Acebeam Flashlights and Headlamps for Camp

What Acebeam makes, and what this page covers

Acebeam is a flashlight company first. Its own store sorts the lineup into EDC flashlights, tactical flashlights, high-power flashlights, LEP flashlights (the maker files them under white laser lights), dive lights, bike lights, accessories and LED headlamps.

On this site, Acebeam covers two of those: flashlights and headlamps, and the grid above has a filter for each. Flashlights are most of it. Dive lights and bike lights aren't types this site lists.

The listings change as models come and go, so I'll write about the lamps and what separates them, not about this week's count.

How Acebeam names its headlamps

Acebeam headlamps all start with H and a number. The number doesn't track lumens or size the way it does with some brands. On Acebeam's own headlamp page, the H range includes the H15 2.0, H16, H17 2.0, H18, H30, H35 and H50 2.0. A "2.0" means a second version of an older model.

The ones on this site right now are the H16, the H18 and the H30, and the H30 shows up in more than one listing. The differences between those listings are the LED and the auxiliary light colors, so read the title closely. Three listings, one lamp, slightly different hats. (Walt's comment: "So it's the same truck with a different radio." Close enough.)

Lineup notes: Acebeam headlamps

H30: the 4,000-lumen lamp

The H30 is the top of the grid for output. Acebeam's page lists:

• Main LED: CREE XHP70.2, in a 5000K or 6500K white
• Auxiliary LEDs: two, sold as red plus green, red plus UV, or red plus a high-CRI white
• Output: 4,000 lumens on Turbo-Max, down to an UltraLow mode
• Beam distance: 171 meters on Turbo-Max, about 561 feet
• Battery: one 21700 lithium-ion cell, 5,000 mAh, included
• Charging: USB-C, with a two-way cable the maker says can work as a power bank
• Weight: 6.70 oz with battery, 2.82 oz without
• Protection: IP68 and a 1.5-meter drop rating

The runtime table matters more than the headline. On Low, at 120 lumens, the maker lists 23 hours 30 minutes. That's the mode you'd actually walk in on. The 4,000-lumen mode is for a few seconds of looking across a field, not for the trail. Real talk: 4,000 lumens on your forehead will light up the next ridge and every tree between you and it.

The auxiliary colors are a choice you make at purchase. Red is on every version. Green is on the red-plus-green version. Pick the one you'll use: red for keeping your night vision, green if you want a second colored light for the walk.

H16: the lightweight AA option

The H16 is the light one. Acebeam lists it at 2.5 oz with battery and headband, or 1.9 oz for the lamp and battery alone. That's less than half the H30.

What the maker says about it:

• Output: 1,000 lumens on the 6500K gray version, 650 lumens on the 5000K black and orange versions
• Beam distance: 105 meters (about 344 feet) on the 6500K version, 86 meters on the 5000K version
• Battery: a 14500 rechargeable lithium-ion cell with USB-C, included, and the lamp also takes one AA alkaline or NiMH cell
• Runtime: 58 hours on Ultra-Low at 5 lumens, 16 hours on Low at 30 lumens
• Protection: IP68, submersible to 2 meters for up to 30 minutes, with a 1.5-meter drop rating
• Beam: wide, 100 to 110 degrees depending on the version

A 14500 is the same size as an AA, which is why the H16 can take either. Note what the maker's page doesn't list for the H16: no red light and no lockout. If those matter to you, the H30 and H18 are the ones with red.

H18: the right-angle lamp

The H18 is shaped differently. It's a right-angle light, with the lens on the side of the body instead of the end, and it comes off its headband on a quick-detach bracket. Acebeam says it can work as a headlamp, a clip light and a magnetic work light.

From the maker's page:

• Output: 4,000 lumens in 6500K white or 2,700 in 5000K, plus a 70-lumen red light
• Beam distance: 162 meters on the 6500K version, about 531 feet
• Battery: one 21700 lithium-ion cell, 6,400 mAh, included
• Charging: a USB-C port on the body with a metal cover, and a second USB-C port on the battery itself
• Weight: about 6.7 oz with battery, bracket and headband, or 70 grams for the body alone
• Protection: IP68 to 2 meters for 30 minutes, with a 2-meter drop rating
• Tilt: 180 degrees, with a pocket clip in the box

The maker lists the red light at 630 nanometers, with a runtime of 190 hours on low. For a light you hang in a ground blind or clip to a pack strap, the right-angle shape is the point. For a light you only wear, it's just a different shape.

Lineup notes: Acebeam flashlights

People search for the Acebeam flashlight far more than the headlamps. The flashlight values in the grid come from Amazon listings, and the grid marks them.

AA and AAA lights: Pokelit AA, K1, TAC AA 2.0, TAC 2AA and PT20

These are the lights you can feed from a gas station. The Pokelit AA, K1, TAC AA 2.0 and TAC 2AA list AA cells, and the PT20 is a penlight, a slim pen-shaped light, on AAA. Output runs from a few hundred lumens on the Pokelit and PT20 to over a thousand on the TAC 2AA. The Pokelit AA lists a low-mode runtime of a couple of days and a body under four inches long. The two TAC lights are the ones their listings call tactical, and the TAC 2AA adds a tail switch. The tactical flashlight guide explains the label.

E75, E10 2.0 and EC90: compact and mid-size

The E75 lists several thousand lumens in an aluminum body about five inches long, and one listing adds a strobe. The E10 2.0 has a built-in battery pack and a long beam for a small light, close to half a mile per its listing. The EC90 lists several thousand lumens and a beam of about a third of a mile.

L-series: L35 2.0, L19 2.0 and L16 2.0

The L lights are the long-reach group. The L35 2.0 lists several thousand lumens, a tail switch, a strobe and a low-mode runtime in the hundreds of hours. The L19 2.0 throws about two-thirds of a mile per its listing. The L16 2.0 is aluminum with a tail switch, and its listing calls it tactical.

P20, Terminator M1 2.0, W35 LC and X75: the big ones

The P20 lists several thousand lumens and a beam of about four-fifths of a mile. The Terminator M1 2.0 reaches about a mile and adds a red light. The W35 LC has a zoomable head and the longest beam in the Acebeam grid by far, more than a mile and a half per its listing. The X75 is the brightest, at tens of thousands of lumens. That's a light for the truck, not the coat. (Walt asked if it comes with a generator. It doesn't. He was disappointed.)

Flashlights from every brand are on the handheld spotlight page, and the brightest flashlight and best hunting flashlight lists rank them by stated rules. The lumens vs candela guide explains why a light with fewer lumens can still throw farther.

How to choose within the Acebeam lineup

Pick the battery first

My one opinion on this page: pick a headlamp you can feed from the same battery as the rest of your kit. The reason is on Acebeam's own spec pages. The H16 runs on a 14500 or a plain AA, and so do several of the Acebeam flashlights, per their listings. AA is what half the camp already runs on. The H30 and H18 run on 21700 cells, which hold far more energy but aren't something you'll find at a gas station on the way to camp.

If you go with a 21700 lamp, buy a second cell and keep it charged. If you go with the H16, a four-pack of AAs in the truck is your backup. I've forgotten both kinds of backup on different trips, so now both live in the truck.

More on charging is on the rechargeable headlamp page.

Then the shape and weight

The H30 and H18 weigh about the same with battery, according to the maker, and the H16 weighs less than half as much. On a long sit, weight on your forehead adds up. The H18's right-angle body and bracket make it more of a multi-use light. The H30 is a traditional headlamp with a big battery.

Then the output you'll actually use

All three list big top numbers. The useful numbers are lower in the table. The H30's Low (120 lumens) and the H16's Low (30 lumens) are the walk-in and camp-chore modes. Lumens are total output. Beam distance is how far the light stays useful. The headlamps page explains both across brands.

If you're tracking after the shot, bring a second light as backup, and check your state wildlife agency for rules on recovery after dark.

Then red light and the walk in

The National Park Service explains why red light matters before daylight: bright white light breaks down rhodopsin, the pigment your eyes use for night vision, in seconds, and full night vision takes roughly 20 to 40 minutes to come back. Dim red barely touches it. The H30 and H18 list red. The H16's page doesn't. See the red light headlamp page.

Then the lockout

Acebeam describes a lockout on the H30: hold the orange switch for six seconds and the lamp flashes three times and locks. A headlamp that switches on in your pack is a dead battery at 5 a.m. The maker's H18 and H16 pages don't describe a lockout, so check the manual that comes in the box.

Charging and battery care

Acebeam's H30 and H18 run on large lithium-ion cells, the H16 ships with one, and most of the flashlights are rechargeable. The U.S. Fire Administration says not to charge lithium-ion batteries below 32°F or above 105°F, to keep them out of direct sun and hot cars, and to stop using any battery that smells odd, changes shape, overheats or leaks. Charge at room temperature, not in a cold truck. Carry spare cells in a case, away from anything that can burn. Don't throw a lithium-ion cell in the trash; take it to battery recycling.

Acebeam facts

Here's what I could verify on Acebeam's own site:

• Company: established in 2009 with its own manufacturing facility, per its about page
• Location: Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, with an address in the Longhua district
• Focus: research, development and manufacturing of high-output lights, per the same page
• Warranty: a 15-day replacement for manufacturing defects, free repair within 10 years of purchase, and a limited lifetime warranty after that, with the owner paying for parts and shipping; periods vary by product, so read the terms for the exact lamp
• Not covered: normal wear, rough handling, battery leakage, disassembly or modification, per the warranty page
• Claims: through the dealer first, with a warranty card and proof of purchase, then Acebeam's customer service

Charge the cell, set the lamp to Low, and save Turbo for the one moment you need it. Renee still says no. Science disagrees, quietly.