Acebeam T36 Flashlight Review
The Acebeam T36 flashlight is a 21700 tube light, with USB-C charging, a dual switch interface, and a CREE XHP-35 HI emitter. Read on!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a referral link to the Acebeam T36 Flashlight product page.
Versions
There is only one version of the T36. This T36 is available in two tints though, 5000K and 6500K. I have the 6500K.
Price
I have moved the price section to The Big Table, and I’ve moved The Big Table up to nearly the top. So now all (or “more of”) the info is available near the top of the review! (And this is the last time you’ll see the “Price” heading, most likely).
Short Review
This is a nice, capable light, which comfortably meets the manufacturer’s claims, and charges the included cell very quickly. My only real issue with the light is the overall length, which is quite long.
Long Review
The Big Table
| Acebeam T36 | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Cree XHP35 HI (6500K) |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $125.40 |
| Cell: | 1×21700 |
| Turbo Runtime | High Runtime |
| LVP? | Yes |
| Switch Type: | Both |
| Quiescent Current (A): | 0.0002 |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Chargetime | |
| Power off Charge Port with no Cell? | 3 modes |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 2000 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1867 (93.4% of claim)^ |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 303 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 821lux @ 5.476m = 24619cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 313.8 (103.6% of claim)^ |
| All my Acebeam 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.
I moved The Big Table up to the top for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that now you should have easy access to nearly everything interesting about the light. If there’s another item you’d like here, I can add it to the table too. For example, would you like the “Tint vs” link in this table too? I think it’d be useful (and is in every. single. flashlight. review. too).
What’s Included
- Acebeam T36 Flashlight
- Acebeam 5100mAh 21700 cell
- Lanyard
- Nylon pouch
- Charge cable (USB to USB-C)
- Adapter tube (21700 to 18650)
- Spare o-rings (3)
- Spare clicky cover
- Manual and papers
Package and Manual
Typical Acebeam package!
And here’s the manual. Sorry, it looks a bit fuzzy, but it’s legible. Who needs the manual anyway! Let’s do this live.
Build Quality and Disassembly
Just like the other two fairly similar Acebeams I reviewed (the L16 and EC65), the T36 is very well built.
One of the main things you might notice is that silver strike bezel. It’s easily removable, and reversible, and really a neat little attachment! The second thing you might notice is that the tailcap is quite thick! Has to do with all the electronics allowing charging, but yeah, in use it’s noticeably thicker.
Here’s the bezel reversed. It doesn’t screw down all that far, but this setup makes for an interesting display when placed on its head, and on.
There’s a bunch of stuff going on in the electronics since this is a charging light. Both the tail and head have big beefy springs, but also little finger connectors, which allow charging. (They also really complicate taking current readings for all the modes!)
A double wall cell tube is also required for charging.
Unfortunately, the bezel can’t be removed seamlessly – it’ll come off completely, but you’re left with some fairly fine threads exposed. The lens or reflector will not fall out, however.
Size and Comps
Officially:
Size: 145mm (Length) x 30mm (Head Dia.) x 25.4mm (Body Dia.)
Weight: 113g without battery
It’s a long light!
Retention and Carry
Included is a nylon pouch, which this tube light will easily fit into bezel up or down.
Also included and attached from the factory is a friction-fit pocket (or belt) clip. It’s very snug.
And finally, the lanyard attachment point, which is on the tactical ring. The tactical ring does come off and is not threaded.
Power and Runtime
Primarily the T36 will be powered by the included 5100mAh 21700 lithium-ioncell. Also included allowing some versatility is an adapter to allow 18650 cells.
The springs on both ends inside should mean that any cell type will work fine.
Here’s a runtime on Turbo. The stepdown is fairly quick, and possibly temperature-based (but per the spec sheets, more likely timed, at 1.5m). The light steps down dramatically, to 800 lumens (tested at more like 600).
Output on High is unusually not all that similar to Turbo. The light should be stepping down (per the spec sheet) at around 10 minutes, but I don’t see that in my test. This is much better behavior, but it’s never good for product documentation to be incorrect. I tend to wonder based specifically on this run but also the above Turbo test if the stepdown is temperature-based if the temperature gets too high. And if it doesn’t, then the light will stay at maximum (for the level) output.
In either case, the runtime on High is actually vastly shorter than the Turbo, because High didn’t step down at all.
At the end of the runtimes, the light’s main emitter flickers on and off, and the light shuts off with a cell voltage of around 2.9. That’s fairly good behavior, and certainly good for the cell. (Less good if you’re in a tactical situation and must have light, though.)
Charging
The T36 has onboard charging, via a nicely covered USB-C port. A cable is included, as seen below.
The charge port is on the head and covered by a press-in rubber boot.
The charge port is opposite the e-switch in the head. Just near the e-switch is a status indicator, that seems to indicate nothing more than charge status. If the light is charging, the indicator is red. If the charge is finished and the light is connected to power, the indicator is green. Unfortunately, this seems to be all the indicator does!!
Charging is quite quick, at a max of 2A (at the USB source, so the light is seeing a bit more). The two tests were essentially identical.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 2000/800 | 1.5m/2.5h | 1867 | ?^ |
| High | 1350/650 | 10m/3h | 1209 | ?^ |
| Med | 500 | 5h | 458 | 0.83 |
| Low | 200 | 12h | 204 | 0.34 |
| Ultra Low | 2 | 672h | ~ | ~ |
^ Because of the circuitry of this light, I couldn’t test the current on the higher modes. Not really sure why? but it wouldn’t work.
Pulse Width Modulation
No PWM, which is great!
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
There are two switches on the T36. There’s a metal switch like is on the EC65, in the center of the head. It’s a very flush button, and very positively clicky (but not loud). I like this switch a lot.
Also included is a “mechanical” switch on the tail cap, just like on the L16. Because of how the light actually works, I’m not willing to call this a mechanical switch. I think it might be an e-switch disguised as a mechanical. But it lacks many of the niceties of an e-switch.
Here’s a UI table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Click Side Switch (SS) | On (Mode Memory) |
| Any | Click Tail Switch (TS) (Even during Lockout) | Turbo (Steady) (and precludes Side Switch use) |
| Any | Tap TS (Even during Lockout) | Momentary Turbo |
| On | Double Click SS | Turbo |
| On (Non strobe) | Hold SS | Mode advance (LMH) |
| Any | Triple Click SS | Strobe |
| Strobe | Click SS | Off |
| Strobe | Hold SS | Low |
| Off | Hold SS | Firefly |
| Off | Hold SS >3s | Lockout (Signified by two flashes of Moonlight) |
| Lockout | Hold SS <3s | Unlock to Moonlight (one flash of Moonlight, then steady Moonlight) |
LED and Beam
Acebeam has a Cree XHP35 HI in the T36. The reflector is small and fairly shallow.
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.
Tint vs BLF-348 (KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b version) (affiliate link)
I compare everything to the Killzone 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!
Random Comparisons and Competitive Options
Here’s a link to a relevantly filtered page on parametrek.com. I use that site a lot!
There are a few competitors in this category, half of which are made by Acebeam. Interestingly, they all also included onboard charging! Depending on what you need, either the EC65, T36, or L16 are great choices for their respective classes.
Conclusion
What I like
- Great full-package setup
- Build quality is great
- Meets specs on throw and output
- Available in 5000K
- USB-C charging! (with a very snug charge cover)
What I don’t like
- Strange stepdowns in practice vs the manual
- I think the tailswitch is underutilized
- Indicator near e-switch is definitely underutilized
Notes
- This light was provided by BestLight.io for review. I was not paid to write this review.
- This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
- For flashlight-related patches, stickers, and gear, head over to PhotonPhreaks.com!
- Use my amazon.com referral link if you’re willing to help support making more reviews like this one!
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