[Review] Wurkkos FC11 - 18650 EDC with USB-C

LED Flashlights – General Info 18650 Flashlights
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Disclaimer: I was kindly offered the Wurkkos FC11 flashlight for review. Amazon link (non-aff)



General Info:
The Wurkkos FC11 is a compact 18650 flashlight. It is USB-C (woohoo!) rechargeable and comes with a 3000mAh Wurkkos-branded 18650 battery, among other things. The LED is a Samsung LH351D 90-CRI 5000K, one of my current favorite LEDs: good lumen output, no obvious tint-shift, my fav CCT, etc. Spec’ed output is 1300 lumens from it’s FET-based driver. It has a single side e-switch. The battery tube is reversible so you can change the clip direction. The tailcap has a strong magnet. Rather than knurling, the battery tube is ribbed similar to a large Lumintop Worm / EDC01. The reflector is very shallow, pretty close to the depth of an S2+ reflector.



Fit & Finish:
The quality of the FC11 is great. The anodizing is has a nice, satin feel to it. The flashlight feels good and solid. The threads are square, smooth, and well formed. The bezel is not glued on. The switch retaining ring is a nice blue color which adds a small pop of color. The USB cover seems thick and well secured.



Runtime:
The FC11 starts out bright: rated at 1300 lumens, I measured around 1600. There is a timed stepdown around 90 seconds, jumping down to ~400 lumens. At that point, the head only measured 35°C. If there’s one gripe I have about this flashlight, it’s that I’d really prefer temperature regulation instead of timed stepdown. Low voltage cutoff on mine was at 2.85V. Charge termination at 4.10V.

Runtime - first 3 minutes

Runtime - full run




Operation:
The flashlight is operated entirely from a single side-mounted e-switch that has battery indicating LEDs under the switch cover. There are two UI’s to choose from (while off, hold for 3 seconds to change): stepped (default) and ramping. From the stepped UI, it’s click for on, short hold for off. But from the ramping mode, it’s click on, click off (thank goodness!). Triple-click for strobe. Electronic lockout is available with a quadruple-click.



Normal clip orientation

Reversed battery tube for swapping clip direction

Side shot… nice blue switch bezel

Side shot… USB-C charging port under a tight dust cover

Here’s the FC11 with a couple other well-known lights. Left to right: Convoy S2+, Wurkkos FC11, Sofirn SC31B

Lastly… Wurkkos asked if I could do a video. I’ve never made a flashlight review video, so here goes nuthin’…

Summary: the new Wurkkos FC11 has a lot to like: compact, bright, USB-C charging, great LED, available ramping UI with single click on-off, etc. I just wish it had temperature regulation, but that’s a minor quibble. Well done, Wurkkos!

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Reserved…. for potential disassembly & modding :smiling_imp:

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Deep stepdown to 400lm after 90 seconds when the head is under 100 degrees F. I think there’s lots of room to improve. The driver for the BLF A6 steps down after 45 seconds on turbo, but goes to around 1000lm so it’s more reasonable.

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Any idea if the USB port is waterproof without the flap?

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I haven’t disassembled it yet to say for sure, but I don’t think it is. The flap seems to seal really well though so I’d be comfortable with it around water (just not diving of course).

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I like to snorkel with my lights, and I have a light that gave up on me on the first day of my vacation, so now I’m being a bit more careful :slight_smile:
I guess I’ll skip this one, flaps make me anxious.

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That eliminates most all lights with on-board charging. There’s a couple with charging in the threads but those are few and far between.

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I have one of them - JetBeam BC20-GT.
Olights also have magnetic charging, few others as well.

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Ahh yes, I forgot about magnetic charging. That’s a good solution if you plan on a light being submerged.

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Not usure how or how tightly Wurkkos and Sofirn are tied. Best case, the presence of (real?) USB-C charging means Sofirn will adopt it soon.

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They’re either closely tied (I think so) or use the same ODM. The head of the FC11 and SC31B seem have come off the same production line. I haven’t tried it yet, but I wager that they Lego.

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Will you post beamshots or some shots outside?

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Thanks for the review.

Can you reverse the ramp in the middle of one direction by pressing the button once to stop the ramp and quickly again to go the opposite direction, like one of my Sofirn lights, or do you have to go all the way to either the top or the bottom to reverse direction?

I prefer to be able to change ramp direction anywhere in the ramp process.

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I just confirmed… yes, you can definitely change direction mid-ramp like you’ve described. The ramp itself is relatively fast, seemingly especially so at the lower end (unfortunately).

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Here’s a couple beamshots with a Sofirn SC31B SST-20 4000K (95 CRI) for comparison. Side by side, the FC11 was noticeably more floody and brighter… as you’d expect. The LH351D has a larger die area and has been shown to put out more lumens vs the High CRI SST-20’s.

Ceiling, FC11

Ceiling, SC31B

Outdoors ~25yds to the woods, FC11

Outdoors ~25yds to the woods, SC31B

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Thanks gchart for verifying the ability to reverse ramping direction at any time and adding the beam shots.

I just ordered one with the discount.

This UI appears to be identical to my Sofirn SP32A V2.0, which I like pretty well, but it’s switch is too easy to activate accidentally, so it gets daily use on a counter where my chargers are located in bezel up position for use as an area light, rather than in my pocket.

This Wurkkos FC11 will potentially replace my BLF A6 3D as EDC clipped inside my back pocket, since it’s got a high CRI LED with a large hot spot. I really like the beam and tint on my A6 3D.

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No problem! :+1:

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Any suggestions for a deep carry clip for this light?

I’ll evaluate the clip from my A6 for use on the FC11 when it arrives, but would like to know of other options.

Thanks.

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Not sure, honestly. Let us know what you find out.

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I wonder if Match’s idea would work. Instead of drilling, could the wire be threaded through the lanyard hole on the tailcap?

Another idea I’ve used it to tie a paracord lanyard approximately as long as the knife/light. Leave the lanyard out of the pocket, and it holds it at the right height and makes it easy to remove.