I was lucky enough to get a Wuben E2 Pulse even before its official release. The time before the release wasn’t sufficient for a full review, so please bear with me even when you miss some of the information you’d normally expect in my reviews.

Many flashlights have a dedicated purpose – for the E2 Pulse it’s clearly “Every Day Carry” (EDC). This flashlight is small enough to keep it with you every day even when you’re not the kind of person who carries loads of equipment during your daily routines. Wuben was able to squeeze some more features into this tiny thing which may set it apart from other keyring-flashlights.

The “Pulse” in the name refers to a new mode but we’ll get into that later.

First impression of the Wuben E2 Pulse

Like with all of their products, Wuben uses packaging that lives up to modern standards and fits the kind of packed item. If you’re just looking for a new workhorse you might not care but for collectors a unwrapping a nice package is part of the joy.

The lamp comes with some accessories: A keyring, a ball-chain with a special connector, charging cable and of course a manual.

The lamp itself is sized between very small EDC-flashlights and keyring-flashlights. At first glance it’s a bit confusing why the body is made of semi-clear plastic but it all makes sense when you learn about the features, so stay tuned. I haven’t tried putting it on my keyring because I’m a bit worried about the body getting scratched too much but the size is perfect for having it in other places like the coin pocket of your jeans, around the neck with the ball-chain or in other small pockets.

The lamp has a USB-C port, covered by a rubber lid which should be enough to withstand some splashes of water. It’s not a diving light anyway. Opposite of the USB-C port there’s a single button which is enough to select all the different modes. On/Off is a now brainer but you will definitely want to take a look into the manual to learn about all the modes.

The body is not just semi-transparent, it’s also glow in the dark. And I love glow in the dark!

The modes of the E2 Pulse

There’s an ever ongoing discussion about wether you want many, many modes on your flashlight or you want just “Light. No light.” For me it’s all about what kind of flashlight you have and what you want from it. The Wuben E2 Pulse isn’t your indestructible outdoor searchlight and not your tactical self-defense tool. It’s a handy tool that will help you in situations where you could possibly do without a flashlight but are way less miserable when you have one. So a few extra features are very welcome here.

I don’t want to copy the whole manual here, so this is more of an overview. The flashlight has:

• 3 white front modes. low: 5 lumens, medium: 50 lumens, high: 150 lumens (stepping down to 100 lumens)
• 3 white body modes: low, high and “heartbeat flash” (the “pulse” mode)
• 2 color body modes: red/blue alternate flash and red beacon.

The white light brightness options were chosen wisely. 5 lumens is fine for “moonlight mode”. It help with finding the coins you just dropped or the keyhole at night. It even helps with not stepping on anything while navigating in the night. But still it’s dim enough to keep your night vision intact. 50 lumens is bright enough for basic tasks in an arms reach or for navigating around in a forest without bumping into trees or low hanging branches. 150 lumens is astonishingly bright – just remember that a few years ago, before the “lumen race” began, 200 lumens was sensationally bright for a way bigger tactical flashlight.

The “white body modes” (as I call them) use LED strips along the side of the flashlight. So the main lamp is off but only the sides light up. Together with the milky body this makes for diffuse lighting you can use to light a small area. It’s enough for orientation in a small tent or when you’re in bed. You just need to hang it high enough to get it out of your direct sight because the “high” mode will cost you your night vision and both sides of the flashlight have the strip. The “heartbeat flash” mode is a white pulsating mode. It changes its frequency over time and was meant to remind you of breathing or maybe a heartbeat (not in the medical way).

Especially the “heartbeat flash” mode is where the glow in the dark ability of the body comes into play. You have the pulsating of the LED strip and the afterglow of the body. Which doesn’t really serve a technical purpose but it’s nice to watch. When your eyes are really adapted to the dark, you can spot the glow even hours after the body was loaded with light.

The color body modes help when marking something with the lamp. The red/blue alternate flash draws attention and you can use it to mark things that should be seen. Like yourself when walking your dog late at night. Or your dog. The red beacon is a bit harder to spot. It works great when you know what you’re looking for and search for the red flash. So you can mark your equipment when you’re out and about in the night.

The build

I already told you most about the build but there’s still a thing to mention or two.

The whole lamp is milky clear plastic with a glow in the dark effect. The effect isn’t very strong, it’s mostly used to give the heartbeat flash mode that nice afterglow. Still you can spot the glow after a few hours when your eyes are really in “night vision mode”. In the front there’s a single LED lamp with a lens in front of the reflector. That’s a nice detail because many tiny lamps have no glass in front of the reflector thus letting dirt in. I already told you about the single round button and the rubber-covered USB-C port.

What I didn’t tell you about so far is the butt of the lamp. It has a strong magnet which let’s you stick the lamp to many surfaces. This is extremely handy especially in combination with the diffuse lighting of the side panels. And, another party trick of the flashlight: The ball chain has quite a sophisticated connector which will hold the flashlight very securely, is easy to connect and easy to disconnect. The connector uses the magnet as well as two notches in the body where spring loaded claws catch it.

If you don’t want to use the ball-chain, there’s a tiny lanyard hole at the butt of the body where you can attach the keyring that comes with the flashlight.

The battery can’t be replaced which is more or less standard for flashlights this size.

Use cases of the Wuben E2 Pulse

I see a few different use cases for this lamp. It’s more versatile than its size gives away. Of course, it’s a good EDC flashlight for people who don’t want to bother with bigger or very pricy equipment.

If you’re a tactical gearhead used to carrying loads of gear with you then this one might not be the first choice for your primary light source. It’s still valid as a backup light or to carry it in an extra easy to reach position for daily tasks. Personally I always carry one or two reliable, heavy flashlights and one extra for non-critical tasks where you just need a light and don’t want to draw one of the big ones. As said before, searching something you just dropped, finding a keyhole, finding something in your bag etc. and this is the spot where the Wuben E2 Pulse can shine (pun intended). Having the marking option and the diffuse white light with the magnetic butt is a great plus compared to other keychain lights.

But! There are other use cases where I can see this small flashlight excel. Like:

• I wore it around the neck with the ball-chain when walking our “best friend operator” (a.k.a. dog) at night. In the woods where you don’t have any other light source, I used the heartbeat flash mode. It is bright enough to get spotted and the blinking will help with standing out. When back on the street I used the blue/red flashing. Alternating red and blue might resemble law enforcement in some places but around here it’s clearly distinguishable, so it’s a good option when you want to draw attention. It’s also bright and uncommon enough that people will recognize your position. Which is a benefit in traffic. Don’t get me wrong, this will not be sufficient as a marker on a bicycle. But when it’s dark and people are already alert bicyclists will spot you more easily. Also it says “I don’t want to hide, I’m not a threat” which is a thing to consider when running around in camo clothing and carrying tactical gear at night.
• Of course marking our dog is an option. I usually have specialized “dog markers” which are built to withstand playing, swimming and rolling around in dirt and gravel. But having a backup option is always helpful.
• Marking my stuff with the red beacon during an overnighter in the woods helps a lot with finding it again in the darkness. Still, red will not be visible from far away when I’m on a stealth camping trip.
• Having a small light source available can be very soothing in stressful situations. For example, on prolonged business trips I always took things with me that help to keep homesickness at bay. What you use and what helps is very personal but light is often a good choice. If the heartbeat mode helps – great. If not, the diffuse white light should do. And having different mounting options will keep the light close.

My conclusion of the Wuben E2 Pulse

First of all: I’m aware that I might not be the main target audience of this flashlight. It’s marketed more as a lifestyle product and not a tactical or classic EDC flashlight. Still, I think I have enough experience with flashlights to give you a first impression.

If you just want it as a keychain light, the E2 is fine. The three white light modes are well chosen in their brightness and it will definitely be helpful in daily tasks. It’s a bit bigger than some other keychain lights but you do get extras for that.

The diffuse white light around the flashlight helps in small tents, in a bivouac or other confined spaces. The flashing modes help with getting seen.

Personally I would be ok with a fixed frequency for the “heartbeat flash” mode. And having a bit of a medic background, it reminds me more of breathing, less of a heartbeat. 😉 But as I said, no one can tell you what works for you if it comes to psychological security signals. If it works, it works.

All in all, the Wuben E2 Pulse is a multipurpose flashlight. Keychain light, EDC-/backup light, beacon, signal light. If you want a specialized tool for one of these purposes you might find better options. But if you don’t have a specific use in mind, you will find more and more use cases. It’s a bit like a multitool: You might not know what you want it for but when you have one, you will find that you use it more and more often.

And the prize tag is a big benefit. You get a flashlight that’s capable of these different things for a very reasonable prize. Speaking of the prize: Wuben sent me the E2 Pulse for free a few days before the release so that I can write up this first impression. They did not have any right (or chance) to influence the review. If you want your own, here are a few affiliate links to the flashlight. If you use them to buy your own, I get something to support my work: Wuben, Amazon or Aliexpress.