Acebeam K65 LED Flashlight Review
To give you more insight into the incredible Acebeam K65, here's an in-depth review by kj75, on Candle Power Forums.
Acebeam-lights are often discussed at forums because of special features they have. This brand often comes with new and great ideas packed in nice-styled torches. Recently, de K65 was launched: A big flashlight that is fitted with an XHP70.2 dedomed led. The XHP70 is a powerful “quad-led”, the 2nd version has an increase in power. Above that, the domed version gives the light more throw than the standard bulb. The result of this combination: The K65, that both has a big output (6200 lumens) as impressive throw (more than 1000 meters). I was happy that I got the chance to test this big flashlight thanks to Amazon.de In this review I will show you the details of this big one, we’ll have a look at the interface and compare it to some equal lights. Like always, a lot of beam shots and detail-pictures. Here we go!
Another unique flashlight made by Acebeam, the K65, fitted with a XHP70.2 dedomed led, big output and excellent throw combined readily for big tasks!
Firstly, let’s have a look at the features and specifications, given by manufacturer:
- LED: 1*Cree XHP70.2 LED De-Domed with lifespan of 50,000 hours
- Turbo Brightness Output: 6200 lumens powered by 4* 18650 batteries (ARC18650H-310A)
- Working voltage: 12V to 16.8V
- Max beam distance: 1014 m
- Peak beam intensity: 257000 cd
- Impact resistance: 1.2 m
- Waterproof: IPX-8 (2m)
- Size:190mm(length)*90mm(head diameter)*53mm(tube diameter)
- Weight: 660g (23.3oz) without battery
- Material: Aircraft-Grade Aluminium Alloy Type6063&Premium type III hard anodized anti-abrasive finish
- Reflector: Smooth reflector gives perfect beam&throw
- Over-distance beam throw up to 1014 meters,applicable for wide-range searching
- High efficiency circuit board provides max runtime up to 60 hours
- Toughened ultra-clear glass with anti-reflective coating
- Convenient side switch for one-handed easy operation
- Stainless steel bezel protects the core components from dam
- Tail-stand capability design for candle usage
- Superb light of amazing constant brightness due to powerful electronics and active temperature control without timers
Here’s a chart of the output and runtime specs:
Unboxing:
The K65 comes in a card box, that has an integrated plastic handle for carrying. Main colors are black, red and white which give the box nice appearance. On front we see the K65 together with most impressive specs, at the the back we find the other features and the output- and runtime-charts. Inside the light, protected by foam, a holster, some spare-parts, a manual and a warranty (credit) card. Except the optional batteries, this is all we need. The K65 is properly packed, it all looks neat. Scroll down to watch some photos of the box and the contents!
An attractive and colorful carry box, specifications and features on the back main colors are red, black and white, a complete box.
Impressions:
The K65 is a big and robust flashlight, that feels some heavy. First impression when I unboxed it: Excellent build-quality and finishing! Above that, I’m always impressed by the overall looks of a big Acebeam-torch: The big head with deep reflector, the “quad-led” and the overall powerful appearance. The light comes in matte black, the body has fine knurling, giving the K65 excellent grip. Many and deep cooling-fins for heat dissipation in head and body; engraving job well done. The silver switch is made of metal, has a clear pressure point and is easy to find, also thanks to the clearly observable edge between body and head. Above the button, The K65 has very good anti-rolling design and has both stable head- and tailstand. On top of the torch, we see a matte silver bezel that remains on some other well-known flashlights in this class. Because of the notches in it you can easily check if the light is still on if it stands on the head. Between the bezel and the lens, there’s an extra rubber ring that protects against damage when the K65 will drop by accident. The reflector of the K65 is huge! Mine had only a little, almost invisible defect and a well centered, dedomed XHP70.2 led.
The combination of a “tuned” quad-led and this deep reflector is one of the most interesting facts of this flashlight. In contrast to the first, conventional XHP70 series, the 2nd generation of this version will give about 2000 lumens more output and double throw because it is “shaved”. So, I couldn’t wait for the dark to see how it performed; I will show you the results later. On the lights’ tail, we see two loops to add a lanyard. Rather large holes here, so you can add your own cord if you want too. On the back, we see again the letters K65 and the manufacturer's’ website. The light is made of three parts in total: the heavy head, and a lightweight tube and cap. The threads run very smooth and are lubed well.
A strong spring in the head protects against shocks. Also inside it is all well finished, no issues here. The battery-holder is made of good quality too, but this kind of holders are not my favorite. There’s the risk that (if you don’t care enough) you put in the batteries the wrong way, because the tops of the cells must be connected to the contact points in the holder. To me never an issue, but I’d like to see a more user-friendly battery-compartment. All-in-all, I’m impressed with the overall quality and finishing of this product; very well done! I took a couple of pictures, that show the K65 and its details. See below!
a big flashlight that needs a man's’ hand
nice design
and well-balanced
impressive head with deep reflector
a silver edge around the emitter
big and rather heavy
comes with sturdy holster
that fits very well
the lanyard added
the K65 has a tripod-adaptor 
an impressive combination of lumens and throw!
a close-up to the power-indicator
excellent machining
the fine knurling; the threads are greased well
gold-plated springs in the battery-holder
the text is not aligned with the hole for the tripod
engraving well done
the snow shows the slightly greenish tint
a big head and a well-centered led
I tested the K65 in the snow
no issues here
the K65 has a good low mode
a close-up to the tail
the heads’ inner with strong spring
high-drain batteries are needed
all parts are machined and finished well
only button-tops can be used
a close-up to the battery compartment
the “shaved” XHP70.2 led
the K65 in three parts
a warning that you must use the right cells
has the appearance of a powerful torch; and it is!
a close-up to the smooth reflector, stable standing on the tail
User interface:
The K65 needs a mans’ hand, it’s a big one. But the grip is very good and the torch is well-balanced. A rather long lanyard clip is included, which is recommended to avoid that you will drop the light accidentally. A good holster is also included, so you can wear this heavy boy at fixed at your belt if you take it with you for a longer time. I think it’s not surprising if I tell you that the K65 can’t be carried in any pocket.
The K65 can be opened at two ways, but the best way is to remove the tail cap to pick out and load the battery compartment. On the holder, we see a warning that you need to use unprotected high-drain cells or batteries with PCB including three mosfets. I’m not a big fan of unprotected, but I could use several protected high-drain cells without problems in the K65. Good point to me, I was happy that cells with PCB also fit into the compartment. I’d like to see this torch directly rechargeable via USB, like the L16 that I tested earlier.
A single click turns on the K65 in last used mode, again a single press turns off the light, no matter in what mode you are. A striking fact is that the status-led will stay on as long as the light is used. It lights up in green until the battery level is lower than 30%, after that it turns red until the remaining power is 10%. If it gets lower than 10%, the indicator will flash continuously.
The metal power switch on the K65 is a one-for-all button; I knew that earlier Acebeams like K60 have a selector ring for the modes and a switch on the tail. A lot of users loved this interface, but I have no experience with it; so I can’t share my thoughts about this. Momentary-on is missing on the K65, I would like to see this on every flashlight that is designed for search jobs. Back to how the light works. By the way, in the manual, you can find a schedule that illustrates how it all works. This requires some study, but after some exercise, it’s all clear.
Turn the K65 on by a single click; the light starts in last used mode (except moonlight and turbo), after that, you can cycle through four modes by pressing and holding the button. A quick double-press in any mode brings you in turbo mode, activating moonlight isn’t possible when the light is on. If you are in turbo, press and hold to return to last used normal mode.
From off, you can activate some direct-modes: Press and hold (for about 2 seconds) from off to turn on the light in moonlight-mode. Really a good and economical mode on a big light like this, which I really appreciate. A double press out of standby brings instant-turbo; if you press and hold now (out of turbo), the light will always turn into low. About the turbo: As we see often on light that have big output, the turbo on the K65 drops down to about 75% of the output (4000 lumens).
A longer press (more than two seconds) turns on the light in SOS-mode. Because the moonlight-mode needs a more than 1 seconds press, the light will shortly turn on in moon before it turns on in SOS. A triple click activates the very blinding strobe. The K65 doesn’t memorize the special modes. If you press and hold and count to eight, the light is locked against unintentional use. If the light is locked, press and hold for about five seconds to unlock. To me, this is a very good and complete interface, only a momentary mode is missing; but you can’t have it all if you have to control all these modes by only one switch.
Modes:
The K65 has in total six brightness-levels, including two hidden-modes, in order of: MOONLIGHT or ECO > ULTRALOW > LOW > MEDIUM > HIGH > TURBO. Acebeam calls the 250 lumens mode “ultralow”, but the overall spacing is good, and there’s a good lowest output-mode. Two direct normal modes: instant-ECO and instant-TURBO. The special modes are: SOS and STROBE. Both special modes are instant-modes. The K65 has a voltage-indicator with LOW-VOLTAGE warning. The K65 has an electronic LOCK-OUT, but if you release the cap or head a little, the light is also prevented against accidentally turning-on. Good to have six levels on this light and the special modes you need. Well done here by the manufacturer!
Size comparison:
For comparison another Acebeam member, the T20 and the Nitecore TM16GT. I don’t have lights available that have the characteristics of the K65, so I picked some torches that all reach the distance of about 1000 meters. Profiles and leds are different but to me some interesting light to compare with the K65. Later, when we go out for the beam shots, I’ll show you more about those throwers!
18650-cell, Acebeam K65, Nitecore TM16GT and Acebeam T20
Acebeam K65, Nitecore TM16GT and Acebeam T20
Acebeam K65, Nitecore TM16GT and Acebeam T20
the heads: XHP70.2, XP-L HI V3 and XP-L HI
the tails: Acebeam K65, Nitecore TM16GT and Acebeam T20
Tint:
Like we see often at first generations of dedomed leds, the K65 shows a greenish tint. This is especially visible in the corona and the spill, the spot shows a more cool white tint. Like you can see on the photo below, the Nitecore TM16GT has cool white with little bluish, the T20 has a warm and yellowish tint.
Beamshots:
It's time now to have a look at the beam shots! Let’s start indoors, by projecting the K65 on a white wall. Scroll down to have a look at the six output modes; after that a GIF. Distance to the white wall is about 1 meter.
Camera settings: ISO100, WB daylight, F/2.7, 1/125 sec, 35mm
Going outside now to see more about the K65. I tried out a lot of flashlights yet, but this is one of the lights that really impressed me. The first location is a road with a wall at the right and a tree-line at left. The shots show the very good low and the impressive beam of the K65.
Camera settings: ISO100, WB daylight, F/2.7, 4 sec, 35mm
A shoot-out now against the other lights that I showed you earlier. At first the Nitecore TM16GT. See the difference in output and that the K65 has better throw too. The TM16GT lights up almost every detail nearby too.
Location 2:
I choose a location in “the open area” to see how these lights perform as a thrower. The trees that were hit are about 400 meters away.
a wide, bright and far-reaching beam
Here are some other pictures that I took at different locations. They all show the impressive mixed beam of the K65.
the Acebeam K65 on maximum output
the Acebeam K65 on maximum output
the Acebeam K65 on maximum output
Conclusion:
This big Acebeam is of excellent quality and well-finished. It is a torch that really impresses! The UI works fine, I like the hidden Turbo and Eco-mode. A big plus that it works on protected cells without problems. The tint of the K65 is greenish, I would like to see this improved at later generations/batches. Would like to see also a rechargeable version in future. I have to admit that I really love this big Acebeam because of its looks, the huge output and the easy interface. So, recommended.