I wasn't sure what to give this as a title, but I do want to share a bit of information on a recent experience with the Wuben G5.
For preface, I have been daily carrying torches for over 12 years, I own about 15, and my daily (until about a week and a half ago) has been an Emisar DT8 W2 that Hank built out for me back in mid 2021, and I've used (and battered) ever since.
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I bought into the hype when getting the Wuben G5 as a gift for my BIL. Opened on Christmas Day, charged. Broken by boxing day morning.
What happened?
1 – The power button became unresponsive in normal use
2 – The RGB turns on when charging
3 – No positioning of the lock slider would change this
What caused it? – Known
Nothing definitive. It wasn't being abused, it wasn't dropped. BIL is not a child, and I saw him using it and testing it before it broke.
Could it be fixed?
Temporarily. I believe the 'fix' is related to a flaw in the combined power button & ramp wheel. By holding down the power button and cycling the wheel forward and backward, you can feel (and see) the power button rotating. You can also feel and hear 'clicks' underneath the mechanism.
By holding down the power button and rotating the wheel, I was able to regain full functionality.
For 10 minutes.
Then it only turned on in RGB mode, with no other button pressing/holding combinations (per the manual) achieving the desired change except for the emergency RGB flashing mode (double click, currently stuck on red & green).
Have you discharged it fully to see if it's a software glitch?
Not yet, will be the next step.
Are you able to get a refund?
No*. I bought through Amazon and that directs me to Wuben's support; we binned the packaging and, in combination with my anticipated reason for failure, I expect that my return request, once actioned, will be denied.
When working, would you recommend it?
No. It's a fun little torch and the anniversary scheme reminds me of R2D2, but I think the power button + ramp wheel creates a failure point.
From your experience, would you recommend it?
No. I felt that bad for giving a broken torch that I gifted my BIL my very lightly used, new, RovyVon E60 in Blue that I'd just bought the week prior. He loves it.
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I don't have any definitive proof for this, but I think the G5 is flawed due to a mechanical issue with the combined power button & ramp wheel, which (if used together) can cause irreversible damage to the underlying mechanism.
I said before that I don't have any known cause of the failure, but given this action resulted in a temporary fix, it's my best guess on what may have resulted in the unit failing.
For now, I have a little RGB accent light that I'll keep around the desk to fiddle with, but (from my experience) the reviews that say it 'stopped working' shortly after purchase definitely have weight to them.
by NearlyLegit
