review – I have got tactical flashlight I keep it by my bed for emergencies around the house and yard, but I also want one for my car. Maybe I had a flat tire at night, maybe I ran out of gas and had to hike to the nearest gas station, maybe I ran into someone who needed help. For these situations, I thought it might be helpful to have a powerful and reliable flashlight. Today, I am reviewing the Takemoto T1 Tactical Flashlight.
What is it?
WUBEN T1 is a tactical flashlight It features four levels of brightness, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and an innovative three-way switch on the rear. With an IP68 rating, it should be suitable for any weather. T1 is manufactured by WUBEN, and its mission It is to lead people out of the darkness.
What’s in this box?
- WUBEN T1 Tactical Flashlight
- USB-A to USB-C charging cable
- Two spare o-rings
- User Manual
- wristband
Hardware Specifications
- Light source: Luminus SST-40 LED
- Maximum brightness: 2000 lumens
- Battery: 18650 Li-Ion, rated 3100 mAh
- Switch: tail tee
- Charger: Via USB-C
- Dimensions: 25 x 1.5 x 1.5 inches
- Weight: 7.9 oz
- Material: unknown
- Protection class: IP-68
- Shock: 5 feet shock resistant
- Maximum runtime: 100 hours
- Maximum distance: 544 yards
Design and Features
The WUBEN T1 tactical flashlight has the look and feel of a very typical small tactical flashlight. It’s about six inches long, making it perfect for one-handed holding. The exterior is matte black, full of hard edges and ribbing for easy grip. WUBEN doesn’t specify what the T1 is made of, but I think it’s aluminum because it gives it a heavy feel. The tail has an interesting button mechanism with a large belt clip running along the side of the body and a serrated head. I like this design.
installation and setup
The T1 is well protected in a solid box with custom foam inserts. The first thing I did was read the user manual, it has a folded style similar to an old-fashioned map. The fonts are dizzyingly small, but at least the English is fine. There are a number of graphics designed to explain how to use the T1 and switch between its two modes and change the brightness of the lights. The manual is not very clear, but after a little time and experimentation I managed to figure it out.
Lighting up many flashlights, the T1 comes with a small piece of plastic in the battery housing to prevent the battery from draining in transit. WUBEN thoughtfully put a small blue sticker on the flashlight to remind me to remove it before use, so I unscrewed the tail, found the so-called “insulation sheet” and removed it. When I click the button on the tail, the T1 turns on, which is a good start.
Although the battery is at least partially charged, I want to see how it does. Unlike the K3, the battery has no built-in charger. Instead, there’s a twist ring around the flashlight, just below the head, and it swivels down until it exposes a USB-C port. The included cable is USB-C on one end, but unfortunately still USB-A on the other end. Since most chargers are USB-C these days, I wish WUBEN included an updated cable.
Performance
I came across the belt clip right away. It’s long and extends over the twist ring. The belt clip got in my way as I tried to grab and twist the ring. When I turned the ring, the clip quickly bent to the side. I don’t know why WUBEN chose to put the clip on the twist ring, but it was a poor design choice.
The clip is held in place by two very small screws, which aren’t enough to keep it stable; I’ve found it’s often skewed to one side or the other. I didn’t like the design of the belt clip at all, so I unscrewed it with a tiny hex wrench, threw the clip away, and replaced the screw back in the hole. Since the purpose of this light is for emergencies in my car, the belt clip is not important to me. If the belt clip is important to how you plan to use your tactical flashlight, then I recommend either buying a holster or looking for a different flashlight.
The charger itself works great. When I started charging, there was a small LED above the twist ring and it turned red; it turned blue when the battery was fully charged. As for the twist ring, I really like the mechanism because it protects the charging port well from dust and water, much better than the little rubber sheets that some gadgets use.
The T1’s “claim to fame” is the unique “tactical tail switch”. It is a single switch with three switch functions. It can be tapped, pressed down until it clicks, and pushed sideways. All with the T1’s modes, brightness levels and special effects enabled. In my opinion, this transition is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because my hands only have to go to one place to turn on the flashlight and set it up the way I want. This is handy during dark or stressful situations. It’s a curse because there are so many options that I need to remember exactly when and when I click, press, and push to get to the settings I want. In a tactical flashlight, this confusing set of options is frowned upon. I wish WUBEN would bring it back to the drawing board and redesign it to make it simpler. The silver lining is that the basic functionality of the flashlight, turning on and setting the brightness, is so easy, everything else can be ignored.
T1 has two different modes, Tactical Mode and Outdoor Mode. The manual doesn’t explain the differences or when I should use one or the other. As far as I know, there is only one difference between the two modes: the tactical mode can switch between high and low brightness, and the outdoor mode can switch between high, medium, low, and ecological brightness. That’s it. The first thing I need to decide is how much level of brightness is important to me. Since I’m going to put it in my car, I think I only need two levels, so I want to put the T1 in tactical mode. To switch modes, I had to flick the switch five times and then once. After I’m done, I can forget about the pattern.
For basic operation, I just have to remember two things: I press the button until it clicks to turn it on, and press it again to turn it off. When it’s on, I push it aside to toggle between low and high brightness. It’s easy and it works great. At 2,000 lumens in high light mode, the T1 is bright enough to light up my backyard at night.
The T1 has four additional settings that may be useful in some situations. If the light does not come on, then:
- If I tap and hold, it stays on until I release it.
- If I hold it down, it flashes until I release it.
If the light is on, then:
- If I press for 2 seconds it will strobe until I press again.
- If I press it twice, it will flash in SOS mode until I press it again.
Since I don’t need these settings the vast majority of the time, I’m sure I’ll soon forget how to set them up. I can leave the manual in the glove box – I think SOS might come in handy someday – or I can leave the box in the trunk, as WUBEN thinks the inner lid contains diagrams of how to activate these settings.
According to the manual, T1 will run:
- 1.5 hours high
- Moderate 2.5 hours
- 10 hours low
- 100 Hours Eco-Friendly
I fully charged the T1 and left it on high; it lasted 110 minutes, 20 minutes more than the manual says, which is great. During this time, I noticed that the T1 got quite warm. It’s never hot enough to burn me, but it’s hot enough to make a great hand warmer on a cold February morning.
Five have Short videos on YouTube This provides a quick overview of T1.
Extra features
The T1 comes with a nice wrist strap. The manual doesn’t mention how to set it up, but since there’s only one hole in the flashlight near the switch, that’s where it has to go. I really like this strap. It feels like it’s made of nylon with clips on both ends and an adjuster in the middle that keeps it snug around my wrist. I even like the camouflage style design.
The degree of protection of the T1 is IP-68. The #6 is the highest level of solid protection; no dust, dirt, sand, pollen or anything can get inside the T1 when the T1 is off. #8 is the highest level of liquid protection. The T1 is fully waterproof and should function properly when submerged in water. To test this, I put some water in the sink, turned on the flashlight, and submerged it. It works just fine, even if I leave it there for about a minute.
Although this is the first professional tactical torch made by WUBEN, they have a wide variety of other torches ranging from Electronic data center arrive flashlight arrive Bicycle Light arrive headlamp. Gadgeteer recently reviewed several flashlights from WUBEN, including Five C2This WUBEN D1This WUBEN E6and WUBEN H5.
what do I like
- Compact, rugged design
- Rugged body
- One switch controls everything
- Bright enough to help with any roadside emergency
what would i change
- Redesigned belt to be stronger and not block twist loops
- Simplified setup
final thoughts
The WUBEN T1 Tactical Flashlight is a rugged flashlight suitable for all kinds of emergencies. Basic functions are easy to use via its single-tail switch, and irrelevant settings can be used if necessary. While the belt clip is poorly designed, the wristband is a delight. The T1 is super bright enough for my needs and waterproof. If you need a rugged tactical flashlight (but don’t need a good belt clip), I recommend taking a look at the T1.
Price: $89.99
where to buy: No online shop (Use coupon code gadgeteerT120 for 20% off. Valid 4/12/22)
resource: Samples for this review provided by WUBEN.
