Here I review the blue and the orange edition of the Acebeam TAC 2AA: The blue edition has a more tactical interface with a mechanical tail switch always triggering turbo. The dedomed LED makes for a really aggressive pocket thrower. The orange edition has a domed LED producing a general use beam profil and a tail switch operating under mode memory. The TAC 2AA is powered by a ARC14100P with type C charging and can take AA cells but NOT 14500. The review contains beamshots and the Wurkkos WK05 as alternative option.
Mistake in the thermal image description in video: From left to right: blue version, orange version, wurkkos
If it had a higher voltage range and could also work 14500 cells it would be near perfect. I start carrying the blue dedomed version because that laser beam just looks too cool during these foggy days. The blazing orange one including diffusors is stationed in the car for emergency use (Ialso have AA cells in the car as spare).
For some reason I love 14500/AA dual fuel flashlights. Size, versatility and amazing output on those tiny cells. But don’t quite get the point of AA only lights from producers like Acebeam. I do get 14500 only lights though.
Well, the TAC 2AA is built around a ARC14100P-160A Type-C cell with 5.92Wh. It really has a good output and runs hot quickly (see thermal video: 50°C in about 2min on turbo). I think the 2xAA option as a backup is great and in very low temperatures 2xAA with lithium chemistry might even outperform the lithium-ion rechargable cell. So yeah, this stuff is really interesting for EDC and emergency use, even hiking with light gear and stuff. Certainly great as a backup.
On the job (night shifts) I need the power of a 18650. My light is on a lot and for emergency situations I need the extra juice.
I have Convoy T4 Ti 519a 4500k along with 2x Vapcell F15 on the way. It’s 3000mAh total. Very excited! And I think it’s an excellent option for 2x 14500/AA dual fuel light.
I mentioned the delayed step down and excessive hot-ness of the blue TAC 2AA and ended up receiving abuse from Acebeam’s customer service representative (not an isolated incident). I will not be reviewing anymore Acebeam lights as they do not appear to like honest reviews.
I also prefer 18650 EDC class lights as they have double the battery capacity than the TAC 2AA’s 14100P battery, are shorter, not too much wider. I’m also unsure as to why Acebeam used 2 different UIs on different versions of this light. I would much prefer having momentary on all brightness levels instead of just turbo.
It heats up very similar to the orange version. The heatsinking is excellent, you can totally see that on thermal imaging. With that much power in such a compact package you will have a lot of heat and the maximum brightness can’t be sustainable. The one downside I saw and mentioned that is truly a oversight from Acebeam are the ill-fitted o-rings that tend to snatch up.
