This flashlight is perfect in every way. It has next to zero spill, the beam is the perfect width. It’s not a pencil beam but it keeps its shape all the way out. The only time you see a little bit of spill is when in turbo. And I wouldn’t even call it spill. It’s mainly just a faint glow about two feet from the light. If you hold it above your head, you will not really see any spill at all.
The one down side to this flashlight is Acebeam not releasing it in green. I prefer green in my long range throwers. Just because it doesn’t mess up my night vision, further out you get more contrast. And green throws furthest. I don’t hunt. I’m just a flashoholic and I enjoy casting light onto things in the night. I enjoy it too much.. lol
This flashlight keeps up with my Noctigon K1 pretty good up until about 900m after that the L18’s light starts to diminish quickly. But my Noctigon K1 is in W1 Green and it has 720,000 CD.
As far as this being a LEP killer. It is not. But it is definitely the closest thing you can get to a LEP. Only this is better because it has a useable beam within 400 meters all the way out to just over 900-950. I prefer the L18 if I’m looking at anything within 500m-600m or so. After that Noctigon K1 (W1 Green) 550m-650m to just under a mile. Once I hit that mile mark. I’ll bring out my JetBeam RRT-M1X Raptor (LEP) I mean I will use the LEP if I don’t need to light up a area and just a small spot at closer distances but I feel it’s best to use at about half a mile out or more. Depending how on your intended use. I just like to pay with flashlights, so yeah the L18 doesn’t kill a LEP but it does do a better job then one within its range IMO. It’s a good light to have. It’s allowed me to remove my FT03 from my kit and my GT Mini. It basically made having those two lights useless.
I feel that if flashlights keep getting better as they have been every year. The LEP will have just been more of a novelty item. As soon you won’t need a LEP. I don’t hate LEP’s I really do like mine but as far as it putting a good useable beam down range it’s not something they do well. But it’s something the L18 does great.
My only con about this light is it doesn’t come in green. All the reviews I seen on YouTube they said there will be a green version. Where? Because I can’t find it for the life of me. And I don’t plan on buying a L19 because I feel it’s overpriced for only a couple every meters throw. And I want to have two of the same flashlights in white and green so it’ll be easier to show people how much better green is at longer distances. Up close, white light all the way. But anything further out and green really shines. It’s mainly just because it doesn’t mess up your night vision. And our eyes see green better and brighter then any other color on the spectrum. You don’t hear that said very often, you usually hear, it’s just so the animals won’t see it. I don’t hunt. And I prefer green light for throwers every time if it’s going to be for something past 600m. Plus green light is known to relax you. And if you look into green light therapy. (Which I recommend to anyone especially if you suffer from migraines or cluster headaches) look into some of the study’s. It’s actually unbelievable what green light does for pain, depression, anxiety. It’s not as simple as turning on green light anytime you are in pain. It’s somethjtbg you need a daily dose of. But I do it and it definitely has helped me. Anyway just wanted to add that because it has helped me with my migraines. I don’t even get them anymore. (Could be a coincidence) but they stopped within months after I started.
Back on topic.
The L18 is a great light. One of the great few flashlights that actually preform as it says it does box. The beam is perfect, I like that there is no wasted light and every bit of it is thrown down range.
Only picture I had with the L18 but as you can see it’s in my kit.
