Wuben X0 Torch Review
Wuben X0 Knight#
- Specifications
- Introduction
- Torch in use
- Build quality
- LED, bezel, lens, reflector and beam
- Size and comparison
- User interface
- Batteries and charging
- Performance
- Beamshots
- Conclusion
- Price
- Product page
Specifications#
| Brand/model | Wuben X0 Knight |
|---|---|
| LED | Samsung LH351D |
| Maximum lumens | 900 lm |
| Maximum beam intensity | 2,670 cd |
| Maximum throw | 103 m |
| Battery | 1* 18350 |
| Onboard charging | Yes (USB-C) |
| Material | Aluminium |
| Modes | 5 |
| Blinkies | Strobe, SOS |
| Reflector | TIR |
| Waterproof | IP68 |
| Review date | May 2023 |
Introduction#
The Wuben X0 is the smallest of the Lightok range so far. It takes a flat top 18350 cell and has a high CRI Samsung LH351D emitter.
I had the opportunity to visit the Wuben factory and I was lucky enough to see the X0 being assembled.
This torch has an odd rectangular shape! I wonder how practical it will be for EDC use.
Wuben sent this torch for review. I have not been paid for this review nor have I held back my opinions of this torch. Thanks Wuben!
Packaging#
The Wuben X0 came in a white box with a window on two sides. Specifications are on one of the two back sides of the box. It has some reflective material to showcase the torch.
The following was included in the box:
- Wuben X0 Knight.
- USB-A to USB-C cable.
- Two spare o-rings.
- User manual.
Torch in use#
The Wuben X0 is tiny! It looks like a cute little washing machine.
I like to carry it by pinching the torch between my thumb and fingers.
The switch design is pretty cool. A blue switch at the top can be pressed down to turn the torch on and off and change modes.
I have been carrying the Wuben X0 with the pocket clip in my pocket and the torch dangling outside. It seems secure with a stiff pocket clip.
I found myself locking the torch with four clicks and chucking it in my jacket pocket more often than having it clipped to my pocket.
The strong magnet in the tailcap has proven to be pretty useful. I have been mounting the torch on cat fences and door frames so that I could go hands free when looking after my friends cats while they are on holiday.
Build quality#
This version of the Wuben X0 is made of aluminium and it has a white micro-arc oxidation finish. It feels like a matte finish. I could not feel any sharp edges.
The pocket clip is very stiff but it does clip on securely.
It would be nice if the CE and bin labels were put on the tailcap instead of the side. Why do manufacturers put massive CE marks on torches?
I like how the indicator light on the head of the torch looks a bit like a tritium vial. It glows blue when the torch is turned on and goes back to sleep after about five seconds. It is a constant reminder that I should buy eight blue tritium vials and install them.
There are eight slots for tritium vials or glow sticks.
I can flick the switch up like a fidget toy and it lands back down where it is held in place with magnets.
Wuben explained that the blue cover under the switch is to hide the magnets and to make it look pretty.
It looks as though the pocket clip is about 0.1mm too wide for the torch. The clip is not sitting flat against the body of the torch while both screws are fully tightened. This can be seen in the image below where the pocket clip is sitting flat against a table but the Wuben X0 body is at a slightly different angle.
You may need snap ring pliers to open the tailcap initially if you want to replace the battery.
The magnet is very strong. The battery was stuck to the magnet in the tailcap when I unscrewed and removed the tailcap. There is an o-ring for the threaded tailcap to help improve water resistance.
LED, bezel, lens, reflector and beam#
The Wuben X0 has a Samsung LH351D emitter, and combined reflector and TIR optic.
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 Moon and one metre for Low, Med, High and Turbo.
The CCT is around 4600K. The CRI is around 96.
The Delta u, v is slightly negative (rosy) on lower modes and close to pure white on High and Turbo.
The beam has wide hot spot and some spill. The hot spot looks like a square when the torch is held close to a wall but it looks more like a circle at a few metres.
| Mode | CCT (K) | CRI (Ra) | x | y | Duv |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moon | 4538 | 97.4 | 0.3588 | 0.3574 | -0.0023 |
| Low | 4598 | 96.6 | 0.3569 | 0.3565 | -0.0021 |
| Med | 4654 | 96.9 | 0.3553 | 0.3565 | -0.0015 |
| High | 4700 | 96.6 | 0.3542 | 0.3585 | -0.0001 |
| Turbo | 4876 | 96.1 | 0.3490 | 0.3568 | 0.0011 |
Calculate Duv from CIE 1931 xy coordinates
Dimensions and size comparison#
Dimensions#
I took the following measurements using a vernier caliper.
| Measurement | Unit (mm) |
|---|---|
| Height | 57.2 |
| Width | 24.15 |
| Depth | 32.5 |
Weight#
I took the following measurements using a digital scale.
| Weight | Unit (g) |
|---|---|
| Wuben X0 Knight | 85.16 |
Size comparison with its competition#
From left to right: Wuben X0, Wurkkos TS10, Olight i16, Nitecore Tini2
From left to right: Wuben X0, Wurkkos TS10, Olight i16, Nitecore Tini2
User interface#
There are four main modes: Moon, Low, Med and High. And three extra modes: Turbo, Strobe and SOS.
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Hold | Moon |
| Off | Click | On (mode memory) |
| Off | Two clicks | Strobe |
| Off | Four clicks | Lock-out |
| On | Hold | Cycle (Moon, Low, Med, High) |
| On | Click | Off |
| On | Two clicks | Turbo |
| On | Three clicks | Strobe |
| Lock-out | Click | Battery status indicator blinks three times |
| Lock-out | Four clicks | Low |
| Strobe | Click | Off or mode memory |
| Strobe | Two clicks | SOS |
| SOS | Click | Off or mode memory |
| SOS | Two clicks | Strobe |
| Turbo | Click | Off |
| Turbo | Two clicks | Strobe |
The torch will flash three times when entering lock-out mode.
Mode memory does not include Turbo, SOS or Strobe.
Strobe#
Strobe has an alternating frequency.
Programming mode#
You can adjust the brightness of Moon, Low, Med and High modes as follows:
| Mode | Min (lumens) | Max (lumens) |
|---|---|---|
| Moon | 1 | 15 |
| Low | 15 | 50 |
| Med | 50 | 150 |
| High | 150 | 300 |
To set the brightness for a particular mode:
- Click to turn the torch on.
- Hold and release to select Moon, Low, Med or High.
- Click and hold (2H). The brightness will ramp up or down and flash when it reaches the end.
- Release at the desired brightness level.
- Click and hold again to ramp in the opposite direction.
Battery status indication#
The indicator LED on the head will display the following for 5 seconds when the torch is on:
| Colour | Battery level |
|---|---|
| Blue | Capacity ≥ 90% |
| Blue blinking | 40% ≤ Capacity < 90% |
| Red | 15% ≥ Capacity < 40% |
| Red blinking | Capacity < 15% |
“Red blinking” will continue while the torch is on.
Low voltage protection#
I tested low voltage protection by connecting the driver of the torch to a bench power supply and then by lowering the voltage from 4.2V to 0V.
There is low voltage protection. The emitter turned off at 2.76V and the current stopped.
PWM#
I did not notice any visible PWM (flickering).
What I like about the UI#
- Simple to use.
- Programmable levels.
What could be improved#
- Turbo from off would be nice.
Batteries and charging#
Battery#
I unscrewed the tailcap with snap ring pliers to reveal a flat top Wuben 18350 1100mAh cell.
Charging#
The Wuben X0 has a USB-C charging port under the switch cover.
Power supply: PinePower Desktop USB-C PD
USB Meter: AVHzY CT-3 (recommended by LiquidRetro)
Room temperature: 18 C
I charged the Wuben X0 at a rate of 5V 1A after performing a runtime test. It took 1 hour 23 minutes for charging to complete. The charging status indicator light went from red to blue when charging was complete. I measured an initial voltage of 3.24V and a final voltage of 4.187V.
The X0 was a bit warm while charging.
Power supply compatibility#
I tried the following power supplies with the built-in USB-C charger:
| Power supply | USB Type | Protocol | Does it charge? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple 61W Power Adapter | USB-C | PD | Yes |
| Google Pixel Power Adapter | USB-C | PD | Yes |
| 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:
| FL1 STANDARD | Turbo | High | Med | Low | Moon | Strobe | SOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Output (lumens) | 900 + 300 | 250 | 150 | 50 | 1 | 900 | 50 |
| Runtime | 1min + 2h | 2.5h | 15h | 40h | 130h | ||
| Beam Distance (metres) | 103 | ||||||
| Beam Intensity (cd) | 2,670 |
Lumen measurements#
I used a bench power supply to measure the current at turn on.
| Mode | Specs | Amps at start | Lumens @turn on | Lumens @30 sec | Lumens @10 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moon | 1 | 5 mA | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Low | 50 | 0.02 A | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Med | 150 | 0.07 A | 45 | 45 | 45 |
| High | 250 | 0.38 A | 218 | 216 | 214 |
| Turbo | 900 | 2.27 A | 913 | 875 | 253 |
Standby drain#
9.1 µA
Runtime graphs#
I used my own DIY lumen tube with a TSL2591 sensor and forked bmengineer’s project RuTiTe to record runtimes.
Note: Lumen measurements may be off by 10% with my DIY lumen tube.
The room temperature was approximately 17 C.
Runtime#
Here is a summary of the runtime results:
| Mode | User manual | Runtime result | Final voltage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 1min + 2h | 2h 6min 48s | 3.24 |
| High | 2.5h | 2h 38min 10s | |
| Med | 15h | 14h 13min 30s | |
| Low | 40h | 10min+ | |
| Moon | 130h | 10min+ |
The runtime result is the time until my lumen tube no longer detects more than 1 lumen.
I stopped recording after 10 minutes for Moon and Low because they are expected to last more than a day.
The X0 runtime results line up with the specifications by Wuben.
Throw#
I took lux measurements with a UNI-T UT383BT at 30 seconds. Moon and Low were measured at one metre. Med, High and Turbo were measured at five metres.
| Mode | Specs (cd) | Specs (m) | Candela measured (cd) | Distance (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moon | 2 | 2 | ||
| Low | 49 | 14 | ||
| Med | 75 | 17 | ||
| High | 775 | 55 | ||
| Turbo | 2,670 | 103 | 3,725 | 122 |
The beam distance was slightly better than expected.
Beamshots#
I went to a local park and aimed the Wuben X0 Knight at a tree 70 metres away while using Turbo.
Beamshots were taken using a Sony RX100M2 using 3.2", f3.2, ISO 100, 5000K WB.
Wuben X0 Knight (Turbo)#
Wuben X3 (Turbo)#
Acebeam Pokelit AA Gray (High)#
Lumintop EDC15 (Turbo)#
ReyLight LANapple (100%)#
Conclusion#
The Wuben X0 has a very unique design. Despite having an odd shape, I found the torch to be practical.
The extremely strong magnet can be useful when going handsfree but it could also be a problem if you put it near other electronics.
The beam is nice and throwy. It is high CRI and slightly warm. And the runtimes are pretty good.
I honestly prefer the design of the Wuben X3 over the Wuben X0 due to the slimmer profile. Then again, the Wuben X0 beam looks better, it has USB-C charging, and the battery can be replaced.
Pros:#
- Good build quality (knocking it down a bit due to the pocket clip).
- High CRI.
- Nice beam.
- Replaceable battery.
- Built-in USB-C charging.
- Simple UI.
Cons:#
- Magnet is very strong.
- Odd shape.
Price#
The Wuben X0 White is AU$104.95 at the time of writing from liteshop.com.au
It is also available in brass and titanium.
Wuben are definitely aiming for enthusiasts with this price.
Product page#
Promo code: SG9IP8YKT5PI
liteshop.com.au affiliate link
Promo code: TIM20
https://www.wubenlight.com/collections/everyday-carry?ref=Tim
I may earn a commission if you use an affiliate link or a promo code. This will help fund future torch reviews and tutorials.