Hello, I am currently looking for a new lamp to wear every day and also to move around at night at work in places with the possibility of obstacles on the ground, inspection of wagons/trains… I have the choice between the Olight Baton 3Pro/ Wurkkos FC11C/ Sofirn SR12 or the Acebeam EC20. I would like this type of format with good autonomy and above all reliable. No headlamp, can you advise me please thank you.
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There are good reviews such as this one:
I personally avoid Olight as they use proprietary batteries and the lights are expensive. If you want a spare, you’ll pay a lot more. They can’t use normal chargers, so you’re stuck using the magnetic charge cable. However, the quality is very high, they’re well designed, and they do the job. Buy from a local seller, and you get the warranty. Good luck getting warranty support from an AliExpress dealer.
I am a fan of Acebeam. That’s a nice little light. The other two are budget lights, I’d rather have a big brand for a work light. Others may disagree. Other good brands include Fenix, Jetbeam, Skilhunt and Nitecore, but Nitecore are moving to sealed in batteries! I see Fenix as boring, but they’re good quality and nice lights, well worth considering.
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How did you arrive at this list? If you narrowed it down yourself, I’m going to suggest alternates, especially the Skilhunt M200 v3 with Nichia 519A. It has the feature set of the Baton Pro, but not its disadvantages (the M200 uses a standard 18650 battery and has excellent color rendering).
If your employer is providing it and offered these options, I’d go with either the Acebeam (with Nichia 519A) or the Wurkkos. If you don’t mind the Acebeam’s beam pattern (it’s a giant hotspot and very little spill) or the fact that it’s picky about batteries (only long protected cells, and with a high current rating if you want to use the max mode), the Acebeam is a higher quality flashlight. The Wurkkos is very average in most respects without much to complain about, but has excellent color rendering.
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As a former housing inspector I learned that high quality light is critical. The 519 LED is a must in whatever light you choose. A simple and cost-effective suggestion is the convoy S 21E.
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Seconding this suggestion. 519A and B35AM are both good choices, and for inspection I recommend 5700K for maximum clarity.
Also, if you go for 519A, make sure to get a TIR optic to get a beam that is uniform in color. Reflectors don’t play well with 519A and tend to give a yellow-green hotspot and purplish spill.
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In the S21E (and most other Convoy models offering both), I think the B35A is the better option. It has all the color quality and substantially better efficiency.
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I saw that the fc11c could be dedomed, this will provide better range/color?
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I’d buy the FC11C first. Then get the other ones starting with the Acebeam…
There are many, many other options but the FC11 is a solid start and doesn’t hit the wallet so much that you can’t immediately start looking for a second light 
Two is one as they say…
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Okay, ain’t familiar with the other 3, but I like the FC series lights. Good solid performers all around. I’d recommend one for sure.
Buuuut, and it may be New Toy Syndrome™ kicking in, but after seeing the part about avoiding obstacles and doing inspections, what about the dual-beam Sofirn HS42? It’s got red, spot, flood, and spot+flood in one emitter cluster.
The spotlight is lower-CRI and cooler, but has pretty good “reach” for looking down alleys, in attics/crawlspaces, etc.
The flood is high-CRI and warmer, and is great for close-up work with a buttery-smooth blanket of high-CRI light.
Plus, you can always use red if you want to avoid spoiling night-vision.
It’s technically a headlamp, but pops out and makes an awesome right-angle flashlight, which is mainly how I use it. Oh, and a magnetic tail lets it stick to metal surfaces, too.
It’s a kind of a Swiss Army Light…
The HS21 is similar but is more of a dedicated headlamp, even though I rarely use the strap and just “palm” it when using it.
Differences are the rotary collar around the emitter cluster that selects which beam, and independent memory for each of the 4 selections.
Had to goggle the EC20, and that looks nifty. Triple TIR lens? Should be a nice even beam which I’m visualising to be similar to the TS10 (the OG version, not the throwy new one), whose beam I looooove.
Oh, here’s my review of the HS21 and some comparison with the HS42:
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Everyone seems to be recommending Nichia lights which have lower output. I’ve got and had numerous lights, almost all CREE LEDs, and I’ve never noticed any colour differences, none at all. Maybe if I shine two at a wall I might see a difference. Eyes adapt very quickly to adjust and see colours more naturally. Looking at photos is not a good guide. But that’s just my experience. Do none flashlight geeks notice so called tint? I’d say not, but I haven’t done tests.
Actually I can see tint. I have an incandescent maglite that produces yellow light.
It’s going to make it much warmer and rosy, you’ll lose some brightness and throw. The Nichia 519A in there is already a very yellow 4500K, dedoming isn’t something I’d do to a worklight.
Of your picks, the Acebeam is the one I’d want for work. I have the E75 and it’s definitely a no nonsense, easy to use and very bright light. If you’re set on 18650 batteries then I won’t be able to sway you, but the E75 offers a lot of runtime and a great output. No coloured aux lights either, if that’s a thing you want.
Yeh, I like a nice tint, and while high-CRI looks nice, you really gotta be a critical viewer for it to really matter. Eg, telling apart colored bands on resistors, etc., where red looks like orange, green and blue are hard to tell apart, etc.
About the only time I can really tell is in a/b switching, and even that might just be a duv issue. Shine a low-CRI light on the back of my hand or on my leg, and I look sickly greenish. Same with a high-CRI light and I look a healthy rosy pink.
So… tint, duv, CRI… what makes the actual difference of what looks “good”?
Seems just like with brightness differences of even 50%, the only real difference is numbers on meters, not actual visual differences.
The '351 and 219C were high CRI but are now poopooed as “green”, even though they were The Shiite in their heyday. Now the 519 is The Golden Boy… at least until something better comes along and people start crapping on it, too.
Just pick a light you like and enjoy it.
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Fc11c
Xcellent choice.
Step up:
Wurkkos td05- more punch than fc11c.
Regulated, tail switch.
Cheep: sofirn sc13, get a cpl spare batts
Or just the perfect backup!
Don’t go spending $100 before you know exactly what you want.
If you look at acebeam e75, look at wurkkos ts26s- most of the benefits, <half the cost.
S21e, good choice, large selection of emitters.
B35am da bomb!
Merci, je connais une personne qui vend un powertac m5 g2 30€ neuve connaissez-vous ce modèle ?
Love the E75 but not as a work light as the UI would drive you crazy.
the e75 is too big for my pocket and beyond my budget
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for the moment my choice would be acebeam ec20 powerful/autonomy/battery/reliable… I still have to choose between;
Black LED 3LUXEON HL4X 6500K Maximum output power 2800lms/310m/24025cd
Black LED 3Nichia 519A-V1 CRI90 5000K Maximum output power 1900lms/270m/18225cd
Black LEDs 3SFT-25R HI 6500K Max. power 2500lms/370m/34225cd [+€5.52]
Blue LEDs 3SFT-25R HI 6500K Max. power 2500lms/370m/34225cd [+€5.52] knowing that for my use I don’t attach much importance to CRI, which version would be the most versatile?
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I just select the brightest unless a review says there is something seriously wrong.
Je préfère la lampe la plus lumineuse, je suis accro aux lampes les plus lumineuses. Mais il est préférable de consulter les avis en ligne avant de faire un achat.
There are a million lights that can be considered work lignts. Your best bet is to get a few and judge by yourself. This ensures you get the best one for you and not the best one for me.