Wuben X4 LED flashlight test – sophisticated all-rounder for gearheads | News

Some LED flashlights today can do much more than just shine brightly. With the Wuben X4 there is a new compact light that can do a lot, is well thought out and shows how far LED technology has come in the last 15 years.

As a gearhead, you sometimes treat yourself to things that aren’t mandatory are needed, but are still useful and not only satisfy the urge to play. Flashlights have always been one of those tools for me. I don’t collect or hoard them, but rather choose such resources very specifically for my purposes. Admittedly, in many cases the LED light built into every iPhone would be enough for me to fulfill the pure purpose, but for me it always applies: the better is the enemy of the good. The compact Wuben X4 flashlight actually offers a lot that sets it apart from a simple smartphone light. Here is a short hands-on report.

Wuben X4: A light comes on
The reason why I decided to get a new flashlight quite quickly is that the Lupine Piko TL Max flashlight I had been using for 15 years died (see this Rewind PDF from 2011). Or more precisely, the death of the battery installed in it, which cannot be replaced yourself. The LEDs still work, but the battery no longer holds its charge and is empty after a day without use.

Now I could send the Piko TL to the manufacturer Lupine and have the battery replaced. But the costs for this are likely to exceed those for purchasing the Wuben X4. Not to mention the time and shipping costs. Since the shape and size of the X4 is very similar to the Piko TL and because the functional description on Amazon fits my usage profile well, I spontaneously bought it. The lamp was delivered express via Prime at no extra charge. Ordered in the evening in front of the television, it was on the doorstep at eight in the morning. – Fast!

The range of functions of the X4 is quite decent. Especially in comparison to the Piko TL, which had the thankless task of serving as a benchmark. Ungrateful because she can no longer score points against the X4 in any discipline. That’s okay because we’re talking about a 15-year-old lamp here. But the Piko TL is still available today as the Piko TL Minimax in the Lupine range. Although it has been drilled with brighter LEDs (up to 1,800 lumens instead of just 750 lumens), it is functionally the same and still at an impressive price of 319 euros. At around 60 euros, the Wuben X4 costs less than a fifth.

Let’s take a closer look at the X4 first. The individual highlights are described in detail on the product page and on Amazon, so here is just a quick overview:

• Shockproof aluminum housing with IP65 rating
• Main light with up to 1,500 lumens of maximum brightness
• Battery with 3,400 mAh, easily replaceable using a lockable spring flap
• Lighting time between 3 and 720 hours depending on power
• Charges via USB-C in 2.5 hours
• Brightness can be dimmed in six levels using the rotary dial (not continuously, as stated in the description)
• two light switches, one on the back designed as a button, for direct access to turbo mode/flashlight
• Practical slide switch for changing modes: lock, main light, side light and night mode
• Side light with six warm white LEDs and one RGB LED for various colored flashing signals
• Magnet at the bottom, belt clip at the back
• optional accessories: bicycle holder, colored diffuser caps
• available in three colors: white, black and gray
• Weight with battery around 140 g

The Lupine Piko TL, on the other hand, looks pretty pale with its range of functions. It doesn’t do much more than shine at different levels of brightness and doesn’t have a few flashing signals, its battery can only be changed by the service and charging can only be done with a plug-in power supply and barrel connector instead of USB-C. I would like to give it credit for the more elegant and tactilely more pleasant design (not so angular and jagged) and the even more solid housing. But she can no longer win a flower pot with that alone.

Operating the Wuben X4
Perhaps the most decisive advantage of the X4 is its sophisticated operating concept. You can clearly see that a lot of practical considerations have been incorporated here. And much of this would have suited the expensive German competition well in a modern successor to the Piko TL.

The problem with the Piko TL is its one-button concept with color codes in the button. The various functions can be switched using various multiple button presses or button hold in different operating states, plus colorful flashing signals. Unfortunately, no one who doesn’t work with it every day can remember this. The very tiny printed table doesn’t help much either.

The Wuben are completely different. Despite the much larger range of functions, almost all of them can be learned within a short time and you won’t forget them so quickly. The main reason is the concept with the slide switch, which is used to select either side lights or the main light. The last of the four switching stages is the night light via the main light and the first slider position is used to lock all functions so that the lamp is not accidentally switched on during transport.

The second big plus point is the rotary wheel. Instead of using hard-to-remember key codes, all you need to do is turn the knob to adjust the brightness. The only thing that gets a little more complicated is the selection of the different RGB colors of the side light, which can be switched using double-click commands or holding the button. But all primary functions can be set quickly and easily without much hassle.

The actual switching of the light on and off is done either via the main button above the slide switch (press once = on, press again = off), or via the “action button” at the bottom of the lamp. It works like a mouse button and only switches on the light as long as the button is pressed and held. It is primarily used to quickly achieve maximum brightness. Simply press and 1500 lumens burn the way. Double-clicking the button (by the way, it clicks audibly, which is a good thing here) activates the flash. Thanks to the two switches, the lamp can be activated in two different positions, unlike most others.

The placement of the USB port is also well thought out. It is located under the slide switch and is only visible in level four (night mode). If necessary, the night light can also be on while charging. This is where my biggest criticism of the concept is: The charging status is only displayed with a red LED (charging) and a blue LED (full) during the charging process. And in between, the charging status can be checked by pressing the On/Off button for a second when the lamp is switched off (slide to side or main light). The RGB LED then shows how full the battery is with different colored flashing signals. To do this you have to remember color codes again, which is absolutely nonsensical. The simplest would be a kind of traffic light system with red, yellow, green. But it would be even better to display the charging status via the six warm white LEDs as a chain of lights, but they obviously cannot be controlled individually.

The Wuben X4 in practice
Maximum brightness is irrelevant here. The 1,500 lumens that can be achieved are already damn bright. If you need more, you can use light monsters like the Wuben A9 (12,000 lumens), the A1 (20,000 lumens) or the compact X1, which also has 12,000 lumens. The X4 offers enough brightness to be used as a powerful bicycle light or in the darkest nature for ranges of over 200 m, but is primarily a tool light. Designed to cover the widest possible spectrum of lighting situations in a wide variety of everyday situations and at work. Be it for night hikes, as tent lighting, work light for thousands of situations (I often use it to illuminate the back of devices or for photography purposes) or simply as a reading light. The warm white side lights prove to be worth their weight in gold, especially for the latter, because the cold, more focused light of the main light is not so ideal for this.

All functions prove to be really practical. From the second button at the end of the lamp, to the sufficiently large belt clip that also fits wider belts, the accessibility of the USB socket (a USB A to C cable is included) to the magnetic holder, everything fits here. But I particularly like the function selection via the slide switch and the rotary dial for dimming. This only works in six levels and not continuously as the manufacturer claims, but the bike makes things comfortable. Only the step between the darkest level and the next lighter level is a bit too big for my taste. If I’m missing something here, then perhaps a kind of zoom for adjusting the beam angle, as known from LED Lenser, which would require complex mechanics. But the mix of range and peripheral illumination achieved using different sized LEDs and different reflectors and diffusers actually makes this superfluous.

Conclusion: light for all occasions
A direct comparison of the Wuben One reason may also be that the German company has decided to shift its focus to bicycle lighting. Flashlights hardly play a role in Lupine’s development today. The Chinese from Wuben are filling this gap with a number of innovative flashlights, of which the X4 is just the latest in a long series.

This very compact tool lamp is useful for countless occasions and is particularly impressive in practice with its well-thought-out operating concept. The asking price of around 60 euros, which is occasionally undercut in special offers, makes the X4 a real no-brainer for gearheads.

Plus/Minus Wuben X4
+ high luminosity with compact dimensions
+ excellent operating concept
+ extremely versatile
+ strong, replaceable battery, rechargeable via USB-C
+ useful side light and multi-color flashing functions
+ Magnetic holder and belt clip
+ fair price

– Charge status display is only complicated using flashing and color codes
– Contrary to the product description, the dimming function is not continuously variable

Disclaimer: The product was purchased by the author over the counter at the normal price. MTN or the author received no compensation or other support for this review. The manufacturer/distributor does not place any advertising on MTN and has no influence on the content of the article. This report reflects solely the personal, independent assessment and opinion of the author. This post is not an advertisement.