Wuben H5 Headlamp Review
Wuben has released the H5, a new headlamp with a twist! The H5 has two magnets, is dual-fuel (14500 and AA), and has a simple user interface.
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the Wuben H5 headlamp product page.
Versions
There is only one version.
Price
Looks like this little headlamp is going for $34.99. However, Wuben included a discount with this review copy for 20% off. Get your Wuben H5 at wubenlight.com! Code is ZERO20.
Short Review
The Wuben H5 is a neat little headlamp offering a bunch of good features. Probably most importantly, it runs on both 14500 (with one cell included) and AA chemistry, a feature I look for in this size light. The user interface is simple and the headband connector is feature-rich too! It’s very floody, and the output is high in the CCT range, so bear those things in mind.
Long Review
The Big Table
| Wuben H5Â Headlamp | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Osram P9 |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $34.99 at wubenlight.com 20% off coupon: ZERO20 |
| Cell: | 1×14500 |
| Turbo Runtime Graph | High Runtime Graph |
| LVP? | Yes |
| Switch Type: | E-Switch |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | 0.06 |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C (on cell) |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | – |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 400 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 358 (89.5% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 3.8 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 73 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 140lux @ 3.141m = 1381cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 74.3 (101.8% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 6000-6800 Kelvin |
| Item provided for review by: | Wuben |
| All my Wuben reviews! | |
| Wuben H5 Headlamp | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Osram P9 |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $34.99 at wubenlight.com 20% off coupon: ZERO20 |
| Cell: | 1xAA |
| Turbo Runtime Graph | High Runtime Graph |
| LVP? | Yes |
| Switch Type: | E-Switch |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | 0.2 |
| On-Board Charging? | No |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 250 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 232 (92.8% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 3.9 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 73 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 103lux @ 2.974m = 911cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 60.4 (82.7% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 5700-6700 Kelvin |
| Item provided for review by: | Wuben |
| All my Wuben reviews! | |
^ Measurement disclaimer: I am an amateur flashlight reviewer. I don’t have $10,000 or even $1,000 worth of testing equipment. I test output and such in PVC tubes!! Please consider claims within 10% of what I measure to be perfectly reasonable (accurate, even).
What’s Included
- Wuben H5 Headlamp
- Wuben 920mAh 14500
- Charging cable (USB to USB-C)
- Lanyard
- Spare o-rings (2)
- Headband
- Manual
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
Wuben ships the H5 already attached to this headband mount. That’s fine; this will probably mostly be used that way. But the light does come out of this mount easily if needed.
I was able to remove only the tailcap. The threads here are nice and beefy. Square cut, not too long, and appropriately lubed. The tailcap has a great grip surface, too.
Inside, the tailcap has a nice spring.
The head end has only a button for contact, though.
Size and Comps
Size: 72mm x 22.8mm x 23.8mm, and weighing in at 43g (without cell) or 63g with cell.
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
Primarily the H5 should be considered a headlamp. Yes, it’ll come off the connector fairly easily, but this is how it ships.
This connector has all manner of swivel built-in. Wuben describes it as 360° swivel. I didn’t test that but it seems about right. It’s probably more, really. The light can go in circles in at least two directions.
You can just see them peeking through the back there, but this connector also has magnets built-in. That’s an interesting feature. But note the connector here. This little clip allows free adjustment over the band, and when the apparatus is in the desired place, this clip is snapped into place to lock the light down.
You can use the Wuben H5 clipped to the headband, but this loop is also plenty big to fit over something else (like a knife blade, in the photo below.)Â Plenty of uses for this!
To remove the H5 from the connector, the tailcap must be removed. Then the light just slides out.
One more note about this light – the tailcap also has a magnet.
One nice feature that’s built into the body of the H5 is the area near the tailcap. Those ridges allow a ratcheting-like action when twisting the light inside the connector.
The headband isn’t really too much special but it’s nice in that it’s light and thin.
Here’s a better look at how the little clip clips down onto the band. You might be able to use this on a belt (for example) but it’d have to be a fairly thin belt.
Above I mentioned the ratcheting feature – here you can better see where those grooves go into that connector (and then the tailcap is screwed on).
Finally, there’s the lanyard. It attaches through the tailcap.
Power and Runtime
Wuben added a great feature into the H5. That’s the ability to run on lithium-ion power or 1.5V cells too (like NiMH or primary alkaline). They include a single 920mAh 14500, too.
This is a standard button top 14500 cell.
The cell is installed into the H5 in the usual direction – positive terminal toward the head.
In case you forget that nearly standard bit of information, there’s a little icon on the tailcap.
Here are some runtimes. I tested the highest two modes with both cell types. The output is just a little below the claimed specification (but probably not significantly), but Wuben’s stated runtimes are actually quite accurate.
The High test with an Eneloop saw some increase at 60 minutes – there’s a chance that’s real, and there’s a chance I bumped the testing kit and moved the light… It’s small enough that I don’t think it’s worth a retest, though. More important is 45 minutes at 240 lumens!
Charging
While the H5 itself doesn’t have charging, the included cell does. That’s by way of a USB-C port on the positive terminal.
Wuben includes a cell, too. It’s USB to USB-C.
Charging looks pretty good, peaking at around 0.56A. It requires only around two and a half hours. When charging, there’s a red LED on the positive terminal. When charging is complete, this switches over to green.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps@4.2V |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | 400-250 | 10m-1.5h | 358 | 0.90 |
| Med | 150 | 3h | 149 | 0.34 |
| Low | 50 | 7h | 50 | 0.11 |
| Moon | 1 | 120h | 1 | 6.13mA |
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps @1.5V |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | 250 | 1.5h | 232 | 1.90 |
| Med | 150 | 3h | 148 | 0.90 |
| Low | 50 | 6h | 50 | 0.29 |
| Moon | 1 | 80h | 1 | 18.8mA |
Pulse Width Modulation
There’s no PWM to be seen on the Wuben H5!
14500:
AA:
For reference, here’s a baseline shot, with all the room lights off and almost nothing hitting the sensor. Also, here’s the light with the worst PWM I could find. I’m adding multiple timescales, so it’ll be easier to compare to the test light. Unfortunately, the PWM on this light is so bad that it doesn’t even work with my normal scale, with is 50 microseconds (50us).  10ms. 5ms. 2ms. 1ms. 0.5ms. 0.2ms.  In a display faster than 0.2ms or so, the on/off cycle is more than one screen, so it’d just (very incorrectly) look like a flat line. I wrote more about this Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight and explained a little about PWM too.
User Interface and Operation
A single e-switch controls the whole operation of the Wuben H5. That switch is on the “top” of the H5 (or either side, depending on how you have the light set up in the headband).
The switch is proud (domed) and has a “W” Wuben logo. The action is fairly low and the switch is very clicky.
Here’s a UI table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Click | On (Mode Memory) |
| On | Click | Off |
| On | Hold | Mode advance (Moon – Low- Med – High) |
| Off | Hold | Moon |
| Any | Double-Click | SOS |
| SOS | Click | Previous mode |
There is no lockout. Loosening the tailcap by any amount will mechanically lock the light.
LED and Beam
Wuben uses an Osram P9 in this tiny headlamp. As we’ve seen with previous Wuben lights, this headlamp is intended to be very floody.
It is very floody but there’s actually still a good bit of spot in the beam profile.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
Wuben doesn’t state the CRI or CCT of this emitter but as you can guess from above, it’s quite cool. It’s warmer on the lower modes with an AA cell, though.
14500:
AA:
Beamshots
These beamshots are always with the following settings:Â f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure.
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
- Good size
- Headband connector is feature-packed
- Very simple user interface
- Runs on both 1.5V and 4.2V cell
- Fairly low cost (including cell!)
- Can be used without headband easily
What I don’t like
- Cool white emitter
- Would love a better emitter choice overall (neutral/warm, high CRI)
Notes
- This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Â Please visit there for the best experience!
- For flashlight-related patches, stickers, and gear, head over to PhotonPhreaks.com!
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