BEAMSHOTS - POST #14 : “REVIEW”: Acebeam TK16 (AL) – Triple Osram – 1 x CR123A / 16340 - 1300 Lumens [Pic Heavy] - ***BEAMSHOTS ADDED - POST #14*** - #14 by MascaratumB
Hi BLF! This is my review of the Acebeam TK16 flashlight.
The TK16 was bought in the store outdoormesser.de , a German online store of flashlights, paracord and EDC, knives and tools stuff! 49,90€ + 9,90€ shipping! 
The positive report about this store was written here!
Here’s the product official page .
Here are some threads on BLF about it: TK16 AL /// TK16 CU .
And here are some reviews of this light:
MACS0647 – AL – Osram - AceBeam TK16 Cu 3x Osram LED -, short introduction, first impressions & a few beamshots
roma58 – CU – Osram - Review: ACEBEAM TK16
M4D M4X – CU – Osram - Acebeam TK16 - videoreview and beamshots (video review)
zeroair - AL – Osram /// AL – SST20
————————————————————————————————————————
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
Body Colour: Black (with “copperish” colour bezel)
Material: Aircraft Grade Aluminum (Premium type Ⅲ hard-anodized anti-abrasive finish) [also sold in Copper version]
Emitters: 3 x Osram KW CSLMN1.TG (Cool/Neutral White) [also sold with Cree XP-G3 and Luminus SST-20]
Optic: Carclo 10507
Lens: AR Coated Lens
Battery: 1x16340 Li-Ion or 1xCR123A
Switch: Tail E-switch
Max runtime: 6 days (on moonlight)
Max beam distance: 338 meters
Max output: 1300 lumens
Candela: 28.500 cd
Waterproofness: 2 meters underwater
Impact resistance: 1 m
Low Voltage Warning: YES
- for Li-Ion – steps down to Low and blinks 3 times per 5 seconds with battery on 3.1V
- for CR123A - steps down to Low and blinks 3 times per 5 seconds with battery on 2.1V
Reverse Polarity Protection: Not Specified (I tested the flashlight with the battery inverted and it didn’t get hot, so I believe it has RPP).
About the driver:
- Intelligent highly efficient circuit board design for max. performance and long run time
- Intelligent temperature controlled light output for user safety
————————————————————————————————————————
PACKAGE: THE FLASHLIGHT & ACCESSORIES
First I have to say that OutdoorMesser sent the box of the Acebeam TK16 AL well packed! Thank you!
The strong white cardboard box is sui generis, it has a black strap on the top to pull the inner box where the flashlight and accessories are carried! Also, in the top, there is a protection sticker! Outside we find some general information about the flashlight, namely the body material and the LEDs in it!
Inside, we will find: Acebeam TK16 AL, a silicone tailcap, 2 spare o-rings, 2 user manuals (English/Chinese and German) and a black plastic Warranty Card. I won’t consider Silica Gel an accessory 
Inside the flashlight, there was 550mAh 16340-10C 3.7V 2.0Wh Lithium-Ion battery, Acebeam branded.
Some free publicity to OutdoorMesser
THE FASHLIGHT
The Acebeam TK16 AL (Aluminum) is the sister of the Acebeam TK16 CU (Copper). It is a small flashlight with a very very good anodizing, excellent grip due to its unusual knurling, and despite being a tube-shaped light, it has some ergonomics, specially with the pocket clip on it
It is the smallest 16340 flashlight with tail switch that I have and as I’ll show below, it is as small as an S1R Baton I ! That must mean something, specially because this one is a triple flashlight and has a tail switch 
Everything in this light is done with good quality and there doesn’t seem to be any flaw at sight. Did I say that its’ anodizing is super good?
Being a mostly black flashlight, it has a “copperish” colour bezel and pocket clip, and a gray silicone tailcap cover, making it win some contrast! I do like these details!!
On the “front” it has engraved the brand and the model, and also the “HOT” warning (BELIEVE ME, IT IS NEEDED ON THIS ONE!!!) and on the back it has the serial number.
The flashlight arrived with a protection sticker in the lens, and inside there was a plastic protection to prevent accidental activation and battery draining during shipping.
The flashlight is composed by 2 parts, head and battery tube/tail. The threads arrived well lubricated, and they seem to be trapezoidal, although I could not ascertain this completely! There is a protection o-ring on the tailcap.
In the head, the bezel can be removed and we have access to the lens, optics and LEDs. In the tail, we can unscrew the tail protection and access the tailcap cover. I didn’t attempt to remove the aluminium structure where the switch is integrated as it would probably imply forcing some threads or pressing some part.
Inside the flashlight there is a tube to make the e-switch work (contact between the switch and the driver). This is somehow similar to other lights I have, namely the Klarus XT1C and the Lumintop FW3A, and probably other e-switch lights with the tailswitch!
The driver has a short spring, and it is protected by a black piece of plastic to avoid short circuit. There is a small flap/tongue on the side that makes contact with the interior tube. Please note that in that part there is a gap in the threading section. The driver is held by 2 screws!
Onto the head! This is what we see when we open the bezel. AR coated lens, Carclo 10507, 1 o-ring , 3 Orsam KW CSLMN1.TG Leds!
I was curious to have a light with these leds under a Carclo and…despite it seems weird I like it, as you’ll see below!
The MCPCB is copper, maybe 1.2 - 1.5mm (cannot be sure) and it is held in place by 2 screws. There was no sign of dust on the LEDs, despite one of them was slightly damaged on the side. Nothing that affects its’ working. I compared the Carclo 10507 (left) with the 10511 (right). And I also compared the TK16 with my FW3A Sweeeet
About its dimensions and weight, this is a small and lightweight flashlight! Really! It was one of the things that led me to buy this light, as it is a true EDC light! Please note that the weight includes the clip already!
————————————————————————————————————————
USER INTERFACE
The Acebeam TK16 has 2 different group modes - POWER and ECO – but has a relatively simple User Interface. Actually, it is one of the best I have and it is much comparable to Olight’s UI in some aspects!!! The light has memory for 3 regular levels and also has electronic lock-out !
In each group mode it has 6 different settings/levels: Moonlight, Low, Medium, High, Turbo, Strobe.
ML, Turbo and Strobe are “special modes” and Low, Medium and High are “regular modes”.
- Turn ON / Turn OFF – Single Click from any mode
- Turn ON in the 3 regular modes (Low, Medium or High) - Single click from OFF (enters the last used mode)
- Cycle between the 3 regular modes (Low, Medium or High) - From ON press & hold to cycle Low > Medium > High> Low…
- Moonlight – Press & Hold from OFF (does not have memory)
- Turbo – Double click from OFF or ON in any mode (does not have memory)
- Strobe – Triple click from OFF or ON in any mode (does not have memory)
LOCK/UNLOCK
- Lock-out - Press & Hold from OFF during 5 seconds ( the light will turn ON in Moonlight mode that it will blink 3 times and shuts OFF )
- Unlock - Press & Hold from OFF during 5 seconds ( the light will blink 3 times and will turn ON in Moonlight mode )
Alternate between ECO <> POWER modes
When the light is locked-out click 10 times. The light will turn ON momentarily and will ramp up or down between 2 levels .
- If the first level was lower than the second, it means the light was in ECO mode and passed to POWER mode.
- If the first level was higher than the second, it means the light was in POWER mode and passed to ECO mode.
After doing this, the light will remain locked. One has to do the unlocking process again to turn it ON.
Some nuances about the UI:
- After using the “special modes” (Moonlight, Turbo or Storbe) and turning the light OFF, when reactivated it will turn ON in the last regular used mode.
- When using Turbo, a double click will take us back to the previous regular used mode.
- When using Turbo or Strobe, a press & hold will take us back to the previous regular used mode (the one from where we jumped to the special mode). Examples:
- a) Low > [double click] > Turbo > [press & hold] > Low
- b) Low > [double click] > Turbo > [double click] > Low
- c) Low > [triple click] > Strobe > [press & hold] > Low
- d) Low > [double click] > Turbo > [triple click] > Strobe > [press & hold] > Low
- e) Low > [triple click] > Strobe > [double click] > Turbo > [press & hold] > Low
This is actually a very good UI in my opinion once it give us access to a memorized mode (last used) and also to 3 special modes that do not interfere with the regular mode cycling. It is quite useful in different situations, and I am particularly pleased by it
————————————————————————————————————————
OUTPUT AND RUNTIME
As mentioned above, the Acebeam TK16 can use both CR123A and 16340 Li-Ion batteries. In each one they will have different outputs.
Also, please note that the different LEDs that can be chosen with this flashlight can have different output, candela and runtime. For more information please see the official Acebeam page TK16 AL EDC Pocket Flashlight|AceBeam® Official Store | Flashlights, Tactical Lights
These are the (impressive, IMO) numbers of this light with OSRAM:
BTW, here is the info of SST20 and XPG3
What do I have to say? The levels are well spaced, are distinguishable to the eyes and being useful in their different outputs, indoor and outdoor (I will add night beamshots later).
Moonlight seems to be brighter than 0.5 lumens , but I can’t measure it accurately. The Turbo on Power mode is IMPRESSIVE 
but the flashlight will also turn HOT rapidly (not FW3A or D4 rapidly, but still…)
TEST:
I did a small test (full battery) and the flashlight held the Turbo (on ECO), or at least a very high mode for about 2.5 minutes, but within that time its temperatue rose about 20 degress (from 26ºC to 46ºC). It was HOT!!!
But then it started dropping fast specially the output. The temperature decreased a little bit while it was ON, but I switched it OFF so that it wasn’t damaged. I switched it OFF and the battery was around 3.9V and the temperature at 44ºC.
I guess that with the Turbo in POWER mode (1300 lumens), the output will decrease faster than when in ECO (780 lumens) !!
————————————————————————————————————————
ACCESSORIES
As mentioned this flashlight comes with some accessories.
The pocket clip is attached to the flashlight on its arrival. Unlike the body and similarly to the bezel, it has a “copperish” colour, that gives a “bling” and contrast to the flashlight! It is quite strong and attaches well to thin or thick clothes. It is designed so that it doesn’t have much friction in the tip, that sits in the “tail” of the flashlight.
This clip shape has been used around in other flashlights and the closest models are Olight and On The Road. The clip has a small flap & hole to put a thin lanyard thread into it. It has the Acebeam website address engraved on it 
There are 2 user manuals included in my box. I believe that it is because I bought the flashlight in a German store , and they added their own User Manual. I will not focus on this one, though. In case you need photos, let me know
The User Manual presents the main specifications and operation of the Acebeam TK16 AL. It also presents the output and runtime specifically for the Osram LEDs. So, Acebeam is making specific UMs to the specific LEDs they use in these flashlights.
What is missing on the UM is the reference to Reverse Polarity Protection and also the specification of the LEDs and colour temperature. Also, they do not indicate that if the TIR optic is a Carclo 10507 or not. I had to search for and test it to find the details.
The other things included in this pack are 2 thick and small o-rings and a spare gray silicone tailcap cover. I hope I don’t need them, but just in case, they’re here
Inside the flashlight there was a 550mAh 16340-10C 3.7V 2.0Wh Lithium-Ion battery, Acebeam branded. According to some specs and reports, this is a very good battery well capacitated for this high drain flashlight. I didn’t make any tests on it. I can say that it is unprotected and that it is the smallest 16340 battery I have!
————————————————————————————————————————
Size comparison
Just to let you see how “small” and gorgeous this TK16 is 
16340 lights with Tail Switch!
Klarus XT1C > Olight M1t Raider > On The Road M1 > On The Road i3 > Acebeam TK16
16340 lights with side e-Switch!
On The Road M3 Pro > Acebeam TK16 > Olight S1R Baton I
Acebeam TK16 > Emisar D4 (18350)
Acebeam H20 > Acebeam TK16 > 18650 Sony VTC6
FW3A > Acebeam TK16
Convoy S2 > Acebeam TK16
(AA lights) Lumintop Tool AA V2.0 > DQG Slim Ti > Acebeam TK16
“H-C 348” > Acebeam TK16
RovyVon E300s Angel Eyes > Acebeam TK16
————————————————————————————————————————
BEAMSHOTS
So, I was somehow curious to see how would a triple Osram KW CSLMN1.TG behave under a Carclo lens. That was one of the reasons that took me to buy the TK16 with these leds. But also the throw it has, also the relatively good efficiency that it has, despite the lower CRI (if compared with the SST20). So far I can say I don’t regret this choice
For those who may want to see a comparison between the 3 types of LEDs, here’s an interesting video comparing all of them:
BEAM PATTERN
The TK16 with Osram has a tight beam, with lots of funny artifacts! Wanna check?
It “draws”a star :heart_eyes:
I tried to make a comparison of this light with Carclo 10507 (original) and 10511 (from the FW3A)
Here are some beamshots below. (Left= 10507, Right= 15011). Note that the center of the beam is more or less similar, but the 10507 produces artifacts while the 10511 doesn’t!
1
2
3
PWM
About PWM, it is not visible at naked eye. In Moonlight mode, the camera detects some.
TINT COMPARISON
Here are some photos to compare the tint and beam of this light with some others in the collection! Acebeam TK16 AL - Osram LEDs is always on the RIGHT!
Excuse me for the images lost some accuracy and quality when transferring to IMGUR and also because my cellphone camera is not the best… :zipper_mouth_face:
Emisar D4 (XP-G2 S4 3D)
Acebeam H20 (XP-L HI U6-4C)
FW3A (XP-L HI 3D)
Klarus XT1C (XP-L HD V6)
Convoy S2+ (XP-G2 S4 3C with Carclo 10508)
RovyVon E300s (XP-L V6 3D)
“H-C 348” (Nichia NVSW219BT)
Lumintop Tool AA V2.0 (XP-L HD)
Olight M1T Raider (Luminus SST40)
Convoy S2 (Osram KW CSLMN1.TG with SMO reflector)
————————————————————————————————————————
GENERAL IMPRESSION
Damn, I really like this light! So much that I am almost afraid of using it :person_facepalming:
It is well built, it is reliable, it has good output, it has a good UI (for me)! It is pretty and smart as well!!
It is not perfect, of course, but it has indeed very nice qualities! Still, I’ll point them down, as well as the things I’d like to be improved!
The Goods:
1 – Size! Super compact for a tailswitch light!
2 – Powerful! 1300 lumens out of this small “stock” light with a 16340 battery is something to be noted!! It is one of the most powerful stock lights using such battery. XP-G3 does 1800! Insane!
3 – Overal Quality! The anodizing, the threads, the design, are things that stand out for me in this light.
4 – User Interface! Finally a small light with a good usable, reliable and practical UI, even if it has the bells as whistles of doubles and triple clicks, lock-out and even 2 mode groups!! And 1 click for ON, 1 click for OFF is :heart_eyes:
5 – Mode groups! Being able to change from a lower turbo to a higher turbo is something to be appreciated, on the one side the efficiency, and on the other, the power!
6 - Mod friendly on the LEDs/Optics! Unlike many other manufacturers, Acebeam did well leaving the path open for a possible change of LED and optics! This is something I can appreciate
7 - Battery! For reports I read somewhere, this is a very nice battery, adequate to the drain provoked by this flashlight! And they are available to be bought separately.
8 – Cost vs Benefit! Although this is not completely a budget light (specially compare with more powerful ones with bigger capacity) having paid what I paid for this light makes it a very good deal. Having all the things I’ve mentioned for this price is very nice, specially if we are talking about an Acebeam flashlight! Of course, the CU version is more expensive and most of the stores sell it at higher prices, but… I find it/found a good deal!
—————/////—————
The “suggestions to improve”:
Despite all this, there are somethings I would like to see changed! Personal preferences, though…
1 – Deep carry pocket clip! For such a little EDC light, a deep carry pocket clip (Olight S1R Baton II style) would make my day! OR, at least, a clip that could be reversed with that same functionality! The one included is very nice, sturdy and with good retention, but it is not so good to use in jeans when you want/need the tail cap upwards!
2 – Hole for lanyard! As it doesn’t have a deep carry clip, having a hole for a lanyard into the flashlight, would be nice. Of course it can be put in the current clip or around the flashlight, but it is not the same thing.
3 – Tail Switch! Well, this is probably a personal matter as I’ve been used to the FW3A switch that it is smoother than the one of this light. Also, it is more responsive. Ex: when I double click fastly on the TK16, sometimes it takes me to the last used mode instead of Turbo. Why, because the click was too fast and it didn’t registered it as 2 clicks. So, maybe this could be changed, or maybe I need to get used to it and remember that 2 fast clicks must be slower than 2 fast clicks in the FW3A
4 - Holster! A small holster or pouch (such as those from On The Road) would be nice to have with this light! A good extra
————————————————————————————————————————
That’s all for now folks!
Night beamshots will be added later
I will compare it only with LED emitters under different optics and I will also compare it with the other light I have with Osram White flat LED!
Comment, question, criticize folks!
Best regards! 
I don’t know if Led4Power sells these boards yet!
/Vapcell%20INR16340%20800mAh%20(White)-Capacity.png)
