| Acebeam W35 | |
|---|---|
| LEP type / class | Shine through LEP |
| Max. beam intensity (candelas) | 1,690,000 cd |
| Max. beam distance (meters) | 2,600 meters |
| Max. output (lumens) | 800 lm |
| LEP Modes | 4 + zoom |
| Avg. Price listed by manufacturer | $339 |
The successor of the Acebeam W30
Acebeam has been at the forefront of producing LEP flashlights, with the Acebeam W30 being the most interesting… well.. at least till a few years ago. Fortunately, in 2023 they picked up their work, and produced 2 new LEP flashlights, namely the Acebeam Terminator M1, and this Acebeam W35..
And the W35 is rather unique, because it is sold a a zoomable LEP flashlight. But this ‘zoom’ feature is unlike any other LEP flashlight, since it doesn’t really zoom, but diffuse. Acebeam calls it Liquid Crystal Diffractive Electro-optic Lens (LC DEL) Zoom. It doesn’t only sound very sophisticated, it also is. It gives you 8 different diffuse settings, from very diffuse (which feels like a floody LED beam) and a non-diffuse setting for its highest intensity.
And Acebeam specifies it at 2,600 meters and 1,690,000 candelas. And yes, the W35 can easily achieve that in my testing.
Use, batteries, and more
The W35 uses a single 21700 battery, that is included in the package. It’s a Acebeam IMR21700NP-500A with 5,000mAh, and it arrived at 3.85Volts. But if you want a backup battery, you can use any off-the-shelf 21700 including unprotected, flat tops. So that’s something many people would appreciate, since you are not restricted to 1 single type of battery.
You can charge the battery inside the W35 via a USB-C cable that Acebeam also provided. Charging itself takes 4 hours, give or take 1 minute. So that’s pretty consistent.
And you also don’t need to charge your battery in the flashlight, as you can simply charge it in a normal 21700 battery charger.
Performance
I tested the Acebeam W35, and got the following Lumen measurements
| Mode | Specs | at turn on | 30 seconds | 10 minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 80 lm | 99 lm | 90 lm | 87 lm |
| Med | 230 lm | 250 lm | 239 lm | 226 lm |
| High | 470 lm | 507 lm | 471 lm | 438 lm |
| Turbo | 800 lm | 810 lm | 733 lm | 410 lm |
This means that it didn’t quite reach specified output, but close enough. These were tested without any diffusement
I also double checked the output in Turbo, just for the widest zoom/strongest diffuse mode.
| Mode | Specs | at turn on | 30 seconds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo (flood level 8) | 570 lm | 661 lm | 594 lm |
Here are my runtime measurements:
| Mode | Specified | Measured (ANSI FL1) | Time till shut off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 8h 20min | 8h 03min | 8h 03min |
| Med | 4h | 4h 18min | 4h 18min |
| High | 2h | 2h 14min | 2h 14min |
| Turbo* | 1h 46min | 2h 04min | 2h 04min |
And last but not least, here are my throw measurements:
| Mode | Specified | Cd measured | Meters | Yards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 180,625 cd | 240,000 cd | 980 m | 1072 yd |
| Turbo | 1,690,000 cd | 1,892,000 cd | 2751 m | 3009 yd |
I also measured the 8 different zoom/diffuse settings, from level 1-8.
| Mode | Cd measured | Meters | Yards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo (zoom 8) | 4,125 cd | 128 m | 140 yd |
| Turbo (zoom 7) | 7,925 cd | 178 m | 195 yd |
| Turbo (zoom 6) | 10,100 cd | 201 m | 220 yd |
| Turbo (zoom 5) | 13,750 cd | 235 m | 256 yd |
| Turbo (zoom 4) | 22,000 cd | 297 m | 324 yd |
| Turbo (zoom 3) | 42,825 cd | 414 m | 453 yd |
| Turbo (zoom 2) | 111,500 cd | 668 m | 730 yd |
| Turbo (zoom 1) | 359,500 cd | 1199 m | 1311 yd |
Final verdict
The W35 is pretty unique with its electronic diffuse system (zoom they call it), with 8 different softness settings. In my opinion, they could have done with 4 or maximum 5.. 8 in my opinion is way too many.
In terms of performance, mine easily outperformed specs in its highest setting, reaching 2751 meters instead of the claimed 2600.
