I’ve always really appreciated how Wuben is willing to create something that is out of the box, even something the size and shape of the box other lights come in. I’ve enjoyed some of their other products, all quirky, functional, and interesting in their own way. Since learning about them I’ve had my eye on one light in particular. The design and claimed specs wowed me, and I just knew one day I’d have to try one.
*Full disclosure at the top. Wuben sent me this in exchange for my review. And that’s what this is, my honest opinion. There is an affiliate link at the bottom if you are interested.*
What’s in the Box?
The X1 Pro
Two 21700 battery cells (in the light already)
Lanyard that doubles as a USB-C charging cord
Replacement screws
User manual
Belt holster
I’ve seen the lanyard/charging cord before with the X5 and this is just great. I love when there are added multiple functions. The belt holster is also a nice touch. The plastic part that clips to a belt can rotate, which lends to also being attached to a bag strap
Build Quality
The X1 Pro is Wuben’s flagship model, and it shows. It feels solidly built and well put together. The mode selector switch clicks into place with a good haptic feedback and the on/off switch, with the center charging indicator, isn’t ambiguous or mushy. The charging port is your run of the mill rubber stopper, and though I don’t care for its placement (more on that below), it functions. A metal cover held by a small magnet à la SK05 Pro and relocated would go a long way. This leads me to my next small complaint. There is no tail magnet. I tend to use this function often in my other lights. The only reason I can think of as to why this feature isn’t included is that this light is just that heavy. At 0.8 lbs (383g) it is pretty heavy, and maybe holding itself up with a magnet wouldn’t be easy.
Design
Given the constraints of its size, it is remarkably easy to hold and use. The shape and cutouts in the body lend well to holding in your hand in the orientation of having the switch pointed up and your thumb on it. The styling is sharp, especially in white. It looks like some sort of weapon a Storm Trooper would carry in Star Wars. The black lettering against the white body pops. This is also the first light I’ve seen with an explicit written warning on the side of the light to keep it locked and how to initialize the lock mode. The super simple UI is fitting for something so powerful. The battery compartment lock is a familiar one from Wuben and it functions well. It has a small hole for the included lanyard by the battery compartment hinge. The X1 Pro is fan cooled to try and stave off any stepping down from thermal regulation. The fan is pretty quiet, though noticeable. I can also feel the fan slightly in my hand, especially when moving the light around as I can sense the gyroscopic forces from having a small spinning part inside of it. The X1 Pro can also function as a battery bank for other electronics, which is great. They offer some accessories like a bike mount or rail mount for a tripod, and the body comes pre-drilled to mount them. The cooling fan is also replaceable. They seem to have thought of everything.
My only real design complaint is the charging port location. Having it right above the switch lends to my thumb accidentally popping the rubber port cover up. A few times I’ve also gone to compress the charging port rather than the switch when I wasn’t looking. A small gripe that would be solved by moving the charging port out of the way.
UI
The UI is really simple and user friendly. There are two ways to control the X1 Pro. It has a mode selector switch where you can select spotlight, floodlight, or both. From there the switch on the side can control on/off and adjust brightness. As I mentioned above, it has a locking feature activated with 4 clicks. For a light this powerful, in a house with children like mine, this is simply a must. One complaint is that I do wish that I could enable and disable a timed auto locking feature. This would be an added layer of safety that I would appreciate. Another thing I would change is the switch center charge indicator. Adding green would allow it to be able to more accurately display battery life.
Usability
Wuben claims this is an EDC light, but I’m not convinced. I put this in my pocket to walk to the park at night to test it and it was noticeably heavy and bulky. I would not carry this daily in my pocket. But as a show stopper in my collection this one steals the show. It will fit comfortably in my backpack and I’ve already gotten some “wow…”s from family and friends. The 5 Cree XHP50 emitters, combined with two 21700 battery cells and a fan to keep it all cool result in some impressive illumination. This beast does earn a spot in my collection as a show piece. I can for sure see myself busting this out at the next camping trip to wow my fellow campers. That and the long battery life would also make this a great power outage companion.
Performance
This thing doesn’t mess around. It easily lights up an entire room and an entire field. The 12,300 lumen output can be sustained for a decent amount of time thanks to the cooling fan. At 1000 lumens Wuben claims it can run for 5.5 hours. Despite the fan it still does get pretty hot, I can only imagine how hot it would get without the fan. So far I’ve taken it out a bunch and the battery life has been great. It’s an absolute beast in practice, not just on paper.
Summary
The Wuben X1 Pro is a monster of a light, in terms of size and capability. The dual light modes of flood and spot, with large battery capacity, simple UI, and fan cooling system all add up to an impressive light. Battery bank functionality and clever design touches make this a valuable addition to my collection. While a bit bulky to EDC it can fit in a pocket, and will comfortably fit in a bag. A simple design change for the charging port would really improve it overall. The X1 Pro earns its place in my collection as a show stopper. At $125 on Wuben’s website right now it seems to me to be a pretty good deal for all that you get.
Wuben gave me a 10% code to use on their Amazon site which brings it down to $112. Use code LDQ9WD2C at check out to get that.
Or If you are interested I’d appreciate you clicking through my affiliate link below
