EDIT 24-11-2018 - Modded with a Luxeon V
Hi BLF!
This is my review of the Wuben E05 V1.0. The flashlight was sent by Wuben without any other compensation than the flashlight and the included accessories.
I want to thank Wuben and Jelina (as representative) for sending this light. Thank you!!
The Wuben E05 V1.0 is not for sale yet, but I will add the link later for those interested in buying the flashlight.
:ARROW-RIGHT: EDIT (November, 2) - The flashlight is for sale here (non-affiliate): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JGC8D7B/ :THUMBS-UP:
NOTE: Being this a V1.0 version, I don’t know if Wuben intends to make some changes to it and sell it under this or a new version! I asked about this and will report about it later!
:ARROW-RIGHT: EDIT (November, 2) - I received the confirmation from Wuben that this V1.0 is indeed the final version of this flashlight :THUMBS-UP:
This said, I will make my unbiased and honest review, pointing the goods and the things I would improve on it 
It is divided in 2 parts:
Post #1 – General Overview
Post #2 – Beamshots & Considerations
EDIT: POST #5 - Experiences with diffuser
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GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
Body Colour: Black
Material: Aluminium (no other specs mentioned)
Emitters: 1 x Cree XPL2 LED
Lens: AR Coated Lens
Reflector: Smooth (SMO)
Batteries: AA alkaline / 14500 Li-Ion [see more information in The Battery]
Switch: E-Switch (Side)
Max runtime: 115 hours
Max beam distance: 130 meters
Max output: 900 lumens
Candela: 4200 cd
Waterproofness: IP68 (2 meters underwater, 1 hour)
Impact resistance: 1.5 m
Size: 84mm (L) x 21mm (D)
Weight: 40g (with battery)
OTHERS
Reverse Polarity Protection: Not specified
NOTE: I did test for a while with a) reversed Wuben 14500 Li-Ion protected battery, b) reversed Sanyo 14500 Li-Ion unprotected battery, and c) reversed AA alkaline battery, and for the moments I’ve tried it, the battery didn’t get warm with any of those batteries. Still, it was not a scientific test, specially ’cause it just took some seconds and with more time it could get hotter (eventually).
Therefore, the indication of putting the positive pole ( + ) towards the head and negative ( - ) towards the end must be followed to avoid damage or hazard.
BATTERY LEVEL INDICATION (on the side switch)
- Battery level 100% - 90% : constant blue light (+/- 5 seconds)
- Battery level 90% - 41% : blinking blue light (7 blinks, +/- 5 seconds)
- Battery level 40% - 16% : constant red light (+/- 5 seconds)
- Battery level under 15% : blinking red light
NOTE: On the first uses with the flashlight, the side switch started blinking blue with the Wuben 14500 Li-Ion protected battery on 3.91V . I didn’t make any test with AA batteries.
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PACKAGE: THE FLASHLIGHT & ACCESSORIES
Wuben is now using a different packaging, if compared with the TO10R and TO46R (the other Wuben flashlights I have)! This Wuben E05 is presented in a blue, black and white box, simple and effective, with some information of what we will find inside!
About the items inside the box, we can find:
Wuben E05 flashlight with a Wuben labelled/branded USB-rechargeable 750mAh 14500Li-Ion protected battery Wuben labelled (will be shown later), installed Dual Sided Pocket Clip, User Manual, Lanyard, USB to Micro USB cable, Certificate Card, Warranty Card, White Silicone Diffuser, 2 O-rings, and a Black Pouch to carry the flashlight.
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¬THE FLASHLIGHT
First, the flashlight! The Wuben E05 is a small EDC flashlight with e-switch and using AA / 14500 batteries that is in the line of some other manufacturers.
Some examples that we can easily recall are the Manker E11, Utorch UT01, Lumintop EDC05.
According to specs it is capable of producing 900 lumens with a 14500 Li-Ion battery, straight out from its XPL2 LED.
It has an elegant body shape, being small and thin. Also, it is not heavy being easy to carry on jeans or even a shirt of jacket.
Despite having some fins in the head and some grooves in the body, the flashlight only has small knurling in the tail.
+Machining is perfect and flawless*, at least so far, and even being smaller this flashlight breathes quality, detail and rigour (I’ve learnt it from the other Wuben lights I have, and this only confirms it!!!) :!!!:
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Starting from the bottom, what we have?
Well, first, we have a magnetic tailcap that easily attaches to metallic surfaces. It is not as strong as the Wuben TO10R (which is also heavier) but it accomplishes well its function as shown bellow.
The threads are square and arrived well lubricated, and there is a sealing o-ring to prevent liquids’ infiltration.
The magnetic tailcap is an important part of the flashlight as it is the only place from where we can access the battery , to (un)install it! Unlike “similar” flashlights, like the Manker E11, the Wuben E05 can only be unscrewed through the tail ( well at least I didn’t see any mark on the top of the battery tube that could lead me to the conclusion that there are threads there! )
Above the tailcap we can also notice a battery symbol, indicating the adequate polarity for the batteries.
Inside we find a “thin” but strong golden spring. From the tail, e can see the brass surface (tip) from the driver, on the positive pole, which seems to be surrounded by some black foam or other material. This surface is flat (apparently), making this light usable only with button top batteries.
Attached to the fridge and my door lock 
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And now moving towards the head, what can we see?
On the “front” of the flashlight we have the power button consisting on rubber or silicone cap with a W on it, which will glow blue or red depending on the situation.
Around it, there is a stainless steel ring, being a classy detail! On the top of it, the manufacturer logotype, and below it the E05 identifying the specific model!
In the intersection of the battery tube and the head, there is a glowing o-ring that allows to locate the flashlight in the dark (after absorbing some light). I didn’t test how much it lasts, but I can say that it isn’t much visible with some light. In the darkness it is effective, even not being as visible as glow-in-the-dark tape.
On the top there’s a shinning and slightly crenulated stainless steel bezel (unscrewable) that allows to see if the light is switched ON or not when it is sitting with the head in towards a surface.
Below it there’s an AR Coated glass lens and a thick white o-ring. Inside the head, surrounding the reflector, there’s a thinner white o-ring that helps with sealing issues.
The emitter is a Cree XPL2 (user manual mentions only XPL), which is well centred below a smooth reflector and above a thick white plastic gasket (that I didn’t remove).
Although it is not mentioned if the LED is a Cool White or Neutral White emitter, I believe that this is a Neutral White, mostly due to the UV test that I made above the LED and that revealed an “orange” colour. CW emitters are normally more yellow or pale yellow! Later you’ll see that the beam produces a yellow shift in the corona.
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ACCESSORIES
Well, now it’s time to briefly show some of the things that come with the Wuben E05!
User Manual
For me, it is almost indispensable to read the User Manual! It is written in 4 different Languages (English, Deutsch, Chinese and Japanese). English is well written and explains pretty much what we need to know about this flashlight.
The points addressed in it are: Warnings; Products List; Product Features; Product Operation (Structure, Installation, Operation, Lock and Unlock, Charging, Low Battery Warning); Parameters; Maintenance; FAQs; Warranty Policy (Under and Beyond Warranty).
Some information could be better, though, in my opinion, namely:
- type of anodizing and body material (not specified);
- the LED is not XPL but XPL2;
- no information about reverse polarity protection;
- no information about the possibility to use Ni-MH or other types of AA batteries.
Here are some beamshots of the U.M. (click for larger photos):
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The Battery
The Wuben E05 brings a Wuben labelled/branded USB-rechargeable 750mAh 14500Li-Ion protected battery (Ref. ABF750; 2.78W; 3.7V).
Being a USB-rechargeable battery, it will have a constant red led ON while charging, and a green led ON when charging is finished.
Not being a “proprietary” battery for this flashlight it does indicate, more or less, what type of batteries this flashlight will take. So, the Wuben E05 will only be able to work with button top batteries, that cannot be short. Protected or unprotected batteries may be used, depending if they have the necessary length and the button top.
IMPORTANT: Some batteries that won’t work on the E05 (from those in the photo):
- Sofirn 900mAh (button top, unprotected) – too short; will rattle inside
- Efest 14500 (flat top, unprotected) – doesn’t make contact with the driver surface because it has not button top; also rattles a bit inside
- Sanyo 14500 (flat top, unprotected) – doesn’t make contact with the driver surface because it has not button top
NOTE 1: As mentioned above, there is no specification for the use of Ni-MH or other types of AA cells (except alkalines).
NOTE 2: Using AA alkalines will only give acess to 3 regular modes; Turbo will not be used. (See more information on OUTPUT & RUNTIMES )
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USB Cable
Wuben included a normal USB to micro USB cable so that we can charge the battery! I believe it is not needed to show it, right? I may provide the length information if someone finds it important, though O:)
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Pouch
The included pouch is a “sweet” accessory! I like it! With it we can carry the flashlight and some spare batteries, cable, diffuser with few complications and it helps to protect anodization! It was a nice thing from Wuben to get this included in the package
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Dual Sided Pocket Clip & Lanyard
Starting by the pocket clip, as can be seen in the photo, it has a specific groove on the head to be installed. The clip will not rotate, it will sit still in the place. It arrived already installed in the flashlight.
As can be seen as well, it is a dual sided clip, meaning that it can be attached to clothes, cap, backpack… in different positions. Although being “thin”, it is strong and has a good “grip” (?) (well, expect you attach it to very thin things!!).
The lanyard is quite simple, it is adjustable, Wuben branded (as seen on other of their flashlights) and can be attached to the pocket clip! I normally don’t use lanyard, but it is good to have it in the package!
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Diffuser
Well, the diffuser in this flashlight was a good surprise! I guess that the 115hours that it can last on the lowest mode led Wuben to think in a use of this flashlight as a “candle”.
So, they included a white silicone diffuser, not luminescent (unlike the one from Lumintop Tool AA, as example). It is malleable and fits well on the head of the E05 (as well as in other flashlights ) . If on the lowest mode it can light a small space, on Turbo it will illuminate a wide space and can even be used outdoor to mark a position.
It can be also used with Strobe and SOS to irradiate light in different directions in case we are lost or need to signal our presence.
I used the diffuser - indoor - with the 14500 battery (4 modes, left) and an alkaline battery (3 modes, right) .
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USER INTERFACE
Well, this is a part in which not all of us will like or agree due to personal preferences. I will express mine as well!!! Here’s how Wuben E05 is operated:
FROM OFF
- Single click – Switches the flashlight ON in the last used mode (has memory)
- Long press (1s) – Direct access to Turbo (a single click switches the light OFF)
- Double click - Direct access to Strobe
a) when in Strobe, double click to SOS;
b) when in SOS, double click to return to Strobe;
c) from Strobe or SOS, a single click switches the light OFF.
- Triple click:
a) if unlocked, locks the light (the flashlight blinks once in MEDIUM mode and gets locked)
a) if locked, unlocks the light (the power button blinks 7 times in blue; the flashlight swicths ON in MEDIUM mode and gets unlocked)
NOTE: when the flashlight is locked, all the shortcuts above described are disabled, and a single or double click in the power button will make it blink 7 times in blue, remaining locked!!
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FROM ON
- Single click – cycles through the modes from: Low > Medium > High > Turbo > Low > …
- Long press (2s) – From any regular or special mode, a long press switches the flashlight OFF [Yeah, this is what I dislike the most… :FACEPALM: ]
- Double click - Direct access to Strobe
a) when in Strobe, double click to SOS;
b) when in SOS, double click to return to Strobe;
c) from Strobe or SOS, a single click gets back to the last regular mode used;
- Triple click - Direct access to Turbo
a) from Turbo, a single click gets back to the last regular mode used.
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OUTPUT & RUNTIMES
As stated in the User Manual, the data was tested in laboratory and “may change because of different test instruments or other factors”!
NO problem, I don’t have instruments and won’t do tests
So here it is the data for each mode and different batteries:
LOW – 1 Lumen – 115h (14500 Li-Ion) // 50h (AA Alkaline)
MEDIUM – 30 Lumens – 11h(14500 Li-Ion) // 6h (AA Alkaline)
HIGH - 150 Lumens – 3h (14500 Li-Ion) // 2.5h (AA Alkaline)
TURBO - 900 Lumens – 3m+60m (14500 Li-Ion) //
STROBE - 150 Lumens (n/a)
SOS - 150 Lumens (n/a)
Please note that due to the power on Turbo, an extended period of time using it will cause the flashlight’s head to get hot. The programmed stepdown after 3 minutes will cause it to lower the output level and the temperature will slightly decrease.
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FLASHLIGHT COMPARISON
I decided to compare the Wuben E05 with some of my AA/14500 flashlights, just to know how they can be compared in terms of look and shape.
Well, the look of the E05 is certainly better as mine have already been used and abused, modded and altered in some ways.
Let the photos speak by themselves (the E05 is always the middle one):
In this AA/14500 size competition, only the Manker E11 (1st photo, on the right of E05) and the DQG Slim Ti (4th photo, on the left of E05) are smaller.
The Sofirn SP10A / SP10B have the same size of it, while the: Lumintop Tool AA, Jaxman E3, Convoy T2, Nitefox ES10K, and Sofirn SF14 (v1) are all bigger than the Wuben E05.
At last, a family photo with my other Wuben flashlights 
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End of Part #1!!!
bit over my budget…
