kj75
Enlightened
Being a flashlight-enthusiast, I always look forward to meet something new. So, I was very happy that the Acebeam W10 arrived in the mail! This is a concept that I never tried out before: The W10 is a white laser-light with a very narrow beam that could reach a distance up to 1000 meters! This is all packed in a compact housing; big difference to other thrower-flashlights is the heads' size: It has just the diameter of an average pocket-sized torch! Other good points of the W10 are the enclosed filters in red and green, by which the light can be turned into a good hunting light in just a few seconds. The 21700-battery gives long runtime to the W10, the flashlight has an integrated USB-C port for fast charging. Let's have a look at this interesting new concept by a description of the light, the interface, a comparison against others and a lot of beamshots. Here we go!
this is a concept that I never met before
the Acebeam W10
with LEP-emitter and convex-lens
a pocket sized-light that can reach a big distance
Firstly, a look at the specifications that Acebeam gives:
*A White laser emitter with a life of 10,000 hours
*Max 250 lumens ultra bright output
*Powered by 1x21700 5100mAh rechargeable battery,1x18650 battery, or 2xCR123 batteries
*21700 battery: 250 lumens; 3.3 hours
*CR123 battery: 250 lumens; 1 hour
*Ultra-long beam distance: 1000 meters
*Peak beam intensity: 250000cd / 0.25lux
*Divergence angle: full angle 3.1°(10%)
*Wavelength: 400nm
*CRI Index: 4000K FDA/6500K class 3B/High CRI 90+
*Color temperature: 6500K/4000K
*Weight: 128g(4.5oz) without battery
*Size: 149.5mm (Length) x 31.5mm (Head dia.) x 25.4mm (Tube dia.)
*Waterproof: IPX68
*USB-C charging port provides a 3 times faster charging speed
*Convex lens
*Aircraft grade aluminum body structure
*Premium Type III Hard Anodized Anti-abrasive finish
*Tactical knurling for firm grip
*Removable stainless steel strike bezel
*One tactical tail switch for convenient operation
*Intelligent highly efficient circuit board design for high performance and long run-time
*Coloured filters are available in Green and Red which adds to the versatility of the W10
*Widely used for for public security,prisons,airports,hunters and a variety of field lighting and signal use.
And the chart with the runtime and output specs:
Unboxing:
The Acebeam W10 is shipped in a nice an complete box, that is "ready-to-go". Special thanks to the team of nitetorch.com, who gave me the opportunity to try this white laser out. The package looks well in my eyes, with some nice pictures on it and the main specifications. You can't miss the most important thing of the light on the box: The 1000 meters of throw. The box has a magnetic flap that makes it very easy to restore the W10. This kind of boxes are favorite to me. As we're used of Acebeam, we find back a lot of parts and accessories inside: The W10 including 21700-cell, warranty cards and manual, spare parts, but also a charging cable and a spacer for two CR123A-batteries. Good to see that two quality color-filters are included also, this is a plus, and makes it a very interesting options for hunters etc. So, a nice and complete box here, the only thing I missed is a holster. Scroll down for some pictures that shows the W10-box and what comes out of it!
attractive box with magnetic flap
specs chart and specifications on the back
this is the 6500K-version, there should be also a 4000K-version
all-in: only a hand-strap is missing
Impressions:
First impression: So compact to its performance! The W10 has the dimensions of a medium sized single 18650-flashlight. Big difference to "normal" throwers is the diameter of the head: Thanks to the used technique of convex lens and LEP-emitter the W10 can be carried easily in your coat as in your pants' pocket. The light feels little heavy, but the build-quality is excellent. Main color of the W10 is matte black, only the (removable) bezel is in grey. I like the styling of the light; most of the parts have fine texture to ensure good grip. Look at the "twisted" knurling at head and tail which gives nice appearance to the light. The job on anodizing is done the way it should be done, no shortcomings here. The light can't tailstand, but that isn't needed because it's not suited to use as a candle. Comes with strong clip that is long enough to fix the light on your belt or backpack. The W10 has a large rubber switch / button on the tail with clear pressure point. The machining is done very well on this torch, no sharp parts anywhere. A special detail on the W10 is the USB-C charging port. I didn't read the manual first and couldn't find it at all.. It is hidden under a ring between the head and body. If you lose / turn the ring counterclockwise the port for the jack will appear. An o-ring at the threads protects the port against water and dust. Nice find of Acebeam! Attention here: The threads need some grease, otherwise, after some charging cycles, the water-resistance can't be guaranteed anymore if you damage the threads. On the light head we find back the bezel, that can be fixed at two ways; let's name it "normal-mode" and "defending-mode". I will show it by pictures, please scroll down. It's possible to use the enclosed green and red filter in combination with the bezel. I like it that the filter have to be screwed on the head, this will protect against accidental loss. Having a look into the head we see a glass convex lens (luckily no plastic here) and the "special" LEP-emitter. Although the bulging of the lens can show things other than they seem, it looks that the emitter is well-centered. Important for a light like this, that has a very narrow beam. A quick wall check shows that the beam is ok. The threads run smoothly when we open the light; inside we see double springs and a 21700-cell. Using the adaptor (that we find in the package), it is possible to use a single 18650 too. Also inside, the finishing is done well. So my conclusion here about the W10 is that this product is built and finished very good; it is a robust product that can last for many years in my eyes. Below a couple of pictures that show more details and impressions of the Acebeam W10!
As often, a flashlight that comes in matte black color
only head standing here, but using as candle is not needed on the W10
nice styling, unique appearance
thanks to the compact format the W10 can be carried often
the LEP-emitter is the special feature
special bezel on the head, can be used at two ways
this is the "self-defense" option
bezel and color-filter can be used at same time
the green filter shown here
really a lot of battery-options: 18650 with spacer, CR123A and 21700-cell
very good machining and finishing
the hidden USB-C port
close up to the bezel with option to add a lanyard
big rubber tail switch, easy to find
the emitter is well-centered, important thing on a thrower
anodizing-job is done well
a close-up at the threads
gold-plated springs in the cap
and inside, the W10 is protected against shocks
the convex-lens will give even more throw and narrow beam to the W10
far-throwing green with included filter!
same for red option
User interface:
The W10 is a rather compact light, some larger that an average single 18650-flashlight but easy to carry in a coat or pants if you want. Due to the internal charging option and the convex lens, it is some more heavy as an average light with same dimensions. As I said you earlier, you don't have the issue here that most throwers have: The big head that makes it less possible to wear carry the light everyday at comfortable way. The W10 has good structure and fits good in the hand, also carrying and controlling with gloves won't be a problem. The big rubber button is easily to find.
During the first look, when the light just arrived, I missed the charging port because it's hided at an excellent way… I had to consult the manual. The USB-C port is hidden just under the head and closed by a ring. See also the pictures above (in the impressions-section) about this. If you've find the port, just plug in a jack and connect it to a high-power charger. Normally, the 21700-battery will be full charged in a few hours. A small indicator informs about the progress. This works smooth, no further explanations needed.
The light has internal charging. The light can also run on a single 18650 (you need the included spacer because it is smaller) or two CR123A's. The spare is made of metal, this is well-done by Acebeam, mostly these parts are from plastic. As expected, the 21700 has by far the best runtime, up to about 3 hours. The runtime on a single 18650 can't be found in the chart that Acebeam gives, but looking at the capacity of both cells, the runtime of the 18650 should be about 40% less.
The interface of the W10 is as simple as expected; the light has only one mode. Half press the button for momentary, full click for constant on. This is all.. and it works like it should be . A light like this one is a very good option for searching, but also signaling. Using the filters you'll have an interesting option for hunting if you want. I have tried out different lights that have red and green option, but the W10 will beat them all (looking at the beam distance). Both red and especially green give the opportunity to light up objects at a distance of hundreds of meters away. Same for the white option that will perform even better. Nice fact is that the W10 has a very narrow beam, which makes it the best compact pocket-thrower I ever met before: Most competitors have much larger heads. On the other hand, the comparison is not entirely fair, because the competitors do not use the same technology.
Modes:
The W10 doesn't have a bunch of output modes; it has "only" one: A 250-lumens mode, no matter what battery is used. You can choose between constant on and momentary-on. There's no special mode (suited for self-defense) built-in, this could be good option, looking at the applications that the W10 is designed for. I don't know if this is possible with this special emitter. I couldn't detect anything on the W10 about LOW-VOLTAGE warning. To LOCK-OUT the W10 you have to release the cap a bit, this is the only, but well working way. So, I can't tell you that much about the modes, because this is a no-nonsense light with only one lightning-option.
Tint:
The tint of the W10 should be 6500K according to the specs, but in real life the light has a rather yellowish tint with some green in the spill. We saw this earlier at the first generations of dedomed leds. To me no big issue, I like the some warmer tint. On the picture below the tint of the W10 shown next to the T27-brother that has a real cool-white beam.
Beamprofile:
The W10 has an unique profile, thanks to the convex-lens and white-laser emitter. As expected, a big and intense hotspot, but also a (small) corona and spil. So don't think the W10 is a kind of white laser-pointer that has only a small and intense hotspot. But, like you can see above on the comparison picture with T27, the whole beam is so extremely small. This results in a real "light-saber". It's really impressive how this small light performs. Great that Acebeam includes red and green filter; during the tests I could light up target at 200-300 meters away using the color filter; that is really a great performance! No defects in the beam, even PWM. More about the beam in the beamshots-chapter!
Beamshots:
Let's do some tests with the W10 now! Starting indoors with pointing the light at a white wall. Distance is about 1 meter. White, red and green option shown here. See that red is less intense / bright than the green option.
Camera settings: ISO100, WB daylight, F/2.7, 1/125 sec, 35mm
Let's have a look now how the W10 performs where it will be used mostly: In the open field. Starting on road with a tree-line at the left and a wall at right side. Distance to the curve is 375 meters. As you can see, the white and also the green option can reach the curve, the red option won't.
Camera settings: ISO100, WB daylight, F/2.7, 4 sec, 35mm
Second location: A windmill at about 500 meters distance. See the narrow beam, it's really a saber that comes out of the W10. You can see that nothing at short distance will be lit up.
The picture below shows the Nitecore P30 at maximum output. It shows that this light, that has clearly more lumens, also will reach the windmill, but the W10 has a more concentrated and brighter spot.
the Nitecore P30 at maximum output
here's a GIF of both:
see the great distance that the W10 will reach with green filter attached
A closer look now at the color options. For reference, I picked a compact light with bright color options, the Fenix TK32-2016. See that the Fenix has a wide beam at short to medium distance and that the Acebeam W10 has much better throw compared to the Fenix TK32-2016. For hunting, the W10 is the better option here, red and green will not blind your eyes.
I tried out this compact thrower on different locations, and have to say that this torch really brings fun! This is the first flashlight that I can hide in my pants pocket and that easily will light up objects at 500 meters or more away. Have a look at a couple of photos that I captured.
at a river, focused on the opposite side
the lightsaber
pointing at a windmill
showing the narrow beam and spot
Conclusion:
The Acebeam is an unique torch, I had never seen and tried out a light like this before. It has only one, but a great feature: Excellent throw to its size. Above that, it comes with well-fitting color filters, that makes it suited for lots of applications. As I showed you in the beamshots-chapter, the W10 has the best throw on color-options I've ever seen before. You don't have to worry about the build-quality and finishing: This is done excellent. The hidden USB-C port is well-protected against dirt and water. The light has only one mode, maybe strobe would be a good option. The W10 is an interesting option for hunters because of the concentrated spot. It's not suited if you look for a searchlight that will light up a big area a big distance. The W10's tint could be more egal, now it's a mix of yellow and white. Great advantage of the W10 is, because of the absence of spill, that the light will not blind yourself if you use in the open field. I can recommend this light for hunting, law enforcement and for… flashaholics!
Special thanks to nitetorch.com, who gave me the opportunity to test the Acebeam W10!
this is a concept that I never met before
the Acebeam W10
with LEP-emitter and convex-lens
a pocket sized-light that can reach a big distance
Firstly, a look at the specifications that Acebeam gives:
*A White laser emitter with a life of 10,000 hours
*Max 250 lumens ultra bright output
*Powered by 1x21700 5100mAh rechargeable battery,1x18650 battery, or 2xCR123 batteries
*21700 battery: 250 lumens; 3.3 hours
*CR123 battery: 250 lumens; 1 hour
*Ultra-long beam distance: 1000 meters
*Peak beam intensity: 250000cd / 0.25lux
*Divergence angle: full angle 3.1°(10%)
*Wavelength: 400nm
*CRI Index: 4000K FDA/6500K class 3B/High CRI 90+
*Color temperature: 6500K/4000K
*Weight: 128g(4.5oz) without battery
*Size: 149.5mm (Length) x 31.5mm (Head dia.) x 25.4mm (Tube dia.)
*Waterproof: IPX68
*USB-C charging port provides a 3 times faster charging speed
*Convex lens
*Aircraft grade aluminum body structure
*Premium Type III Hard Anodized Anti-abrasive finish
*Tactical knurling for firm grip
*Removable stainless steel strike bezel
*One tactical tail switch for convenient operation
*Intelligent highly efficient circuit board design for high performance and long run-time
*Coloured filters are available in Green and Red which adds to the versatility of the W10
*Widely used for for public security,prisons,airports,hunters and a variety of field lighting and signal use.
And the chart with the runtime and output specs:
Unboxing:
The Acebeam W10 is shipped in a nice an complete box, that is "ready-to-go". Special thanks to the team of nitetorch.com, who gave me the opportunity to try this white laser out. The package looks well in my eyes, with some nice pictures on it and the main specifications. You can't miss the most important thing of the light on the box: The 1000 meters of throw. The box has a magnetic flap that makes it very easy to restore the W10. This kind of boxes are favorite to me. As we're used of Acebeam, we find back a lot of parts and accessories inside: The W10 including 21700-cell, warranty cards and manual, spare parts, but also a charging cable and a spacer for two CR123A-batteries. Good to see that two quality color-filters are included also, this is a plus, and makes it a very interesting options for hunters etc. So, a nice and complete box here, the only thing I missed is a holster. Scroll down for some pictures that shows the W10-box and what comes out of it!
attractive box with magnetic flap
specs chart and specifications on the back
this is the 6500K-version, there should be also a 4000K-version
all-in: only a hand-strap is missing
Impressions:
First impression: So compact to its performance! The W10 has the dimensions of a medium sized single 18650-flashlight. Big difference to "normal" throwers is the diameter of the head: Thanks to the used technique of convex lens and LEP-emitter the W10 can be carried easily in your coat as in your pants' pocket. The light feels little heavy, but the build-quality is excellent. Main color of the W10 is matte black, only the (removable) bezel is in grey. I like the styling of the light; most of the parts have fine texture to ensure good grip. Look at the "twisted" knurling at head and tail which gives nice appearance to the light. The job on anodizing is done the way it should be done, no shortcomings here. The light can't tailstand, but that isn't needed because it's not suited to use as a candle. Comes with strong clip that is long enough to fix the light on your belt or backpack. The W10 has a large rubber switch / button on the tail with clear pressure point. The machining is done very well on this torch, no sharp parts anywhere. A special detail on the W10 is the USB-C charging port. I didn't read the manual first and couldn't find it at all.. It is hidden under a ring between the head and body. If you lose / turn the ring counterclockwise the port for the jack will appear. An o-ring at the threads protects the port against water and dust. Nice find of Acebeam! Attention here: The threads need some grease, otherwise, after some charging cycles, the water-resistance can't be guaranteed anymore if you damage the threads. On the light head we find back the bezel, that can be fixed at two ways; let's name it "normal-mode" and "defending-mode". I will show it by pictures, please scroll down. It's possible to use the enclosed green and red filter in combination with the bezel. I like it that the filter have to be screwed on the head, this will protect against accidental loss. Having a look into the head we see a glass convex lens (luckily no plastic here) and the "special" LEP-emitter. Although the bulging of the lens can show things other than they seem, it looks that the emitter is well-centered. Important for a light like this, that has a very narrow beam. A quick wall check shows that the beam is ok. The threads run smoothly when we open the light; inside we see double springs and a 21700-cell. Using the adaptor (that we find in the package), it is possible to use a single 18650 too. Also inside, the finishing is done well. So my conclusion here about the W10 is that this product is built and finished very good; it is a robust product that can last for many years in my eyes. Below a couple of pictures that show more details and impressions of the Acebeam W10!
As often, a flashlight that comes in matte black color
only head standing here, but using as candle is not needed on the W10
nice styling, unique appearance
thanks to the compact format the W10 can be carried often
the LEP-emitter is the special feature
special bezel on the head, can be used at two ways
this is the "self-defense" option
bezel and color-filter can be used at same time
the green filter shown here
really a lot of battery-options: 18650 with spacer, CR123A and 21700-cell
very good machining and finishing
the hidden USB-C port
close up to the bezel with option to add a lanyard
big rubber tail switch, easy to find
the emitter is well-centered, important thing on a thrower
anodizing-job is done well
a close-up at the threads
gold-plated springs in the cap
and inside, the W10 is protected against shocks
the convex-lens will give even more throw and narrow beam to the W10
far-throwing green with included filter!
same for red option
User interface:
The W10 is a rather compact light, some larger that an average single 18650-flashlight but easy to carry in a coat or pants if you want. Due to the internal charging option and the convex lens, it is some more heavy as an average light with same dimensions. As I said you earlier, you don't have the issue here that most throwers have: The big head that makes it less possible to wear carry the light everyday at comfortable way. The W10 has good structure and fits good in the hand, also carrying and controlling with gloves won't be a problem. The big rubber button is easily to find.
During the first look, when the light just arrived, I missed the charging port because it's hided at an excellent way… I had to consult the manual. The USB-C port is hidden just under the head and closed by a ring. See also the pictures above (in the impressions-section) about this. If you've find the port, just plug in a jack and connect it to a high-power charger. Normally, the 21700-battery will be full charged in a few hours. A small indicator informs about the progress. This works smooth, no further explanations needed.
The light has internal charging. The light can also run on a single 18650 (you need the included spacer because it is smaller) or two CR123A's. The spare is made of metal, this is well-done by Acebeam, mostly these parts are from plastic. As expected, the 21700 has by far the best runtime, up to about 3 hours. The runtime on a single 18650 can't be found in the chart that Acebeam gives, but looking at the capacity of both cells, the runtime of the 18650 should be about 40% less.
The interface of the W10 is as simple as expected; the light has only one mode. Half press the button for momentary, full click for constant on. This is all.. and it works like it should be . A light like this one is a very good option for searching, but also signaling. Using the filters you'll have an interesting option for hunting if you want. I have tried out different lights that have red and green option, but the W10 will beat them all (looking at the beam distance). Both red and especially green give the opportunity to light up objects at a distance of hundreds of meters away. Same for the white option that will perform even better. Nice fact is that the W10 has a very narrow beam, which makes it the best compact pocket-thrower I ever met before: Most competitors have much larger heads. On the other hand, the comparison is not entirely fair, because the competitors do not use the same technology.
Modes:
The W10 doesn't have a bunch of output modes; it has "only" one: A 250-lumens mode, no matter what battery is used. You can choose between constant on and momentary-on. There's no special mode (suited for self-defense) built-in, this could be good option, looking at the applications that the W10 is designed for. I don't know if this is possible with this special emitter. I couldn't detect anything on the W10 about LOW-VOLTAGE warning. To LOCK-OUT the W10 you have to release the cap a bit, this is the only, but well working way. So, I can't tell you that much about the modes, because this is a no-nonsense light with only one lightning-option.
Tint:
The tint of the W10 should be 6500K according to the specs, but in real life the light has a rather yellowish tint with some green in the spill. We saw this earlier at the first generations of dedomed leds. To me no big issue, I like the some warmer tint. On the picture below the tint of the W10 shown next to the T27-brother that has a real cool-white beam.
Beamprofile:
The W10 has an unique profile, thanks to the convex-lens and white-laser emitter. As expected, a big and intense hotspot, but also a (small) corona and spil. So don't think the W10 is a kind of white laser-pointer that has only a small and intense hotspot. But, like you can see above on the comparison picture with T27, the whole beam is so extremely small. This results in a real "light-saber". It's really impressive how this small light performs. Great that Acebeam includes red and green filter; during the tests I could light up target at 200-300 meters away using the color filter; that is really a great performance! No defects in the beam, even PWM. More about the beam in the beamshots-chapter!
Beamshots:
Let's do some tests with the W10 now! Starting indoors with pointing the light at a white wall. Distance is about 1 meter. White, red and green option shown here. See that red is less intense / bright than the green option.
Camera settings: ISO100, WB daylight, F/2.7, 1/125 sec, 35mm
Let's have a look now how the W10 performs where it will be used mostly: In the open field. Starting on road with a tree-line at the left and a wall at right side. Distance to the curve is 375 meters. As you can see, the white and also the green option can reach the curve, the red option won't.
Camera settings: ISO100, WB daylight, F/2.7, 4 sec, 35mm
Second location: A windmill at about 500 meters distance. See the narrow beam, it's really a saber that comes out of the W10. You can see that nothing at short distance will be lit up.
The picture below shows the Nitecore P30 at maximum output. It shows that this light, that has clearly more lumens, also will reach the windmill, but the W10 has a more concentrated and brighter spot.
the Nitecore P30 at maximum output
here's a GIF of both:
see the great distance that the W10 will reach with green filter attached
A closer look now at the color options. For reference, I picked a compact light with bright color options, the Fenix TK32-2016. See that the Fenix has a wide beam at short to medium distance and that the Acebeam W10 has much better throw compared to the Fenix TK32-2016. For hunting, the W10 is the better option here, red and green will not blind your eyes.
I tried out this compact thrower on different locations, and have to say that this torch really brings fun! This is the first flashlight that I can hide in my pants pocket and that easily will light up objects at 500 meters or more away. Have a look at a couple of photos that I captured.
at a river, focused on the opposite side
the lightsaber
pointing at a windmill
showing the narrow beam and spot
Conclusion:
The Acebeam is an unique torch, I had never seen and tried out a light like this before. It has only one, but a great feature: Excellent throw to its size. Above that, it comes with well-fitting color filters, that makes it suited for lots of applications. As I showed you in the beamshots-chapter, the W10 has the best throw on color-options I've ever seen before. You don't have to worry about the build-quality and finishing: This is done excellent. The hidden USB-C port is well-protected against dirt and water. The light has only one mode, maybe strobe would be a good option. The W10 is an interesting option for hunters because of the concentrated spot. It's not suited if you look for a searchlight that will light up a big area a big distance. The W10's tint could be more egal, now it's a mix of yellow and white. Great advantage of the W10 is, because of the absence of spill, that the light will not blind yourself if you use in the open field. I can recommend this light for hunting, law enforcement and for… flashaholics!
Special thanks to nitetorch.com, who gave me the opportunity to test the Acebeam W10!
Last edited:
) as regular LED flashlight with similar beam intensity.
