[REPORT] Wuben TO50R

I bought this TO50R at The’s GB (using my own money). That was a great price for a very nice rechargeable 20700 flashlight/power bank light. I really like this light but then sold it to my friend. Thought to get my second one but held back because of some technical problems: It’s not waterproof , not even rain proof. A pity, it has nice beam/tint, high CRI, powerful, useful, and excellent UI. Although the mode spacing can be improved, I can live with that.


The LED were soldered nicely and I like it as is. A nice high CRI gift light

I wanted to post a review months ago but totally forgot about it. The light is no longer with me so I don’t have any new pictures to show you the waterproofing problem. I never liked rubber flap to cover charging port and I thought TO50R USB port was sealed, which is not.

The rubber flap is very soft and flexible, should do a good job sealing the port for a while. But we don’t know how long the rubber flap will last. Most popular charger don’t fit 20700/21700 batteries so the owner would rely on the on board charging, and constantly flip-flaping the rubber flap. With a non sealed charging port I would not want to dunk it underwater. The charging port poked from a thin walled window and the only way to make it truly water proof is to completely pot it with epoxy or silicone sealant.
So make sure to carefully secure the rubber flap before any wet-prone activities. A slightly opened flap will suck water after the light gets warm. I tested the light with water droplets dropped near the (opened) port after running the light in turbo until it gets hot. As the light cools down, it sipped all the water droplets (reduced internal air volume) . The next time I ran the light, the water vapor clouded the lens.

The other important thing, especially for those turbo-resetter: inadequate thermal paste and very rough MCPCB could be a problem. Quick lapping should fix the problem. Check below pictures:

- Minimal thermal paste applied

- The MCPCB shelf is not as smooth as other brands

  • The MCPCB base is very rough. Fortunately it doesn’t suffered hole flares like Fireflies.


My TO50R engraving was off white with uneven splotchy appearance. But I kinda like it, makes for a used appearance. Hopefully in the future Wuben will use larger radius. The base felt somehow sharp and a light drop to the floor dinged the corner and it couldn’t tail stand as stable as before. The magnet is so strong you can dial an RRT01 without touching :smiley:

[Clemence]

Quite disappointing and unacceptable for $150. Thanks for the info! :+1:

never knew there are flashlights that aren’t protected against water! thanks for the report.

There are lots of them. In the past, almost all flashlights were splash proof at best. Only now we see waterproofness as a standard feature in flashlight and recently, smartphones and D/SLR cameras.

[Clemence]

I am spoiled because my hobby started with Convoy flashlights. They are pretty much perfect for the money, never even thought there are outdoor products where water ingress is possible.
thanks for clarification.

Thanks for posting those tear down pics. Looks like Wuben still needs a ways to go to match Acebeam, Olight, and Fenix.

Thank you for this report, and it is good to know, that this flashlight is not that waterproof, as we would desire (due to the weakest point being the charger port hole).

Formerly (during the group buy) MSRP was advertised at around $120 - and that was already a bit bold, but the group buy was eventually tempting enough. I cannot understand, how this could become $160-165.

Same here.

Sorry to hear your sample had issues. However, I’d mainly be worried about the amount of thermal paste.

I have opened about six TO50R’s and every one of them has had an adequate amount of thermal paste. Maybe I was just lucky? :slight_smile:

It’s perfectly waterproof until you remove the rubber flap. Exactly the same design than for example Acebeams have. (except W10, that has USB-connector behind a “screw-over” tube - way safer, but quite annoying to use)

I wouldn’t jump to conclusions based on one sample. I have seen Acebeams and Olights with as rough stars or even having a plastic protective film between the star and pill/shelf.

In my opinion Wuben is already very close to the above-mentioned brands with this light.

[Disclaimer: I’m the designer of the TO50R and I do sell Acebeam, Olight, and Wuben in my small web shop]

Ps. Glad you liked the UI. :slight_smile:

Wowwww…. What? Can you please elaborate? :smiley:

Well… TO50R was my idea and it came true with the help of Group Buy here at BLF.

The basic design is of course based on TO46R, but I designed the necessary changes to support 4x emitters and 21700, added magnetic tailcap and the deep carry clip, defined the functionalities + output levels, and re-designed the whole UI, etc.

Aha, that puts your reaction in perspective :wink:

Any idea why this light is so expensive?
I mean, based on its looks, i wouldn’t spend more than 30 USD, but that’s a personal thing ofcourse

One of the most boring flashlights and worst made (from a premium brand) that I have had

This is one of the best lights from this brand and has basically all of the features anyone can want. It is also easy for muggles to use. The regulated boost driver is very efficient and high quality and that alone adds maybe $20 cost to the light. Unlike the cheaper direct drive drivers, the output is regulated and does not continuously go down with the battery’s discharge curve, making it a very practical light. It also looks and feels great in the hand. It also uses quad 90CRI emitters.

Haha. :stuck_out_tongue:

Because it’s so good? :wink:

Yes, it’s a bit on the expensive side, but you can’t find another light that ticks all these boxes (for photography / light painting):

- High CRI

- Neutral color

- Wide and even hot spot

- Very low tint shift

- Enough power

- Well regulated

  • Full control:
  • Turns on/off with a single click, exactly when you want!
  • No nasty surprises like accidental mode changes or unexpected turbo/strobe that ruins the photo, no matter how fast you click going through the scene…
  • Momentary turbo (that turns off exactly when you release the switch)
    …and more…

Totally agree with above. This is indeed boring but DEPENDABLE and very consistent light as long as the rubber flap still works. So far it’s the best all around EDC for me. I hope Wuben improve the quality control in the future. I personally have no problem because I always open all my lights unless it’s heavily protected like ZL, AT, or Fenix.
I prefer Wuben to offer cheaper non rechargeable TO50R version than fragile flappy charging port cover.

[Clemence]

I’ve said it before and will say it again…
I love this light. I have two until Christmas comes and then one gets gifted. Every time I use it I am wowed by the color rendition. The grasses are green. The UI is great. Turns on when you want it on and off when you want it off. Click - done. I don’t see any quality differences between this and the couple of Olights I have.

This light is well made but lacks some details that could make it better

The clip is huge, very noticeable in a pocket

It does’t use a glass lens over the TIR lens (a special TIR instead of a easily replaceable Carclo)

I don’t like the leds choice, it’s too floody, but it’s a matter of taste

It should have a USB C connector instead of micro USB

Thanks for your report Clemence! The waterproof and the amount of thermal paste seemed, indeed, somehow, OFF!
I will not make considerations about a light I don’t have (yet), but I find it curious to have “boring” and “love” in the different posts! I guess it has much to with with personal taste rather than quality, no? Those issues mentioned apart, of course!

I can only say that all Wuben lights I have are reliable from those points of view and the only thing they needed to improve would be the UIs, which this light seems to have!
BTW, this is a post of Tom E showing the Wuben T70 inners and driver: “REVIEW” - WUBEN T70 Camouflage – XHP70.2 Led – 4200 Lumens [PIC HEAVY] ***Extension tube = 2 x 26650*** - #14 by Tom_E
If the the TO50R and other lights are equivalent, it surely explains the prices, besides what the mentioned.

I still really like this light like because I know how to fix the issues. Tape the flap, lap the MCPCB, put new thermal paste, done!
Not as expected, but for the (GB) price it’s unbeatable. Of course, it’s unacceptable issues with new price.

[Clemence]