Welcome to my first review! It was a lot of fun to write and it was also my first time trying to take close up photos (which I think came out quite well but you be the judge 
).
Let me know how I did and if you like or dislike the format, in particular Iāve chosen to include some full page photos as well as some smaller ones because I feel that the full page ones can get a little overwhelming. These images are fairly compressed, but feel free to message me if youād like the full size raw files. I donāt see why you would though
Iāve always wanted to try one of these optic based throwers and was sorely tempted to get the Acebeam E10 when it was first release, but the form factor just wasnāt right for me. The L17 on the other hand is the E10 but better with its more conventional shape and higher battery capacity while maintaining the jacket pocketable form factor.
I am someone who typically makes flashlight purchasing decisions based on their outright performance per dollar value but decided to treat myself and splurge a little to get a higher build quality light.
Check it out at L17 Tactical Flashlight|AceBeamĀ® Official Store | Flashlights, Tactical Lights if youāre interested!
Without further ado, letās begin:
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The L17 is a thrower that can be used to light up things hundreds of meters away, but in this review Iāll be emphasizing its shorter range usefulness. When I do want to look at something far, far away, the L17 is able to light up about as far as I can see without binoculars. This light can be weapon mounted and Acebeam has an optional remote switch for that purpose.
The first thing that stood out to me was the quality of the anodizing. Itās a superb matte finish, and on a whole other level compared to many of the lights Iām used to. As it turns out, āType 3 Hard Anodizingā is not made the same by all the flashlight companies that claim to use it.
Here are the specs:
The L17 is a thrower that uses the 2 square millimetre 3030 Osram LED which is the one you want for maximum throw as well as a useable beam. Sure the 1 square mm āFlat Whiteā has more throw but the beam of those make them more like lightsabers rather than usable lights.
I appreciate the Constant Current Buck Driver that the L17 uses since itās more efficient and results in less excess heat than a FET based driver. The Bucking nature of the driver also allows CR123 Primaries to be used in a pinch, as well as 18350s but why would you? (You would lose a third of the capacity of an 18650).
The Driver is a very reasonable one. Long press from off to moonlight, then hold to cycle through low-medium-high, and a turbo with a double click. Strobe is activated with a triple click.
Lockout is activated by holding the button for 3 seconds from off, and exited by holding it again for 5 seconds.
The driver is controlled by a rear E-switch which passes the signal through an additional body tube, but more on that later.
In the box you get a nice holster, a high quality wrist strap, all the usual O-rings, and even an extra switch cover. You can also purchase the Acebeam 18650 which is a 30Q with on board micro-usb charging that can also be used as a power bank with the included cable.
The Acebeam 18650 is quite long, about 70mm long and fits snugly inside the L17. Iāve read other reviewers saying that normal 18650s rattle in their L17s but I didnāt hear any rattling when I used regular 18650s, even with my slightly dented VTC6. Edit: After running the light on 2X18350s one night, my flat top VTC6 now rattle in the light and the light no longer works using them. I suspect the 18350s together (more than 70mm long) compressed the springs)
Here are some additional shots of the L17 out in the wild:
Please ignore the dust I got on the lens. I accidentally put the L17 in the same pocket I normally carry tissues in.
Size wise, the L17 is a very pocketable size and its small size is the primary reason I chose it over its similarly priced but much bigger cousin, the L18. Itās a C8 sized light which weighs 200g with the battery included and is very comfortable to hold and use unlike heavier soda-can lights and gigathrowers .
Hereās how it fits in my hand, and a comparison with some other similarly sized popular lights.
The TIR optic provides some unique benefits over reflector-based lights. You do get usable spill (compared to the useless pinpoint beam of LEPs) and the gentleness of the spill really surprised me.
The TIR optic provides a smooth, gradually dissipating spill as opposed to the harsh, abrupt end and rings usually present with reflector-based flashlights.
The long throw of the L17 coupled with the dim, gradual spill of the L17 has made it my favourite flashlight to carry in the woods when walking at night. Normally I would carry a thrower as well as a flooder but the L17 serves both purposes.
The smooth, dim spill of the L17ās beam helps me see where Iām stepping while the long throw helps me see into the distance without resorting to a thrower. The beam profile coupled with the lack of a step down in high mode made the L17 a truly pleasant surprise as I had been expecting it to be just another not so useful but fun thrower. Instead it has become my favourite light for walking in the woods!
I can imagine that the smooth, dim spill with the tight hotspot should also make this a good light for weapon mounted applications though I have no experience in that field.
Hereās the light from the tail section. The tube and head of my light were glued together (something Acebeam started doing recently) so Iām unable to show any shots from there.
You can see that the E-switch on the tail cap has a raised metal contact point to maintain contact with the inner tube, mitigating the rear switch contact issues that the FW series of lights have been experiencing. Nothing is loose or moves around in my particular light, a testament to the great build quality of Acebeam. The threads are also super smooth, the best threads Iāve had in any of my flashlights and donāt even have a hint of that nasty grinding feeling akin to some more budget oriented brands.
Also to be noted: the light can be used with or without the metal grip ring though I must say it does look kind of weird without it now. Iām normally really not a fan of clips since they just make flashlights feel less smooth for me, and I never use them. The clip coupled with the grip ring of the L17 really doesnāt bother me though.
Here are some beamshots:
The tight hotspot and smooth spill is very prominent here
Personally I donāt find beamshots in the wild too useful since you often donāt have a frame of reference to compare them to.
Instead, check out this terrific website for beamshot comparisons. (Use Chrome for automatic Translations)
Hereās a final fun one, 520nm 100mW green laser vs the L17.
The L17ās beam and the beams of other lights look so blue due to a phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering where blue light scatters off air molecules in the atmosphere better than light of other wavelengths.
Hereās a link with a more detailed explanation if you want it.
And finally some runtime figures provided by Acebeam. Do note that the light gets hot and steps down from turbo after a bit but maintains full brightness on high mode without any step downs.
I do like that Acebeam rates this light at ip68 with 5m of submersion. The build quality inspires confidence and I feel comfortable using this light in shallow water unlike some of my other enthusiast lights.
Here is a demonstration of the remote switch for weapon mounting:
Things I liked:
- Excellent beam pattern with the TIR optic, my favourite one so far for walking in the woods
- Terrific build quality and finish of the type 3 Hard Anodizing. Super smooth threads!
- Efficient driver with well spaced modes
- Very comfortably pocketable size and weight for jackets
Things I wish it had:
- A better button. The stock button is a little hard to press (You can easily remove the spring in the button of the tail cap to fix this, just need to unscrew two screws)
- A moonlight mode. The current lowest mode is decent, but I do occasionally find myself wishing it had an even lower mode. (Though it wouldnāt be too useful with such a tight hotspot)
- A momentary Mode
- Better timing for mode changes. (Iām used to anduril and the L17 requires you to hold the button a bit longer to change modes. You also have to click pretty quickly to get to turbo which I miss at times.
Thatās all the gripes Iāve got!
Let me know how my first flashlight review was or if you have any questions!
