Hello children!
After my Wuben X4 review, Wuben asked me if I wanted to Review their E8 flashlight and sent me one for free.
This light was startet via Kickstarter and had over 1000 backers: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wuben-e8/wuben-and-nayici-e8-your-unlimited-flashlight?lang=de
The Wuben E8 combines two neutral white 3535 LEDs with a 2W 365nm 3535 UV LED and three linear neutralwhite COBs on the sides. It comes with a 920 mAh 14500 battery (measures 959mAh).
The light came with the yellow colored side covers
The blue thing in the middle is the battery, because of the design and the three COBs, the light is a lot fatter than the cell.
Nice repairable switch
The clip is quite hefty. Not just bent, but milled from solid metal. I would say it’s probably a bit too sturdy since I have a hard time bending it out, to putting it onto a thick piece of material can be a problem.
The rear. The thread is M4. The silver part is the switch. Tailstand is extremely wobbly. To get to the battery, you need to have working fingers since you have to use the knurling you see. Could be a problem for people with problems in their hands or when the grease isn’t there anymore.
The covers on the side are fixated with glued in magnets. You get 6 spare magnets in the package.
Other covers are available:
White with GITD particles
pinkish red (UV active)
Blue
or all colors?
under UV light:
the white one has GITD particles inside
lookin’ good
OK, it’s disassembly time!
The glass is AR coated - if it breaks, it won’t be too easy to replace it, that’s for sure.
The reflector is made from aluminum
the heart of the operation
ANd some microscope shots because why not
UV LED up close, looks to be an Luminus SST-10-UV
White LED (Luminus SST-36F 5000K) up close
This one bugs me a fair bit, the MCPCB seems to be made from aluminum, not from copper.
Edit: Wuben clearified: “The Wuben E8 uses a high-quality aluminum-based MCPCB with a copper heat sink base. This aluminum-copper structure is designed to enhance heat dissipation and effectively meet the E8’s thermal management needs.”
Comparison with some other lights and cells:
from left to right:
18650 cell, 21700cell, Maeerxu XT3, Wurkkos TS10max, Wuben E8, Lumintop FW1A pro, Sofirn SC18, Convoy T6
at least I tried…
UV:
Looks to be an Luminus SST-10
White:
So you get the idea, it’s more of a floody beam. The UV light is quite capable, but auto-shuts off after 2 minutes.
Lux measurements from 20cm distance:
Sidelight without any cover (20cm):
Lux measurements from 1m distance:
Main light High/mid/low:
→ DUV: 0.0034 in high
I was quite shocked by that low CRI because the white looks so good.
The UI is simple, but…
In White Mode you have three modes, High, mid, Low, switchable by a half-press.
if you half-press 4 times quickly, you get into side-light mode
There you get Low, high, Blinking (around 1Hz)
4 more taps bring you to the one UV mode (auto-shutdown after 2 Minutes)
the “but” is, because the 4 taps need to be quite quick. Some older folks may have some problems with that. I think this LED-setup is better for a side-switch where you use “hold” to change channels.
I don’t know why the 2 minute timer was necessary, maybe a precaution because 365nm UV light can be damaging for the eyes if used for a long time? It has nothing to do with heat.
Edit: Wuben clearified that the reason I supposed is correct, the timer is there for safety reasons so you don’t damage your eyes.
Some thermals after 10 minutes of White LEDs on High
No problems here.
Lux after 10 Minutes from 1m distance:
So, conclusion:
I really like this light. It’s versatile, it uses standard 3535 LEDs, it is small enough but not too small, it fits right into my hand. The triangle shape fits so nice in my palm. It is bright enough for daily use and has a capable UV LED, plus the side lights for 360° illumination.
All of the white LEDs are neutral white which I absolutely prefer over cold white any time of the day.
The light color is just so nice, even though the CRI is quite low. Just shows, that CRI isn’t everything.
The M4 thread in the back opens up some moddability. Wuben sells a (quite pricey) fidget spinner that you can screw on, or a D-hook to use this as for example a lantern in a tent.