Wuben G5 EDC Flashlight Review
The Wuben G5 EDC flashlight features a neat slider cover for the USB-C charging port as well as a rotating head that has white and RGB as well. Read on!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a referral link to the Wuben G5 EDC flashlight product page.
Versions
The Wuben G5 EDC flashlight is available in black (seen here) or green. The other options (emitters, etc.) are the same for body colors.
Price
The Wuben G5 EDC flashlight will normally sell for $24.99, but there’s an intro price of $19.99 going!
Here’s the coupon you’ll need:
20forg5
Or buy it on amazon with this referral link, for $20 and no coupon!
What’s Included
- Wuben G5 EDC flashlight
- Lanyard
- Split ring
- Charging cable
- Manual
Package and Manual
It’ll be better when Wuben provides the PDF as they usually do. Until then, here’s my scan.
Build Quality and Disassembly
The Wuben G5 EDC flashlight has an interesting design. It’s like a light we’ve seen before – also by Wuben. The Wuben X2 Pro. But while they’re similar, I like the G5 just as much as I disliked the X2 Pro. The G5 is very fun!
There’s nothing I could disassemble on it, though. The battery is in accessible.
Size and Comps
Dimensions: 3.7cm × 1.5cm × 6.2cm
Weight: 52g
If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here. If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll also show that here too!
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!
In the photo above, you may note that the SRM (standard reference material) flashlight for comparison has changed! I used a TorchLAB BOSS 35 for ages. Now what you can see as the 18350 SRM is the Hanko Machine Works Trident. While I have not reviewed or tested the Gunner Grip version seen here, I have tested a Hanko Machine Works Trident Total Tesseract in brass. I love the Trident, and it’s a striking contrast next to the inexpensive Convoy S2+, which also makes a great standard reference material.
Retention and Carry
A lanyard is included with the Wuben G5 EDC flashlight. It attaches through the hole you can just barely see at the far right, below.
There’s also a magnet in the bottom of the Wuben G5 EDC flashlight. It’s decently strong. Not super strong, though.
A pocket clip is also included and built-in. I didn’t capture it here, but the clip can be pushed forward (outward) from its attachment point and pivoted. So you can carry the Wuben G5 EDC flashlight flat against a belt, for example, or use it on the bill of a cap.
Power and Runtime
I can’t see where Wuben makes any claim about the capacity of the built-in LiPO. The battery is not removable or replaceable.
There are two specific modes with the white emitter. The lowest output is around 2 lumens, and the highest is around 400. Between those two are variable and non-specific (so I didn’t test any runtimes on those modes.)
Here’s a runtime on the highest level. Highest when the wheel scrolls and highest by double clicking are the same.
Charging
With the built-in battery, you expect charging. And the Wuben G5 EDC flashlight has that. There’s a USB-C charging port just under this fidget switch.
The switch also has a locked position.
A USB to USB-C charging cable is included.
Charging looks great and takes only around 1.5 hours.
During charging, the indicator is red. When chraging is complete, this indicator turns blue.
Pulse Width Modulation
All of the modes use PWM. Below, left is the lowest, then higher white output. One of the RGB options is on the far right.
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 one e-switch for operating the Wuben G5 EDC flashlight. Before you get to that, though, you’ll need the slider switch in the “light” mode. It can be locked (all the way back), LED (middle), or charging (all the way forward.)
The switch is nice, and the action is very low. Placement is just a bit awkward, especially if you plan to use the roller wheel to select modes with the same finger, too.
Here’s a user interface table! Of course, you’ll need the slider switch in the “LED” position for any LED output change!
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Click | On – memory |
| On | Click | Off |
| On | Hold | Switch between White and RGB (with level memory) |
| On | Double click | White: Turbo RGB: Blinking of the active color |
| On | Dial rotary control | White: Increases or decreases output RGB: Advances through RGB color options |
| Turbo | Double click | Previous mode |
| RGB Beacon | Dial rotary control | Advances through RGB color options in beacon output |
| RGB selected but off | Double click | Red/Blue flash |
| Red/Blue flash | Double click | Red/Green flash |
| Red/Green flash | Double click | Red/Yellow flash |
| RGB Beacon | Double click | Previous mode (of steady RGB) |
LED and Beam
Wuben doesn’t say what emitters are used here. The bigger opening TIR is the main white LED, and the smaller opening is the RGB option.
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
Despite not knowing what emitter is used here, the CCT and CRI are no surprise – Cool white and low CRI.
CCT (Correlated Color Temperature) refers to the measurement of the color appearance of light, expressed in Kelvins (K), which indicates whether the light is warm (yellowish) or cool (bluish). A lower CCT (below 3000K) is considered warm light, while a higher CCT (above 5000K) gives cooler, bluish light.
CRI (Color Rendering Index) is a measure of how accurately a light source renders colors in comparison to natural sunlight. Scored on a scale from 0 to 100, higher CRI values indicate that colors appear more true to life and vibrant, similar to how they would look under the sun.
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. 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 like how small the Wuben G5 EDC flashlight is, and it’s quite versatile with all these options. The RGB is neat and fun. White options are interesting, but I’d rather have five or so specific modes. I understand that people like ramping, though, so I’ll give that one a pass. For $20, though, this is a very fun toy!
The Big Table
| Wuben G5 EDC flashlight | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Unstated white and RGB |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $19.99 |
| Cell: | Internal |
| Runtime Graph | |
| LVP? | ? |
| Switch Type: | E-Switch |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | ? |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | All modes |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 400 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 278 (69.5% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 4.38 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 82 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 58lux @ 4.462m = 1155cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 68.0 (82.9% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 6800-6900 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
- Low cost!
- Neat use of RGB
- Nice slider cover for USB-C port (and fidgeting)
- Interesting pocket clip design/option
What I don’t like
- Rotating LED head seems a bit useless
- Only rotary control for levels – no discrete levels
- Cool white
- Low CRI
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!
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