Acebeam Keylite 500 Keychain Flashlight Review
The Acebeam Keylite 500 keychain flashlight has two emitters, USB-C charging, and – unusual for a keychain light- 5 modes! And it’s available in orange!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the Acebeam Keylite 500 keychain flashlight product page.
Versions
Just one emitter setup is available for the Acebeam Keylite 500 keychain flashlight, but the body is available in many colors: Red, teal, orange, black, and pink.
Price
The Acebeam Keylite 500 keychain flashlight lists for $16.90 and is available now! They’re listed at $16.99 on Amazon.com, but there’s a 15% coupon. Check out the Acebeam Keylite 500 keychain flashlight through my referral link!
What’s Included
- Acebeam Keylite 500 keychain flashlight
- Split ring
- Charging cable
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
There is limited access into the Acebeam Keylite 500 keychain flashlight. The battery, for example, is not easily removable.
Size and Comps
2.38″ x 0.63″ x 0.41″ and 19g.
If the flashlight can headstand, I’ll show it here. If it can tailstand, I’ll also show that here!
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 in the photo above, my Standard Reference Material (SRM) flashlight is the Hanko Machine Works Trident, an 18350 light. 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 to the inexpensive Convoy S2+, another great SRM.
Retention and Carry
A lanyard loop is available in the tail area near the charging port. A lanyard is not included.
There’s no pocket clip or magnet, either.
Power and Runtime
I can not see any indication of what size LiPO is built into the Acebeam Keylite 500 keychain flashlight. Anyway, it’s a built-in LiPO, and not user serviceable or replaceable. Below are runtime charts for the three highest modes.
The temperature lines in these charts are included as general context, not precise measurements. The values represent the range (min to max) during testing, but should not be taken as exact readings. Temperature sensors are attached however feasible and not always on the bezel or hottest spot (assuming that can even be clearly defined). Even with ideal placement, too many variables affect temperature to definitively state a specific max value.
Charging
The Acebeam Keylite 500 keychain flashlight offers USB-C charging. The charge port has a flip-open metal cover. The light is IP66 rated.
Charging is fine for this small light, peaking at around 0.15A. The battery capacity appears to be in the 150mAh range.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 500-260-50 | 20s+5m+35m | 499 (0s) 446 (30s) |
| High | 200-150-20 | 3m+15m+42m | 190 (0s) 188 (30s) |
| Medium | 60-20 | 25m+80m | 54 |
| Low | 10 | 4h | 10.4 |
| Moonlight | 1 | 12h | 1.01 |
Pulse Width Modulation
None of the modes use PWM.
Click here to 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 an e-switch on the Acebeam Keylite 500 keychain flashlight. It has an indication feature in the center. It’s a good switch.
It’s hard plastic, which seems better than a soft silicone switch cover.
Here’s a user interface table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Hold 3s | Lockout |
| Lockout | Double click | Unlock to mode memory |
| Off | Click | On – mode memory |
| Off | Hold | Moonlight |
| On | Hold | Mode advance (Moonlight > High > Medium > Low) |
| Any | Double click | Turbo |
| On | Click | Off |
| Any | Click 3x | Strobe |
LED and Beam
Acebeam doesn’t say what emitters are in the Keylite 500 keychain flashlight. They have different TIR optics, but the emitters appear to operate in unison. There are no modes that utilize one over the other emitter.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
The CCT is cool white to and the CRI is low. Putting better emitters in this light (High CRI, better R9, Duv closer to BBL), would be easy low-hanging fruit to improve the Acebeam Keylite 500 keychain flashlight.
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
The Acebeam Keylite 500 keychain flashlight is an interesting light. It feels very solid, and much like the charge port cover on some of the Olight Oclip lights, this one is nice and easy to use. Charging looks good, and I’m pleased that this keychain light offers 5 modes. I don’t love the mode order (see user interface table). I love all the body colors, including orange! And the price is right! For around $16, these are great to have!
The Big Table
| Acebeam Keylite 500 keychain flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Unstated white (2) |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $16.90 |
| Cell: | Internal |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | ? |
| Switch Type: | E-Switch |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | ? |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | All modes |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 500 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 446 (89.2% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 3.1 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 70 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 67lux @ 4.538m = 1380cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 74.3 (106.1% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 5900-6500 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
- Low cost
- Orange is available!
- Simple user interface
- USB-C charging
What I don’t like
- Low CRI and high CCT
- Battery isn’t replaceable
- Lanyard isn’t included
Notes
- This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
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