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Wurkkos WK40 RGBW Flashlight Review

LIGHTPAINTING WITH THE RGBW FLASHLIGHT

The number of (usable) RGBW torches is quite manageable. Outside of light painting, I can’t think of so many uses for torches with multiple, coloured LEDs. Some torches like the Led Lenser P7QC or the Walther Pro PL75MC have been around for a few years. However, these can only emit the colours of the installed LEDs. Mixed colours are not emitted, nor are colour changes, fading or similar. Then there is the unspeakable RGB Critter. Although it emits very beautiful colours and can emit funny colour changes, strobe and fading modes, it is not possible to operate this torch properly. This lamp is completely unusable, my copy is now in the dustbin. I had previously removed the LED. Maybe one day I will find a way to install it in a torch housing.

I recently bought the Wurkkos WK40. In the stupid Black Friday sale, it was available for a slim 31€. Currently you have to transfer about 36€ to China to be able to call the torch your own. Including the 21700 battery the price increases to 40€. You can choose whether the torch is shipped with or without battery. The torch was delivered after 11 days, if I haven’t miscalculated.


QUALITY AND SCOPE OF DELIVERY

Wurkkos WK40, RGBW, Taschenlampe, torch, flashlight, lightpainting, light painting

The build quality is good, which I would not have expected at this low price. The torch feels good in the hand. The WK40 is 123 mm long, has a head diameter of 33 mm and weighs 125 g without the battery. The WK40 fits into the adapters from Light Painting Paradise and into the Universal Connector. However, you cannot reach the front ring switch for adjusting the brightness when the torch is in one of the adapters.

A USB C charging port is built into the head of the WK40. A high-quality 60 cm cable was also in the box, as was a matching diffuser and a short battery tube for 20350 batteries. I don’t understand what this is good for. These batteries are hardly available. Wurkkos sells them, though. Two of them cost 11€. When I ordered the torch, the batteries were sold out. In the meantime you can order them again.


OPERATION

The WK40 is operated with two switches. A ring switch with four levels is installed on the head. This is used to select the brightness in the levels Low, Med, High and Turbo. This setting is independent of the mode of the lamp. I like this concept very much. The switch at the back of the torch turns it on and switches between the different groups and modes. In group 1, only the white LED lights up, so the WK40 behaves like a “normal” torch in this mode. With a double click of the rear switch, the WK40 switches to strobe. With a single click, it switches back to continuous light mode. The strobe also runs in the selected brightness and with any of the preset colours. However, it is annoying that the strobe does not have an even frequency. This bike strobe can hardly be used sensibly in light painting.

In group two, the colours blue, red and green are displayed in addition to white. In addition, the mixed colours with 50%, i.e. red and blue = purple, red and green = orange and blue and green = turquoise. The set colour is saved automatically. Thus, the WK40 can be used really well in light painting.

In group 3 there are several colour change modes. Mode 1 is Colour Fading. In this mode, you can stop the fading by clicking on the switch. The WK40 then runs in this colour until you click on the switch again. Unfortunately, the colour is not saved. After switching off and on again, the fading starts again at red. The other modes are strobe modes with RGB or RGBW as in the picture at the top. These modes are not very interesting. It would be better if you could select two or three colours yourself.


EMITTER

One Luminous SST 20 white, one SST 20 660 nm red and one SST 10 each for blue and green are installed. According to the description, the white LED has 6000K. In my specimen, an SST 20 with 4000 K and thus a high CRI of 95 is installed. This is very pleasing, even if it is probably an oversight by Wurkkos. The colours are good, I especially like the 660nm red. Blue and green are “normal” LED colours. A “deep blue” would be cooler somehow, but the colour mixing doesn’t work as well as with the medium blue. Due to the rather large distance between the LEDs, the colour mixing does not work perfectly. Especially when you illuminate something from a short distance, you see both colours. A smaller head, like the Emisar D4 torches, in combination with floody optics would be much better.


CONCLUSION

All in all, I really like the WK40. Even though there are some points of criticism, the torch is worth every euro. You can order the WK40 on the manufacturer’s website. I don’t know where to buy it in Europe. The price is currently a few euros higher on Aliexpress.

Wurkkos WK40

Allways good, colourful light

Sven

Sven Gerard

Sven Gerard, Jahrgang 1969, geboren und aufgewachsen in Berlin. Er fotografiert seit frühester Jugend mit großer Leidenschaft. Neben dem fotografischen Erkunden zahlreicher beeindruckender verlassener Orte, widmet er sich seit mittlerweile 10 Jahren intensiv dem Lightpainting. Sein umfangreiches Wissen teilt er auf seinem Blog „Lichtkunstfoto.de“, weiteren Publikationen und in seinen Workshops. Darüber hinaus organisiert er Veranstaltungen zum Thema Lightpainting, wie „Light Up Berlin“. Gerard lebt gemeinsam mit seiner Lebensgefährtin in Berlin und hat einen erwachsenen Sohn. Sven Gerard was born in 1969 and grew up in Berlin. He has been a passionate photographer since his early youth. In addition to photographically exploring numerous impressive abandoned places, he has been intensively involved in light painting for 10 years now. He shares his extensive knowledge on his blog ‘Lichtkunstfoto.de’, other publications and in his workshops. He also organises events on the subject of light painting, such as ‘Light Up Berlin’. Gerard lives in Berlin with his partner and has a grown-up son.

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