Acebeam X45 II

Acebeam X45 II review

Introduction Generation II:

This flashlight has been discontinued. Check out the list with all our Acebeam Flashlight Reviews for a good alternative.

The Acebeam X45 gen 1 was originally launched in 2017 and is now upgraded with the latest XHP70.2 extra high power LEDs. The updated version is claiming a max output of 18.000 lumens while the first generation was claiming 16500 lumens. Not so much of a difference I would say. The other difference is the reflector. On the first generation, it included an orange peel reflector for flood while the 2nd generation uses smooth reflectors. Another difference is the driver board that is currently gold-colored, the same as the battery carrier.

We’ve reviewed the Acebeam K65 which is a great all-rounder. This time, we will review the Acebeam X45 II, which is actually a little older than the K65 but way more powerful. The X45 is claiming 18,000 lumens. It’s shorter but at the same time includes 4 XHP70.2 LEDs instead of just 1!

If you’re looking for high-lumen flashlights, make sure to check out our Brightest Flashlight guide.

What you’ll get:

• Acebeam X45 box (with handle)
• Acebeam X45II flashlight
• Holster
• Spare O-rings
• Paperwork
• 4* 18650 3100mAh High Amp batteries

Specification

Brand/model	Acebeam X45 II
Category	High output flashlight
LED	4 Cree XHP70.2
Lumens	18,000 lm
Beam intensity	96,000 cd
Battery config.	4*18650
Material	Aluminum
Modes	6
Blinkies	Strobe
Reflector	Smooth
Waterproof	IPX8

Handling of the light

I can hold the X45 very comfortably in my hands. It balances very well and doesn’t have any weight pushing it down either on the front or on the back. This is probably because the head isn’t as big as the Astrolux MF04, BLF GT, or the Imalent MS12 we reviewed earlier.  The switch is easy to find in the darkness, unlike the Imalent MS12, because the switch is located on the opposite side of the attachment ring for your carrying strap. A nice little feature is that you have to push and twist the ring so it pops out! Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a tripod attachment!

After using the X45 on Turbo the whole body heats up and fortunately, the light drops in output to reduce the vast amount of heat it generates!

Tailstand?

• Yes it can definitely tailstand. But there aren’t many… or any… diffusers that would fit the size of the bezel!

Build Quality and Anodizing

Like with all Acebeam products, build quality and anodization is perfect. There is no blemish to be found anywhere. The machining was done very well and there are no sharp edges anywhere on the light. Acebeam is definitely one of the top flashlight manufacturers!

The tail cap can’t be unscrewed (because I think it is glued) but has 2 holes for a lanyard attachment point. The included lanyard/carry strap doesn’t fit through these holes, however.

Threads and O-rings

Both threads and o-rings came lubed. In the following picture, you can see that there is 1 O-ring on the flashlight body and enough lube on the threads. The threads are not squeaky and work very smoothly. Although claiming IPX8 water-resistant, I would personally not use it underwater by any means. Rain should have no impact on this bad boy!

Plus, you’ll get an extra pair of O-rings just in case.

LEDs, Lens, Bezel, and Reflector

Now it starts to get interesting. The Acebeam X45 is a beast and good looking at the same time. The LED diodes used in this light are 4 pieces of CREE XHP70.2 which are beautifully aligned in the reflectors. The tint is on the cool to neutral side. The reflectors are smooth so they will help to reach the beam as far as possible. It’s supposed to throw almost 100Kcd… and we will see if they can actually reach that! Read on!

Note: the manual included with the light has a mistake in it. It mentions the peak beam intensity being 96569cd, but the Acebeam website says it’s actually 109000cd. While the 1st generation X45 was supposed to be 85200cd. So I don’t really know why the manual mentions 96569cd!!!??

The Lens is clear and has some kind of coating. The manual says it’s an Ultra-clear tempered glass lens with an anti-reflective coating… there you go.

The bezel, however, is not removable, nor is the driver removable. Please take a look at the picture of the driver board. You will notice there is some glue added to the screws. This way they make it impossible to open.

Dimensions:

Flashlight manufacturers mainly show dimensions in millimeters.

• Length: 155 mm / 6.1″
• Head diameter: 88 mm /  3.46″
• Width body : 50 mm / 1.96″

Weight:

• Weight including batteries : 708 gr / 1.56 lb.

High Power Flashlight comparison

Compared to other High Power flashlights

From left to right: Fireflies ROT66, BLF Q8, Haikelite MT03 TA, Acebeam X45 II, Acebeam K65, Imalent MS12

User Interface:

The light has 3 main modes, Low, Medium High, but besides these main modes, it also includes a Firefly, Turbo, and a Turbo Max mode.

Modes

1. Firefly
2. Low
3. Med
4. High
5. Turbo
6. Turbo max

From OFF:

• Press and Hold 1 sec: Firefly
• Press and Hold 2 sec: Lock out
• Single click: last memorized output
• Double click: Turbo output + Wait 1 second and another Double Click: Turbo Max
• Triple click: Strobe

From ON:

• Press and Hold: Change output from Low to High
• Single click: Turn Off
• Double click: Turbo output + Wait 1 second and another Double Click: Turbo Max
• Triple click: Strobe

Mode memory:

It does have mode memory, but not for Firefly, Turbo or Turbo max!

Low battery warning:

The Acebeam X45 uses an indicator LED near the switch that turns from green to red. And I would definitely suggest turning the light off when it turns red. I ran the light till the output was really low, and when I took the batteries out, they were at 2.6V. That is not very good for the batteries. I would have preferred to clear cutoff instead just an indicator! see the graph for more info.

Strobe:

Yes, it does have strobe and is supposed to be with 5000 lumens. Triple-click from either On or Off will give you Strobe. There is no Beacon or SOS.

Lock-out mode:

You can enter this mode by press+hold the switch for about 4 seconds. The light will blink twice and then enter Lock Out Mode. To return to normal functionality just press and hold again for 4 seconds!  when the light is off.

PWM

Nope!

Batteries and charging:

The Acebeam X45 includes 4 high-amp batteries labeled ARC18650H-310A. This last part is a little strange because other manufacturers usually include the battery’s Max draw, which is usually somewhere between 5-30A (whenever they mention Amps).

They also mention that “The voltage of full charge and discharge is 4.2V and 2.5V.” During the runtime test, the batteries went really low to 2.5V. This is a little strange since the working Voltage should be between 12V and 16.8V, and 4*2.5 Volts is actually 10 Volts. So, in my opinion, it should have switched off by itself to protect the batteries from a deep discharge.

Performance:

UPDATED: November 2020

The performance was measured with an Extech DSL400 lux meter in my homemade integrating sphere. This time I used a Kenko PRO ND filter so it can measure higher output. Please check the measurements:

Mode	Specified	Measured at start
Ultra	10	7.46
Low	800	722
Mid	2000	1926
High	5000	4863
Turbo	9000	9563
Turbo Max	18000	17972 lm

Runtime:

The runtime was done with the included High Amp 3100 mAh 18650 batteries, without cooling.

As can be seen in the graph. Turbo mode lasts about 2.5 minutes and from 4 minutes onwards it’s at 4200 lumen output, this lasts till about 7 hours and 8 minutes when the light slowly drops in output. I quit the runtime test when the light was at about 1% output. This is NOT RECOMMENDED. Since the batteries were discharged to 2.5 Volts. Although the batteries say this is fine, I would recommend switching the light off when the red LED indicator starts blinking!

After I charged the batteries, I realized something was wrong with one. One was still at 4.2V, and the rest were below 3V. This is really strange. I once bought a second-hand Acebeam, and the person I bought it from probably had no idea how to treat these batteries and likely damaged this one.

High power flashlight comparison

Here is the list with most of the high-power flashlights we reviewed in this category (Category: high-power soupcan sized flashlights).

Flashlight	Max. Output	after 30sec
Acebeam X50	35,507	30,383
Acebeam X75	64,295	73,716
Acebeam X80-GT2	31,890	27,143
Astrolux EC06	18,111	8,352
Fenix LR50R	11,698	10,849
Imalent MR90	52,326	32,128
Imalent MS08	25,745	19,615
Imalent MS12 Mini	68,773	46,750
Imalent MS12 Mini C	71,967	55,873
Imalent RS50	20,302	16,939
Imalent SR16	53,657	43,115
Lumintop GT3	16,267	15,168
Manker MK38 (SFT)	16,013	13,129
Olight Marauder 2	14,251	13,964
Thrunite TN50	18,200	17,360

(Interactive line graphs below)

Hover your mouse over the lines in the graph to see more details, or select a flashlight in the graph.

Using a mobile phone? Hold your phone horizontally!

Another comparison, focusing on the first 10 minutes after activation

And here’s another comparison, but zoomed in. The first 60 minutes after activation.

Since this light is such a beast I have to carefully measure the throw in my garden. These measurements were taken at a 10-meter distance.

• Total throw measured at 10 meters in Turbo mode: 62800cd
• Total throw measured at 10 meters in Turbo Max mode: 101600cd or, in other words, 102kcd.

The throw numbers seem to be about the same as Acebeam claims! So that is good.

Beamshots

I went out with 8 different lights and later realized I used the wrong settings on my camera. I do everything manually, so they should be consistent! Also after shooting an hour at a different place I had to go back to this place because I forgot that there were 2 Turbo settings, and during my initial visit that night I only used Turbo 1.

Updated with some newer flashlights: Lumintop GT3 and Olight Marauder 2

Disclaimer: The Acebeam X45 was provided by Nitetorch for review.

Overall conclusion

Pros:

1. Very bright
2. High quality materials
3. Pretty simple UI
4. Includes high amp batteries
5. Has a nice throw

Cons

1. Honestly not many…….
2. Don’t know
3. …silence…

Overall Rating: Excellent

Before receiving it I wasn’t overly excited like I am with some other lights, but boy this thing is really awesome. I am really impressed. It’s very bright, easy to hold, and a very comfortable size! I actually like this one very very much. If you want something not too heavy, easy to hold, has a simple UI, and is very bright. You should really consider the Acebeam X45!!! One of the best flashlights!