Wuben T4 Tactical Flashlight Review

The Wuben T4 tactical flashlight has a very throwy Osram emitter and includes a tactical grip ring. It runs one 18350 (included) and charges via USB-C. Read on!

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Official Specs and Features

Here’s a referral link to the Wuben T4 tactical flashlight product page.

Versions

There are two body colors of the Wuben T4 tactical flashlight. There’s this black version as well as another color just labeled “original.”

Price

Wuben is offering the Wuben T4 tactical flashlight at an introductory price of $53.91 (referral link), down from the $69.99 MSRP. Until the end of today you can get the Wuben AP50 tactical grip ring shown in this review for only $1 extra.

From today until May 31 there’s an additional 10% coupon, too! Here’s that coupon: plus10

That should bring the light price down under $50!

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What’s Included

I did not get the retail package. The parts I received are as follows:

• Wuben T4 tactical flashlight
• Wuben 1100mAh 18350
• Tactical grip

Package and Manual

Here’s the manual. I didn’t get a box.

Build Quality and Disassembly

Build quality on the Wuben T4 tactical flashlight is good. As with most Wuben lights, the tube has a lot going on. I do like that the head isn’t just “round” though – it’s a rounded square.

This is billed as a “portable tactical” flashlight. Below you can see that while the tailcap has a spring, the head does not. I usually look for tactical lights to have springs in both the head and tail.

Size and Comps

97mm x 33mm x 30mm and 104.7g 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+. The version below is a custom laser-engraved Convoy S2+ host by GadgetConnections.com. I did a full post on an engraved orange host right here! Or go straight to GadgetConnections.com to buy your Convoy S2+ now!

Also above is the light beside a 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

First, there’s a pocket clip. It’s a nice blue color and attaches via friction only on the tail end of the T4.

Also included, and probably more important, is this tactical grip ring.

It features a glass breaker, too.

The tactical ring and pocket clip can be used at the same time. Note that with the tac ring in place, the mode selection options are obfuscated. To get them visible, you’ll have to remove the tailcap, then remove the tactical ring. Also, it’s hard to use the rotary selector with the tactical ring in place, in general.

I don’t really know how to hold lights tactically but here’s my best effort. I really tacictal’d some tactics!!

The fit of this tactical ring is fairly nice. It’s not keyed to the body and can rotate. It doesn’t rotate freely or too loosely but can rotate. The pocket clip is keyed to the tactical ring, so if it rotates, so does the clip.

Power and Runtime

The Wuben T4 tactical flashlight runs a single lithium-ion cell. This 1100mAh 18350 is included.

The cell goes “positive end in” as on most lights. You should be able to use other 18350 cells in the Wuben T4 tactical flashlight. The included cell is fairly long though, at 38 or 39mm. So a very standard 18350 will probably be too short (particularly since the head end of the light has a button and not a spring.)

Below are runtime tests on the highest two modes. High output steps down quickly and fairly dramatically (and disappointingly). Medium is more stable, but still drifts.

Charging

The Wuben T4 tactical flashlight does feature USB-C charging. There’s a screw-down collar for accessing the charge port. This does protect the charging port nicely but I don’t love how the cover flops fairly freely when it’s “open.”

There’s a charging indicator near the charge port. Below you can see it lit in red, which indicates that charging is active. This light is blue when charging is complete.

C to C and A to C both work fine.

Modes and Currents

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Measured Lumens	Tailcap Amps
High	850-350	1m+1h	687 (0s) 514 (30s)	7.74
Medium	150	2.5h	149 (0s) 146 (30s)	?
Low	5	70h	5	?

Pulse Width Modulation

Every mode (H to L below) uses fast PWM. Product documentation says the T4 has “a built-in forward and reverse frequency modulation circuit system, constant current output, no flicker, …” So I feel like they may have something crossed up there because this is clearly not “no flicker.”

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’s a single switch on the Wuben T4 tactical flashlight. It’s a mechanical reverse clicky and is very proud. It’s also very flat, so if you’re determined, the light will tailstand.

The action is very deep!

Before even clicking, though, you’ll need to make a selection on the tail rotary selector. Three options are “DUTY,” “TAC,” and “LOCK.” This rotary selector does not just rotate. You have to pull it “tailcap-ward” and then rotate it. So it’s nice that it’s locked in place a bit, but the direction of pull is hard to do when the tactical grip is in place.

Here’s a user interface table!

State	Action	Result
Off – Dial to “LOCK”	Any click	No change (still off).
Off – Dial to “TAC”	Hold (not click)	Momentary High
Off – Dial to “TAC”	Click	Steady Strobe
On – Dial to “TAC”	Click	Off
Off – Dial to “DUTY”	Hold (not click)	Momentary High
Off – Dial to “DUTY”	Click	High
On – Dial to “DUTY”	Tap	Mode advance (descending: HML)
On – Dial to “DUTY”	Click	Off

LED and Beam

The Wuben T4 tactical flashlight utilizes an Osram KW CSLPM1.TG emitter. There’s a nice smooth reflector too. It’s deep!

The bezel has some relief.

As expected, the beam profile is “throwy.”

LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)

Wuben claims the T4 at 6500K and that’s approximately what we see here (at least on average). High is cooler and Low is warmer. The emitter is low CRI.

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!

Summary and Conclusion

The Wuben T4 tactical flashlight is a neat option for a handheld tactical flashlight. It offers great throw, reasonable output, and functional USB-C charging. The rotary mode selector is very useful, but can be somewhat difficult to use while the tactical grip ring is in place.

The Big Table

Wuben T4 tactical flashlight
Emitter:	Osram KW CSLPM1.TG (6500K, Low CRI)
Price in USD at publication time:	$62.91
Cell:	1×18350
Runtime Graphs
LVP?	Yes
Switch Type:	Mechanical
On-Board Charging?	Yes
Charge Port Type:	USB-C
Charge Graph
Power off Charge Port	No
Claimed Lumens (lm)	850
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	514 (60.5% of claim)^
Candela per Lumen	60.76
Claimed Throw (m)	401
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	811lux @ 5.918m = 28403cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	337.1 (84.1% of claim)^
Claimed CCT	6500
Measured CCT Range (K)	6200-7000 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 I like

• Complete package
• Uses 18350
• USB-C Charging
• Good throw
• Simple user interface

What I don’t like

• PWM (even though advertised as “no flicker”)
• I don’t love the charge port cover (it doesn’t need to flop around)
• Could use a fourth mode
• Rotary ring is a bit hard to access when the tactical grip is in place
• Does not hit output claim
• Charging port cover collar seems like it should align with other body parts, but it does not.

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Notes

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