I am always on the search for the perfect light for the nightly dog walk here on the outskirts of town. So far, I have mostly clipped a right-angle light to my sling bag. That works well enough, but a light with an adjustable head, lightweight, and with a glow-in-the-dark (GITD) body sounds pretty optimal at first impression!
All my reviews can be found on my website.
Disclaimer: Wurkkos provided this light to me free of charge. This had no influence on the review.
All measurements were done using hobby-grade equipment, inaccuracies and deviations are therefore possible.
Currently, the light is available in white, black, and the blue shown here.
You can buy the light directly from Wurkkos or at Amazon with code ILZJDMNM (no afflilate links).
The light comes in the typical white Wurkkos box with a plastic insert. All important data, as well as a picture of the light, are indicated on the cardboard. The light rests in the tray, safely packed in a small plastic bag. Underneath you will find a lanyard, a manual, and a short charging cable.
Once you have freed the light from its packaging, one of the first thoughts will probably be: “Oh, it’s so cute!”
The design immediately completely won me over!
Many small details are taken into account, even on the battery inside a print is visible that fits well with the aesthetics of the light.
The lower part of the light is completely made of plastic, just like the clip. Nevertheless, the light does not feel cheap. The head is made of metal, the cooling fins have slightly sharp edges. Overall, I would say that the light feels a bit higher-quality than the price would suggest - an HD03 with an aluminum body feels even classier though.
Plastic on the other hand has the weight advantage on its side, does not get cold, and does not deform during a drop - so the durability should not suffer.
But that is a good keyword, because the biggest feature of the light could definitely also be its biggest weakness. Because the head is not firmly connected to the body like on a normal light, it can be rotated and swiveled.
The head is freely adjustable with 95° swivel and 180° rotation. That should cover most adjustment requirements. The mechanism runs clean and smooth, an accidental adjustment can easily happen, though.
Everything sits tight, without play and wobble-free, I would definitely trust the light to handle a drop. However, I am definitely curious to see how the light holds up in the long run under everyday use, I am always skeptical about such joints. Even if, as with the HD04, there is no visible reason for it.
But let’s take a closer look at the head. On the front side is a TIR, not further protected by glass. It consists of three areas. A smooth one for the throw LED, a smaller one with beads in the middle for the colors, and additionally another one for the flood LED, this one with facets.
On the back is a USB-C port. This is not further protected externally, whether it is sealed internally I do not know. Even if only an O-ring is installed inside, that should be enough for the IP6 rating. The middle LED in the front serves as a battery indicator.
The two switches are located on the left and right sides of the head. Both are of the same design and easy to find. Operation should also work well with gloves.
Loopgear Loopdot, Wurkkos HD03, Acebeam UC3A, Wurkkos HD04, Sofirn ST10, Olight Oclip Pro, Wuben X2 Pro+, Sofirn SE1
My scale showed 55g for the light.
Lanyard: A simple lanyard is included and can be attached to the top of the clip.
Clip: The clip is a design feature of the light and an integral part. It is wide, rubberized on one side, and has good tension.
Magnet: At the lower end of the housing is a strong magnet. The light is held securely and, thanks to the plastic housing, is gentle on the surface to which the light is attached.
(Jacket)pocket: In the pants pocket I would worry a bit about the head in the long run, moreover, the light sticks out a bit far when clipped in. In the jacket pocket, however, the small, lightweight light disappears easily and is not really noticable.
Explanation 1C, 1H...
1C: short click, 2C: double click, …
1H: press and hold without letting go
2H: short click, followed by 1H
The UI is definitely not the simplest, but still intuitive. There are two buttons, the “Brightness-Button”(☼), and the “Mode-Button”(M).
| state of the light | action | button | result |
|---|---|---|---|
| locked / unlocked | 1H | ☼ + M | unlock and turn on at memorized output / lock |
| locked | 1C / 1H | M | battery indicator |
| locked | 1C / 1H | ☼ | 2x blink / lowest output momentary |
| off | 1C / 1H | M | battery indicator |
| off | 1C | ☼ | turn on at memorized output |
| off | 1H | ☼ | lowest level of the last used light source, if color was uses last then turn on and change colour immediately |
| off | 2C | ☼ | highest output of the last used light source. If color was last used, then blinking in last used color |
| off | 3C | ☼ | red blinking |
| on | 1C | M | Change the output channel flood → color → throw → flood → … |
| on | 1C | ☼ | off |
| on (flood/throw) | 2C | ☼ | highest output |
| on (flood/throw) | 3C | ☼ | Strobe |
| on (strobe) | 2C | ☼ | Strobe → SOS → Beacon → Strobe → … |
| on (flood/throw) | 1H | ☼ | change output level |
| on (solid color) | 1H | ☼ | change color |
| on (solid color) | 2C | ☼ | Switch to RGB-modes |
| on (RGB-modes) | 1C | ☼ | switch back to solid color |
| on (RGB-modes) | 2C | ☼ | next RGB-mode |
Accommodating so many functions in a small light is not always easy. Especially due to the possible change of position of the head, it is sometimes hard to know which button is which. A tactile distinction would have been nice, but the lack of it is not a dealbreaker for a small EDC. Overall, the UI works well, however, you should remember in which mode you turned off the light, because the light inevitably starts in this one again.
All measurements were done in my 30cm integrating sphere. The temperature was between 20 and 24°C. Additionally, an Opple Light Master III and a TASi TA636B lux meter were used. Please note that this is hobby equipment, so inaccuracies and deviations are possible!
Output and Beam
The flood mode of the light is truly pure floodlight. No artifacts at all, smooth transition, very wide beam angle. In spot mode, there is a punchy, large hotspot with little spill. The transition is distinct but not too sharp.
| Lumen Specs/my measurements | Moon | Low | Med | High (30s) | Turbo (30s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood | 1/1 | 10/15 | 100/148 | 450/650(550) | – |
| Throw | 1/1 | 10/13 | 110/113 | 375/400 (400) | 750/800(755) |
The light is regulated pretty good. The runtimes mostly match the specifications from Wurkkos, as does the output. In the highest outputs, after the initial one, there is no further stepdown. Only the Spot-High mode is stepped down to about half the brightness after approx. 45 min, presumably to achieve a longer runtime. Overall, this looks very good. For the sake of readability, the respective lowest modes are not included in the overview.
Surprisingly, I measured the Flood-High mode significantly higher than specified – too much for it to be a measurement error! Even after 30s, the value is significantly higher. The Medium mode was also significantly higher than specified. In these two modes, there is also a downward deviation in runtime – which fits perfectly with the higher output.
Below is a comparison with a few other lights, which you can also see in the size comparison and the beamshots. The excellent regulation of the HD04 is clearly visible in the comparison as well! Considering the small head, the performance of the light is all the more impressive.
Wurkkos only provides one specification for the throw, namely 3600cd. I assume that this refers to the spot mode. I measured 5300cd in Spot-Turbo.
CCT, CRI, DUV, PWM
| Flood low / high | Spot low / turbo | |
|---|---|---|
| CCT | 3892 / 3740 | 5300 / 6160 |
| CRI | 97,9 7 96,5 | 66,5 / 71,5 |
| DUV | 0,000 / -0,003 | 0,014 / 0,008 |
Flicker shows some noise, which causes the measurements to fluctuate. Most land in the green zone, like the one from Flood low shown here. Occasionally, however, there are outliers into the red zone.
PWM is not even detectable on camera - the noise can be minimally noticed. With the naked eye, however, you can see nothing of any of this.
On the thermal images you can clearly see that the head gets quite warm, but the body remains cool. The buttons get over 50°C warm! You can definitely feel that on your fingers, but it is not painful yet.
Beamshots
Small lights mean that you get to admire my basement. All photos were taken with fixed settings right after one another, all batteries were fully charged, all lights cold. The phone was on a tripod, the lights in hand.
Click here for the single images
Batteries and charging
Charging looks flawless!
Summary
Wurkkos has designed a flexible light in a small format. Both in terms of its areas of application and literally. The UI is versatile and practical, though also a bit cluttered, and I miss a shortcut to start in a white ultra-low mode. For all small and medium tasks where it doesn’t matter if you land in the right mode on the first try, it is really great.
How durable the joint is remains to be seen, my first impression is good. It could be a bit stiffer, the light adjusts quite easily when you touch it. However, this has not changed over many rotations, so I do not expect this to become a problem in the future.
Whether walking the dog, a bicycle breakdown, or in the workshop, the little light performed really great over the test period and mastered all tasks. The plastic housing is robust, the clip and the magnet hold well, and thanks to the rotatable head, the light shines exactly where you need it.
Of course, you can’t forget the design either - this should appeal to many people from young to old, regardless of gender and whether enthusiast or not.
