Acebeam PT20 Portable EDC Penlight Review
The Acebeam PT20 portable EDC penlight has a carbon fiber finish and uses an included 10880 lithium-ion cell, but can also run 2xAAA! Read on for testing.
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the Acebeam PT20 portable EDC penlight product page.
Versions
There is only one version of the Acebeam PT20 portable EDC penlight but there are two finishes. Both are aluminum, but one has this black carbon fiber pattern. The other has a silver carbon fiber pattern.
Price
Both finishes of the Acebeam PT20 portable EDC penlight sell for $39.90. I recommend using my referral link for buying yours at killzoneflashlights.com!
What’s Included
- Acebeam PT20 portable EDC penlight
- Acebeam 10880 cell
- Charging cable
- Spare o-rings (2)
- Manual etc
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
The Acebeam PT20 portable EDC penlight has a “normal” build quality. No concerns about durability or quality spring to mind when picking up and using the PT20. It’s a fine light.
One aspect of the Acebeam PT20 portable EDC penlight that I do love is the carbon fiber finish! I love carbon fiber. This is probably just a carbon fiber sticker over the aluminum body, but I didn’t verify that. Either way, the overlay does have texture!
One aspect of the Acebeam PT20 portable EDC penlight that I don’t love is the carbon fiber finish! Yes, I love the look, but do not love it in hand. It’s very slick. Still, it’s possible to use the light one-handed – you can hold it in your hand and still click the button (it’s not that slick).
The head has just a button for contact. Threads are anodized and well-lubed.
The tail end has a spring, though.
Size and Comps
Length: 132.5mm/5.21″
Body dia.: 14mm/0.55″
Weight: 47g/1.65oz (incl. battery)
If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here. If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll also show that here too!
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!
In the photo above, you may note that the SRM (standard reference material) flashlight for comparison has changed! I used a TorchLAB BOSS 35 for ages. Now, what you can see as the 18350 SRM is the Hanko Machine Works Trident. While I have not reviewed or tested the Gunner Grip version seen here, I have tested a Hanko Machine Works Trident Total Tesseract in brass. I love the Trident, and it’s a striking contrast next to the inexpensive Convoy S2+, which also makes a great standard reference material.
Retention and Carry
A collar-style pocket clip is included and installed. It’s a two-way clip, too.
The pocket clip is totally removable.
If you remove the pocket clip, though, there will be a gap where it was.
Power and Runtime
The Acebeam PT20 portable EDC penlight is powered by a single 10880 cell, which is included. That’s a bit of a weird size, but since it’s included we can give it a pass. I am not sure if Acebeam has these cells available for purchase separately.
The cell goes into the light in the usual orientation – positive end (button) toward the head.
This is a 4.2V cell, too – so while it’s probably two 10440 cells end to end, they are not connected in series. Because of that, you should not just drop two 10440 cells in the light (individually), because that’s over 8V, and will almost certainly kill the light.
Below you can see runtime tests for all three modes.
The light will also run two AAA cells. 2×1.5V – primary or alkaline. I did not test output with this; Acebeam doesn’t make any claims regarding output or duration with this option.
Charging
The Acebeam PT20 portable EDC penlight itself does not have built-in charging, but the included 10880 battery does. There’s a USB-C charging port on the positive end.
Acebeam includes a USB to USB-C charging cable.
Here are a few charging cycles. Charging is acceptable, and finishes in just over an hour.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | 500 | 30m | 489 (0s) 439 (30s) |
2.11 |
| Medium | 300 | 1h15m | 273 (0s) 250 (30s) |
1.09 |
| Low | 5 | 28h | 4 | 0.01 |
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
The Acebeam PT20 portable EDC penlight uses a single switch. It’s a proud mechanical reverse clicky.
The switch cover is flat, which I like. But just barely allows tail standing. (Technically, it does.)
Here’s a user interface table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off (for more than 3s) | Click | Medium |
| On | Tap | Mode advance (Medium > Low > High > Medium) |
| On | Click | Off |
LED and Beam
Acebeam states that the PT20 uses a Luxeon HL4X emitter. It’s set up with a tiny TIR optic, too.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
The CCT is a bit below the claim of 6500K. I measured High at around 6400K, with medium and low coming in lower in CCT. CRI is low, at around 70.
CCT (Correlated Color Temperature) refers to the measurement of the color appearance of light, expressed in Kelvins (K), which indicates whether the light is warm (yellowish) or cool (bluish). A lower CCT (below 3000K) is considered warm light, while a higher CCT (above 5000K) gives cooler, bluish light.
CRI (Color Rendering Index) is a measure of how accurately a light source renders colors in comparison to natural sunlight. Scored on a scale from 0 to 100, higher CRI values indicate that colors appear more true to life and vibrant, similar to how they would look under the sun.
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
I love the carbon fiber look, but it does make the light a bit slick. Output is fairly good on the highest mode, and has a very long duration on the lowest mode. I very much appreciate that the Acebeam PT20 portable EDC penlight will run 2xAAA cells (primary or rechargeable), but includes a 10880 (which probably provides higher output). This is a reasonable purchase for around $40!
The Big Table
| Acebeam PT20 portable EDC penlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Luxeon HL4X |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $39.90 |
| Cell: | 1×10880 |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | |
| Switch Type: | Mechanical |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C (on cell) |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | – |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 500 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 439 (87.8% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 3.26 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 80 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 74lux @ 4.704m = 1637cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 80.9 (101.1% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | 6500 |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 6100-6400 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
- Carbon fiber look
- Very simple user interface
- Accessible mechanical clicky
- Reasonable cost
What I don’t like
- Carbon fiber is slippery!
- Low CRI
- Cool white CCT
- Sort of unusual mode order with user interface
Notes
- This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
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