I was never a Boy Scout, but I’ve always adopted their “Be Prepared” motto. It’s not without my everyday carry kit when I leave the house, which includes, among other things, wireless earbuds, a small battery, extra glasses – and a flashlight. In fact, I have been looking for what I consider to be the most suitable flashlight for a long time, and as a result I now have more than any person could ever need. But the $25 Wuben G5 may be my last, thanks to a compact design that combines clever functionality with lots of light that’s easy to adjust.
I purchased the G5 as a replacement for the Nightcore TINI 2 Keychain flashlight I used to carry with me. As small as it is, the Nightcore is surprisingly bright, but the lock option that prevents the flashlight from accidentally turning on is far from foolproof. In fact, the TINI 2 would regularly turn on on its own while bouncing around inside my sling bag, draining its battery without me even realizing it. You cannot effectively “dress” with the flashlight off.
The G5 also includes a locking mechanism, but in the form of a sliding switch on one side that acts as a cover for the flashlight’s USB-C charging port. After a few months of carrying it around, the G5 won’t turn on on its own, and at this point I don’t expect it to. It’s not as small as my old Nitecore, but it’s only a little longer than a Zippo lighter, and still very pocketable.
What I like even more about the G5 is that it’s great at being a flashlight. Instead of moving through brightness presets, the flashlight has a wheel that lets you quickly dial in how much light you need, ranging from just 2 lumens all the way up to 400. I find its lowest setting is more than bright enough to detect something dropped in a dark car or something that’s rolled under the couch, and keeping it dim extends the flashlight’s battery life to 65 hours.
The G5 isn’t limited to just white light. It has a second LED whose color can be adjusted by rotating a brightness dial that cycles through the spectrum. Using a combination of a double tap and long press on the power button, the G5 can also flash different colors or multicolored patterns, which, in some situations, can be a useful way to indicate that you’re in an emergency.
Other functionality I appreciated includes a clip whose position can be adjusted on the front, side, or back of the G5, and its LEDs are located on a head that can rotate 180 degrees. The base of the flashlight also has a built-in magnet so you can mount the G5 and use it hands-free. In short, Wubben seems to have put a lot of thought into the design of the G5 to maximize its functionality.
I’m not going to pretend that everyone will be thrilled to find a flashlight in their stocking on Christmas morning, but I’m betting there will be one or two people on your shopping list who would appreciate a very useful addition to their everyday carry kit.
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