Wuben X-2 Owl Flashlight Review
Wuben released another flashlight in the X series: the X-2 Owl. This light uses two 14500 cells and has USB-C charging, too! Read on!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the Wuben X-2 Owl flashlight product page.
Versions
There are some options when considering the Wuben X-2 Owl flashlight. There are a few aluminum bodies (black, “gradient ramp,” and white (seen here)). There’s also a copper body available. Among those options, there are Samsung LH351d (seen here) and Osram P9 choices, too.
Price
The white version as seen in this review is on Kickstarter at $79. The least expensive (black) is $68 and the most expensive (copper) is going for $99 now. I also was given a 20% discount code! I believe it’ll work on most or all Wuben products. Here’s the code:
zeroair20
Short Review
The Wuben X-2 Owl is a very fun little flashlight. It has the same feel of the Wuben X-1 Falcon but in a much more manageable body. I also love that copper is available! The user interface and output and runtimes – all of that looks great! C to C charging works, too!
Long Review
The Big Table
| Wuben X-2 Owl flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Samsung LH351D (Triple, 5000K) |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $98.00 at wubenlight.com
Here’s a 20% off coupon, too: |
| Cell: | 2×14500 |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | ? |
| Switch Type: | E-Switch |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | ? |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | Yes, but no Turbo |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 1800 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1672 (92.9% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 4.6 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 128 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 295lux @ 4.92m = 7141cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 169.0 (132% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | 5000 |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 4700-4900 Kelvin |
| Item provided for review by: | Wuben |
| 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 X-2 Owl flashlight
- Charging cable (USB-C to USB-C)
- Lanyard
- Two 14500 cells (“built-in”)
Package and Manual
I don’t think this is really a “production package” and Wuben did not provide me with a manual.
Build Quality and Disassembly
The Wuben X-2 Owl flashlight has an interesting design. We’ve seen rectangular lights before, but they’re still uncommon enough to warrant discussion. This light has mostly the same look as the X-1 Falcon but with some design mixed in from the X-0 Knight. All in all, it’s a great mix-up of the two lights.
Wuben seems adamant that the X-2 should not be disassembled.
I’d say based on having removed these four tailcap Torx screws, Wuben is properly right about these not being user serviceable. They are (probably) standard 14500 cells, but they seem to be connected on the front end by a wire (probably a J-type) and do not come out through the tailcap direction. Batteries like this are usually in series, too, so this light probably runs at ~8V.
Size and Comps
I measure the light as follows:
39.2 mm wide
20.3mm thick
84.5mm long
25.3mm thick including the pocket clip.
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.
Also above is 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.
The X-2 is much smaller than the X-1!
Retention and Carry
Wuben says they’ve updated the pocket clip to be more reliable. The clip is quite big, but provides great coverage and will work wonderfully on a belt.
It can be removed easily with just two screws.
Wuben also includes a lanyard, which can be attached on the pocket clip or through the hole in the body seen below.
Power and Runtime
The Wuben X-2 Owl flashlight is powered by two 14500 cells. Again, Wuben is adamant that these shouldn’t be messed with by the user. And in any case, they aren’t cells you’ll swap in the field – the light will require recharging via USB-C.
Runtimes look pretty good – all but the highest output is quite steady for the duration.
Charging
Charging on the Wuben X-2 Owl flashlight is by way of a USB-C charging port on the head. This charging port has an interesting flap cover much like the switch that was seen on the Wuben X-0. This cover also serves to actuate the e-switch.
The cable provided is USB-C to USB-C and obviously, that type of charging works fine.
Charging via USB-A proceeds at around 1A and requires around 2.25 hours.
Charging via USB-C also works fine, and the profile is about the same as USB-A charging. Time required is also around 2.25 hours.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 1800+800 | 1m+1h | 1672 |
| High | 400 | 2.5h | 292 |
| Medium | 100 | 10h | 65 |
| Low | 5 | 80h | 5 |
Pulse Width Modulation
There’s some ripple on the lower modes, but nothing you’ll notice (and not PWM).
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, which 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
The switch and the user interface are both as seen on the Wuben X-0. The switch itself is a soft-cover e-switch. But over that switch is the blue anodized lever-style switch. This metal part also serves as a charging port cover.
The action in this switch is great. Both the switch and a separate indicator below the switch have indicator functions.
There are two buttons for this metal cover to rest against. On the X-0, they appear to be brass, but here they seem stainless steel. When the cover goes from “up” (all the way up) to down, there’s a very pleasant ‘thonk’ that I can’t even describe. The cover has no bounce at all, and because of this thonk, could be described adequately as a fidget toy, too. Turns out that those two brass buttons are springy, and “catch” the cover when it lands. It’s exceptionally pleasant.
It’s possible to use the e-switch without the levered part. That switch is fairly tiny and fairly hidden though.
As you can see, the switch cover is translucent. It doesn’t directly have indicating features (I think), but the indicator visible from the top of the light (not visible in the photo below because of the hinged cover) has indicating features that also light up the switch just a bit.
Here’s a UI table!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Click | On (Mode Memory) and battery indicator from near-switch LED^ |
| On | Hold | Mode advance (Moon, Low, Med, High) |
| On | Double click | Turbo |
| On | Click | Off |
| Off | Hold | Eco (Or “Moon”, they call it both) |
| Off or Turbo | Double Click | Strobe |
| Strobe | Double Click | SOS |
| Strobe | Click | Return to previous state except Turbo, which resumes to Moon |
| Off | Click 4x | Lockout (indicated by three blinks from main emitter) |
| Lockout | Click | Lockout indication by LED indicator near switch |
| Lockout | Click 4x | Unlock to Moon |
| Any steady mode (excluding Turbo) | Click then Hold (two actions; it’s not just “hold” it’s: click first then hold) | Program output of selected mode^^ |
| Lockout | Click [wait], Double Click [wait], Triple Click | Resets light to default state. Light unlocks and turns on to Eco to confirm. |
^ Battery indication is as follows (from the near-switch LED)
Blue steady: ≥90% power
Blue flashing: 90% to ≥40% power
Red steady: 40% to ≥15% power
Red flashing: 15% to ≥ 0% power
^^ In programming mode, the output ramps up to the maximum possible for that level and blinks then begins ramping down to the lowest output possible for that mode and again blinks. When you release the switch, that mode is programmed to that output level.
LED and Beam
There are two options, but my version of the Wuben X-2 Owl flashlight has Samsung LH351d emitters. That’s great because they’re 5000K. I believe the other (Osram P9) are much cooler than 5000K.
This is a “triple” but the emitters are side by side in a line. They each have a small orange peel reflector.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
Both CCT and CRI are great – the claim of 5000K is accurate and the light is also High CRI.
Beamshots
These beamshots are always with the following settings: f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure.
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.
I compare everything to the KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!
Conclusion
What I like
- Nice small size
- C to C charging works
- Indicating switch
- “Programmable” levels
- Neat color options
- Offered in 5000K/High CRI
What I don’t like
- Batteries are not accessible
- Cells are actually wrapped (and probably in series – it’s a “battery pack” not “two 14500 cells”)
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!
- Please support me on Patreon! I deeply appreciate your support!
