Wuben TP10 Tactical Penlight Review

Wuben is a relatively new flashlight manufacturer to me.
I have looked at their website some time ago and there was not much to choose from.
I spotted a nice 10180 mini flashlight,from the ones that became very popular lately.
Currently Wuben is adding more flashlights to their product line and offered me two models for test and review.
I really did not know what to expect from this brand,so I agreed to test the flashlights with high interest.
In this review I am writing about the tactical penlight Wuben TP10 which features strong Tungsten tip at the one end,ball point pen at the other and integrated 10180 flashlights in the cap.
Read my review below to find out more about the TP10 and as usual enjoy the pictures!

Wuben TP10 can be easily used as a flashlight with a nice pocket clip.
It works great as a baseball cap light-the clip is in the suitable direction.
Below is a comparison with two other 10180 mini flashlights and two AAA flashlights.
Vollsion MK-S, MecArmy Illuminex1, Wuben TP10, Bronte BT01, Fenix E99Ti.
This comparison of course is mostly size comparison.I will compare the beams as well,as the reflector diameters are similar.
I don't know what are the holes at the bottom of the TP10 for,but they could be successfully used for strap attaching.

A look at the reflector side.
All lights except Fenix with a Cree XP-G2 LEDs.
All except Bronte with a TIR reflector.

Pictures from the included instruction sheet.

Wuben TP10 comes in a nice,hard cardboard box with magnetic closing cap.
The penlight is inserted in a thick rubber foam-looks great as a gift and protects the penlight perfectly.
A short micro USB cable also has a place in the box.
Instruction sheet and four spare O-rings are included,as well.

Below is the pen in my hand with slim fingers.
Even though it is a little longer than needed when writing,I found it comfortable and of course the flashlight part can be detached for better comfort.
The place where we hold the pen has rounded triangular shape which ensures very stable grip.

Here is the flashlight end.

Here is how Wuben TP10 looks like disassembled and the battery out of the tube.
You can see the micro USB port at the battery tube and the mode switching plate in the head.

Close up look at the main parts.
Wuben 10180 Li-Ion battery with capacity of 70mAh.
Triangular cut threads. Thick and very stable pocket clip.With the right form to keep the penlight in proper position.
Dark grey matte anodizing.
The anodized surface on my sample is good,with several imperfections,visible at very close look.

Schneider Gelion 39 Refill-black color ink with 0,4mm line width.

A look at the inner side of the tubes.The positive contact points need cleaning as there are some shaves,
most likely from the plastic ring covering the driver board(second element from right to left).

Operating the flashlight-
As the other popular 10180 type flashlights,Wuben TP10 has two modes,3 and 130 lumens.
Turning the light On is possible by rotating the head.Rotating further presses the contact plate (which you can see above) and activates the second 130 lumen mode.
No flashing modes.

RunTime Test
I tested Wuben TP10 on its High mode.
Light air cooling to ensure optimal testing temperature.
The light was activated and left static in the integrating sphere until the light level hit 1 lumen.
Initial lumen output of 130 lumens.
No step down. The runtime curve has very similar shape to the other 10180 flashlights I have tested,and looks like a typical direct drive output.
The max brightness depends on the battery voltage,and the tiny 10180 battery is not so powerful to keep the output constant even for a minute.
However the advantage is that we have a compact USB rechargeable battery that fit very small flashlights,in our case with a pen size.

If you use the light on short periods of time,this will give the battery some time to 'breath' which may allow a little less brightness drop compared to the constant 30 minutes discharge.

6 mm width of the pocket clip.Overall matte finish.The clip is not removable without unscrewing the tube,but I did not figure out yet how to do it.

11cm length of the pen without the flashlight cap.
13mm diameter in the widest section.
Very thick square cut threads.

Cree XP-G2 LED. Cool white light. No visible bad tint.
The LED on my sample is not well centered.I don't think this affects the beam that much,though I have no way to compare it with a properly centered sample.
Acrylic TIR reflector.

Really nice laser engraving.The silver looking like a ring part above is just a clean of anodizing section,which gives some style to the penlight.

Testing my Helios 44M6 lens for macro photos. I think it passes the test successfully(most photos in the review are taken with this lens).
Both ends of the pen. Ball point pen and Tungsten steel tip.
The tip is mostly designed for car window breaking in emergency situations.I have no way to test it,so I can comment only theoretically.

Beamshots
Even though the TIR optics in the compared flashlights appear to be very similar,the produced beams are quite different.
The light from the XP-G2 LED in the Wuben TP10 seems a little cooler white than the other flashlights in the comparison.
It is also better focused and allows longer distance of illumination.
As expected thanks to its conventional aluminum reflector,Bronte BT01 provides much better spill,while the TIR lenses focus most of the light around the central spot.

1 meter

5 meters

My impressions and thoughts of Wuben TP10 so far are good.I like the design.
It is comfortable as a pen.I can't discuss much about the tungsten tip,but it seems made as it should be and eventually may come in use for some people.
I rarely like the pocket clips on most of the flashlights I have tested.On this one though,I do not have much to criticize.
Maybe it could be a little deeper,but as a multi-tool everything is designed to fit well with the overall functionality.

Unscrewing both parts takes just 360 degree rotation(one turn),and they become separated.It is a good idea to keep everything tight and to check it from time to time,especially if you carry it on the belt/pants.
In terms of output regulation(or lack of regulation) Wuben TP10 is not better,nor worse than the competing 10180 lights.
I would like a cap for the pen,so I could keep the ball point/tungsten tip covered.
The 0,4mm ink line is a little too wide for my preferences,but the refill could be replaced with a thinner one eventually.
The flashlight part leaves only good thoughts in me.Good beam.Switching the modes is very smooth.Everything operates as it should be.
I am usually looking very precisely at the finish and the overall machine work. The anodizing could be a little better on some of the edges,
but most of the people may not notice the things I am seeing,as this is a tool to be used,not a photographic object.

Thanks for reading and looking at the pictures!

Thanks to Wuben for providing the TP10 for test and review!