Preface
The Acebeam Pokelit AA Gray is the non-high CRI version of the original Acebeam Pokelit at a higher lumen output and in a special Gray color.
Let’s check out the merits and demerits of this AceBeam Pokelit AA Gray model.
Packaging & First Impressions
This is what the light will come with as shown below.
- The thread and o-ring were lightly lubricated. Threads were fairly smooth and clean (no gritty feeling).
- The mechanical tail switch requires a slightly firm press to activate and helps in preventing any unwanted activation of the light.
- The removable dual-direction clip comes pre-installed from factory. It enables fairly deep pocket carry for bezel down carries & allows for attachment of the light to a cap for hands-free usage.
- Aluminum anodizing of the light is uniform without any missing specs.
- The lanyard is able to support the full weight of the light and should hold up to the test of time.
- The provided non-proprietary Acebeam 14500 battery (ARC14500/AA) will work in other brands’ flashlights or external chargers.
- Battery compartment can take other Button Top 14500 OR AA batteries that have a slightly longer and/or thicker battery width.
Note:
- Before using the flashlight for the first time:
- Remove Dustproof Film from the lens.
- Remove Insulation Film from the battery tube.
Front:
Back:
Sides:
Box Contents:
Removing Dustproof Film:
Removing Insulating Film:
Quick Overview (Manufacturer Specifications)
- Body Material: Aluminum
- Body Color:
- Grey (as shown in this review)
- High CRI Nichia 519A Version
- Aluminum (Black, Orange and OD Green)
- Copper
- Titanium
- LED Specification: 6500K
- Battery Format: 1 x AA / 1 x 14500 (3.7V rechargeable/1.2V NiMH rechargeable/1.5V lithium primary batteries/1.5V alkaline [not recommended]) ONLY
- Output & Runtime (with included AceBeam 14500 3.7V/920mAh battery):
- Low (5 lumens / 2days 10h)
- Mid (330 lumens / 1h 50min)
- High (1000 lumens / 35secs) → (600 lumens / 49min)
- Max Beam Distance: 105m
- Beam intensity: 2,756cd
- Waterproofness: IP68 Standard (2m)
- Impact Resistance: 1.5m
- Dimension: 94.8mm (length) x 18.2mm/17.8mm (diameter)
- Weight: 54.6g (including batteries)
- Battery reverse polarity protection
- Accessories Included:
- 1*AceBeam 14500 3.7V/920mAh battery (ARC14500/AA)
- 1*USB C Charging Cable
- 1*Clip
- 1*Lanyard
- 2*Spare O-Rings
- MSRP: ~$35
- Optional: Pokelit AA Diffuser Caps (sold as pair) @ ~$0.90
- ASD-01 (White)
- ASD-01 (Orange)
UI (User Interface)
UI for this light is good for Every Day Carry (EDC) as it is extremely straightforward to use.
Switching ON and OFF is done by the tail mechanical switch on the light, so momentary activation is possible.
Normal Operation
From OFF:
- 1/2 Press – Light will switch ON to MOMENTARY last used mode (last mode memory).
- 1 Click – Light will switch ON to last used mode (last mode memory).
- Repeated 1/2 Press – Mode change (light cycles through LOW, MID & HIGH → LOW, MID & HIGH).
From ON:
- 1 Click – Light will switch OFF.
- Repeated 2 Click (fast) – Mode change (light cycles through LOW, MID & HIGH → LOW, MID & HIGH).
Note: There is no blinky mode for this light (SOS / STROBE).
Form Factor
For flashlights that are intended to use on a daily basis (EDC) and for possibly a long period of time, form factor is extremely important.
This light is well balanced (not head/tail-heavy) and will disappear in a clenched medium sized hand.
The grooves and clip helps make the light slightly “grippy”, even with wet hands/gloves.
Unfortunately, due to the protruding tail switch, the light is unable to tail-stand.
Optional: Pokelit AA Diffuser Caps
Charging Process
With the provided USB C Charging Cable, the battery was charging at ~0.52A.
As the battery is required to be removed from the flashlight for recharging, the flashlight will not be operable during the charging process.
Solid RED indicator on the POSITIVE part of the battery depicts charging in progress.
Solid GREEN indicator on the POSITIVE part of the battery depicts charging has completed.
Beam Style/Beamshots
For this light, the spill, corona and hotspot is somewhat predictable due to the shallow smooth reflector used. The LED is perfectly centred in our sample. Hence, the beam has some “throw” and soft flood for recognizing items in the up-close to near range distance.
The above beam profile is a rough interpretation of what is seen when white wall hunting.
The beam has a somewhat circular hotspot with some slight corona and circular-type spill. There are some beam artifacts in the beam when whitewall hunting but not as visible in real world usage.
With the optional ASD-01 Diffuser Caps (compatible with the Acebeam Pokelit 2AA and Acebeam Rider RX too), a nice diffused “floody” beam profile can be seen respectively.
All of the beamshots taken below are done so with the following camera settings (For 14500 Battery – LOW: 0.8sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, MID: 1/8sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB and HIGH: 1/13sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB) & (For AA Battery – LOW: 2.5sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, MID: 1/3sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB and HIGH: 1/5sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB).
Some pictures have been adjusted slightly to depict as close as to what is seen in real life. The distance of the light from the door is 4.6m.
With 14500 Battery
Control shot:
LOW (5 lumens):
MID (330 lumens):
HIGH (1000 lumens):
ASD-01 (White):
ASD-01 (Orange):
With AA Battery
Control shot:
LOW:
MID:
HIGH:
ASD-01 (White):
ASD-01 (Orange):
Mode (Output) Spacing
Mode spacing appears to be progressively brighter to the eye and the modes are well spaced enough to be able to know which mode one is currently in. With that in mind, TLR tend to view mode spacing as battery life indicators (amount of runtime left) rather than the specific output (lumens).
There is no moonlight mode, the LOW mode is at 5 lumens (when using 14500 battery) which is too bright for bedtime night snack runs or with night-adjusted eyes.
It would have been nice if AceBeam where able to optimize the LED driver to enable both AA and 14500 battery options to have an ULTRA-LOW/ MOONLIGHT mode.
Tint & CRI
Acebeam did not disclose the CRI rating besides using one with the color temperature of 6500K. A guesstimate would be a 70 CRI (Color Rendering Index) rating.
There are some slight tint shifts throughout the beam profile. The hotspot has a cool white tint with the yellow-ish corona and the spill possessing a slight purple tint.
This tint shift is not noticeable in real life usage.
Waterproofness
The light was subjected to warm water submersion, followed by cold water submersion and left under room temperature running water tap whilst running on HIGH.
No signs of water intrusion in the head, switch or body was seen.
Lockout Capability
There is neither electronic nor mechanical lockout available when needed, like during transportation in a bag.
Due diligence is required when transporting in an enclosed area (e.g. in a bag/purse).
Scale Comparison (Ruler)
Summary
To sum up, we believe that the most important part of any review is if given the chance to purchase the same headlamp for our own EDC or to gift to our loved ones out from one’s pocket (wallet), would we still do it?
For this flashlight, it is a YES, if the lack of lock-out & moonlight mode are not an issue for your EDC usage.
The fairly small form factor with unique gray color anodization, dual-direction clip, dual battery chemistry compatibility (AA and 14500), extremely straightforward UI and USB-C Charging option for the Acebeam 14500 battery are all plus points for this flashlight.
That said, we do hope that Acebeam will be able to optimize dual battery chemistries flashlights/headlights (e.g. AA and 14500) to have true “MOONLIGHT” modes in future models.
Here is a bonus size comparison with some of the other similar sized flashlights we reviewed previously.
From Left to Right: Acebeam Pokelit AA Gray, Olight i5T EOS, Acebeam Rider RX, ReyLight Ti Lan and ASP Guardian AA DF. 
As with all gears, two is one and one is none.
Stay safe,
The Lite Review
Disclaimer: Light was provided for by Acebeam (manufacturer) for this review. No other compensation was provided.
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AceBeam Pokelit Gray
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