| NlightD L1 | |
|---|---|
| LEP class | N/A |
| Distance / intensity | 1,449,616 cd / 2,408 meters |
| Lumens | 500 lumens |
| Modes | 2 |
| Avg. Price | $299 |
This is the unofficial successor of the Acebeam W30.
The Acebeam W30 was probably one of the first few high-performing LEP flashlights on the market. I believe that the original Maxtoch L2K (2000 meters) was produced a little earlier, but can’t say for sure.
And ever since the W30 came to market, this kind of has been the golden standard. Meaning, that it was part of the conversation whenever something was discussed about LEP flashlights.
And even though Acebeam had announced some successors back in 2020, they didn’t really come to the market, except for the Acebeam W50 almost 2 years later. But this LEP is not available to the public. And it costs over $2500 making it like 10 times more expensive than the average LEP, including the Acebeam W30.
Since there has never been a 1-to-1 upgrade, Nealsgadgets took it to himself and worked together with Acebeam for an ‘unofficial’ upgraded W30. I say unofficial because it’s not branded as Acebeam, but Neal’s own brand: NlightD.
And here we are, almost 4 years after the Acebeam W30 was first announced, finally an upgrade.
Some of its features:
- The L1 has 2 modes instead of 1 for the W30
- It uses the same battery type: 21700
- It has a tripod mount built-in, so you can use a tripod to keep the beam very steady.
- White diffuser lens to turn a throw beam into a flood beam..
- Tactical grip ring
- Pointy bezel
- Battery level indicator
When comparing the L1 and the W30 side to side, you can see lots of resemblances. The build quality is also the same, with some design changes.
Use, batteries, and more
Of course, you don’t get an Acebeam 21700 battery included in the package, but you do get a high performing one. The brand can depend on the date you order the light. Mine came with a blue battery with USB-C port.
Still, you need to take the battery out to charge it, but you don’t need to have a specific charger because of the onboard charging in the battery. The battery charges to about 4.14V, which is a safe voltage for longevity.
However, you can’t use short, unprotected 21700 batteries because they are too short to make good contact.
You can use the L1 in an underhand or overhand position. In the overhand position, you can rest your thumb on the switch. If you use the underhand position, you need 2 hands to operate the light or change the hand position.
NlightD L1 Performance
First of all, let’s look at the lumen measurements.
| Mode | Amps | Specs | Measure at turning on | after 30 seconds | after 10 minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 0.65A | 100 lm | 117 lumens | 112 lumens | 102 lumens |
| High | 3.54A | 500 lm | 546 lumens | 513 lumens | 448 lumens |
No, lumens aren’t important for LEP flashlights, but they do help to get a stronger beam.
And as you can see, it easily reaches the claimed 500 lumens after 30 seconds. The 30 seconds measurement is according to the ANSI FL1 standards. Too many manufacturers use the lumen measurements at turn-on (or not even that) and use that as their lumen rating… Fortunately, the L1 can really produce the specified 500 lumens.
Now, let’s continue to the maximum beam distance, and beam intensity. These are measured 30 seconds after turn on.
| Mode | Specified | Measured | Meters | Yards | Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 319,225 cd | 440,000 | 1,327 | 1,451 yd | 0.82 |
| High | 1,449,616 cd | 1,940,000 cd | 2,786 m | 3,046 yd | 1.73 miles |
And here are some graphs.. First of all, the NlightD L1 vs the Acebeam W30 I have.
You can see that it reached over 2 million at turn-on, but dropped to 1.9 Million in 30 seconds.
Here’s how it stacks up against its competitors. Look at the dark blue line. It performs better than 70% of its competitors and runs longer than all of its competitors that outperform it. This is not a bad performance at all. It’s actually pretty good.
Get the NlightD L1 here:
Use NLDL1 for a nice discount at Nealsgadgets
