Acebeam EC20 Review – Good EDC with basic RGB

1. Pricing & Availability
2. What comes in the box?
3. Design & Construction
4. Size & Measurements
5. User Interface
6. Emitter & Beam
7. Mode Chart
8. Runtime
9. Driver & Regulation (pic)
10. Batteries & Charging
11. Switch
12. Carry & Ergonomics
13. Competition
14. Conclusion

Pricing & Availability

Acebeam sent me this light in exchange for an honest review. Here is the official product page where you can see current pricing. At the time of writing, it’s $66 USD for the SFT-25R version that I chose.

What comes in the box?

EC20 comes in a small retail box with a clear window showing the light. Inside is:

• The light itself
• Battery (inside the light)
• User manual
• USB A-to-C charging cable
• Wrist lanyard
• Spare O-rings

Design & Construction

I love this design. It’s a proper tube light with no significant protrusions or changes in diameter except the pocket clip. That makes it carry very well. The crenelations on the bezel let light escape when it’s face-down, but aren’t aggressive and won’t tear up your pocket.

Build quality is good. The machining is excellent and all the parts fit together well. Even the bare threads go together smoothly, which isn’t always the case. I wish the head threads were anodized so mechanical lockout could work. This blue finish is wearing faster than I’d expect though. There are signs of wear on the tailcap and beside the clip from the ~2 weeks that I carried this light.

Size & Measurements

Surefire G2X Pro & Switchback | Nitecore MT2C Pro | Acebeam EC20 | Skilhunt MiX-7 G2+ | Mini Maglite

Measurement	Measured (mm)
Head & Bezel Diameter	25.4
Length	109.6
Switch Diameter	10.1
Lens	Inaccessible
Optic	Inaccessible
MCPCB Size	Inaccessible
LED Footprint	3535
Body Tube Diameter	23.5
Pocket Clip ID	21.6
Pocket Clip Thickness	1.0
Tailcap Diameter	24.0
Tailcap Length	15.2
Driver Diameter	19
Included Battery Length	70.9
Weight with included battery (g)	116

User Interface

This UI is pretty good if you ignore the RGB. If you use the RGB, it can be a little annoying.

The actions are # of presses followed by a hold (H) or a release (C). So, “1C” is one click and release. “2H” is two clicks but you hold down the last one.

State	Action	Result
Off	1C	On (mode memory, except for group 2)
Off	1H (short)	Moonlight
Off	1H (longer)	Red
Off	1H (longest)	Lockout
Off	2H	Select mode group
On	1C	Off
On	1H	Adjust brightness
Any	3C	Blinkies (last used mode)
Blinkies	1H	Cycle mode (Strobe-SOS-Beacon)
Red / RGB	1H	Cycle mode (Red-Green-Blue-Rainbow)
Lockout	1C	Switch indicator blinks colors
Lockout	1H (long)	Unlock to Moonlight

Below is a new system I’m trying out for the UI section. Let me know what you think in the comments wherever I post this review!

Basic E-switch UI Checklist: 8/12

• 1C reliably turns white light on/off❌
  • If you last used white light, 1C from off will go to white light. If you last used a color mode, then 1C from off will go to that color mode. That’s inconsistent and confusing. It would be much better for RGB to have a dedicated shortcut from off (2H, for example).
• 1H to change brightness✅
• Stepped levels✅
• Main rotation is Low-Med-High❌
  • It’s Low-Med1-Med2-High. That’s one too many levels so it’s a little cumbersome. Users who want more granularity should use the smooth ramping option.
• Moonlight shortcut: 1H from off✅
• Low shortcut: 1H from Moonlight✅
• Turbo shortcut: 2C from anywhere✅
• Blinky shortcut: 3C from anywhere✅
• Mode memory for Low, Medium, and High✅
• No mode memory for other modes❌
  • RGB is memorized. So it may come on when you turn the light on. 1 click from off should always turn on white light unless it’s locked out.
• 4C to lock/unlock❌
  • Lockout is a long 1H action. That’s too easy to accidentally unlock in a bag and it takes ages. Mechanical lockout isn’t an option here because all the threads are bare.
• Does something when you click the switch in Lockout mode✅

Notes:

• Strobe is fixed frequency. Great for light painters. It’s also audible. You can hear a relay or something in the light clicking on and off.
• There are three mode groups. The first is stepped modes that cycle up. The second is stepped modes that cycle down and it disables white light mode memory, always starting on High unless you use the RGB. The third is smooth ramping up and down.
• RGB is accessed via a longer 1H. I dislike that solution. I would prefer a 2H action, so I can access RGB directly without having to go through moonlight. Mode group selection should be moved to a different action, like 3H from off.
• RGB can’t do much. It’s only red, green, blue, and rainbow. I’m glad they didn’t go over-board, but a few more colors (amber, teal, and purple) or a color-wheel (select the exact color you want) would have been nice. The RGB LEDs can’t stay on when the light is “off” like lights with Anduril firmware.

Emitter & Beam

EC20 is available with several emitter options. I chose SFT25R 6500K (actual OTF is more like 5500K) for the most throw, but I recommend trying one of the other emitter options. The SFT25Rs produce some beam artifacts and rings when paired with this optic. I believe 519As would product a much cleaner beam with a wide, crisp hotspot with this optic.

Speaking of the optic, it looks just like a Carclo 10507 to me, but Acebeam told me it’s not. The center circles are convex and recessed just like a 10507. I’m not sure if optic swaps will be possible. I was unable to unscrew the bezel, so modders might need special tools or heat to take it apart.

The hotspot is reasonably clean and relatively narrow for a triple TIR. There are noticeable rings and artifacts around it though.

In the beamshots below, camera settings are fixed and the wall is 2.8M away.

In the beamshots below, camera settings are fixed, the basketball goal to the right of the hotspot is 39M away, and the power pole in the center is 185M away.

RGB LEDs are included under the optic. They’re quite dim and cast a very strange “beam”, so no good for illuminating other objects. They’re only useful for making the light more visible or looking cool. They can’t be on while the light is “off”, and there are only 4 colors: red, green, blue, and rainbow.

Color	Drain	Estimated runtime on the included battery (hours)
Red	81mA	40
Green	37mA	89
Blue	34mA	100
Rainbow	~40-105mA	40-50

Mode Chart

Disclaimer: All of my measurements are taken at turn-on. Lumen measurements were taken on a Texas Ace 3.5″ Lumen Tube. A candela measurement was taken at 10 meters with an Opple Light Master III on the highest brightness, and other candela figures were calculated relative to that. CRI, CCT, & DUV data were taken for each mode from a few feet away at the center of the hotspot with the Opple Light Master and Waveform DUV Calculator. Runtime tests were performed with the Ceilingbounce app on my smartphone. These tests were performed with a fully charged included battery unless otherwise specified. I cannot measure moonlight directly, so moonlight readings are calculated based on the brightness relative to the next-lowest mode. None of this is professional equipment, so take these measurements with a grain of salt.

The official specs are above, followed by my own measurements below.

Level	Lumens	Candela	Throw (Meters)	CRI (Ra)	Color Temp. (K)	DUV (Tint)
Turbo	2200	22000	300	63	5720	0.0094
High	1000	10000	200	62	5610	0.0112
Med 2	420	4200	130	61	5550	0.0134
Med 1	140	1400	75	60	5430	0.0138
Low	24	240	31	59	5380	0.0147
Moonlight	1.3	13	07	59	5380	0.0150

Runtime

Performance is good, and in line with the competition. 1 minute of Turbo time. ~500lm sustained output for ~2.5hrs. Med 2 runs at ~400lm for an impressive 3.5hrs+.

Thermal regulation: My Turbo and Turbo Cooled tests are virtually identical, so there’s no active thermal regulation here, just timed stepdowns. That means performance will be consistent, but not optimized for ambient temperature.

LVP (Low Voltage Protection) is present and works well. When the battery is effectively empty, the light will shut itself off. It doesn’t rely on the battery’s protection circuit and the light can be re-activated in an emergency.

Driver & Regulation (pic)

The driver is a Buck circuit according to Acebeam. It’s not removable because they filled the screw heads with clear epoxy at the factory. Not cool.

Regulation performance is acceptable, but sub-par. It maintains most of the Turbo brightness down to ~25% charge, and all the other modes are flat down to 25% charge, which is what I like and expect. What’s sub-par is Med 1 is the brightest mode available below 25% charge.

PWM: No PWM is visible to my eyes or camera, nor audible to my ears.

Parasitic Drain: 34 microamps. That will take 11 years to drain the included battery.

Batteries & Charging

The battery included is a 3300mah, protected, flat top, 18650 cell that does a fine job powering this light. Unprotected flat top cells are too short to work.

Charging is facilitated by a USB-C port on the battery, so you have to remove the battery for charging. Charging takes ~2hrs and works with A-to-C or C-to-C cables. It doesn’t function as a powerbank, which is fine. A red light comes on while the battery is charging, and it turns green when charging is complete.

Switch

The switch is a metal e-switch located on the side of the head. It’s reasonably clicky for an e-switch, but not nearly as tactile or audible as a mechanical switch. It works fine, but I have noticed a few miss-clicks here and there that I don’t experience with other lights.

The battery indicator is located in the middle of the switch, and it will glow any time the light is turned on. Green means >30%. Red means 10-30%. Blinking red means <10%.

Carry & Ergonomics

Ergonomics are great. It’s comfortable to hold in a forward or neck grip. The pocket clip provides a great indexing point. A reverse grip is possible too, by using your pinky to actuate the switch.

A magnet is installed in the tailcap, and it’s strong enough to hold the light up on a vertical surface. I assumed it is removable, but I tried and it appears glued in. That’s a shame because the tail spring should do a find job holding it in place without glue.

A wrist lanyard is also included. There’s no dedicated hole for it on the light, which is odd.

Competition

Here are some lights in the same class and how they compare.

Skilhunt MiX-7 Gen 2: more features, more bulk

• more expensive
• similar brightness and throw (depending on emitter choices)
• length, wider head
• much more functional RGB LEDs, and also has UV
• proprietary magnetic charging system
• snap-on bidirectional clip
• UI is a similar quality level, but with different quirks
• magnetic tailcap

Emisar D4V2: enthusiast alternative

• less expensive
• wide variety of LED options
• feature-packed Anduril UI
• multiple driver options
• worse clip
• slightly wider head, shorter length
• magnetic tailcap
• 4 main LEDs instead of 3
• way more functional RGB LEDs
• battery and charging solution not included

Olight Baton 3 Pro: RGB-free alternative

• more expensive
• similar size, a bit narrower
• two color temps available, no high CRI
• lots of body color options
• single LED
• no RGB
• less brightness and throw
• snap on bidirectional clip, only attaches to head
• magnetic tailcap
• proprietary magnetic charging
• proprietary battery

This section is not comprehensive. If I didn’t include a particular light here, it doesn’t mean it’s bad or doesn’t deserve to be here. I simply cannot list every possible competitor.

Conclusion

I love the simple cylinder design with the excellent captured clip and magnetic tailcap. I like the 18650 battery size and relatively easy USB-C charging. The RGB implementation needs work because it clutters the UI and can’t do much. If you really want the RGB, look elsewhere. If you just want a good, slim EDC light and you ignore the RGB, this is a pretty good option.

Thanks to Acebeam for sending me this light for review!