FULL REVIEW: https://1lumen.com/review/wurkkos-ts26/
Every once in a while I'll get a flashlight for review that comes with a bit of controversy. The Wurkkos TS26 is one such flashlight, and honestly, I don't mind that. I had high hopes for this flashlight, and when I finally got to testing it, I can confidently say it turned out better than I thought. The first TS26, the 'S' was Wurkko's promise to the enthusiast community that never fully materialized after it launched: It came with the enthusiast LEDs, the enthusiast driver, but not the enthusiast user interface. I really liked the TS26S though: It had good performance, amazing LEDs, very simple, full-featured UI, nice handling, an elegantly host, and great fit and finish at a low price. It made me forget it was missing Andrew 2, but the flashlight-buying community at large isn't me, so Wurkkos had work to do/finish.
This new TS26 launched with the enthusiast UI, the enthusiast driver, but the enthusiast LEDs? Missing…for now. Wurkkos is working on getting models with the high CRI LEDs. However, I'm not upset about that one bit because this TS26 is great! Anduril 2 isn't my favorite UI, but it's up there, and I really like the TS26 host. Moreover, the TN3535 LEDs really woke it up: Improving the beam distance and luminous output. The beam? I can totally forgive the low CRI and cool tint because these aren't bad at all for CW LEDs, and they're efficient with good overdriving headroom. A hotter driver could easily push over 4000 Lumens in this host.
There's really not much to complain about with the TS26, other than the 7/150 Moonlight is way higher than the newer builds of Anduril 2, the peak sustained brightness is actually down from the TS26S, and while I don't consider it a major issue, the LEDs are CW and low CRI and there's no ETA on those at the moment. Again, I don't feel like I've reached an impasse at this point though, since I'm confident Wurkkos will make it right. So, should you pick up this TS26 or wait for the Nichia version? That's up to you, but if you don't have a TS26S (or even if you do), for how much this costs, you've really got nothing to lose, and major props to Wurkkos for being the first to produce an affordable, full featured Anduril 2 flashlight.
by ChibiM