Acebeam P20 Flashlight Review
The Acebeam P20 flashlight uses one Luminus SBT90.2 emitter for high output and great throw. A green filter is available, too! The P20 uses two switches!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a referral link to the official product page at killzoneflashlights.com.
Versions
I believe there’s just one version of the Acebeam P20 flashlight. You can buy with or without the filter though.
Price
The MSRP, including the price at killzoneflashlights.com for the Acebeam P20 flashlight, is $199.
What’s Included
- Acebeam P20 flashlight
- Battery
- Lanyard
- Charging cable
- Spare o-rings (2)
- Spare switch cover
- Green filter
- Acebeam Velcro patch
- Manual etc
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
The Acebeam P20 flashlight build quality is, of course, fantastic. I’m not sure how much of a tactical light this is (no weapon mounts are included) but with the tail switch and massive throw (and solid build quality) it could be.
The head design is interesting. There’s a lot going on. Importantly, there are some cooling fins around what I’d call the “neck” – where the e-switch is.
Both the head and tail have springs.
The cell tube is fully removable, but not reversible.
Size and Comps
267.56mm x 79mm x 25.4mm, and 504g (including battery).
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. It attaches only through the tactical ring, and the attachment is very secure.
Worth mentioning is also the tactical ring, of course – you can hold the light with one hand, aided by that ring.
Acebeam also includes a carry bag.
The light fits into the baggie, but sort of “just”. Below you can see that when snugged down, the light is covered.
Power and Runtime
The Acebeam P20 flashlight package includes this 5000mAh battery. It’s two 21700 cells in series, so the voltage is around 8.4V (fully charged).
There appears to be a protection circuit on one end of the battery pack, and that does seem to be utilized by the light – after the runtime shuts off, the battery voltage is “0V.”
The battery is marked positive (black end) and negative (orange end) and shouldn’t be reversed. That said, the battery goes into the light “the usual” way – positive end toward the head.
Below you can see a number of runtime tests. Acebeam claims 5500 lumens for 70 seconds. I didn’t measure it to be that high, but it’s still high for a good minute and a half before stepping down to High. High is fairly stable at around 1200 lumens for nearly 3 hours!
Another important point about the Acebeam P20 flashlight is that it can run two 21700 cells of your choice, too! I did not test the light with those cells.
The switch also indicates approximate power, at least at startup:
Green: >30% power
Red: 30-10% power
Red flashing: <10% power
As the Acebeam P20 flashlight is intended for use with the included battery, I wouldn’t necessarily expect this power indicator to work if you’re using your own two 21700 cells. Acebeam adds (in the FAQ): “When the flashlight is powered by 2 x 21700 single batteries, please operate the flashlight via the side switch.” Which is to say – the tail switch does not work when using two 21700 cells.
Charging
The Acebeam P20 flashlight itself does not have charging, but the included battery does. There’s a USB-C charge port on the negative end of this battery.
Acebeam kindly includes a USB to USB-C cable.
Charging is fairly quick at 5V and works A to C or C to C. Total charge time is around 5.5 hours.
One nice thing about the charge port being on the cell and not the light is that I don’t have to worry about telling you not to charge two 2 21700 cells in series!
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps @8.4V |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 5500-1800 | 70s+2h40m | 4033 (0s) 3709 (30s) |
9.81 |
| High | 2300-1800 | 3m+2h40m | 1630 (0s) 1618 (30s) |
1.98 |
| Med 2 | 1100 | 5h | 818 | 0.79 |
| Med 1 | 470 | 12h | 346 | 0.32 |
| Low | 150 | 36h | 95 | 0.09 |
| Ultralow | 50 | 74h | 27 | 0.04 |
Pulse Width Modulation
None of the modes 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
Acebeam has used a dual-switch interface on the P20 flashlight. The tail switch is a mechanical clicky.
There’s a nice tripod around the switch, so despite being top-heavy and big, the Acebeam P20 flashlight will still tailstand.
The action is easy and deep.
A second switch is this indicating e-switch, below. It’s important since the mechanical switch is on/off only.
It can indicate in red or green and blinking. You can see the green indicator in a section below.
Here’s a user interface table! Note that the tail switch overrides any actions by the e-switch. Also if the light was turned on via the tail switch, nothing the e-switch does will change the output.
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Any | Click tail switch | Turbo |
| On from e-switch | Click tail switch | Turbo |
| Turbo (from tail switch | Click tail switch | Off |
| Any | Tap tail switch | Turbo (momentary) |
| Off | Hold e-switch | Ultra-low |
| On (from e-switch) | Hold e-switch | Mode advance (excluding Ultra-low and Turbo) |
| Off | Click e-switch | On (mode memory) |
| Any (excluding tail switch activated) | Double click e-switch | Turbo |
| Off | Hold e-switch >3s | Lockout. The tail switch does not work during lockout! |
| Lockout | Hold e-switch >3s | Unlock |
| Lockout | Any tail switch | Switch indicator green |
| Any (excluding tail switch activated) | Click e-switch 3x | Strobe |
LED and Beam
The emitter here is a Luminus SBT-90.2. I don’t see where Acebeam makes a CCT claim, but you’ll see below that it’s perfectly pleasant!
These bezel screws aid in keeping the head off a surface – light escapes when headstanding.
A green filter is included. The filter fits into the bezel on those threads you might barely make out below.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
As I said above, the CCT of the Acebeam P20 flashlight is pleasant! It’s not cool white – it comes in somewhere around 5500K on average. The CRI is low (very low, even), but at least it’s not grossly cool white. Anyway, these Luminus SBT90.2 emitters are usually extraordinary, even if not for CRI/CCT/R9/Duv reasons!
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 Big Table
| Acebeam P20 flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Luminus SBT-90.2 |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $199.00 |
| Cell: | 1xBattery Pack |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | On battery |
| Switch Type: | Both |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | – |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C (on cell) |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | – |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 5500 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 3709 (67.4% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 98 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 1280 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 6570lux @ 7.244m = 344764cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 1174.3 (91.7% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 5100-5900 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
- Massive output
- The complete package includes a battery
- Can run two 21700 cells
- User interface that can be tactical or can avoid a tactical nature
- Nice CCT
What I don’t like
- Low CRI
- Doesn’t hit the output specs
Notes
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