Acebeam H16 Gray Headlamp Review
Acebeam H16 Gray#
- Specifications
- Introduction
- Torch in use
- Build quality
- LED, bezel, lens, reflector and beam
- Size and comparison
- User interface
- Batteries and charging
- Performance
- Beamshots
- Conclusion
- Price
- Product page
Specifications#
| Brand/model | Acebeam H16 Gray |
|---|---|
| LED | Cool White |
| Maximum lumens | 1,000 lm |
| Maximum beam intensity | 2,756 cd |
| Maximum throw | 105 m |
| Battery | 1*AA, 1*14500 Li-ion |
| Onboard charging | Yes (USB-C battery) |
| Material | Aluminium |
| Modes | 3 |
| Blinkies | - |
| Reflector | Smooth |
| Waterproof | IP68 |
| Review date | April 2023 |
Introduction#
Acebeam reached out to see if I would like to review the Acebeam H16 Gray headlamp.
The Acebeam H16 Gray headlamp has a Cool White emitter. It is also available in a Black version with a high CRI Nichia 519A emitter.
Acebeam provided this headlamp for review for free. I have not been paid for this review nor have I held back my opinions of this torch.
Packaging#
The H16 Gray came in a small white retail box with a picture of the headlamp on the front.
The following was included in the box:
- Acebeam H16 Gray.
- Headband.
- Acebeam ARC14500 920mAh USB-C rechargeable battery.
- USB-A to USB-C cable.
- Two spare o-rings.
- User manual.
Torch in use#
The Acebeam H16 headlamp is relatively small and fits comfortably on my head with a single strap.
There is magnet in the tailcap.
The headlamp can tailstand and it comes with a pocket clip.
Build quality#
The Acebeam H16 has gray anodised aluminium. The quality is excellent like the Acebeam Pokelit AA Gray.
The pocket clip can be reversed for a deep carry.
The button feels soft.
Threads came lightly lubricated and the tailcap turns smoothly.
The lens came with a protective film that needed to be removed.
I snapped the red loctite on the threads near the head using vice grip locking pliers to take a look at the driver. The driver is held in place by the tube.
Threads near the head are not anodised.
There is physical reverse polarity protection on the driver for the battery.
There is thermal paste behind the MCPCB. The head of the torch has a few notches to help the MCPCB sit in place like a puzzle piece.
The magnet is strong but I noticed that it rattles in the tailcap when the battery has been removed.
The Acebeam branded headband is comfortable to wear. It is stretchy and there is a rubber strip on the inside of the headband to help stop the headband from sliding around the forehead.
Branding on the headband is reflective.
The headband has a rubber holder with three holes. An overhead strap was not included for the third hole. The headlamp is pretty sturdy so it may not need an overhead strap.
Inserting the headlamp into the rubber holder requires a bit of effort and the pocket clip needs to be removed first. Some other headbands use a hard plastic mount and allow pocket clips to remain on a headlamp.
LED, bezel, lens, reflector and beam#
The H16 Gray comes with a Cool White emitter and has a smooth reflector.
The bezel can be removed with snap ring pliers to get access to the reflector. The reflector dropped out and there is a gasket around the emitter.
CCT, CRI, and duv#
I have taken Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT) and Colour Rendering Index (CRI, RA of R1-R8) measurements with the headlamp positioned one metre away from an Opple Light Master Pro III (G3).
The CCT is around 5345K. The CRI is around 65.
The Delta u, v is slightly positive (green).
The beam has a relatively narrow white hotspot with a hint of green. It looks like a moon. The spill has a hint of purple on the High mode.
| Cell | Mode | CCT (K) | CRI (Ra) | x | y | Duv |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14500 | Ultra-Low | 5145 | 65.9 | 0.3428 | 0.3765 | 0.0129 |
| 14500 | Low | 5308 | 64.0 | 0.3378 | 0.3712 | 0.0125 |
| 14500 | Med | 5375 | 65.0 | 0.3359 | 0.3669 | 0.0112 |
| 14500 | High | 5428 | 65.6 | 0.3344 | 0.3639 | 0.0104 |
| 14500 | Turbo | 5471 | 66.2 | 0.3332 | 0.3613 | 0.0097 |
Calculate Duv from CIE 1931 xy coordinates
Dimensions and size comparison#
Dimensions#
I took the following measurements using a vernier caliper.
| Measurement | Unit (mm) |
|---|---|
| Length | 81.4 |
| Head length | 20.4 |
| Head width | 19.2 |
| Head diagonal | 23.1 |
| Bezel inside diameter | 12.55 |
| Pocket clip diameter | 16.3 |
| Tube diameter | 17.0 |
| Tailcap diameter | 18.8 |
Weight#
I took the following measurements using a digital scale.
| Weight | Unit (g) |
|---|---|
| Headlamp | 26.58 |
| Headband | 26.07 |
| Pocket clip | 6.48 |
| Battery | 20.69 |
| Headlamp, headband, battery | 73.34 |
Size comparison with its competition#
From left to right: Acebeam H16 Gray, ZebraLight H502pr
From left to right: Acebeam H16 Gray, ZebraLight H502pr
User interface#
The headlamp has an electronic switch. You can double click to turn on, hold to cycle (Low, Med, High) while on, and single click to turn off.
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Hold | Ultra-Low |
| Off | Two clicks | On (mode memory) |
| Off | Three clicks | SOS |
| On | Click | Off |
| On | Two clicks | Turbo |
| On | Hold | Cycle (Low, Med, High) |
Low voltage protection#
I tested low voltage protection by connecting the driver of the torch to a bench power supply and then by lowering the voltage from 4.2V to 0V for a 14500 Li-ion cell, and from 1.5V to 0V for a Ni-MH cell.
There is low voltage protection for a Li-ion cell. The emitter flashed at 2.88V, turned off at 2.68V and the current stopped.
There is low voltage protection for a Ni-MH cell. The emitter flashed at 0.77V, turned off at 0.60V and the current stopped.
PWM#
I did not notice any visible PWM (flickering).
What I like about the UI#
- Simple to use.
What could be improved#
- I personally prefer a single click for on and off.
- Direct access to Turbo from off would be nice.
Batteries and charging#
Battery#
The included Acebeam ARC14500 920mAh 3.7V Li-ion cell arrived with a voltage of 3.736V. It came with a bit of plastic at the end to prevent accidental activation while in transit.
The code “23-M3” is on the wrap.
This particular cell is like the previous ARC14500-920 cells where there is an opaque insulation ring near the positive end to diffuse the light from the red and green charging indicator.
Charging#
Power supply: PinePower Desktop USB-C
USB Meter: AVHzY CT-3 (recommended by LiquidRetro)
Room temperature: 16 C
I charged the battery from 3.14V to 4.183V for almost two hours at 5V 0.5A. The indicator light went from red to green when charging finished.
Power supply compatibility#
I tried the following power supplies with the built-in USB-C charger in the battery:
| Power supply | USB Type | Protocol | Does it charge? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple 61W Power Adapter | USB-C | PD | Yes |
| Google Pixel Power Adapter | USB-C | PD | Yes |
| PinePower Desktop | USB-C | PD | Yes |
| PinePower Desktop | USB-A | QC | Yes |
| PinePower Desktop | USB-A | Yes |
USB-C to USB-C charging works.
Performance#
Specifications from the manual:
Li-ion Battery (Acebeam ARC14500 920mAh)
| FL1 STANDARD | Turbo | High | Med | Low | Ultra-Low |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Output (lumens) | 1,000 + 310 | 310 | 130 | 30 | 5 |
| Runtime | 45s + 1h 45min | 2h | 8h | 16h | 58h |
| Beam Distance (metres) | 105 | ||||
| Beam Intensity (cd) | 2,756 |
Lumen measurements#
I used a bench power supply to measure the current at turn on.
| Cell | Mode | Amps at start | Specs | Lumens @turn on | Lumens @30 sec | Lumens @10 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ni-MH | Ultra-Low | 3.5 mA | ||||
| Ni-MH | Low | 4.6 mA | ||||
| Ni-MH | Med | 0.03 A | ||||
| Ni-MH | High | 0.29 A | 50 | 48 | 46 | |
| Ni-MH | Turbo | 2.19 A | 235 | 234 | 46 | |
| 14500 | Ultra-Low | 0.01 A | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| 14500 | Low | 0.06 A | 30 | 23 | 23 | 24 |
| 14500 | Med | 0.33 A | 130 | 120 | 117 | 106 |
| 14500 | High | 0.63 A | 310 | 292 | 280 | 261 |
| 14500 | Turbo | 2.89 A | 1,000 | 913 | 797 | 252 |
Standby drain#
5 µA
Runtime graphs#
I used my own DIY lumen tube with a TSL2591 sensor and forked bmengineer’s project RuTiTe to record runtimes.
Note: Lumen measurements may be off by 10% with my DIY lumen tube.
The room temperature was approximately 16 C.
Runtime#
Here is a summary of the runtime results:
| Cell | Mode | User manual | Runtime result | Final voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ni-MH | Turbo | 7h 40min 36s+ | ||
| Ni-MH | High | 7h 50min 49s+ | ||
| 14500 | Turbo | 45s + 1h 45min | 1h 47min 12s+ | 3.14 |
| 14500 | High | 2h | 1h 50min 26s+ | 3.10 |
| 14500 | Med | 8h | 8h 59min 44s+ | 2.79 |
| 14500 | Low | 16h | 17h+ | 3.63 |
| 14500 | Ultra-Low | 58h | 10min+ |
The runtime result is the time until my lumen tube no longer detects more than 1 lumen.
Low with a 14500 cell was at 5 lumens after 17 hours. I only tested Low for 17 hours and I found that it was still on after almost 21 hours.
I have put “+” to indicate that the headlamp remained on after Turbo, High and Med finished with a 14500 cell. Light output dropped below 1 lumen.
I have not measured the runtime for Ultra-Low, Low and Medium with a Ni-MH cell. The output is low and I suspect that the runtime may last longer than a day.
Overall, my runtime results lined up with the official specifications.
Throw#
I took lux measurements with a UNI-T UT383BT at 30 seconds. Ultra-Low and Low were measured at one metre. Med, High and Turbo were measured at five metres.
| Cell | Mode | Specs (cd) | Specs (m) | Candela measured (cd) | Distance (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14500 | Ultra-Low | 18 | 8 | ||
| 14500 | Low | 74 | 17 | ||
| 14500 | Med | 300 | 34 | ||
| 14500 | High | 950 | 61 | ||
| 14500 | Turbo | 2,756 | 105 | 2,775 | 105 |
Beamshots#
I went to a local park and aimed the Acebeam H16 Gray at a tree 70 metres away while using Turbo.
Beamshots were taken using a Sony RX100M2 using 3.2", f3.2, ISO 100, 5000K WB.
Acebeam H16 Gray (Turbo)#
Acebeam Pokelit AA Gray (High)#
Cyansky HS5R#
Brinyte HL18 Noctua#
Conclusion#
The Acebeam H16 Gray is a nice little AA headlamp. The quality is on par with the Pokelit AA.
The beam is fairly narrow and it throws well. The Gray version is aiming for more lumens while the Black version may have a nicer high CRI beam.
Pros:#
- Comfortable headband.
- Excellent build quality.
- Simple UI.
- Lightweight.
- Good runtime.
- Battery with built-in USB-C charging.
Cons:#
- UI. I prefer a single click to turn on and off.
Price#
The Acebeam H16 Gray is US$44.90 at the time of writing.
I suspect that liteshop.com.au will have more Acebeam products in stock soon. I received this review sample early.
Product page#
Promo code: SG9IP8YKT5PI
liteshop.com.au affiliate link
I may earn a commission if you use an affiliate link or a promo code. This will help fund future torch reviews and tutorials.