AceBeam H15 2.0 flashlight review: an incredibly tough and powerful multi-tasking torch

Meet the reviewer

Pat Kinsella

Pat has hiked all over the world, his adventures taking him to Mont Blanc, the roof of Western Europe; the Norwegian Alps; the highest peaks in Australia; and New Zealand’s Great Walks – among others. He’s also an experienced tester of running gear, and gives kit a thorough thrashing before reviewing.

AceBeam H15 2.0: first impressions

The AceBeam H15 2.0 is part of a family of multifunctional, periscope-style torches from specialist Chinese lighting brand AceBeam, which can be worn, positioned or held in several ways, including on the forehead, in the hand, clipped to a pocket (or tent hoop) or magnetically attached to a metal object. These impressive products all come with a head harness, which begs the question: are they primarily headlamps or flashlights? 

Several months ago I tested and reviewed the AceBeam H16 and decided that, while it has flashlight features and functions, it should/could be considered a head torch first and foremost, and so it appears in our best headlamps buying guide. I made this call mainly because of the H16’s diminutive size, which I felt made it better suited to being worn on the head rather than being used as a hand-held torch – it’s so small without the harness that I feared misplacing it, and sadly that’s exactly what has happened since… (I’m sure it’s somewhere in my kit cupboard).

When the AceBeam H15 2.0 arrived, it felt and looked just like a supersized version of the H16. There’s actually more to it than that, which I’ll get to later, but the basic design is the same, on a much larger scale. After trying it on my noggin, I quickly came to the conclusion that it was a bit too heavy and cumbersome to be comfortably worn on the forehead for any real length of time. So using the same logic for consistency, I’m classing this one as a handheld torch with headlamp applications. And on that basis I ’ve been testing it out on trail and in camp to see how it performs next to the best camping flashlights on the market.

AceBeam H15 2.0: materials & construction

However you choose to use and wear it or hold it, the AceBeam H15 2.0 is a very tough torch. The all-metal body is made with A6061-T6 high-quality aluminum alloy that has survived all sorts of deliberate mishandling and drop-testing, and it has an impressive waterproof/dust ingress rating of IP68, which means it can be fully submerged at a depth of 2m (6ft+) for at least half an hour. You would really have to try hard to break this beamer.

It’s a rechargeable torch, which comes with a single 18650 battery and a USB-C charging cable. 

AceBeam H15 2.0: settings, range and lifespan

There are multiple light settings on the AceBeam H15 2.0, with the white light options ranging from Moonlight (one lumen of gentle illumination, which lasts for 30 days on a single charge), through Low (70 lumens, 38m range, 24 hours), Mid1 (200 lumens, 60m, nine hours), Mid2 (500 lumens, 85m, 3.5 hours), High (1200 lumens, 125m, 10 minutes) to Turbo (2800 lumens, 220m, 40 seconds). 

On each of these settings (above Moonlight), the light intensity automatically switches down a level after each of these maximum times expires, to give you additional light – so, for example, if you’re using the High setting, the beam will independently toggle down to Mid2 after 10 minutes, to give you another 80 minutes on that setting, before it drops to Mid1, for another 30 minutes of light, and then finally switching to Low for another 30 minutes of illumination. 

In addition, there’s a strobe setting (2800 lumens for five minutes, with a range of 220m, before dropping to 2000 lumens for one hour) and Red Light setting that lasts for five days on constant, or 10 days on flash.

AceBeam H15 2.0: design & applications

As mentioned, the AceBeam H15 2.0 is shaped like a periscope, so if you stand it up – or use the magnetic base to attach it to a metal surface, such as the body of a vehicle – the light beam comes out at right angles to the body. This is fixed – you can’t maneuver the head of the torch or the angle of the beam.

The kit comes complete with a head harness, with decent, breathable, elasticized and adjustable straps that go around and over the top of the head. The torch unit slides (with quite a bit of effort) into two rubber loops on the front of this strap, so you can use it as a headlamp. There is also a removable clip that allows you wear the torch on a shirt pocket, or position it on a fence, or hoop/loop in the interior of a tent (be careful if you go with the latter option – on high beam this unit can get pretty hot).

AceBeam H15 2.0: in the field

I’ve been using the AceBeam H15 2.0 over the last six months or so, during a wide range of escapades and scenarios, ranging from camping and hiking, through to everyday situations such as walking the dog and doing tasks in the garden after dark. 

It’s a very versatile light, and I love the variety of ways it can be worn and positioned, so you can perform tasks using both hands. However, although I’ve included it in the flashlight guide, I have rarely actually used this torch in the handheld position, because it feels a bit odd holding it in an upright fist. It works fine, I’m just used to holding a flashlight length ways. 

That said, as I mentioned earlier, it is also a tad heavy to wear for any prolonged length of time on your head – it’s fine for half an hour or so while doing stuff in the campsite or garden, but I wouldn’t choose to wear this model as a headlamp during a night hike, and it’s certainly not one for wearing while fastpacking or running (there are many alternative great lightweight head torches out there, designed specifically for running). Also, it’s fiddly to get in and out of the rubber hoops to attach or remove it from the head harness (you obviously need to remove the clip, but I also had to unscrew the bottom section of the torch, and then reattach it – which is fine if you’re going to keep using it as a head torch, but not if you want to swap modes regularly).

My preferred way to use this torch is as a standing light, either positioned on a flat surface or magnetically attached to something (an excellent feature, especially if you enjoy tinkering with vehicles), or worn on the chest, clipped to the pocket of a hiking shirt. It’s also excellent as a tent or campsite light, because you can easily attach it to all sorts of hoops and loops on the interior of a family tent or a two-person shelter, or even a fence or tree, and use it to illuminate the whole area – like a camping lantern. If you have young children, the Moonlight setting is an excellent nightlight, and the charge lasts literally for weeks on this setting.

I found the range of white-light settings to be brilliant (in every sense of the word) and very useful. The Turbo and High beams throw light a very long way, but even on the more sensible Mid settings the range is impressive and highly practical. The feature that sees the settings automatically toggle down to give you extra light for longer, instead of burning right through the battery life and leaving you in the dark, is very clever.

I also very much like the fact that you can easily toggle through all of these settings and options with an easy-to-locate, simple single-click button (there’s nothing worse than scrambling around in the dark trying to activate an overly complicated torch – and there are no such dramas with the H15). There are also shortcuts – for firing up the Turbo setting, for example – and the torch remembers what setting you had it on when you turned it off.

One of the things I complained about when reviewing the H16 was the lack of a color option, and I’m very pleased to report that the H15 2.0 has a red bulb, which is perfect for reading a map or finding something without completely shattering your natural night vision – ideal for use when star gazing. It also allows you to exit a shared tent for a midnight call of nature without waking your buddies, and it doesn’t attract as many insects. The strobe settings (white and red) can be good during emergencies, but there is no pre-set SOS mode.

One word of caution – on the high and Turbo settings, the head of the torch gets pretty hot – be careful around children and fabrics.

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