Wuben E6 Flashlight Review
The Wuben E6 is one of the tiniest flashlights that is also a dedicated thrower. And it’s dual fuel! Both AA and 14500 work great!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the Wuben E6 flashlight product page.
Versions
There’s only one version.
Price
MSRP on this thrower is $46.99. They’re available on BangGood right now – BangGood sent this light for review, so it’s fair to link them here! The Wuben E6 flashlight is still going at MSRP there, too. That’s a referral link.
Here’s a 20% off coupon, too:
zeroair20
which should work at wubenlight.com
Short Review
I went into this review knowing I was basically going to like this light. That’s not to say I was biased, but I do know what to expect from Wuben, and the fact that this light can run on AA and 14500 both, just makes it a winner!
Long Review
The Big Table
| Wuben E6 Flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | OSRAM KW CSLPM1.TG |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $46.99 at banggood.com (referral link)
Here’s a 20% off coupon, too: |
| Cell: | 1×14500 |
| Turbo Runtime Graph | High Runtime Graph |
| LVP? | Switch Warning |
| Switch Type: | E-Switch |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | 1.06mA with breathing switch 0.11mA without breathing switch |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | – |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | – |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 900 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 792 (88% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 60.8 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 410 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 1209lux @ 6.031m = 43975cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 419.4 (102.3% of claim)^ |
| Item provided for review by: | BangGood |
| All my Wuben reviews! | |
| Wuben E6 Flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | OSRAM KW CSLPM1.TG |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $46.99 at banggood.com (referral link)
Here’s a 20% off coupon, too: |
| Cell: | 1xAA |
| Turbo Runtime Graph | High Runtime Graph |
| LVP? | Switch Warning |
| Switch Type: | E-Switch |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | 2.7mA with breathing switch 0.29mA without breathing switch |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | – |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | – |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 350 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 270 (77.1% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 58.3 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 410 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 515lux @ 5.141m = 13611cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 233.3 (56.9% of claim) (claim is technically for the 14500, I believe)^ |
| Item provided for review by: | BangGood |
| All my Wuben reviews! | |
^ Measurement disclaimer: Testing flashlights is my hobby. I use hobbyist-level equipment for testing, including some I made myself. Try not to get buried in the details of manufacturer specifications versus measurements recorded here; A certain amount of difference (say, 10 or 15%) is perfectly reasonable.
What’s Included
- Wuben E6 Flashlight
- Wuben 920mAh 14500
- Wuben Lanyard
- Spare o-rings (2)
- Manual
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
The build quality of the Wuben E6 flashlight is great.
It’s a very angular flashlight, so it feels very active in hand. In particular, around the switch area, the light goes from “AA-flashlight diameter” to “big reflector for thrower” diameter abruptly on the sides. This is most visible in the photos above.
Only the tailcap is removable here – these threads are square-cut, anodized, and not too long.
A beefy spring graces the tailcap.
Inside the cell tube, however, is just a brass button.
Size and Comps
Size 87mm x 30mm
Weight 50g(without battery) / 75g(with battery)
If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here (usually the third photo). If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll show that here, too (usually the fourth photo).
Here’s the test light with the venerable Convoy S2+. Mine’s a custom “baked” edition Nichia 219b triple. A very nice 18650 light.
And here’s the light beside my custom engraved TorchLAB BOSS 35, an 18350 light. I reviewed the aluminum version of that light in both 35 and 70 formats.
Retention and Carry
Wuben put a screw-down pocket clip on the side of the E6. It actually seems quite suited to this light and hits the head in a great place for ease of use.
The hole spacing on this clip seems proprietary (so to speak) – no swapping in a SteelFlame clip here.
Wuben includes a lanyard as well. This lanyard fits in the tailcap and only in the tailcap.
I’ll add that the tailcap seems decently suited to this type of lanyard attachment, though, because there are cutouts to allow the lanyard over.
Power and Runtime
Provided with the Wuben E6 flashlight is a single lithium-ion 14500 cell. This cell is a standard button top and has a capacity of 920mAh.
However the Wuben E6 flashlight has one big benefit – it’ll also run on 1.5V cells. That includes primary AA-sized cells and NiMH AA cells. This is a big deal!!
The cell goes into the light with the positive end (button) toward the head.)
Here are four runtime graphs. Two are with the included 14500 cell, and two are with an IKEA LADDA NiMH cell.
Performance on all cell types looks great. Again let me stress how much I love that this light can use 4.2V cells as well as 1.5V cells. You could consider the Wuben E6 a good bugout bag flashlight!
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps (@4.2V) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | 900 | 1h | 792 | 3.65 |
| Medium | 100 | 4h | 92 | 0.37 |
| Low | 10 | 34h | 11.1 | 0.03 |
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps (@1.5V) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | 350/170 | 1m/1.2h | 270 | 3.36 |
| Medium | 100 | 3h | 88 | 0.53 |
| Low | 10 | 32h | 9.4 | 0.04 |
Pulse Width Modulation
If there’s a downside to the Wuben E6 flashlight, it’s the PWM. I’ll add, however, that the PWM is so fast you’re very unlikely to notice it, at which point it just becomes a personal preference. And if you can’t notice it, then it’s not really an issue at all. So this is completely acceptable.
Also from here down, I’ll show the 14500 information first (since Wuben seems to think of this as primarily a 14500 light, and that’s what’s included), and then the AA information.
14500:
AA:
Here you can see a “baseline” – a chart with almost no light hitting the sensor.
Then there’s the Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight, which has some of the worst PWM I’ve seen. It’s so bad that I used a post about it to explain PWM! Here are multiple timescales (10ms, 5ms, 2ms, 1ms, 0.5ms, 0.2ms) to make comparing this “worst” PWM light to the test light easier. That post also explains why I didn’t test the WF-602C at the usual 50us scale.
User Interface and Operation
A single e-switch is used in the Wuben E6 flashlight. It’s on the side of the head.
This switch has a very domed cover and is easy to find.
The switch has an indicating function too. It can indicate in both red and blue. Here’s what the colors indicate:
Blue steady: ≥90% capacity
Blue blinking: 90% to ≥ 40% capacity
Red steady: 40% to ≥15% capacity
Red blinking: 15% to ≥0% capacity
Here’s a user interface table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Click | On (Mode memory) |
| Off | Hold | No action |
| Any | Double Click | Strobe |
| Strobe | Double Click | SOS |
| On | Click | Off |
| On | Hold | Mode advance (LMH) |
| Off | Click 3x | Iterate the switch indicator between “off” and “breathing” (This can be performed in lockout mode, too!) |
| Off | Click 4x | Iterate lockout mode |
| Lockout | Click | Switch blinks three times to indicate lockout (whether the switch is in “breathing mode” or not; this action is separate from “breathing”) |
LED and Beam
Wuben has put an Osram KW CSLPM1.TG in the E6. This is a throwy emitter – that’s the whole point of it!
Wuben couples this throwy emitter with a smooth and relatively big reflector.
The bezel has tiny teeth that allow light to escape while headstanding. I know this is a nearly irrelevant feature, but it’s one I prefer. And I like it on the E6, too!
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
14500:
AA:
There’s an interesting thing you might be able to pick up on from these color charts. When using the 14500 cell, the emitter is driven a little harder. We can see that specifically by the CCT (in Kelvin) going higher. This is not a surprise – the output on High with a 14500 cell is much higher than with an AA.
Beamshots
These beamshots always have the following settings: f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure. These photos are taken at floor level, and the beam hits the ceiling around 9 feet away.
14500:
AA:
Tint vs BLF-348 (KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b version) (affiliate link)
I keep the test flashlight on the left and the BLF-348 reference flashlight on the right.
14500:
AA:
I compare everything to the KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!
Conclusion
What I like
- Throwy tiny flashlight!
- Dual-fuel: works with lithium-ion and 1.5V cells too!
- Includes 14500 cell
- Good simple user interface
- Switch
What I don’t like
- A fourth mode might be a good addition
- No direct access to Low
Notes
- This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
- For flashlight-related patches, stickers, and gear, head over to PhotonPhreaks.com!
- Please use my amazon.com referral link to help support zeroair.org!
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