REVIEW – Unless you’re a nocturnal animal, it’s hard to see what you’re writing when it’s dark. WUBEN decided that having a built-in rechargeable light on an EDC style pen would be a great idea to fix that problem. Let’s see if they were right by taking a look at the WUBEN Gecko E61 Rechargeable Penlight.
What is it?
The WUBEN Gecko E61 Rechargeable Penlight is an anodized aluminum bodied pen that has a built-in rechargeable LED light and a dual pen tip design.
What’s in the box?
- WUBEN Gecko E61 Rechargeable Penlight
- micro USB cable
- 4 black ink refills
- stylus tip
- ballpoint pen tip
- inkless pen tip
- window breaker tip
Design and features
With its sci-fi style, the WUBEN pen is available in 3 colors including silver, black, and the blue version that was sent to me. The pen features a sturdy pocket clip and a unique dual-sided nib with replaceable tips.
By default, the Gecko E61 pen is set up with a window breaker tip and ballpoint pen tip. But included in the box are additional tips for a stylus and inkless pen.
Notice the ink refills? I’ve never seen refills that little. They have a whopping .25 inch of ink in them so you’re not going to be writing much with this pen if you prefer ink. And as far as I can tell, you can only buy more refills directly through WUBEN by contacting their customer service (there isn’t a page on their site to order them).
Maybe that’s why they include an inkless tip. This tip is like a pencil that lasts forever and never needs to be sharpened. But it doesn’t really write that dark and writing with it isn’t all that enjoyable because it’s not a smooth tip. It feels like you’re writing with a nail on paper.
When it comes to pens, having multiple tips isn’t really that unusual, but a pen with a built-in light is a bit more unique and the WUBEN pen has both.
The pen has a bar of white, blue, and red LEDs that peek out from one side of the pen and can provide up to 130 lumens.
The pen has three brightness modes and also an emergency beacon mode that uses the red and blue LEDs.
Did you notice the round disc in the center of the pen’s body? That’s a magnet that can be used to attach the pen to a steel surface like the hood of the car or my super cool custom metal bulletin board.
Flip the WUBEN Gecko E61 Rechargeable Penlight over and you’ll see the power and mode button for the light.
The light bar can unfold 270 degrees from the body of the pen to access the micro USB charging port.
While the pen is being charged, the power button glows red and turns blue when fully charged, which takes about 2 hours. You can also triple-click the power button to turn on “breathing mode” which pulses the LED behind the power button. The blue LED will “breathe” to show you where the pen is and it can do that for up to 5 days before the battery dies.
| Mode | High | Med | Low |
| Lumens | 130 lumens | 30 lumens | 3 lumens |
| Run time | 1 + 45 mins | 2.5 hours | 15 hours |
Does the WUBEN Gecko E61 Rechargeable Penlight pen function as a pen? Yes, it does, but I would not call it an enjoyable experience. You’re not going to use this pen as your everyday writer. But for a quick note or checking off lists, it works fine.
It is cool that you can unfold the flashlight to shine some light on what you’re writing.
What I like
- Built-in rechargeable flashlight
- Replaceable tips
What I’d change
- Sell replacement ink refills on Amazon
- Lower the price
Final thoughts
I’m a fan of all sorts of pens and mechanical pencils and am always on the lookout for unique types and styles of pens. At first glance, the WUBEN Gecko E61 Rechargeable Penlight is unique with the built-in flashlight and dual-tip mechanism. But is it EDC worthy? In my opinion, I say no if you’re wanting a good pen. But if you want a clip-on flashlight that has a built-in emergency beacon that can also occasionally be used as a pen, I’d say maybe. At least until you run out of refills for it because that is the biggest fail of this pen in my opinion.
Price: $69.99
Where to buy: WUBEN and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by WUBEN.
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Hey, Julie – you’re quite the artist! I like the praying mantis in your journal!
Thanks!
Hi Julie, thanks for your review. Actually, WUBEN has refills for sale so you don’t need to worry about it would become a useless pen.
Cindy, are the refills available on Amazon too? I’ll go update the review.
I’m not seeing them on the WUBEN site… Do you have a link for the refills?
Yes, please contact WUBEN customer service for the refills.
Uhm is there a way to put the light into sleep mode so that when I am holding it in my hand it doesn’t turn on at once and then a way to wake it up thanks
William, I no longer have this pen/light, so I can’t answer this question. Please contact Wuben for an answer.