Wuben L1 Dual Beam Flashlight Review
The Wuben L1 Dual Beam flashlight offers both flood and throw. It also has a rotating head, includes a 21700 cell, and has built in charging! Read on!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the Wuben L1 dual beam flashlight product page.
Versions
There’s just one body for the Wuben L1 dual beam flashlight but it’s available in at least one variety. The throw emitter is the same (Luminus SST-40) but the flood emitter has options. One is higher output (Osram P9) but is much cooler. The other has a lower output but has high CRI (Nichia 519a).
Price
Including the cell you see in this review, the Wuben L1 dual beam flashlight sells for $79. I think that’s a fairly good deal!
Here’s a 20% off coupon, too:
zeroair20
Use that at my referral link for the Wuben L1!
Short Review
Again, at $79, I think the Wuben L1 dual beam flashlight is a fairly good deal. I usually carry more than one light and I’m accustomed to carrying a light that covers both throw and flood. I’d still do that, but the L1 covers both categories. Also, the twisty head is neat and works well, too.
Long Review
The Big Table
| Wuben L1 dual beam flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Luminus SST-40-W (Throw) |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $79.00
Here’s a 20% off coupon, too: |
| Cell: | 1×21700 |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | Yes with warning |
| Switch Type: | E-Switch |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | ? |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | With or without cell and/or tailcap: lowest mode with either or both emitters |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 2000 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1146 (57.3% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 15.98 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 350 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 683lux @ 5.198m = 18454cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 271.7 (77.6% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 5900-6000 Kelvin |
| Item provided for review by: | Wuben |
| All my Wuben reviews! | |
| Wuben L1 dual beam flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Nichia 519a (Flood) |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $79.00
Here’s a 20% off coupon, too: |
| Cell: | 1×21700 |
| Runtime Graph | |
| LVP? | Yes with warning |
| Switch Type: | E-Switch |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | ? |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | With or without cell and/or tailcap: lowest mode with either or both emitters |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 600 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 262 (43.7% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 3.79 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 102 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 34lux @ 4.604m = 721cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 53.7 (52.6% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 5300-5800 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 L1 dual beam flashlight
- 4800mAH 21700 cell
- Charging cable (USB-C to USB-C)
- Manual
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
I don’t have just a whole lot to say about the build quality of the Wuben L1 dual beam flashlight. It’s good. The right angle head is neat. It’s not a unique thing; we’ve seen this style of twisting head before. But Wuben using it, and knowing that Wuben makes high-quality and trustworthy things, makes this a good option.
I do appreciate the twist on this though, because of the difference in emitters – throw and flood. There are times you’d want an out-the-front throw (or flood) or right-angle throw (or flood). So the twist is reasonable.
The tailcap has a beefy spring and nice thick threads. Also, check out the knurling on the body – it’s on the tailcap, too. This makes for easy tailcap removal.
The positive contact inside the cell tube is not as thick as the tailcap spring, but still nice quality.
A couple of things about the twisty head. Yes, it can work while in an in-between state. Also, both emitters can be on at one time (though, I can’t think of any usual cases where that’d be needed.)
Size and Comps
128.2mm x 28mm and 170g with battery.
If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here (usually the third photo). If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll also show that (usually in 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. I also reviewed that specific edition, the “Oveready BOSS FT Collector Vintage Brass” 35. I love it!
Retention and Carry
A pocket clip is included and attached to the light from the factory. This clip is beefy – maybe even “unusually beefy” but has a nice bit of flex to it.
The flex makes the L1 easy to put on the pocket.
This friction-fit clip fits only one placer on the L1. That’s nearly the middle, but the deep shoulder still allows fairly deep carry. It’s not a two-way clip, either, so really bezel-up is the only way.
In the tailcap is a magnet. As far as I can tell, the magnet is not removable.
The magnet is perfectly strong for holding the Wuben L1 dual beam flashlight.
A final way to carry the L1 is with a lanyard. A lanyard is not included, but could be attached through this hole in the tailcap. Here’s a better shot of the knurling on the tailcap, too.
Power and Runtime
Wuben includes a 21700 cell that’s suitable for running the L1. It’s a button top cell with 4800mAh capacity.
The cell fits into the light in the usual way – positive end toward the head.
Below you can see a few runtime test. I do note that the output is lower than what Wuben claims. Both hit the claim at least briefly and initially but the light steps down dramatically and quickly.
When the cell voltage dips, an indicating LED between the two e-switches lights in red. It’ll blink when the voltage gets very low, too.
Charging
Wuben added onboard charging to the L1 dual beam flashlight, too. This USB-C charging port is on the head and covered by a press-in silicone cover.
A charging cable is included – it’s USB-C to USB-C.
Charging is respectable, at over 2A, and quick at around 2.5 hours.
A to C charging works fine, too.
While charging, the LED indicator between the switches blinks red. When charging is complete, this indicator turns green.
Powerbank
Aside from all the other features mentioned above, this USB-C charging port can also discharge the 21700 inside the L1. This is “powerbank” function, and is perfectly capable.
First, here’s a bit of stress testing. The powerbank can output around 2.5A without the voltage dipping too much, and can output around 2.2A continuously for much longer.
Here’s a complete cycle of ouptut – well over two hours at over 2A. A cell voltage of around 3V will not run the powerbank, so the light does have protection in that regard.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo – Spot | 2000-320 | 30s-7h | 1146 | 6.13 |
| High – Spot | 1000-320 | 30s-8.5h | 505 | 2.48 |
| Medium – Spot | 320 | 9h | 343 | 0.73 |
| Low – Spot | 35 | 60h | 31 | 0.08 |
| High – Flood | 600-380 | 60s-6h | 264 | 2.30 |
| Medium – Flood | 380 | 6.5h | 200 | 0.72 |
| Low – Flood | 25 | 90h | 15 | 0.07 |
Pulse Width Modulation
Every mode uses PWM.
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
There are two e-switches on the Wuben L1 dual beam flashlight. The L1 is basically controlled by two e-switches as two fully separate lights. In the photo below, you can see the indicator between the switches, too.
One switch is a bit higher than the other, but functionally this is irrelevant.
Action on both switches is about the same – low and pleasant.
Here’s a user interface table! The user interface for each light is essentially the same with the exception that the flood light lacks turbo. The forward button (nearest the front of the light) is for the spot emitter and the rear switch is for the flood emitter.
Each switch performs actions only on its respective emitter, so no concession needs to be made in the table about which emitter responds to which switch. It’s only one way.
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Click | On (mode memory) |
| On | Click | Off |
| Off | Hold | Low |
| On | Hold | Mode advance (Low > Medium > High) |
| Any | Click Spot switch 2x | Turbo |
| Any | Click Spot switch 3x | Strobe |
| Strobe | Click Spot switch 3x | SOS |
| Strobe or SOS | Click Spot Switch | Previous state |
There doesn’t appear to be an electronic lockout for the L1!
LED and Beam
As stated above, there are two emitters on the Wuben L1 dual beam flashlight. One, a Luminus SST-40-W is for throw and has a smooth deepish reflector.
The other is for flood usage and uses a TIR optic. This emitter might be an Osram P9 or Nichia 519a. Based on my CRI reports below, what I have here is the Nichia 519a version.
The indicator LED will give a brief indication of cell voltage on startup, too!
I said it above but here’s proof; both emitters can be used at the same time. I don’t know why you’d want to do this, but you can!
Either emitter works in either orientation, too. That, too, is a nice feature!
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
CCT on the throw emitter is fairly cool while being neutral-to-cool on the flood emitter. The flood emitter (at least this Nichia 519a version) is high, too.
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.
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
- Dual-emitter setup is pretty neat!
- The right-angle twisty head offers extra functionality
- Complete package with 21700 cell
- USB-C to USB-C charging works well
- Powerbank function works well
What I don’t like
- Stepdown from the initial output on either emitter is too dramatic
- No electronic lockout
Notes
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