Hello all, I am a newbie so I hope I am posting this query in the correct place…….also not very knowledgeable on the subject of flashlights!
My most recent flashlight purchases, 2 of many, many flashlight purchases :person_facepalming: , were of Acebeam flashlights, an EC60 and an EC50 GenII.
In general I am satisfied with the performance of both, the XHP50 and XHP70 are great emitters compared to LEDs I have in my older flashlights, plus the built-in charging function is very convenient. The only negative feedback I can give is that the switches on both lights became “sticky” after a while so cycling them through the power levels is a bit annoying but manageable, the other issue is the 26650 battery that came with the EC60 gives those 3 flashes to show the battery does not have enough power when you switch to turbo mode, even though the battery is fully charged.
As it is almost a year since I purchased my last flashlight those terrible symptoms have returned, the headaches, itchy palms, involuntary teeth gnashing, watering eyes, feelings of anxiety, depression etc - those typical flashaholic symptoms one experiences when they have not purchased a new flashlight in a while……………
Anyway, the EC50 Gen II that I purchased has a warm white XHP70 - it is super bright, but for some reason I prefer the cooler colour LEDs, they just seem to “illuminate” more. I have been thinking of getting the EC50 GenIII with a cool white XHP70.2 emitter, the performance of this light in terms of lumen and usage times seems better than the previous GenII product, but I still have my reservations with regards to the sticky switch and dodgy battery on my current unit. Seeing as both models had the same switch issue I assume that it must be a problem with the type of switches they were using at the time (I purchased both lights about 2 months apart)
I have read some reviews on this forum and read many comments, but I am not really finding any answers to my particular questions, hopefully someone can assist:
1. Has anyone owned an ACEBeam EC50 GenIII for any period of time and if so can they confirm that the switch and battery still perform okay after 6 - 12 months? Hopefully it was just a “batch” thing with mine.
2. As of today someone suggested I rather get a Fenix PD40R - based on the reviews it seems like a good choice, not sure about the XHP70 vs XHP70.2 performance and if it is even noticeable to a user like myself, I am torn between sticking with a product that could have problems that I have already experienced or choosing a completely different brand like Fenix that I have no experience with.
3. And finally - “reputable outlets”, while some products are available in my local market the importers appear to be trying to become overnight millionaires, products are much cheaper online and even paying for shipping I can still get the products significantly cheaper that way than purchasing locally. But is everyone supplying a genuine product, can you trust Amazon, DX, Lightmalls, Banggood etc?
I know all opinions are subjective but any feedback on this dilemma would be appreciated.
Thank you!
