Wuben A1 Search Light Review
Wuben A1⌗
- Specifications
- Introduction
- Torch in use
- Build quality
- LED, bezel, lens, reflector and beam
- Size and comparison
- User interface
- Batteries and charging
- Performance
- Beamshots
- Conclusion
- Price
- Product page
Specifications⌗
| Brand/model | Wuben A1 |
|---|---|
| LED | 4*Luminus SBT90 |
| Maximum lumens | 20,000 lm |
| Maximum beam intensity | 1,563,000 cd |
| Maximum throw | 2,500 m |
| Battery | Battery pack 8*21700 4S2P 14.4V 8400mAh |
| Onboard charging | Yes (DC2.1 19V/3A) |
| Powerbank | USB-A (5V/3A, 5V/2A, 5V/1A) 8400mAh |
| Material | Aluminium |
| Modes | 6 |
| Blinkies | Strobe, SOS |
| Reflector | Smooth |
| Waterproof | IP68 |
| Review date | January 2025 |
Introduction⌗
The Wuben A1 is a powerful search light with four SBT90 emitters and a remote control.
Darren Yeo kindly let me test and review his Wuben A1.
Here is a video where I got to play with the Wuben A1 while visiting Wuben in China:
I have not been paid for this review nor have I held back my opinions of this torch.
Packaging⌗
The Wuben A1 comes in a big carry-case with details about the search light listed on the side.
The following is included in the box:
- Wuben A1.
- Shoulder strap.
- Two spare o-rings.
- Two screws.
- Power adapter set with plugs (US, EU, UK and AU).
- User manual and warranty card.
User manual⌗
Torch in use⌗
The Wuben A1 is massive!
It can be turned on and off by pressing the power button.
The mode can be selected by pressing the “W” mode button.
A bit of plastic sticking out of the side is a cover for a Bluetooth antenna.
Be careful not to break this!
Long story short, if you do break it, you might be able to carefully remove the outer shell that has been glued to the antenna and install a new cover.
There is a remote control inside the handle. This can be used to turn the light on, off, and change modes.
I find it easier to carry this search light by using the handle. It also comes with a shoulder strap.
It would be even better if the Wuben A1 had a hole to mount it to a tripod.
I was able to balance the search light on the tail to point it directly up but I had to remove the tailcap first because the short strap for the tailcap was sticking out.
Build quality⌗
The Wuben A1 is mostly made out of aluminium with a black anodised finish.
The threads came well lubricated. The battery pack turns smoothly.
The tailcap can be unscrewed to reveal a DC charging socket and USB-A output to use the battery pack as a powerbank.
LED, bezel, lens, reflector and beam⌗
The Wuben A1 has four Luminus SBT90 emitters with a smooth reflector.
There is a big glass lens. It comes with protective film that must be removed before using the torch.
This looks a bit like a bouquet of flowers.
CCT, CRI, and duv⌗
I have taken Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT) and Colour Rendering Index (CRI, RA of R1-R8) measurements with the torch positioned ten metres away from an Opple Light Master Pro III (G3).
The CCT is around 5300K, the CRI is around 64 and the Delta u, v is positive (green) on lower modes and close to pure white on Turbo.
The beam produced has a chunky hot spot and a massive spill. It is what you would expect from an awesome search light!
| Mode | CCT (K) | CRI (Ra) | x | y | Duv |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | 5111 | 62.3 | 0.3440 | 0.3794 | 0.0138 |
| Level 2 | 5132 | 62.8 | 0.3432 | 0.3769 | 0.0129 |
| Level 3 | 5139 | 62.8 | 0.3429 | 0.3747 | 0.0120 |
| Level 4 | 5202 | 63.3 | 0.3408 | 0.3695 | 0.0105 |
| Level 5 | 5599 | 65.7 | 0.3301 | 0.3535 | 0.0073 |
| Turbo | 6014 | 69.8 | 0.3215 | 0.3363 | 0.0026 |
Calculate Duv from CIE 1931 xy coordinates
Dimensions and size comparison⌗
Dimensions⌗
I took the following measurements using a ruler and a digital caliper.
| Measurement | Unit (mm) |
|---|---|
| Length | 315 |
| Head diameter | 151 |
| Tube diameter | 65 |
| Tail diameter | 71 |
Weight⌗
I took the following measurements using a digital scale.
| Weight | Unit (kg) |
|---|---|
| Wuben A1 | 2.87 |
Size comparison with its competition⌗
From left to right: Wuben A1, Acebeam P20, Convoy L21B
User interface⌗
The Wuben A1 has two main buttons:
- Power button
- “W” Mode button
The Power button is used to turn the torch on and off.
The “W” Mode button is used to select each mode.
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Click the Power button | On (mode memory) |
| Off | Press and hold the Mode button | Momentary Turbo |
| Off | Click the Power or Mode button 4 times | Lock |
| Locked | Click the Power or Mode button 4 times | Unlock |
| On | Click the Power button | Off |
| On | Click the Mode button | Cycle (Level 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1) |
| On | Press and hold the Mode button | Turbo |
| On | Click the Power button 3 times | Toggle the breathing light behind the Power button |
| On | Press and hold the Power button | Strobe |
| Strobe | Click the Mode button | Cycle (SOS, Strobe) |
| Strobe, SOS | Click the Power button | Return to the previous output level |
Remote Control⌗
The Power button and the “W” Mode button on the remote control behave the same as the buttons on the Wuben A1.
There is a battery status indicator for the battery inside the remote.
The remote is paired to the Wuben A1 from the factory.
If it is not paired, then you can pair it by:
- Press and hold the Power and Mode buttons at the same time for 5 seconds until red and blue lights start flashing on the Power button.
- Press the Power button on the remote control within 30 seconds to pair.
The remote control has a range of 10 meters and built-in USB-C charging (5V/1A). USB-C to USB-C charging might not work. USB-A to USB-C charging works.
Mode Memory⌗
There is mode memory. Turbo and Strobe are not memorised.
Battery Capacity Status Indicator⌗
The Battery Capacity Status Indicator behind the power button will turn on for 5 seconds when the torch is on.
| Colour | Battery Capacity |
|---|---|
| Blue | C ≥ 85% |
| Blue flash | 85% > C ≥ 34% |
| Red | 34% > C ≥ 17% |
| Red flash | 17% > C ≥ 0% |
Low voltage protection⌗
The torch has low voltage protection.
Low voltage protection was triggered at the end of the Level 5 runtime. I measured a voltage of 0.04V. After putting the battery pack on the charger for a few seconds, the voltage was 11.45V.
Pulse Width Modulation⌗
I did not notice any visible PWM (flickering).
What I like about the UI⌗
- Simple to use.
- The Power and “W” Mode buttons on the Wuben A1 and the remote control behave the same way.
What could be improved⌗
I would personally prefer it it had shortcuts like “2 clicks from off for Turbo” and “3 clicks from off for Strobe”.
I guess Wuben is trying to make the user interface as simple as possible for people that may use this search light for their job rather than flashlight enthusiasts.
Batteries and charging⌗
Battery⌗
A 14.4V 8400mAh 28A battery pack is included.
The battery pack consists of 8*21700 cells in a 4S2P configuration and it produces 14.4V 28A.
It has a protection circuit with:
- Over Voltage Protection to cut off the power when charging when the battery pack is fully charged;
- Low Voltage Protection to cut the battery pack off when the voltage is too low;
- Short Circuit Protection to cut the battery pack off when there is a short circuit.
Charging⌗
The power adapter set with plugs (US, EU, UK and AU) can be used to charge the battery pack at a rate of 19V/3A.
There are charging status indicator lights on the tail.
Powerbank⌗
The powerbank feature can be used by connecting a device to the USB-A port.
Protocols supported include: QC2.0, QC3.0, FCP, AFC, PD2.0, DCP, BC1.2 and Apple.
Please see the user manual for more details about the battery status indicators while charging and discharging.
Performance⌗
Specifications from the manual (V2.2 230221) and website:
| ANSI FL1 Standard | Turbo | Level 5 | Level 4 | Level 3 | Level 2 | Level 1 | Strobe | SOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Output (lumens) | 20,000 + 6,000 | 12,000 + 5,000 | 4,000 | 1,500 | 400 | 100 | 4,000 | 1,000 |
| Runtime | 2min + 2h | 5min + 2h 30min | 5h | 13h 30min | 43h | 105h | ||
| Beam Distance (metres) | 2,500 | 1,428 | 730 | 404 | 187 | 81 | ||
| Beam Intensity (cd) | 1,563,000 | 510,000 | 136,000 | 40,800 | 8,704 | 1,632 |
Lumen measurements⌗
| Mode | Specs | Lumens @turn on | Lumens @30 sec | Lumens @10 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | 100 | 185 | 185 | 185 |
| Level 2 | 400 | 508 | 508 | 508 |
| Level 3 | 1,500 | 1,627 | 1,391 | 1,428 |
| Level 4 | 4,000 | 4,262 | 4,013 | 3,901 |
| Level 5 | 12,000 + 5,000 | 10,947 | 12,116 | 5,131 |
| Turbo | 20,000 + 6,000 | 21,288 | 17,322 | 6,088 |
Level 5 reached 12,426 lumens after 4 seconds.
My big DIY lumen tube reads slightly high for lower lumen measuments.
Runtime graphs⌗
I used my own DIY lumen tube with a TSL2591 sensor and forked bmengineer’s project RuTiTe to record runtimes.
Note: Lumen measurements may be off by 10% with my DIY lumen tube.
The room temperature was approximately 11 C.
Runtime⌗
Here is a summary of the runtime results:
| Mode | User manual | Runtime | Turn off | Final voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 2min + 2h | 1h 52min 57s | 2h 13min 57s | 12.08 |
| Level 5 | 5min + 2h 30min | 2h 26min 26s | 3h 0min 41s | 11.94 |
| Level 4 | 5h | 4h 7min 57s | 5h 22min 33s | 12.01 |
| Level 3 | 13h 30min | 13h 50min 55s | 13h 50min 56s | 11.75 |
| Level 2 | 43h | 40h 31min 4s | 40h 31min 4s | 11.80 |
| Level 1 | 105h | 91h 1min 18s | 91h 1min 18s | 11.88 |
“Runtime” is the time until the output reduces to 10% of the output at 30 seconds (as per the ANSI/PLATO FL1 2019 Standard).
“Turn off” is the time until my DIY lumen tube no longer detects more than one lumen.
“+” indicates that the light remained on after recording had stopped.
The runtime is very close to what Wuben claim for Level 3, 4, 5 and Turbo.
The runtimes fell a little short for Level 1 by a few hours (40h 31min instead of 43h) and Level 1 (91h instead fo 105h). I am not testing a brand new Wuben A1 so the runtimes results might not be as good.
The output is stable for Level 1, 2, 3 and 4.
3,000 to 4,000 lumens and a 1km+ beam distance for almost 2h 30 minutes on Level 4 is decent.
Throw⌗
I took lux measurements with a UNI-T UT383BT at 30 seconds. Each mode was measured at ten metres.
| Mode | Specs (cd) | Specs (m) | Candela measured (cd) | Distance (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | 1,632 | 81 | 14,000 | 236 |
| Level 2 | 8,704 | 187 | 47,200 | 434 |
| Level 3 | 40,800 | 404 | 142,200 | 754 |
| Level 4 | 136,000 | 730 | 387,900 | 1,245 |
| Level 5 | 510,000 | 1,428 | 1,145,400 | 2,140 |
| Turbo | 1,563,000 | 2,500 | 1,629,000 | 2,552 |
Beamshots⌗
I went to a local park and aimed the Wuben A1 at a tree 70 metres away while using Turbo.
Beamshots were taken using a Sony RX100M2 using 3.2", f3.2, ISO 100, 5000K WB.
Wuben A1 (Turbo)⌗
Acebeam P20 (Turbo)⌗
Vastlite General (Turbo)⌗
Mateminco MT-911 (Turbo)⌗
Convoy L21B CSLNM1.TG 100%⌗
Conclusion⌗
The Wuben A1 is a massive search light!
I am not even sure what else comes close. Perhaps the Acebeam K75 V2.0?
The Acebeam P20 is fun with a single SBT90 emitter. But the Wuben A1 has four SBT90 emitters!
If you have a serious need for a search light of this size, then I would highly recommend it.
If you are on the hunt for the possibly the holy grail of throwers as a flashlight enthusiast then this might be for you.
Pros:⌗
- Excellent build quality.
- Excellent beam distance.
- Good runtimes.
- Good output regulation.
- Simple user interface.
- Remote control.
- Powerbank.
Cons:⌗
- Care must be taken to avoid snapping the Bluetooth antenna cover off.
Price⌗
The Wuben A1 is US$719.99 from amazon.com (affiliate link) after applying a 20% coupon.
The Wuben A1 is US$809.10 from wubenlight.com (affiliate link) after applying the promo code TIM10.
Product page⌗
Promo codes: TIM10
Wuben A1 at wubenlight.com (affiliate link)
Wuben A1 at amazon.com (affiliate link)
I may earn a commission if you use an affiliate link or a promo code. This will help fund future torch reviews and tutorials.