The Wuben X4 was released a few days ago. It is available in black and white at a price of $45 or €60.
Transparency note: I received the X4 from Wuben free of charge for this review. The only requirement was to publish a review. The manufacturer had no influence on the review.
Packaging
The X4 is delivered in an attractive white and blue box with the light printed on, which lists the key features and specifications of the light. I really like the look of the packaging.
The color of the light inside is mentioned on the back of the box.
The light is held in place by a cardboard insert, with the lanyard and USB cable underneath. Instructions are included, but there are no spare O-rings.
The instructions are easy to understand and, even in the German translation, do not contain any major translation errors (only some words seem very strange).
Design
The Wuben X4 appears very compact. The design is rather “industrial-futuristic,” with many corners and edges. These do not feel sharp and do not interfere with handling. The white lamp body consists of one piece. There is an screwed on part for mounting the switch/rotary wheel. The also screwed on bezel and the battery cover on the underside are black, which provides a good contrast and which looks great in my opinion
The plastic lens is NOT protected by a front glass, which is likely to cause many scratches after some use. In addition, the holes in the lens make cleaning difficult.
The angular design provides roll-away protection and tail stand without any problems.
The X4 has several controls. There is an E-switch (essentially a rear switch) in the battery cover, which allows the lamp to be operated in the “tactical” position.
On the side, there is a rotary wheel, another E-switch, and a slide switch that can be used to set the light modes and a lockout. This also unlocks the USB-C port.
The rear switch feels great, while the switch on the rotary wheel feels rather spongy and lacks a pressure point and satisfying feedback. However, there are no problems such as incorrect entries.
Battery and charging
A protected 18650 battery is included. It measures 69.5 x 18.6 mm and has a rated capacity of 3400 mAh. In the discharge test (1 A in the Vapcell S4+ v2.0), 3528 mAh could be drawn from the battery, which is really good.
Unprotected batteries can also be inserted; a Vapcell N40 fits without any problems. This is a huge advantage in terms of longevity or for applications where long runtime is important: just change the battery and continue. However, the contact is less secure due to the shorter length of an unprotected cell; if dropped, the contact may be temporarily interrupted, causing the lamp to go out.
The tailgate is opened by pressing the lever on the side. The silver switch on the lever locks the flap so that it cannot open accidentally during normal handling.
The USB-C port can be opened with the slide switch set to “moonlight”.
The 18650 is charged at 2.2 A (DCP, dedicated charging port). The DCP standard specifies a maximum of 1.5 A, but this value is significantly exceeded here.
During charging, the RGB LED lights up red, and blue when fully charged. Although the red-blue color scheme is suitable for people with color blindness, it is not very intuitive, especially for newcomers.
UI
The user interface is quite complex and not necessarily intuitive. Unless otherwise specified, the switch referred to is always the side switch on the rotary wheel.
Slide switch Lockout: no response
Slide switch Side light:
- 1C from OFF: Mode memory, RGB, or white
- 1H when ON: Switch between white and RGB
- 1C from OFF (rear switch): Turbo 100%
- 2C from OFF (rear switch): Strobe 100%
- 2C from OFF: RGB flashing modes, from there 2C to change the flashing mode colors
- 2C from ON (RGB): RGB beacon 1 Hz (previously used color)
- 1C from ON (white side light): OFF
- Rotary wheel at ON (white side light): Brightness 6 levels
Slide switch main light:
- 1C from OFF (side switch): Mode memory, also turbo (100%)
- 2C from ON: Turbo 100%, from there with 2C back to the previous level
- 1H from OFF (rear switch): Momentary 100%
- 2C from OFF (rear switch): Strobe 100%
Moonlight slide switch
- 1C from OFF: Moonlight (lowest level), switch off from there with 1C
- 1C from OFF (rear switch): Moonlight, permanent, switch off from there with 1C
- Charging port open
Please note: Despite the rotary wheel and the description from Wuben, my sample of the X4 does NOT have continuous brightness adjustment. This applies to all lighting modes, including RGB! Only 6 brightness levels or 7 colors can be selected using the rotary wheel, which only transition smoothly into one another using ramping. In my opinion, this is a missed opportunity.
The moonlight is way too bright in completely dark surroundings and causes self-glare. This primarily affects the main LEDs, but the side light can also be too bright in unfavorable conditions.
RGB is just a nice gimmick and, in particular, is unusable for serious lighting tasks (tail light, safety lighting, marking something in open field etc.) due to the much too low luminous flux. I’m not usually a fan of this, as RGB – as in this case – often complicates operation.
In my opinion, RGB should ALWAYS be integrated as a separate operating mode in a lamp with changeable operating modes to ensure a clear separation between general lighting (white) and colors (RGB).
The UI seems somehow underdeveloped to me, and it also seems inconsistent.
My suggestions:
- Reduce Moonlight for both light modes to a maximum of 0.1-0.3 lumens.
- Second lowest level with 1H from OFF during lockout
- Ability to switch side light to 100% with 2C, analogous to main light
- In Moonlight mode, switch between main and side light with 1H from ON
- Be able to set the frequency of the RGB beacon using the rotary wheel.
- The battery level indicator should be implemented independently of the RGB LED, as otherwise it is not very intuitive. Ideally, it should be located in the side switch of the rotary wheel or above it, if necessary.
LEDs and spectrum
According to Wuben, Lumenpioneer (LMP) W2016SJ4 LEDs are used for the main LEDs. These are not listed on the Lumenpioneer website to date. The W2016SJ4 is probably a more powerful version of the W2016SJ2 (specified as 4 W), which is achieved here with a larger LED chip.
The type of side and RGB LEDs is unknown. Only one RGB LED is used, which massively reduces the achievable brightness in color mode.
Presumably, the six side LEDs can be replaced with 2835 LEDs (check the forward voltage!), although it is likely to be very difficult to remove the side diffuser (it seems to be glued).
Both light modes offer low color rendering. The main LEDs are distinctly cool white and have a visible greenish tint; with a duv of over 0.01, they are also outside the ANSI color space. Otherwise, there are no surprises in the spectrum.
For the side LEDs, high color rendering and a warmer color temperature (3500 K or less) would have been nice. However, the tint is very pleasant and offers no cause for complaint.
The main LEDs are easily accessible and could be replaced with Cree XE-G, for example. I find it incomprehensible why the opportunity to implement a variably adjustable beam using dual-channel output was missed again here. Instead, all four LEDs are connected in parallel and are on simultaneously.
Measurements
There is no PWM, regardless of the level or light mode.
Battery: included 18650 (Wuben ABE3400)
Main LED
Lowest (moon) = 4.2 lm @ 37 lx
Low = 94 lm @ 780 lx
Mid 1 = 277 lm @ 3020 lx
Mid 2 = 462 lm @ 3810 lx
High = 734 lm @ 6090 lx
Turbo (100%) = 1385 lm @ 11480 lx
Turbo 30 sec. = 965 lm @ 8000 lx
Side LED
Lowest (moon) = 0.7 lm @ 0.3 lx
Low = 20 lm @ 8 lx
Mid 1 = 46 lm @ 20 lx
Mid 2 = 70 lm @ 31 lx
High = 93 lm @ 40 lx
Turbo (100%) = 115 lm @ 51 lx
I cannot measure the color LED because my equipment is only suitable for measuring color LEDs to a limited extent.
The specification of 1500 lm is not met when measured after 30 seconds. Only immediately after switching on (up to 10-15 seconds) are approximately 1300-1350 lm achieved.
Beamshots
The beam is rather throwy, with some spill. Essentially, the light pattern resembles that of a classic reflector lamp, which works great for everyday lighting tasks
Otherwise, the beam is flawless, with no artifacts. I really like the mix of spot and flood here; there are no color shifts or yellow rings.
(The trees are 70 m or 225 ft away)
The side light is just floody, which is usable for close lighting, like searching something in the car or reading a book while camping.
Conclusion
The Wuben X4 is well made and has a rather unusual overall design. The design is not quite elegant, but it is something different and I like its technical, martial style. The beam is fine, but the main LEDs have a distinct greenish tint.
The battery can be replaced and uses a standard 18650 (included), which is beneficial for longevity. In addition, the price is relatively low at $45.
Advantages:
- Good quality
- Compact and unique design
- Integrated USB-C charging function
- Battery included, easily replaceable thanks to standard 18650
- Good beam
- No visible PWM
Neutral:
- RGB modes available, which complicate operation
- No separately adjustable beam, which would be useful with the built-in lens
- No high CRI emitters installed (especially for side light)
Disadvantages
- Lens is exposed, no front glass installed
- Moonlight too bright (especially main LEDs)
- Extremely fast dropdown in turbo
- Complex UI with some weaknesses (see review)
- No true stepless ramping available
- Strong green tint (main LEDs)
Thanks for reading my review. 
Best regards, Dominik