XTAR WK26?

Hi, all. First post here, though some of you know me from CPF, where I served as an early cheerleader for lithium-ion cells, Wolf Eyes incandescents, and, more recently, nickel-zinc rechargeable AA cells.

These days, I've settled on the 1AA form factor. Specifically, pocketable 1AA lights that excel in either throw or flood; no in-betweeners for me! By pocketable, I mean having a head no wider than, say, a Romisen RC-G2 (26.5mm).

With that in mind, has anyone tried the XTAR WK26? With an XP-E R3 and a max. diameter of 22.5mm wide, it looks as though it might give the Balder SE-1 XP-E R3 a run for its throw. But I can't find it sold or reviewed anywhere.

You could try emailing them directly at the contact listed in their homepage. service@xtarlight.com

I did and they were very responsive, which led me to go ahead and order a d06 (from a reseller).

I like the looks of the wk26 much more than the balder, although I'd surely prefer knurling to the lines.


Thanks. I wrote to XTAR today; I'll report their reply in this thread.

I have the Xtar WK25 which throws like hell.

Given to me by foy here is his review

Hi Paul,

Welcome to the forum !!!

It's a much more friendly place for the budget-minded flashaholic.

how2,

Thanks for pointing me to foy's review. Foy doesn't seem very impressed with the WK25, but Budgeteer rates it highly. Evidently the WK26 is a newer, brighter version, without strobe. I look forward to reading reviews after it is available.

Alice just contacted me, from Qualitychinagoods.com. She must have monitored this thread. Alice offered to ship me a WK26 for less than U.S. $25. So I bought it.

I look forward to comparing it with another budget 3-mode, XP-E R3, 1x14500 light that I will soon receive, a Balder SE-1.

Thanks, Alice!

PS: I'd rather not state the exact shipped price, because it's not certain what the retail price will be; maybe I received a discount for being the first forum member to discuss this light.

Welcome , Paul_in_Maryland .

Still on your quest for the perfect pocketable neutral to warm light with an artifact-free beam ?

Hey Paul welcome!

Xtar makes a lot of lights ... Many of which I havent seen reviewed ...

XTAR B01 Mode DIY CREE XM-L T6 LED Flashlight comes to mind .... Now this light looks interesting ...

But then Xtar makes so many lights ... Every now and then I go over an salivate ...

Well i still stand by my review. Foy is "sold on" Solarforce and he compares other flashlights in his own way. Most of the time i agree with his findings. If not i still find his reviews very entertaining with a touch of his personal Foyism we all like.

Anyway, wk25 was my edc for a while but got replaced recently by the WK21 (pocket cannon cutie). This wk26 accepts only 14500 batteries and not plain alkaline AA's (input voltage 2,7-4.2) beware if you wish to run it as an AA able for crysis situations. The wk21 is more flexible in my opinion but if you don't consider using only 14500's as a con it might be just great. Generally XP-G's have a really lovely beam. I have not tried one yet. If i can i will do a review.

Yeah, I noticed that while responding to Alice, but didn’t have the heart to turn down her offer. I’m hoping" the two lower modes will work on AAs.

I’ve opened up to buying lights with cooler beams. I have a couple books of Lee filters, so I can apply the tint of my choice, once I find what clear adhesive to use.

XTAR has replied. You can now order the light from the WK26 page at SZWholesale.com. In their email, XTAR reminded me that this light is designed for 2.7 to 4.2 volts.

The XT26 includes XTAR's programmable driver. I'm looking forward to disabling the strobe and SOS modes.

XPE R3? I thought I read somewhere the highest bin was the R2? Would like a 18650 powered R3 if there is much benefit...

R3 is the latest version of the XP-E. I beleive it is still only available in cool white. Check the spec sheet here:

http://www.cree.com/products/pdf/xlampxp-e.pdf

Xtar will also be releasing the WK25B which is basically the WK26 but with an AA compatible driver so more of the direct descendant to the original WK25, but using the XP-E R3. WK26 is 2.7~4.2v, the WK25B is 0.8~1.5V. Its not clear if the WK25B is using the DIY driver. Available specs are still limited. It may only be two mode.

I may be able to get my hands on one of each and I'll follow up if it happens.

Paul in Maryland :-)

Welcome to the nicest forum on the net. (for me anyway)

CNG’s sells another

  • And here's a 1xAA/1x14500 that uses an XP-E R4 (Torpedo). Also the DQG II.
  • My WK26 arrived from Singapore in just 10 days. Initial impressions:

    • It throws as well as I'd hoped.
    • The beam is very cool.

    The strobe is driving me crazy. Can someone point me to the video or verbal directions for programming the light's Do It Yourself (DIY) mode? ADDED: Never mind; the WK26 comes with a small booklet that shows complete instructions in words and pictures. I will scan them and post them here.

    Unscrew the headpiece and use a pencil to short the contacts to disable modes. The last (clockwise should be the storbe i think)