Acebeam UC3A EDC Torch Review
Acebeam UC3A#
- Specifications
- Introduction
- Torch in use
- Build quality
- LED, bezel, lens and reflector
- Size and comparison
- User interface
- Batteries and charging
- Performance
- Beamshots
- Thermal Images
- Conclusion
- Price
- Product page
Specifications#
| Brand/model | Acebeam UC3A |
|---|---|
| LED | Luminus SST-36F 6500K, RGB |
| Maximum lumens | 900 lm |
| Maximum beam intensity | 1,806 cd |
| Maximum throw | 85 m |
| Battery | 10440, AAA |
| Onboard charging | No (USB-C battery) |
| Material | Aluminium |
| Modes | Main Light: 4, Side Light: 16 |
| Blinkies | Main Light: Strobe, Side Light: Red Flash, Green Flash, Blue Flash, Red Blue Flash |
| Reflector | TIR |
| Waterproof | IP68 |
| Review date | August 2026 |
Introduction#
The Acebeam UC3A is a small EDC keyring torch with dual white LEDs and an RGB side light. It is powered by one 10440/AAA battery.
Acebeam kindly provided this torch for review. I have not been paid for this review nor have I held back my opinions of this torch.
Packaging#
The Acebeam UC3A comes in an orange box with a window to see the torch.
The following is included in the box:
- Acebeam UC3A.
- Acebeam AB10CP40 10440 3.7V Li-ion 400mAh.
- Keyring.
- Two spare o-rings.
- USB-A to USB-C charging lanyard.
- User manual.
- Warranty card.
User manual#
Torch in use#
The Acebeam UC3A is a bit on the larger size for a keyring torch.
It can be clipped onto a backpack or a pocket with the pocket clip.
There is a lanyard hole for a lanyard (not included) or a the included keyring. The keyring is a bit large for the lanyard hole and it will get stuck if you try to rotate it. A smaller ring would help with movement.
There is a powerful magnet in the tailcap. It is strong enough to hold the torch at a right-angle.
Build quality#
The Acebeam UC3A is made of aluminium and it has a matte black anodised finish. It is also available in orange and green.
The threads came well lubricated and they turn smoothly.
LED, bezel, lens and reflector#
The Acebeam UC3A has two Luminus SST-36F for the Main Light, a high CRI neutral white side light and an RGB side light.
CCT, CRI, and duv#
I have taken Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT) and Colour Rendering Index (CRI, RA of R1-R8) measurements with the torch positioned half a metre away from an Opple Light Master Pro III (G3) for the main light and about 2cm away for the side light.
The CCT is around 6600K, the CRI is around 72 and the Delta u, v is negative (rosy) for the Main Light.
The CCT is around 4800K, the CRI is around 99 and the Delta u, v is positive (green) for the Side Light.
The beam produced has an intense white hot spot surrounded by a corona and a spill. There are some artefacts around the edge of the oval-shaped spill.
| LED | Mode | CCT (K) | CRI (Ra) | x | y | Duv |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main | Ultra Low | 6474 | 71.8 | 0.3140 | 0.3232 | -0.0005 |
| Main | Low | 6559 | 72.8 | 0.3128 | 0.3214 | -0.0008 |
| Main | Med | 6655 | 73.0 | 0.3116 | 0.3185 | -0.0017 |
| Main | High | 6888 | 73.9 | 0.3090 | 0.3114 | -0.0042 |
| Side | Low | 4808 | 100.0 | 0.3525 | 0.3709 | 0.0066 |
| Side | High | 4828 | 98.5 | 0.3519 | 0.3710 | 0.0068 |
Calculate Duv from CIE 1931 xy coordinates
Dimensions and size comparison#
Dimensions#
I took the following measurements using a digital caliper.
| Measurement | Unit (mm) |
|---|---|
| Length | 71.68 |
| Width | 31.22 |
| Depth | 19.96 |
Weight#
I took the following measurements using a digital scale.
| Weight | Unit (g) |
|---|---|
| Acebeam UC3A | 53.72 |
| 10440 battery | 8.93 |
| Acebeam UC3A with 10440 battery | 62.65 |
Size comparison with its competition#
From left to right: Acebeam UC3A, Manker LAD III CW, Wuben X5, Nitecore Tini2, Olight i1R 2
From left to right: Acebeam UC3A, Manker LAD III CW, Wuben X5, Nitecore Tini2, Olight i1R 2
User interface#
The Acebeam UC3A has two buttons:
- a Main Light Switch to control the Main Light and;
- an Auxiliary Light Switch (RGB) to control the Side Light
The Main Light has four modes: Ultra Low, Low, Med and High. There is also a Strobe mode.
The Side Light has nine modes: White, Red, Red Flash, Green, Green Flash, Blue, Blue Flash, Red-Blue Flash, Rainbow Flow. If you count the change in brightness for the first seven modes then there are sixteen modes for the Side Light.
Main Light Switch#
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Press and hold | Ultra Low |
| Off | Press and hold for 3 seconds | Lock |
| Locked | Press and hold for 3 seconds | Unlock |
| Locked | Click | Auxiliary Light flashes red/green |
| Off | Click | Med |
| Off | Two clicks | High |
| Off | Three clicks | Strobe |
| On | Press and hold | Cycle (Low, Medium, High) |
| On | Three clicks | Strobe |
| On | Click | Off |
Auxiliary Light Switch#
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Press and hold | Low |
| Off | Click | High |
| On | Two clicks | Cycle (White, Red, Red Flash, Green, Green Flash, Blue, Blue Flash, Red Blue Flash, Rainbow Flow) |
| White, Red, Red Flash, Green, Green Flash, Blue, Blue Flash | Press and hold | Change brightness (Low, High) |
| On | Click | Off |
Mode memory#
There is no mode memory. The Main Light defaults to Med and the Side Light defaults to White High.
Strobe#
Strobe has an alternating frequency.
I measured Strobe with a Zoyi ZT-706S oscilloscope using High Speed mode.
Pulse Width Modulation#
I did not notice any visible PWM (flickering).
I measured the PWM of the light with a Zoyi ZT-706S oscilloscope.
Ultra Low, Low, Med, High
What I like about the UI#
- A dedicated button for the Side Light helps make it easier to control.
What could be improved#
- The ability to select a particular colour like yellow or pink would be nice.
Batteries and charging#
Battery#
The Acebeam UC3A comes with an Acebeam AB10CP40 10440 3.7V Li-ion 400mAh cell. It arrived with a voltage of 3.82V.
The torch works with a 10440 3.7V Li-ion cell, a 1.5V AAA Alkaline battery or a 1.2V NiMH AAA battery.
The battery was isolated with a piece of plastic so that the torch does not accidentally turn on while in the packaging.
I tried the following cells:
| Cell | Top | Compatible? |
|---|---|---|
| 10440 3.7V Li-ion 350mAh | Flat | No |
| Acebeam AB10CP40 10440 3.7V Li-ion 400mAh | Button | Yes |
| eneloop pro AAA 1.2V Ni-MH 900mAh | Button | Yes |
Physical reverse polarity protection near the positive terminal prevents flat top cells from being used.
Charging#
The torch does not have built-in charging. Instead, the included 10440 cell has USB-C charging.
Power supply: PinePower Desktop USB-C
USB Meter: ChargerLAB Power-Z KM003C Amazon Australia
Room temperature: 10 C
It took 1 hours 22 minutes to charge the Lithium battery from 2.91V to 4.15V at a rate of 5V/0.38A.
The charging status indicator at the head of the battery is red while charging and it becomes green when charging is complete.
Power supply compatibility#
I tried the following power supplies with the USB-A magnetic charging cable:
| Power supply | USB Type | Protocol | Does it charge? |
|---|---|---|---|
| PinePower Desktop | USB-C | PD | Yes |
| PinePower Desktop | USB-A | QC | Yes |
| PinePower Desktop | USB-A | Yes |
USB-C to USB-C charging works.
Performance#
Specifications from the manual:
Main White Light (SST-36F 6500K)#
10440
| FL1 Standard | High | Med | Low | Eco | Strobe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Output (lumens) | 900 + 400 + 90 | 210 + 30 | 80 | 4 | 900 + 400 + 90 |
| Runtime | 15s + 14min + 26min | 30min + 1h | 1h 50min | 23h | 15s + 25min + 1h |
| Beam Distance (metres) | 85 | ||||
| Beam Intensity (cd) | 1,806 |
Auxiliary White Light#
| FL1 Standard | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| Output (lumens) | 35 | 2 |
| Runtime | 3h | 23h |
Red Light#
| FL1 Standard | High | Low | Flash High | Flash Low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Output (lumens) | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 0.5 |
| Runtime | 6h | 18h | 17h | 53h |
Green Light#
| FL1 Standard | High | Low | Flash High | Flash Low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Output (lumens) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0.5 |
| Runtime | 6h | 18h | 17h | 53h |
Blue Light#
| FL1 Standard | High | Low | Flash High | Flash Low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Output (lumens) | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 0.5 |
| Runtime | 6h | 18h | 17h | 53h |
Special Modes#
| FL1 Standard | Red Blue Flash | Rainbow Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Runtime | 23h | 4h |
I used the included Acebeam AB10CP40 10440 3.7V Li-ion 400mAh battery and an eneloop pro AAA 1.2V Ni-MH 900mAh battery for the following tests.
Lumen measurements#
I measured the current at turn on with a bench power supply.
| Cell | LED | Mode | Specs | Lumens @turn on | Lumens @30 sec | Lumens @10 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10440 | Main | Ultra Low | 4 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.4 |
| 10440 | Main | Low | 80 | 48 | 46 | 46 |
| 10440 | Main | Med | 210 + 30 | 208 | 203 | 200 |
| 10440 | Main | High | 900 + 400 + 90 | 856 | 364 | 354 |
| NiMH | Main | Ultra Low | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.4 | |
| NiMH | Main | Low | 23 | 23 | 23 | |
| NiMH | Main | Med | 46 | 45 | 45 | |
| NiMH | Main | High | 72 | 70 | 46 |
It is worth noting that the included cell was charged up to 4.17V instead of 4.20V before doing a runtime test for the High mode so the lumen output may be slightly lower than expected.
Note: Lumen measurements may be off by 10% with my DIY lumen tube. It sometimes measures lower with small TIR optics.
Standby drain#
I measured a standby current of 36 µA with a Zoyi ZT-706S Oscilloscope Multimeter.
Runtime graphs#
I used my own DIY lumen tube with a TSL2591 sensor and forked bmengineer’s project RuTiTe to record runtimes.
The room temperature was approximately 15 C.
10440#
NiMH#
Runtime#
Here is a summary of the runtime results:
| Cell | LED | Mode | User manual | Runtime | Turn off | Final voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10440 | Main | High | 15s + 14min + 26min | 45min 43s | 2h 31min 49s | 2.91 |
| 10440 | Main | Med | 30min + 1h | 1h 27min 35s | 3h 15min 10s | 2.85 |
| 10440 | Main | Low | 1h 50min | 3h 32min 52s | 5h 8min 43s | 2.96 |
| 10440 | Main | Ultra Low | 23h | 24h+ | 24h+ | 3.45 |
| NiMH | Main | High | 2h 22min 11s | 3h 25min 28s | 1.05 | |
| NiMH | Main | Med | 2h 33min 13s | 3h 36min 31s | 1.12 | |
| NiMH | Main | Low | 4h 25min 22s | 5h 4min 30s | 1.14 | |
| NiMH | Main | Ultra Low | 23h 32min 33s | 23h 32min 33s | 1.07 |
“Runtime” is the time until the output reduces to 10% of the output at 30 seconds (as per the ANSI/PLATO FL1 2019 Standard).
“Turn off” is the time until my DIY lumen tube no longer detects more than 1 lumen.
“+” indicates that the light remained on after recording had stopped.
The runtimes are slightly better than expected.
The output is well regulated.
Throw#
I took lux measurements with a UNI-T UT383BT at 30 seconds. High was measured at one metre.
| Cell | Mode | Specs (cd) | Specs (m) | Candela measured (cd) | Distance (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10440 | High | 1,805 | 85 | 1,360 | 73 |
It is worth noting that the included cell was charged up to 4.17V instead of 4.20V before measuring the beam distance for the High mode.
Beamshots#
I went to a local park and aimed the Acebeam UC3A at a tree 70 metres away while using High.
Beamshots were taken using a Sony RX100M2 using 3.2", f3.2, ISO 100, 5000K WB.
Acebeam UC3A (High)#
Manker LAD III CW (Turbo)#
Manker LAD III NW (Turbo)#
RovyVon A8 (High)#
Olight i1R 2 Pro (High)#
Thermal Images#
I used a Thermal Master P3 to take thermal images of the torch while using High mode. Get 10% off the Thermal Master P3 with code Mcmahon10
Room temperature: 12 C
| Time (mm:ss) | Max Temperature |
|---|---|
| 00:00 | 18.7 C |
| 01:00 | 23.7 C |
| 02:00 | 22.6 C |
| 03:00 | 24.6 C |
| 04:00 | 26.6 C |
| 05:00 | 28.1 C |
| 06:00 | 29.3 C |
| 07:00 | 30.7 C |
| 08:00 | 31.9 C |
| 09:00 | 33.1 C |
| 10:00 | 33.8 C |
Conclusion#
The Acebeam UC3A is better than I expected.
I am not really sure what I expected. But a slightly rosy beam with well regulated output is a nice surprise!
It would be even better if the Main Light had a High CRI. The Side Light appears to have a High CRI.
The lumen output and beam distance for High were slightly lower expected when I measured it but this could be because I could only get the included battery to charge up to 4.17V instead of fully charge to 4.20V. It could also be due to the accuracy of my DIY lumen tube (off by about 10%).
The user interface is relatively simple due to the two buttons. It seems geared toward general users rather than being overly complex for enthusiasts. That said, I would love to see a mode memory for the Side Light.
It is pretty cool to see some of the modifications that users are making to these on r/flashlight.
Pros:#
- Excellent build quality.
- Good runtimes.
- Output is well regulated.
- Slightly rosy beam.
- Simple user interface.
- Heaps of modes.
Cons:#
- Low CRI for the Main Light.
Price#
The Acebeama UC3A is US$34.90 at acebeam.com (affiliate link)
Product page#
UC3A at acebeam.com (affiliate link)
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