There are a handful of flashlights/torches with the flexible Anduril user interface (UI) that are suitable for light painting photography. Undoubtably the smallest is the 14500 battery format Wurkkos TS10 SG, with the throwy Luminus SFT-25R LED. This review takes a look at how the TS10 SG performs for light painting photography and general purpose use.
Disclaimer
The Wurkkos TS10 SG was purchased with my own funds. Product links in this review are non-affiliate.
Design and Construction
The 14500 Li-ion battery format Wurkkos TS10 (and TS10 V2) has been around for a few years, and have been hugely popular with flashlight enthusiasts. The floody beam from the triple CSP emitters, with just 4150cd, make it less suitable for light painting photography. The TS10 SG has a single Luminus SFT-25R 6500K LED, which is claimed to be slightly brighter at 1600 lumens, but with much more throw at 21600cd. The TS10 SG uses the flexible but complex Anduril 2 user interface (UI) which is explained in more detail in the next section.
The Wurkkos TS10 SG has a head diameter of 21mm, length of 72.3mm, and weight of just 34g (without battery). The light has a tail switch, and optional 14500 Li-ion battery. The standard price at the time of writing was US$31 without battery, and US$34 with battery, though Wurkkos frequently discount their lights.
The 10 degree TIR optics also have three auxiliary RGB LEDs which are a bit of a gimmick, and will need to be disabled for light painting photography. They can be useful for general purpose use to display battery charge status, but are not bright enough to actually illuminate anything.
For light painting photographers - with a head diameter of 21mm, then the TS10 SG fits in the Light Painting Paradise (cone shaped) adapters. It also easily fits into all T8 tubes. The head diameter is too small for the Light Painting Brushes Universal Connector. The Noctigon KR1, KR4, and (to be tested) Wurkkos TS10 MAX are tail switch Anduril lights that are a better fit for the Universal Connector. Wurkkos also make compatible diffusers. There is no remote pressure switch available, but the tail switch can be used in momentary and tactical modes.
The head can be unscrewed for battery insertion. The light only accepts unprotected button top 14500 Li-ion batteries, such as the optional Wurkkos branded 14500. As the light uses an inner signal tube, it is critical that the head is fully screwed on for the light to work after a battery change. The light arrived with a battery isolation insert - this was a bit of a pain to remove as it was stuck between the threads. It should be noted that AA batteries are not compatible with this light.
There is no internal charging, which is likely to be intentional to keep the size down. You will need to use a dedicated Li-ion battery charger. The only tail switch Anduril light I'm aware of with USB charging (in battery) is the Wurkkos TS10 Max, which I hope to review in early 2025.
Accessories included the side clip, a lanyard, spare O-rings, instructions, and optional 14500 Li-ion battery. An ANSI/NEMA chart has been provided by Wurkkos.
Wurkkos TS10 SG in a Light Painting Paradise Round Adapter, and Luminosify Choob (T8 Tube).
User Interface
The Wurkkos TS10 SG uses Anduril 2 UI. The keys features of Anduril for light painting photographers is:
Party strobe - "motion freezing" - adjustable 4Hz to 90Hz frequency.
Tactical strobe - 33% on-time - adjustable 2.5Hz to 80Hz frequency.
7 stepped or ramped continuous brightness levels, plus Turbo.
Any of the above can be used in Momentary or Tactical mode.
Other features include a pulsating bike flash mode, and lightning effect mode. As anything other than basic use it not entirely intuitive in Anduril, I have written a detailed article on how to use Anduril for light painting photography. Below are the basics:
Enter Advanced UI from Basic UI - 10 clicks, last one hold for 0.5 sec (10H). You should only need to do this once unless you do a factory reset or click too much!
On/off (last mode memory for steps 1/7 to 7/7) - 1 click (1C).
Toggle ramped/stepped - 3 clicks from on (3C).
Change brightness levels (1/7 to 7/7) - hold, release at desired brightness level.
Turbo mode - double click from on (2C).
Enter strobe mode - click, click, hold 0.5s (3H) from off.
Cycle through strobe modes - double click (2C) ...party strobe>tactical strobe>police strobe>lightning>candle>bike flash>...
Increase strobe frequency/speed - hold, release at desired strobe speed.
Decrease strobe frequency/speed - click, hold, release at desired strobe speed.
Save last used setting into momentary (essential to "save" strobe) - 5 clicks (5C).
Momentary - hold only when you need light.
Exit momentary - slightly unscrew and re-screw head cap (to break the electrical connection).
Additionally, for light painting photography, you will need to disable the auxiliary RGB LEDs. This is done by clicking 7 times (7C) from off (in Advanced UI), which cycles low>high>flashing>off with each 7C. To do the same for Tactical mode (below), you have to first enter Lockout mode.
There is a fairly new Tactical mode, entered or exited with 6 clicks (6C). It is then possible to configure 3 different settings (including strobe) to be accessed by 1H, 2H, or 3H. (See diagram). This is rather complex, so only really useful if you need to access more than one setting with momentary mode. The default settings are pretty useful though (better than the KR4's defaults), and were used for the example photo near to the end of the review.
The annoying battery check on off feature was enabled by default, but can be turned off in configuration for both normal modes and tactical mode. The "soft start" functionality was disabled by default.
I often use Anduril UI flashlights for light painting (as a secondary flashlight to the excellent Light Painting Paradise LightPainter - Ryu's Lightworks V2 flashlight). However, the user interface is complex, and I have had reports from many light painters who struggle to use Anduril UI lights. Persistence with learning to use Anduril UI pays dividends in creativity.
It should be noted that there are many versions of Anduril 2 in use. The tested light appeared to have a recent 2024 version.
Beam, Output, and Runtime
The Wurkkos TS10 SG has a single Luminus SFT-25R 6500K LED in a TIR optic. This creates a relatively throwy general purpose beam profile, with an intense hotspot and wide spill beam.
All testing was performed with the supplied 14500 Li-ion battery, indoors, 26C ambient temperature, and minimal air flow.
I measured the colour temperature (CCT), colour rendering (CRI), and tint (DUV) with hotspot measurements using an Opple Light Master 3 Pro:
Turbo - CCT 5838K, CRI 66.5 Ra, Tint +0,0081 DUV.
7/7 - CCT 5798K, CRI 66 Ra, Tint +0.0087 DUV.
5/7 - CCT 5770K, CRI 65.3 Ra, Tint +0.0096 DUV.
3/7 - CCT 5623K, CRI 62.4 Ra, Tint +0.0129 DUV.
1/7 - CCT 5603K, CRI 64 Ra CRI, Tint +0.0117 DUV.
As expected for low CRI Luminus LEDs, the SFT-25 is around 65 Ra, and a slight green tint that is increasingly green at lower brightness levels. This is fine for use with light painting tools, but not great for illuminating scenes or models due to the low CRI.
The measured brightness @5secs on each mode:
Turbo - 1391lm
7/7 - 963lm
6/7 - 620lm
5/7 - 364lm
4/7 - 157lm
3/7 - 46lm
2/7 - 11lm
1/7 (moonlight) - 1.3lm
On Turbo mode the light started off at 1391lm (slightly under specification), and started to step-down in brightness from 15 seconds. Brightness was 543lm at 30secs, 487lm at 60secs, 441lm at 120secs, and fairly stable at 205lm at 10 mins. The light further stepped down at 60mins, 70mins, and finally to moonlight mode at 75mins.
Essentially, the Wurkkos TS10 SG is a 200 lumen light that can briefly reach nearly 1400 lumens. Both are these are impressive for the light's size, but if you need more sustained or maximum lumens, you simply need a larger 18650 or 21700 battery format light. I would love to see an 18650 format Wurkkos TS10 MAX with single or triple SFT-25R.
It should be noted that brightness step-down does not occur in Momentary or Tactical modes where the user has to hold the tail switch for light output. I like this, as there is no chance of step-down whilst creating light trails. However, the user needs to be aware of the heat generated.
Tactical strobe appears to run on Turbo brightness (other than the very fastest frequency). I'm pretty sure previous Anduril versions were at 7/7 brightness? The 3ms party strobe has a 3 photographic stop hit to brightness due to the short 3ms pulse.
Throw was tested at:
Turbo - 24,036cd (310m)
7/7 - 15,270cd (247m)
Note: My Opple Lightmaster 3 Pro tends to overestimate lux readings by 25%.
Throw is very impressive for the light's size, able to briefly light up a large back garden. The throwy beam profile is also useful for saber like light painting tools. The throw was only slighly less than the quad W2 LED configuration in the Noctigon KR4.
Conclusion
Positives:
Impressive maximum throw and lumens / size.
Adjustable strobe frequency (at fixed brightness).
Momentary switch can work for any strobe or continuous brightness setting.
Well spaced, stepped brightness levels.
Last mode memory for brightness steps 1-7.
OK light painting system compatibility - Light Painting Paradise, and T8 tubes.
Side clip included.
Negatives:
Very rapid brightness step-down (dimming).
Anduril 2 UI is too complex for many users.
Auxiliary LEDs have to be disabled for light painting (in 3 different parts of configuration).
I'd prefer battery check on off to be disabled by default.
No internal USB charging.
No remote pressure switch option.
Slight green tint and low CRI.
For general purpose use:
The Wurkkos TS10 SG is a fun, "throwy" light in a pocketable package, aimed at flashlight enthusiasts. Maximum and sustained brightness are impressive for the light's size, but are obviously not going to be as good as larger 18650 or 21700 format lights. The complex Anduril 2 UI is not for muggles, so don't buy this light for your granny.
For light painting photography - light trails and illumination:
The Wurkkos TS10 SG is the smallest Anduril UI flashlight useable for light painting photography (creating light trails), with useful features including adjustable strobe frequency and momentary mode for any brightness setting. However, the small size limits light painting system compatibility and sustained brightness. For lights with Anduril 2 UI, I would generally recommend the Noctigon KR4 instead, but the TS10 SG is half the price and well worth considering if you are on a tight budget!
I would really like to see Wurkkos to release a version of the 18650 format TS10 MAX with either single or triple SFT-25R LEDs.
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