REVIEW – Biking in the US is a dangerous proposition in daylight. At night, it’s almost a death sentence. Being visible takes both a bright light and the ability to focus it on your road ahead as well as toward the vehicles (hopefully) sharing the road. A new light on the market, the Wuben X1 flashlight, promises unprecedented brightness, plus flexibility in mounting, in order to bring light to bear on your road ahead as well as those on the road with you. How well do they meet this goal? I was sent a model ahead of the official launch to test. Let’s see what the results are.
What is it?
The Wuben X1 flashlight is a three-LED weatherproof light with 12000 lumens and a bike mount, as well as a belt case.
What’s in the box?
- Wuben X1 light itself
- Belt case
- Lanyard with swivel clip
- Bike mount
- Attachment points for bike mount
- USB-C<=>USB-C cable for charging
Hardware specs
- 12,000 Lumens
- Active Cooling Fan
- Portable Size
- 7 Lighting Modes
- PD Fast Charging
- Bike Mount
Design and features
The Wuben X1 flashlight has an unusual shape for a flashlight. It is a solid rectangle with a flat end opposite the flat lens on the business end. Overall, it is 5” x 2” x 1.125”. On the lens end, it widens to 2.25” with three LEDs housed inside three slightly dimpled reflectors. The lens cover is flat and clear.
Just back from the lens on one of the long edges, there is a .5” diameter push button with an LED in the center to show battery status. Pressing once brings up the last saved brightness level. When it’s on, holding the button down cycles through the four levels, and releasing at the desired level selects that level.
Double-clicking from either off or any standard level will move to the highest level. Triple-clicking from either will turn on the strobe mode.
Performance
The Wuben X1 flashlight performs well. It fits in your hand or a pocket very nicely, the button is easy to hit, and the levels are logically organized. Charging is easy and quick. (Well, I guess that could depend on your charger, but it uses PD, which is quite fast!)
There are two small threaded holes on the side opposite the power button where you can mount the bike light attachment point – a solid molded piece with indentations to help it snap into the included bike mount holder. The screws are tiny but made with high precision, and there is an O-ring on each one that acts as a captivating piece to prevent them from falling out of the hole while you’re getting the screw to bite the threads.
The bike mount is solid plastic (not flimsy like I’ve had from other makers!), and the screw to tighten it onto the bar is long and swings freely. The gripper pads are set into a hole molded into the plastic (the tab on the pads actually pokes through!), so it doesn’t slide or lose grip. (That’s the blue rubbery nubbin shown in the photos above.) I was a bit irritated that it would not fit on my handlebar, but it easily attached to the handlebar post. Since the mount has a locking swivel, I was able to mount it there and twist it to point at the ground past my front wheel, and lock it into that position. This gives me a view of the roadway (depending on how bright I turn the light up), but also makes the reflectors on my front tire shine, just in case the approaching vehicle doesn’t have good headlights. I do want to be seen.
What I like
- Can mount or carry in case
- Multiple lighting levels, easily accessed
- Bike mount gripper pads are firmly attached to mount
- The bike attachment swivels and locks into place solidly
What I’d change
- Bike mount doesn’t fit my handlebars, which are fairly standard (.875″)
- Put a magnet in the base? Maybe?
Final thoughts
I like the Wuben X1 flashlight, both as a bike light and as an all-around toss-in-your-bag light. It fits your hand, isn’t tiny or huge, has a lot of power, is built like a tank, and charges quickly and easily. With its mostly parallel sides, it sits where you place it.
Price: $178.00
Where to buy: Wuben (Save 25% when you use the code: X125 )
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Wuben.
