Acebeam G15 Rail-Mounted Flashlight Review
The Acebeam G15 Rail-Mounted flashlight is a “very tactical” weapon light with just one mode. It has great throw and a remote switch is available!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a referral link to the Acebeam G15 Rail-Mounted flashlight product page at killzoneflashlights.com.
Versions
There’s just one version of the Acebeam G15 Rail-Mounted flashlight.
Price
The Acebeam G15 Rail-Mounted flashlight sells for $109.90 and is available at killzoneflashlights.com.
What’s Included
- Acebeam G15 Rail-Mounted flashlight
- 3000mAh Acebeam 18650
- Charging cable
- Lanyard
- Remote switch
- Spare 0-rings (2)
- Spare switch cover
- MIL-STD-1913 / Picatinny rail mount (with wrench and screws)
- Manual etc
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
The Acebeam G15 Rail-Mounted flashlight would very nearly pass for an EDC light aside from the screw holes!
Build quality is great – the finish is a bit matte.
It’s possible to remove the head and tail, but the cell tube is not reversible.
As you’d expect on a weapon-mount light, both the head and tail have springs. They’re nice beefy springs, too!
The photo below is horrible and I apologize, but if you check out the cell tube (far right), you can see that the positive end of the cell tube is “capped” with a plastic ring.
Size and Comps
122.2mm x 25.4mm x 22mm and 117g.
If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here (usually the third photo). If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll also show that (usually in the fourth photo).
Here’s the test light with the venerable Convoy S2+. The version below is a custom laser-engraved Convoy S2+ host by GadgetConnections.com. I did a full post on an engraved orange host right here! Or go straight to GadgetConnections.com to buy your Convoy S2+ now!
Also above is the light beside a TorchLAB BOSS 35, an 18350 light. I reviewed the aluminum version of that light in both 35 and 70 formats. I also reviewed that specific edition, the “Oveready BOSS FT Collector Vintage Brass” 35. I love it!
Retention and Carry
A lanyard is included and it attaches through a hole in the tailcap.
But the main point of the Acebeam G15 Rail-Mounted flashlight is that it’s a rail-mount flashlight. The body has two holes built-in (and not removable – they aren’t sleeves or anything like that.)
Onto this you can attach the included MIL-STD-1913 / Picatinny mount or an optional M-LOK mount.
Here’s the Picatinny mount. It’s nice quality and easy to use.
The attachment is very secure, of course.
The package includes a remote switch. This switch replaces the stock tailcap, which also means that the lanyard hole goes away when using the remote switch.
My package did not include the little part that attaches the remote part of the remote switch to the body of your weapon. Probably I just don’t know what I’m doing, or maybe it’s a part you’d already have on hand. Or my package just happened to not have one – the stock photo of what’s included shows one should be included.
Power and Runtime
Power to the Acebeam G15 Rail-Mounted flashlight is from a single lithium-ion cell. My package included a cell, and this cell is included in the purchase price. The cell is a 3000mAh 18650.
The cell is installed into the G15 Rail-Mounted flashlight in the usual way – the positive terminal toward the head. Because of that little plastic piece inside the cell tube that I mentioned above, you won’t be able to swap the cell by removing the head.
There’s just one mode, but for funsies I ran a test on that mode twice. Note the great consistency.
The light does shut off when the cell voltage gets low – users often don’t want that in a tactical/weapon light, so you can pick your preference here. Once the cell voltage starts to drop in to the 2.8V range, the light dims and then shuts off.
Charging
The Acebeam G15 Rail-Mounted flashlight itself does not offer built-in charging, but the included cell does. The included cell has a USB-C port on the positive end.
A USB to USB-C cable is included.
Charging looks good and peaks at around 1.8A and finishes in under 2 hours.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 1800 + 650 | 45s+1h40m | 1611 (0s) 1440 (30s) |
6.69 |
Pulse Width Modulation
The single mode does not use PWM.
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’s one switch on the Acebeam G15 Rail-Mounted flashlight – it’s a mechanical tail switch.
The Acebeam G15 Rail-Mounted flashlight will tailstand.
The remote switch completely replaces the mechanical switch.
Here’s a user interface table for the mechanical switch tailcap.
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Click | Turbo |
| Turbo | Click | Off |
| Off | Hold | Momentary Turbo |
Here’s a user interface table for the remote switch tailcap.
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Press round switch | Turbo |
| Turbo | Press round switch | Off |
| Off | Press long part of switch | Momentary Turbo |
LED and Beam
The Acebeam G15 Rail-Mounted flashlight uses a Luminus SFT-40 emitter. It has a smooth reflector.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
CCT and CRI are about what you’d expect for a tactical/weapon light. It’s very cool white (7100K) and low CRI.
Beamshots
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 keep the test flashlight on the left and the BLF-348 reference flashlight on the right. These photos are taken around 18 inches from the door.
I compare everything to the KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!
Summary and Conclusion
The Acebeam G15 Rail-Mounted flashlight is a nice entry into the rail-mount tactical flashlight. It seems nicely tactical that it has just one mode, and the whole package (which includes one type of mount) is very well-rounded. Output is very good but does step down dramatically after around 1.5 minutes. There’s no PWM, too. It’s a nice package!
The Big Table
| Acebeam G15 Rail-Mounted flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Luminus SFT-40 |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $109.90 at killzoneflashlights.com |
| Cell: | 1×18650 |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | Yes |
| Switch Type: | Mechanical |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C (on cell) |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | – |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 1800 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1440 (80% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 24.42 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 390 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 1043lux @ 5.806m = 35159cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 375.0 (96.2% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 7100 Kelvin |
| Item provided for review by: | Acebeam |
| 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.
What I like
- Great build quality
- Single mode (great for tactical)
- Dual springs (again, great for tactical)
- Remote switch offers additional user interface features
- Very easy to use (the user interface is not confusing)
What I don’t like
- Very cool white
- Just one mode
- Low CRI
- Big stepdown after 1.5 minutes
Notes
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