Wuben X3, L1 and F5: Three Flashlights Taking Different Paths

Introduction

Wuben has taken three of its designs from beta versions to full production, and the finished products show a company willing to experiment with flashlight form factors rather than just churn out another cylindrical light. The lineup covers three genuinely different use cases: a compact right-angle light with a rotating head, a large dual-LED work light with a magnetic base, and a camp light that doubles as an emergency phone charger.

Evaluation Criteria

For this comparison, the practical questions matter most: how flexible each light is in real use, how sensible the brightness modes and runtimes are, and whether the extras, like magnets, clips, charging options, and mounting hardware, actually add value or just weight.

Wuben X3: A Rotating Head That Changes Everything

The X3 keeps much of what worked in the earlier version, including the clip and magnets, but swaps the charging box for a small docking cradle with a USB-C port on the back. The clip makes the cradle one-directional, so the light drops straight in. It is also a fairly light unit for what it does.

The controls are straightforward. A single press wakes one of the two LEDs at 1 lumen of moonlight, holding cycles through the settings while the OLED screen shows the lumen count, and a double click jumps to the full 700-lumen turbo. Triple click gets you strobe, and there is an SOS mode as well. Runtime is respectable for something this size: roughly 2 hours on the 150-lumen regular mode, 6 hours on the 50-lumen setting, and 50 hours on the 1-lumen mode, which is the setting most people will actually reach for when grabbing a light in the middle of the night.

The big trick is the rotating head. Turn it one way and you get a classic 90-degree angle light with the screen on top; rotate it back and it becomes a traditional handheld flashlight. It is a simple idea that makes the X3 far more versatile than its size suggests.

Wuben L1: 2,000 Lumens with Spot and Flood

The L1 is the most powerful of the three and shares the rotating-head idea. It has essentially a spot and a flood, and you choose which one you want in which position. There is no tail switch; everything runs off the two side switches, and a large magnet in the body lets you attach it where needed. Even the USB-C port cover gets some thought, with a snug silicone insert that seats firmly instead of flopping around.

Performance is impressive. High mode delivers 2,000 lumens, followed by 1,000 and 600-lumen settings, with around 60 hours of runtime available in the max SOS mode. SOS runs at roughly 320 lumens, which in a dark area is visible for miles. Wuben claims a 350-meter beam distance on the full 2,000-lumen output.

The genuinely useful part is that both LEDs can run at once. With narrow spot beams you often lose what is right in front of you, constantly lifting the light up and down to navigate. Running spot and flood together fixes that, which makes moving through cumbersome terrain noticeably easier.

Wuben F5: More Than Just a Camp Light

The F5 has been out a while, but it earns its place here. Compared with other pop-up lantern-style camp lights, the F5 is a heavier ABS plastic cube with a full LED array. It offers white light, a softer yellow mode, or both together, with plus and minus buttons to raise and lower brightness.

One clever detail is the breathing mode: triple-click the W button and the battery indicator’s four blue lights slowly dim and rise instead of staying constant. Left in the corner of a tent or RV at night, it gives you just enough glow to find the light again without keeping you awake or draining much battery.

Hardware is generous. There is a hook, a ring, a magnet on the back, a lanyard, a tripod mount, and a USB-out port for topping up a phone. You will not get many charges from a battery this size, but when you need the phone more than the light, it can be a genuine lifesaver.

Overall Buying Advice

The rotating-head 90-degree format is the thread running through this lineup, and it is worth taking seriously. A light that fast-clips to a belt, strap, or backpack and points forward while your hands stay free is surprisingly helpful once you get used to it.

The F5 adds another angle: mounted on a small tripod via its quarter-inch mount, it works as soft lighting for video conferencing, then packs away as a camp light with a charging port in reserve.

If you want one light that covers power and flexibility, the L1 makes the strongest case. If you want something small for nighttime grabbing and everyday carry, the X3 is the natural pick. For campers and anyone who wants a light that doubles as a power bank, the F5 is the one to look at.

Conclusion

Wuben is clearly pushing the limits of what a flashlight can be, and these three production lights each solve a different problem well. The X3 wins on compact versatility, the L1 on raw output and dual-beam control, and the F5 on camping extras and emergency charging. Pick based on where you will actually use it, and all three make a lot of sense.