, we send a replacement at no cost to you, shipping included.
After 60 days: You cover shipping to us, and all qualifying repairs or replacements are free.
This is a longer, separate clock from the 30-day return window: 30 days to change your mind about something unused, 60 days of covered postage if it is genuinely faulty.
Most repairs or replacements are completed within 2 to 3 working days once we receive your item.
We will keep you updated throughout the process.
Email us anytime. We will help you figure it out and offer the best solution.
Our goal is to keep your gear glowing for as long as possible.
I sent my Critter BT in for service and upon return the USPS damaged the shipment… I contacted AOAM and Indigo took swift action and my fretting quickly dissipated. The Critter was replaced and I'm goin out to light paint tomorrow evening!
The products are awesome. I upgraded from the critter to the critter BT. The ease of the app control is phenomenal, especially doing custom programming. I had to have an order ship quickly for a particular job, and they were able to get exactly what I needed and expedite the order. All around 5 star.
I needed a replacement battery for my RGB Critter light. The original lasted almost 6 years. This company is great and their products are just as awesome as they are.
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This lithium-ion battery cannot be shipped internationally and cannot be added to your cart.
You can purchase the required battery locally with these specifications:
Do not purchase protected, button top, 3.2V, or 1.5V cells.
Ants on a Melon is not responsible for batteries purchased from third-party sellers. Please verify specifications and use only high-quality lithium-ion cells from reputable brands.
