[Review] Wuben P45R ( XPH35 HD, 18650 ) - Testing output and thermal regulation

The flashlight was sent to me by Wuben for review.
Here's the product's link: Wuben P45R


Official specifications:

Max Output 2000 Lm
Max Runtime 40 hrs
Battery 18650
Working Voltage 3.7 v
Modes 4
Special Modes 2
Length 162.6 mm
Bezel Diameter 37 mm
Weight 142 g
IP Rating IP68
Max Beam Distance 370 m


The flashlight comes in a nice hard cardboard box.



For maximum protection, the flashlight is seated inside laser cut foam.



The accessories included are the following:
Nylon carrying pouch, 2 spare o-rings, adjustable wrist strap, microUSB charging cable.



The flashlight is seated heads-up into the holster and is secured in place via a velcro flap.



The back side of the holster has a regular belt loop.
Additionally, there is a compartment for storing an extra 18650 cell.



As you might can guess, the P45R is considered a tactical flashlight.
It's comes with flat black anodization and is operated by dual switches (side e-switch and mechanical tail switch).



Opposite to the e-switch there is an anti-roll flat spot.



Being a tactical light, there is also a cigar grip and a strong pocket clip installed.



The side e-switch is very tactile and is surrounded by a polished metal ring.



While operating, the indicator LED installed into the switch's boot lights up to indicate the battery's level.



Of course, the polished metal bezel is crenulated.



The head houses a smooth reflector and a perfectly centered XHP35 HD emitter.



The tail contains the mechanical switch as well as the charging port which is sealed via a rubber flap.



The tail threads are square cut but not anodized.
On the other hand, the body seems to be threadlocked to the head - No matter how much I tried, head wouln't come loose.



The negative contact consists of a stiff copper spring which is held down via a robust retaining ring.
It's worth noting that the tail's pcb (which contains both the switch and charging IC) is glued in place.



There's also a small indicator LED attached to the tail that will shine up once changing is initiated.



While charging a fully discharged cell, I managed to record up to 1.4A of charging current.
The charging cable's resistance was measured to be 0.18Ω.



The P45R also comes with a Wuben branded 3100mAh 18650 cell.



The cell is button top and includes built-in protection.



User Interface

The flashlight comes with 2 different mode groups:
Classic: Regular modes
Tactical: Instant access to turbo and strobe

Here's all the supported actions from the flashlight's firmware:
(Notice: whenever I am not specifying a switch, assume I am referring to the e-switch)

Classic Mode
Turn on/off: Single click (rear switch).
Mode cycle: Single click ( Classic Mode: Low > Medium > High > Turbo > Low > ...)
Strobe: Double press.
Momentary Turbo: Long press.
Mode group change: 5 half clicks while off (rear switch) Classic Mode > Tactical Mode.

Tactical Mode
Turn on/off: Single click (rear switch).
Mode cycle: Single click ( Turbo > Strobe > Turbo > ...)
Low: Long press.
Mode group change: 5 half clicks while off (rear switch) Classic Mode > Tactical Mode

Output and Regulation

The output and regulation tests were conducted using the included Wuben-branded 18650 cell
Here's my OTF lumen measurements along with the respective current draw.



As you can seem the manufacturer's claims regarding the maximum output are pretty close to what I measured.
And here's a thermal regulation chart for Turbo.



What we can see in the chart:

  • Turbo steps down at 90 secs to 700 lumen.
  • After another 90 secs, the output is bumped to 1050 lumen for about 8 mins.
    The output bump is the result of the thermal regulation mechanism sensing that the head's temperature has dropped.
  • At the 12 minute mark, the output steps down again at the prior output (700 lumen).
  • The output is regulated perfectly for up to 80mins of Turbo.
  • After that, the output start a linear drop until it steps down to Medium.

Overall another solid flashlight from Wuben.

Things I liked:

  • Very robust build quality.
  • Great power regulation: High, Medium and Low are fully regulated.
  • Extra points for the smart Thermal Regulation circuitry - It will step up the output whenever the temperature allows it.
  • The dual switches are excellent for tactical use (I also really enjoyed their actual clickyness ).
  • The emitter-reflector setup provides a good balance of throw and spill.
  • The charging circuit allows for a good charging speed.

Things I would like to see improved:

  • USB Type-C to be used for charging.
  • A moonlight mode would be nice.
  • I would like to have the head-body piece not threadlocked, so that I could get better measurements using my bench PSU .


My Todos

  • Measure the actual capacity of the cell.
  • Add beamshots.

Thermal regulation looks excellent. Love the simple two button UI. Too bad the price is kind of high. I might get one when there’s a sale.

The price point seems indeed pretty steep, just like with most Wuben lights.
I will try to see if I can get any good coupons or capture any flash sale.

Just finished testing the battery's capacity.
I did two full charge/discharge cycles, with the final score being 2876 mAh.

And here's a couple of outdoor beamshots.

Tree at 25m


White house at 70m