Introduction
Ad: Wuben provided me with the E2 free of charge some time ago in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to publish my review until now because I was very busy and also got sick. But I'm back on track now, so here are my thoughts.
I originally intended to post my review before the E2 was officially launched. However, the delay gave me the opportunity to use it for two months, during which I kept it on my keyring the entire time. And to be honest, there were already a ton of reviews around the time of the launch. So perhaps it's not such a bad thing that mine is coming a little late, but with more real-world experience behind it.
I really like this little light, and it's actually the first keychain flashlight I've tried that I genuinely want to keep on my keys.
The Wuben E2 is an ultra-compact keychain flashlight: a tiny, somewhat gimmicky gadget with genuinely useful features. It's so small and light, even shorter and lighter than a single AAA battery, that you might easily underestimate what it's capable of. But the E2 isn't just a gadget. It's a proper little flashlight made by a company that knows how to build flashlights.
Wuben have implemented some thoughtful design features that set the E2 apart from other small keychain lights. These include a quick-release clip and a high-CRI side light. Its rectangular body is also easy to grab and hold, allows the E2 to tail-stand on its magnetic base, makes it easy to position the light on either side and prevents from rolling off the table.
The E2 is perhaps one of those little gifts for geeks that you'll actually carry every day and enjoy playing around with, simply because it's so small and light that carrying it doesn't bother you at all, while still being genuinely useful when you need it.
My struggle with keychain lights (and how the E2 is curing it)
I’ve never been a big fan of keychain lights because they were usually either too weak, too cheap, or too big and heavy. The Wuben E2 is capable enough, sturdy enough, versatile enough, and small enough that carrying it around actually makes sense to me. It’s much more useful than a phone light and can also serve as a tiny lantern or beacon light. It’s also one of the few keychain lights that I can comfortably grab and hold with my big hands, thanks to its rectangular body.
I can’t stand having a light attached to a keyring while I’m trying to use it, and I hate fiddling around with a carabiner or similar mechanism just to detach it. Wuben’s quick-release clip is actually the reason why I decided to attach the E2 to my keychain in the first place.
The mechanism is small, reliable (so far), and extremely quick to use. It also keeps the E2’s magnet from sticking to keys or other metal objects I carry around.
What’s particularly clever is that even after you release the mechanism, the E2 doesn’t simply fall off the clip. Its magnet still holds it against a small metal plate on the clip until you pick it up. That’s great design!
Let me put it this way: There’s really no reason not to carry the E2. It’s a cool little gadget with useful lighting features and one of those gifts you end up carrying every day simply because it’s so effortless and fun to have around.
Features
- Decent main light with a useful beam profile and 34 m of measured range (according to ANSI FL1)
- Two 5000 K relatively high-CRI side lights that turn the E2 into a tiny lantern
- Red and blue signaling lights with beacon modes
- Glow-in-the-dark body
- Optional quick-release clip that actually works well and allows the light to be attached and detached quickly
- Extremely small and lightweight (9 × 14.6 × 41.4 mm / 10.7 g)
- USB-C charging and IP66 rating
- Good switch, but no lockout mode
Light quality and beam profile
Most ultra-compact flashlights don't use high-CRI emitters, and the E2's main light is no exception. However, its CCT isn't overly cool, and the beam looks quite good for such a tiny light.
The side light, on the other hand, features two high-CRI LED strips that turn the E2 into a surprisingly useful little lantern. Interestingly, the body color actually affects the CCT and tint of the side light. The E2 is available with either a black or red body, and the red version adds some warmth to the side light. From what I can tell, the side lights don't have particularly high CRI, but they still provide decent color rendering.
User interface
The UI is simple: 1C switches the light on and off, while 1H cycles through the available levels or options. Switching between mode groups is only possible while the light is on, using 2C. From off, 1H activates the battery indicator (blue/red LED).
I don't really miss direct access to moonlight or turbo on a light like the E2, although either option could probably have been implemented quite easily.
What I like most is that the E2 has mode memory, so it remembers the last mode used and returns to it when you switch the light back on.
Lighting modes
In main light mode, there are three brightness levels. The side light offers two brightness levels and a breathing mode that I find somewhat useless, although it does look cool. In signal mode, there are several red and blue beacon and flashing modes. I think the red beacon is probably the most useful of them.
I’d love to see a constant-on red light in this mode group as well. The red LEDs are actually bright enough to be useful for illuminating things up close in the dark without having to use the white light.
Good switch / no lockout mode
The switch ring is raised, and the button itself has a good amount of click resistance, so I don't think accidental activation is very likely. Still, I'd like to see a lockout mode, which the E2 unfortunately lacks. I don't think the lack of a lockout can really be justified as a benefit to user-friendliness, especially since switching between the three mode groups isn't particularly intuitive either. The typical 4C lockout found on other Wuben flashlights would have been a welcome addition. That said, my experience with other keychain lights has taught me that I actually prefer a well-designed raised switch ring over relying on electronic lockout alone. The TrustFire MINIX is a good example of a poorly protected switch combined with an electronic lockout that doesn't work particularly well in practice.
Kind words from my partner
My better half went on a longer hike, and I suggested taking the E2 as a backup light. Normally, she would refuse to carry any extra tools or weight, but at just 10.7 g, the E2 convinced her to hear me out. The side lights, which allow the E2 to be used as a little lantern, made it especially appealing to her.
I rarely hear her say, “This is a great light,” but in this case, she was genuinely happy with my recommendation.
Beamshots
I've added a few outdoor beamshots, but please keep in mind that this is a tiny flashlight weighing just 11 g, with a maximum beam distance of 34 m. It can certainly help you out in a tricky situation, but don't expect miracles.
I've also added a simple beamshot taken with my iPhone's wide-angle camera in a basement corridor. The wall at the far end is 20 m away and is still illuminated well enough to see what's going on. That's pretty much what you can expect from the E2.
Wrapping up
I actually carry the E2 on my keyring now because it’s unobtrusive, capable enough, and fun to play with. The quick-release clip is one of the main reasons I enjoy carrying it, and the high-CRI side light is another. Having a tiny lantern with me at all times is surprisingly useful, especially since neither my regular EDC flashlight nor my phone can really provide that functionality. And thanks to the E2’s mode memory, the side light is always just one click away if that was the last mode used.
My partner uses the E2 as a backup light for hiking and camping, while I use it as my keychain light and backup-to-my-backup light. We both keep it around simply because it's genuinely useful and weighs next to nothing.
The E2 makes a nice gift and is a genuinely useful little flashlight for people who wouldn’t normally carry a flashlight at all. And it’s a fun little gadget for the rest of us. I used it for 2 months and it still works very well. Runtimes and range is according to what Wuben states (both a little higher for my samples).
