Wuben X2 White Torch Review
Wuben X2 White#
- 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 X2 White |
|---|---|
| LED | 3x Samsung LH351D |
| Maximum lumens | 1,800 lm |
| Maximum beam intensity | 4,100 cd |
| Maximum throw | 182 m |
| Battery | Built-in 2000mAh |
| Onboard charging | Yes (USB-C) |
| Material | Aluminium |
| Modes | 4 |
| Blinkies | Strobe, SOS |
| Reflector | OP |
| Waterproof | IP68 |
| Review date | June 2023 |
Introduction#
Wuben kindly sent a Lightok Easy Carry Light set after visiting the Wuben factory.
Th set included the Wuben X0, X1, X2 and X3:
The Wuben X2 with a white micro-arc oxidation finish is a lighter version of the EDC torch and it feels smooth. I previously reviewed the heavier Wuben X2 Copper.
I have not been paid for this review nor have I held back my opinions of this torch.
Packaging#
The Wuben X2 comes in a white Wuben branded box. An image of the specific version of the torch, and the specifications, can be found on the back of the box.
The following was included in the box:
- Wuben X2 White
- USB-A to USB-C cable (lanyard)
- Red diffuser
- User manual
I like how the box has two doors that open up to reveal the torch!
Torch in use#
The Wuben X2 with a white micro-arc oxidation finish is pretty much the same size as the copper version but it is much lighter.
A blue aluminium flap acts as a cover for the USB-C charging port and as the point where you can click the electronic side switch (•ᴗ•).
It can be fun to fidget with the flap!
The blue flap does not flick forward as far as the silver flap on the Wuben X2 Copper so I opened it up to investigate.
I unscrewed the two black screws with a T6 bit and the two silver screws with a T7 bit to see if the blue flap can easily be removed and adjusted. Short answer: no. There are two pins holding the blue flap into the white aluminium piece. The two big circle bits near the USB-C port popped out with springs behind them. I had fun trying to get those back in and screwing everything back together.
The actual switch is hidden behind the silicone cover, between the two silver screws.
There is a battery status (and charging) indicator LED below the switch. It is visible when the flap is closed.
A USB-A to USB-C lanyard has been included. It has a nice design but I find myself using whatever USB-C cable my phone is using and end up with a drawer full of USB cables.
A red diffuser has also been included. It might be handy in an emergency if you have the Wuben X2 in a car as a backup light. I personally have never used a red diffuser as a traffic wand nor have I been in a situation requiring it. It might be useful for those in law enforcement.
I wish that the Wuben X2 had a magnet in the tailcap like the Wuben X0. I keep throwing the X0 in my pocket when I know that I need to have my hands free.
That said, the lack of magnet makes the Wuben X2 a bit more pocket friendly when I have other electronic devices and metal objects in my pockets.
Build quality#
This version of the Wuben X2 is made of aluminium and it has a white micro-arc oxidation finish. It feels like a smooth matte finish.
The fins on the side have not been chamfered. They are not sharp but it would be nice if the edges were chamfered to make them smoother.
The metal pocket clip is much thinner and more flexible compared to the pocket clip on the Wuben X2 Copper.
There are multiple long slots where you could install glow sticks or tritium vials to personalise the Wuben X2.
“Do not disassemble” can be found on the bottom of the torch.
LED, bezel, lens, reflector and beam#
The Wuben X2 White has three Samsung LH351D emitters sitting behind a glass lens with an anti-reflective coating.
I did a teardown of the Wuben X2 Copper.
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 one metre away from an Opple Light Master Pro III (G3).
The CCT is around 4600K. The CRI is around 96.
The Delta u, v is close to zero on lower modes and slightly positive (green) on Turbo. It is a bit of a tint lottery with these Samsung LH351D emitters. I prefer to the tint of my Wuben X0 and Wuben X2 Copper.
The beam produced has an oval hot spot and a rectangular spill. There is a corona and a hint of purple in the spill when using Turbo.
| Mode | CCT (K) | CRI (Ra) | x | y | Duv |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 4499 | 97.6 | 0.3609 | 0.3628 | -0.0004 |
| Med | 4554 | 96.0 | 0.3591 | 0.3622 | -0.0001 |
| High | 4602 | 95.8 | 0.3577 | 0.3628 | 0.0007 |
| Turbo | 4723 | 95.3 | 0.3543 | 0.3650 | 0.0031 |
Calculate Duv from CIE 1931 xy coordinates
Dimensions and size comparison#
Dimensions#
I took the following measurements using a vernier caliper.
| Measurement | Unit (mm) |
|---|---|
| Length | 84.5 |
| Height | 20.0 |
| Height with pocket clip | 25.0 |
| Head width | 39.1 |
| Body width | 35.0 |
Weight#
I took the following measurements using a digital scale.
| Weight | Unit (g) |
|---|---|
| Wuben X2 White | 120.56 |
Size comparison with its competition#
From left to right: Wuben X2, Wurkkos TS10, ReyLight LANapple Purple
From left to right: Wuben X2, Wurkkos TS10, ReyLight LANapple Purple
From left to right: Wuben X0, Wuben X1, Wuben X2, Wuben X3 Prototype
User interface#
The Wuben X2 has an electronic side switch. It is relatively easy to use. Click on, click off. Hold to change modes.
There are three main modes: Low, Med and High. And shortcuts to: Turbo, Strobe and SOS.
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Hold | Low |
| Off | Click | On (mode memory) |
| Off | Two clicks | Turbo |
| Off | Three clicks | Strobe |
| Off | Four clicks | Lock-out |
| On | Hold | Cycle (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 | On (mode memory) |
| Strobe | Three clicks | SOS |
| SOS | Click | On (mode memory) |
| SOS | Three clicks | Strobe |
| Turbo from off, SOS or Strobe | Two clicks | Turbo |
| Turbo from Low, Med or High | Two clicks | On (mode memory) |
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 each Low, Med and High modes as follows:
| Mode | Default | Min (lumens) | Max (lumens) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 5 | 5 | 100 |
| Med | 100 | 100 | 400 |
| High | 400 | 400 | 800 |
To set the brightness for a particular mode:
- Click to turn the torch on.
- Hold and release to select 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.
Factory reset#
Enter lockout mode and then:
- Click, (pause for less than 0.5 seconds), Double click (pause for less than 0.5 seconds), Triple click.
The torch will enter reset, exit lockout mode, and enter the lowest mode.
Battery status indication#
The indicator LED near the switch 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 the Wuben X2 Copper and it has low voltage protection. The emitters turned off at 2.76V and the current dropped to 1.1 mA.
Here is a video:
Low voltage protection! Wuben X2 Copper
PWM#
I did not notice any visible PWM (flickering).
What I like about the UI#
- It is relatively easy to use. Click on, click off. Hold to change modes.
What could be improved#
- Direct access to SOS might be nice.
- It would be nice if two clicks while in Turbo always results in the torch exiting Turbo mode. I noticed that the torch remained in Turbo while peforming two clicks after coming from off, Strobe or SOS.
Batteries and charging#
Battery#
I did a teardown in my Wuben X2 Copper review.
There are two 14500 cells connected in parallel (1S2P) to provide a capacity of 2000mAh.
Charging#
The indicator LED went red while charging and it went blue when charging was complete.
Power supply: PinePower Desktop USB-C
USB Meter: AVHzY CT-3 (recommended by LiquidRetro)
Room temperature: 13 C
Charging completed after 2 hours 36 minutes. The charging rate was approximately 5V 1A.
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 | Strobe | SOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Output (lumens) | 1,800 + 800 | 400 | 100 | 5 | 1,000 | 200 |
| Runtime | 1min + 1h | 2.5h | 10h | 80h | ||
| Beam Distance (metres) | 128 | |||||
| Beam Intensity (cd) | 4,100 |
Lumen measurements#
| Mode | Amps at start | Specs | Lumens @turn on | Lumens @30 sec | Lumens @10 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 0.01 A | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Med | 0.16 A | 100 | 89 | 88 | 88 |
| High | 0.67 A | 400 | 354 | 348 | 342 |
| Turbo | 5+ A | 1,800 | 1,625 | 1,612 | 660 |
“Amps at start” measurements are from my Wuben X2 Copper review.
Standby drain#
29.1 µA
This measurement is from my Wuben X2 Copper review.
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 13 C.
Runtime#
Here is a summary of the runtime results:
| Mode | User manual | Runtime result |
|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 1min + 1h | 1h 15min 58s |
| High | 2h 30min | 2h 50min 35s |
| Med | 10h | 11h 35min 10s |
| Low | 80h | 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 the Low mode.
I was able to turn the torch back on after the Turbo runtime finished. The battery was not completely drained.
The runtime results were slightly better than expected. However, the lumen output was lower than expected for Turbo at 30 seconds (1,612 lumens vs 1,800 lumens from the user manual).
The Wuben X2 Copper managed to hit 1,758 lumens at 30 seconds but the runtimes finished a few minutes earlier compared to the aluminium Wuben X2 with the same Samsung LH351D emitters.
Throw#
I took lux measurements with a UNI-T UT383BT at 30 seconds. Low was measured at one metre. Med, High and Turbo were measured at five metres.
| Mode | Specs (cd) | Specs (m) | Candela measured (cd) | Distance (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 13 | 7 | ||
| Med | 200 | 28 | ||
| High | 1,100 | 66 | ||
| Turbo | 4,100 | 128 | 5,575 | 149 |
Beamshots#
I went to a local park and aimed the Wuben X2 White 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 X2 White (Turbo)#
Wuben X2 Copper (Turbo)#
ReyLight LANapple (100%)#
Wurkkos TS10 4000K (Turbo)#
Conclusion#
The aluminium Wuben X2 with a white micro-arc oxidation finish is a great EDC option if you are looking for a pocket-sized rectangular torch. Built-in USB-C charging makes it convenient while travelling.
The rectangular beam looks nice and smooth.
I like the spacing between each mode but if you would prefer it to be brighter then you can configure each level to be brighter.
It would be better if Wuben used two replaceable 14500 cells instead of having a battery pack soldered to the driver. This would make it easier to replace the cells after years of use. The Wuben X0 is currently the only torch in this series where the battery (an 18350) can easily be replaced.
Light output for Turbo was slightly lower than expected at 30 seconds. I noticed similar results in a review by 1lumen.com.
Runtime results were better than expected (similar to the Wuben X2 Copper).
Pros:#
- Good build quality.
- Floody beam.
- High CRI.
- Beam looks nice.
- Built-in USB-C charging.
Cons:#
- No magnet in the tailcap.
- Edges are not chamfered.
- Battery pack is soldered to the driver.
- UI bug where I can’t exit Turbo with two clicks from off, Strobe or SOS.
Price#
The Wuben X2 White is AU$179.95 at the time of writing from liteshop.com.au.
Wuben are definitely aiming for enthusiasts with this price.
Product page#
Promo code: SG9IP8YKT5PI
liteshop.com.au affiliate link
Promo code: TIM20
I may earn a commission if you use an affiliate link or a promo code. This will help fund future torch reviews and tutorials.
For example:
Low voltage protection! Wuben X2 White
https://www.wubenlight.com/collections/everyday-carry?ref=Tim