Wurkkos TS10 SG Review
Disclamer
I recived this product from Wurkkos for a very small fee in exchange for a review. The opinions in this review are completely my own.
Introduction
The Wurkkos TS10, sound familiar right? One of the most popular flashlights amoung enthusiasts that’s ever made. It has all of the cool features - Anduril 2, AUX LEDs, impressive power - all in a package as big as a single 21700 battery. Also, it’s cheap. There are now 4 versions of the TS10. First we had the TS10 (V1?), then TS10 V2, TS10 MAX and now TS10 SG. In this review I will be sharing my thoughts, experiences and opinions about the TS10 SG, and help you decide whether or not you should buy one.
Also, to know what I think about the different TS10 models, scroll down to the competition and comparison section of this review where I compare them.
Pricing, availability and options
The Wurkkos TS10 SG costs $23.99 with a battery. This is the price during the christmas sale, and is set to increase. Wurkkos are running other sales often, so you might get it for this price anyways.
You can opt to get the flashlight without a battery, but that’ll save you only 2$. You can also choose between 3 different colors; black, red with snowflaskes (christmas edition, the version featured in this review) and blue. You can buy this flashlight from Wurkkos’ official website, or from their Aliexpress store. The links for purchase are at the end of the review.
Packaging and what comes in the box
The flashlight arrived in a small wurkkos branded box. This was a little disappointing since my first TS10 (V1) came in it’s own designated box (see a picture in the competition and comparison section). The box does however do it’s job, and it included the following:
- The flashlight itself (with the battery inside)
- A landyard (nowhere to attach?) and spare o-rings
- A pocket-clip
- The user manual
Build quality, size, weight and handling
The flashlight feels amazing to hold. The build quality plays in, but the size and weight of this flashlight in unreal! That’s what the TS10 is know for though. Anyways, the quality is amazing. The anodization is nice and even and looks beautiful.
When picking up the flashlight, you know it’s a TS10. Using a battery with a lenght of 50 millimeters, the led, switch, optic and driver take up only 20 millimeters of lenght! That has to be some sort of record, it’s just so small. Weight impresses too, at only 34g/0.08lb without the battery according to wurkkos. The size and weight leads to this being very easy to carry. For longer periods, it’s not the best, but to keep in your pocket or bag and quickly use when needed, it’s awesome.
User interface
First, I want to mention the switch. The TS10 SG uses a tail e-switch. It feels very firm, while the switch of the V1 feels a little flimsy, but soft and nice. I don’t have a preference though, both are relatively good, and do their job.
The user interface is incredible, but can be scarry. Namely, it’s using Anduril 2. This is a software developed by an enthusiast, and can be very difficult to use. However, it has so many features that you can do basically whatever you want. To help unexperienced users, there is a simple mode. When you recive this flashlight, you will by default be in this mode. The main features in simple mode are these:
- Press once to turn on and off
- Press and hold from off to turn on in the lowest mode
- Press and hold from on to ramp up brightness (quickly let go and press and hold again to decrease brightness)
- Press 4 times from on or off to get in and out of lockout mode
- Double press from on or off to enter turbo/the highest mode (double press again to return to the previous brightness level)
To enter advanced mode, you have to do “10H” (9 presses and hold on the 10th). This, I only reccomend if you know what you’re doing, as it can be easy to enter some type of configuration and have a problem getting out.
Here is a UI chart to help:
Light quality
The Wurkkos TS10 SG has it’s main LED, but also 3 auxiliary LEDs. I am going to talk about the main LED first.
The raw performance of this flashlight is amazing, but it comes at the cost of quality. The optic used is interesting and something I have never seen before. It seems to consist of different sized hexagons arranged. The beam it creates is not too bad though. When using the flashlight inside and close up, the beam is noticed to have these hexagons in them. Outside however, the beam is fine. The beam itself has a decently sized, but not too big of a hotspot, the beam also has a sort of spill. The spill is not too nice to look at since you can see the hexagons making it up when using the flashlight up-close, but it is rather useful with decent brightness.
Something I noticed when taking pictures of the beam close-up, is that it seems the LED is (very) slightly misaligned! This shouldn’t be noticed in real life usage, but is something to note.
The throw created is very impressive coming from such a small optic. The LED is to thank here. Wurkkos is using the brand new Luminus SFT25-R in the TS10 SG. This LED offers amazing throw, while still being bright and efficient. The LED comes in 6,000 - 6,500 kelvin (cool white) and in low CRI. It doesn’t look too bad though, just not grate. There also seem to be no green in the beam. This could be because of the optic, but it anyways looks good. A lot of people have complained about this LED having some green color in it, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here (luckily).
When it comes to the auxiliary LEDs, they are fun. They aren’t too useful, but can display the battery level or be used as a dim light. They are however difficult to control through the user interface, but if you set it up correctly, they are a nice feature that really adds to the TS10 SG.
Performance, battery, charging and runtime
When looking at just the output performance, it’s insane. 1650 lumens and 294 meters of throw is claimed by Wurkkos. Based on my use, these seems to be realistic numbers. For a flashlight this small to have that kind of power is just unfathomable. It does this at the cost of battery life though. The Wurkkos TS10 SG uses a 14500 li-ion battery. It is rechargable, but needs an external charger since the flashlight doesn’t have built-in charging.
Because of the focus on short bursts of high power, the TS10 SG isn’t able to provide good runtime at reasonable brightness levels. Based on what Wurkkos claimes and what I think would be realistic to expect from this flashlight, I say you should get about 300 lumens sustained lasting an hour.
Competition and comparison
This is where I compare all of the Wurkkos TS10’s.
TS10 V1 and V2: These are the same size as the TS10 SG. They are advertised at 1400 lumens with 130 meters of throw. They have 3 main LEDs, along with 3 auxiliary LEDs. The main LEDs you can get in lower kelvin temperatures like 3000 and 4000 kelvin. They also have high CRI and good tint with an amazing, floody beam. They work very well for indoor use, and are usable outdoors. There are small differences between the V1 and V2, like the V2 getting RGB auxiliary LEDs instead of the V1’s single color auxiliary LEDs.
TS10 MAX: This is the 18650 (bigger battery) version of the TS10. It is bigger than the others, but has better battery life, and is more powerful at 2500 lumens. It also has 3 main LEDs, but they are bigger and more powerful and efficient. It comes in 5000 kelvin, and has a floody, even beam in high CRI.
In comparison, the TS10 SG is most similar to the V1 and V2, only that this one is a lot throwier and a little more powerful, but at the cost of worse beam quality. I don’t have the TS10 MAX, but between my V1 and the SG, I would choose the SG. It does everything that the V1 does, but is also a lot more usable outdoors. For indoor and close-up use, you should get the V2 though. If you really need the extra battery life, the TS10 MAX is to be concidered.
Conclution and where to buy
The Wurkkos TS10 SG is the most impressive flashlight I have that doesn’t cost $100+. This little thing can be practical and useful when needed, while also having a lot of fun features with Anduril 2. With no built-in charging and a small battery, it isn’t the flashlight I would depend on though, but for something I can quickly grab when needed, it’s amazing.
Here are the things I like about the TS10 SG:
- Amazing user interface
- Insane power and throw for the size/weight
- Can be both practical and fun
- Easy to bring with you
- Build quality
- Price
There are some things that can be improved too:
- Battery life (a more efficient driver would be nice)
- Beam quality (a different optic, if that is possible while keeping the amazing throw)
If you want a tiny flashlight that’s amazingly fun and impressive, but is also capable of being useful, you should get the Wurkkos TS10 SG.
Here you can buy this flashlight at Wurkkos’ Official Website
Here you can buy this flashlight at Wurkkos’ Aliexpress Store