Wurkkos TS23 Tactical Flashlight Review
Here’s the Wurkkos TS23 tactical flashlight, a 21700 light featuring a Cree XHP70.3 HI emitter and a tail e-switch. It offers high output and USB-C charging!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a link to the Wurkkos TS23 tactical flashlight product page.
Versions
There’s just one version of the Wurkkos TS23 tactical flashlight but it’s available with or without the cell seen in this post. The “with cell” looks to be sold out at the moment, though!
Price
The Wurkkos TS23 tactical flashlight sells for a reasonable $47.99!
What’s Included
- Wurkkos TS23 tactical flashlight
- Wurkkos 5000mAh 21700
- Charging cable
- Lanyard
- Spare o-rings (2)
- Manual
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
For the price of $48, this light has exceptional build quality. I might even argue that it punches well above $48!
It’s a familiar build. For example, the Wurkkos TD03 offers a very similar package, but in 18650 size.
The tailcap doesn’t come off. It doesn’t appear to be one piece with the body, so it must be glued. That leaves the head for removal, and that’s very smooth, even though these threads are unanodized.
Both head and tail have nice thick springs.
I wasn’t able to unscrew the bezel. It’s clearly a separate piece though, so if you really want in, you can probably make it happen.
Size and Comps
Dimension: 138mm (length) x 41mm (head diameter)
Weight: 173g / 0.38lb (excluded 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
The friction-fit pocket clip attaches to the tail end. It’s a two-way pocket clip and plenty beefy.
The clip offers a couple of lanyard attachment points, but a better place can be seen below.
And here’s the better place for the lanyard: the tailcap. There’s a hole here for lanyard attachment.
It’s the simplest of simple lanyards.
Power and Runtime
If you opt for the package (which adds around $5), you’ll get this 5000mAh flat-top 21700 cell seen below. Four dollars is perfectly reasonable (and recommended) for your purchase.
The cell goes into the light in the usual way – positive end toward the head.
If you forget which way to put the cell, you can reference the silk-screen log on the tailcap.
Below are a few runtimes. Wurkkos claims 5000 lumens and this light doesn’t seem to hit that measurement. Even if it did initially, that stepdown is pretty quick and pretty massive.
Low voltage protection is observed. There’s also a red charging indicator which functions during operation, too.
Charging
The Wurkkos TS23 tactical flashlight offers USB-C charging. The charge port is in the tail and has a press-in cover.
A USB to USB-C cable is included.
Charging looks okay. Charge time is still acceptable though, at around 3.5 hours. A to C and C to C both work fine.
Modes and Currents of the Wurkkos TS23 Tactical Flashlight
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 5000 | 2.5h | 4070 (0s) 2357 (30s) |
| High | 1800 | 3.75h | 1462 |
| Medium | 800 | 6.5h | 595 |
| Low | 300 | 11.5h | 235 |
| Eco | 50 | 45h | 39 |
| Moon | 10 | 300h | 8 |
Pulse Width Modulation
None of the modes use PWM. Yay!
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
The Wurkkos TS23 tactical flashlight uses a tail e-switch. I’m not sure how great that is for tactical flashlights, but it is what it is. While banging the light around, I didn’t notice any disconnects and shutoff, so maybe this is sufficient.
The clicky action is great – very similar to smaller lights you probably have like the Wurkkos TS10.
Here’s a UI table! There are two groups and as far as I can tell, the light ships in “Outdoor mode.” “Tactical mode” is available, though.
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Hold | Moon |
| Off | Click | Outdoor Mode: On (Mode Memory) Tactical Mode: Turbo |
| On | Hold | Outdoor Mode: Mode advance (Eco, L, M, H) Tactical Mode: Mode advance, (Turbo, Medium) |
| Any | Double click | Outdoor Mode: Turbo Tactical Mode: Strobe |
| Turbo | Double click | Outdoor Mode: Moon Tactical Mode: SOS |
| SOS | Double click | Outdoor Mode: (Turbo, coincidentally) Tactical Mode: Beacon |
| Any | Click 3x | Outdoor Mode: Strobe Tactical Mode: No action |
| Strobe | Click 3x | Outdoor Mode: SOS Tactical Mode: No action |
| SOS | Click 3x | Outdoor Mode: Beacon Tactical Mode: No action |
| Off | Click 4x | Outdoor Mode: Iterate lockout (Unlocks to mode memory) Tactical Mode: Iterate lockout (Unlocks to mode memory) |
| On | Click 4x | Iterate between Tactical and Outdoor modes |
| Lockout | Click | Outdoor Mode: Double blink to indicate lockout Tactical Mode: Double blink to indicate lockout |
| Lockout | Hold | Outdoor Mode: Momentary Eco Tactical Mode: Momentary Eco |
The user interface is really a lot if you get mixed up switching between tactical and outdoor. As I primarily do not view this as an actual tactical flashlight and will stay in Outdoor mode, the user interface is not confusing.
LED and Beam
Wurkkos has used a Cree XHP70.3 HI emitter. That’s a big domeless emitter that provides very high output as well as considerable throw.
Below you can see the battery indicator, too. It’s lit in orange. The stainless bezel allows light to escape while headstanding, as well as offering glass breaking balls on the edge.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
Output from the Wurkkos TS23 tactical flashlight is very cool white. Very cool white. UP to nearly 9000K. That’s right smack in the center of the beam though, which is usually the coolest part. CRI is also in the low 70s. These are not fantastic facts for an EDC light but could be considered very common for a tactical flashlight.
Beamshots
These beamshots are always with 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. These photos are taken around 18 inches from the door.
I compare everything to the KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!
Summary and Conclusion
I love the build quality and just the general size and shape of the Wurkkos TS23 tactical flashlight. Initial output is very high but there’s a dramatic stepdown. CCT is way too cool but the default user interface is good for EDC. If this format light is one you need, it’s hard to go wrong here for the price of $48, particularly if you are able to swap emitters.
The Big Table
| Wurkkos TS23 | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Cree XHP70D HI |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $47.99 |
| Cell: | 1×21700 |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | Yes |
| Switch Type: | E-Switch |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | ? |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | No |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 5000 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 2357 (47.1% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 12.55 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 482 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 924lux @ 5.976m = 32998cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 363.3 (75.4% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | 6000-6500 |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 7200-8700 Kelvin |
| Item provided for review by: | Wurkkos |
| All my Wurkkos 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
- Great build quality
- Low price
- Good user interface (particularly if you never plan to switch between the two modes)
- High output (briefly)
- Beefy – there’s a good bit of mass in the head for handling heat
- Tail e-switch is very pleasant to use
What I don’t like
- Very cool CCT (over 8000K!)
- Massive stepdown after not reaching the claimed output
Notes
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