[review] Wurkkos WK30 white/red/UV light

Unfortunately no. The shipping charges would be prohibitive.

Please check again in an hour or so. I have asked Wurkkos to give us a better price again. :-)

That’s great!! Thank you. Will try again in a bit

Wurkkos just adjusted the price to $ 26.99 (w/o battery) again. :-)

Bought it, thanks!!!

Apart from my full recommendation on the WK30 I started to collect some ideas (with help from BLF/TLF members) what Wurkkos/Sofirn could improve in the next update/upgrade.

All these findings are minor issues only and should not distract from the general good quality this flashlight is made of.

Direct access to Turbo

This can be done but would require changes in the UI. Currently, doubleclick will trigger the redlight mode. Maybe something comparable to ToyKeeper's Andúril might work fine...

Immediate Turbo (white):
From OFF: Hold (1H), i.e. click and hold
Moonlight (white):
From OFF: Click, Hold (2H), i.e. click, release, click and hold

Illuminated switch button

Using an illuminated switch button during operation would help to find the switch location in the dark. Currently, this is only the case when using the UV mode. However, some users may feel dissatisfied with a permanently illuminated switch. Therefore, it would be nice to have user-defined configuration settings.

Deburred tailcap edges

This minor nuisance has been reported to Wurkkos already. Some samples show a sharp edge on the tailcap. Nothing dangerous at all but still somehow uncomfortable when touching along its surface.

Knurling on the tailcap and battery tube

The tailcap could be turned easier with a textured surface (knurling). It feels a bit slippy sometimes. For an even more tactile handling and better look they could also apply some knurling on the battery tube.

Alternate emitters

I already suggested to Wurkkos to use a 365nm UV LED (e.g. LG LEUVA33W70RL00 365nm) instead of the LG LEUVA33U70UL00 395nm UV LED. They are investigating if future batches can be supplied with a 365nm UV LED.

Moreover, I asked them to test the new XP-G3 deep red (660nm wavelength) and evaluate if it's worth replacing the XP-E2 red (625nm) in return for a more saturated red color beam. Chances are good that the XP-G3 has enough power to compensate the lower reception of deep red light by more lumens.

Rattling of the 26650 battery in the tube

The 26650 battery has a bit of play inside the battery tube, so shaking the flashlight might result in a slight rattling. I do not see much of a problem here as this enables the WK30 to use thicker 26650 batteries like Keepower 6.000mAh.

USB-C port

Instead of a microUSB port Wurkkos could try using a USB-C port as in Sofirn's SP36. This would result in less fiddling when trying to plug in the microUSB cable. Another benefit would be fast charging using the PowerDelivery profile. Since that would also mean higher material costs, I'm not sure how reasonable that change would be.

Wurkkos could also check to move the USB port into the thread section where it is even more protected against ingress of water and dust. Eventually, this would mean to completely redesign the host, so not really done easily.

Retaining ring

The driver seems to be press-fitted or glued. In terms of easier maintenance, modding and repair I would appreciate it if Sofirn/Wurkkos were to use a retainer like we can see inside the C8F/C8G flashlights.

Centering rings (gaskets)

The most important change I see is to use gaskets / centering rings to get a better, more precise alignment of LEDs and the triple reflector. I found slightly off-centered LEDs on two samples of the WK30, resulting in some artifacts on whitewall shots. However, when outside you won't recognize these minor imperfections as the beam profile is very floody. Unfortunately, this improvement would require significant changes on the head/reflector structure, so it's very unlikely to happen soon.

Unno, I’m generally happy with the ’30 as-is.

Click’n’hold for moonlight is about the only UI change I’d want. With memory for white, anyone wants turbo can just click up very quickly once it’s on, but click’n’hold for moonlight keeps you from getting blinded if you don’t know what mode it’s in beforehand. Red and UV, nomem, start-on-low. Always.

Smooth doesn’t bother me, and as I think I mentioned, I tend to see diving lights without any knurling. Probably avoids abrasions on air-hoses and the like, which could be a bit of a problem underwater, I’d think.

Micro vs C, don’t particularly care, as I’ve been getting some more things that need C. Means I have to carry a cable of each, but…

365nm, photo-red, can go either way, don’t particularly care, as I like it as-is.

Lit-switch when off? Absolutely, but only only only if it’s red, and very very very dim. Or at least programmable, which’d likely play Hell with the UI. Red doesn’t keep you awake, and a too-bright switch that seems to be all the rage today is just an annoyance which I’d likely keep off. Constant. Dim. Red. No “breathing”, nothing.

Hell, I keep my Cometa’s tailcap unscrewed at night because the Blue Lighthouse just keeps me awake.

I’m generally happy with mechanics and UI of the WK30, too. The big thing on my change list would be lower moonlight levels for both white and red light. Red light seems primarily useful for preserving night vision, e.g., on a boat, or for astronomy. And 5 lumens is much too high for that. Out of curiosity, what in the world do people use 200 lumens of red light for (or should I be afraid to ask)?

added to my ever-growing wish list of flashlights :smiley:

Freaky Halloween Light Show? Dunno, but it’s KOOOLLLLLL ! :sunglasses: :+1:

Oh, how bout night huntin brush hogs?

Wurkkos WK30 sesonal edition: My Way

Very, very nice light this one! I think this is my new favorite toy. And I was lucky enough that I was able to take the bezel off with no tools.. Somehow mine had a bit of red threadlocker, but it was so dry and looked like it had shrunken with time or something, pulling itself off the threads.. It simply fell off the threads once the bezel was free.

Love the form factor and reflector size, also THANK God the reflectors are SMO! Don't like the hold for Off tho.. :|

First thing this light needs fixing is a 365nm LG UV emitter, which ofc it's on its way from Simon :) and also a ZWB2 365NM UV filter :P

I wish the body would've been just a straight cut and thicker, as well as the tail cap.

I also wish the emitters would've been perfectly centered and have centering gaskets.. :|

I hope the MCU is supported/compatible with Anduril, so I could put some custom version of it on this nice light ideally :)

The beam patterns are nice, if only the emitters would've been properly centered that is.

I love the cutouts for the switch and USB port, as well as the USB protection cover.

I wish that there was one more mode between eco and low, otherwise, the spacing between low, mid, high is quite nice. Also the same for red, or have the mid a bit lower, maybe around 30 lumens or so. I feel like the UV's low mode is kinda pointless, but doesn't bother me too much.

Random stuff I haven't seen mentioned:

Sofirn SP33 body tube fits nicely with the help of a 2mm thick spacer that you could make out of some solid copper wire - someone mentioned that this light would look better with some knurling on the body and tail - I can now confirm that is definitely the case ;)

Triple Click from Red goes back to white, just as Double Click does from UV.

In case anyone had any doubts :)

Yay!

Would like to buy amother Wurkkos WK30. Any idea when they will come back at sale price on AliExpress? I previously bought it for $29 with battery. Thanks

I notice that a few of the Wurkkos products have moved to the Sofirn AliExpress store, not sure if the WK30 was also made available there.

Thanks, but unfortunate I couldn’t find the WK30 there either. Maybe I will just have to wait for this Covid situation to pass and hope they relist it .

The WK30 is already available at the Sofirn AliExpress Store.

Got it. Thanks!!!

Late to the game but just ordered a second WK30 (both from Amazon without coupons codes).

What I found special about this light:

No knurling (have enough lights with knurling, extra points for being different)

Freaky Red/White strobe (interested to see how much trouble this may get me in)

Red mode (experimenting with how useful this will be for preserving night vision)

UV mode (not that useful for me but intrigues others)

Neutral white light (though I am not as sensitive about this issue as others)

Having to remember another unique user interface helps keep an old mind sharp

Thank you "Lightbringer" for your review and "Light-Bringing" the WK30 to my attention.

No worries. Still haven’t gotten bored with this one. :laughing: