Cyansky H3 Flashlight with Color Review
Cyansky has been making some interesting lights lately, and now they have the Cyansky H3 multi-color hunting flashlight available, too. This is a 21700 (included) based light, with one white emitter, and a rotating cover that allows red or green, too. It’s a clever implementation of red and green filters. Read on for some testing!
Official Specs and Features of the Cyansky H3 Flashlight with Color
I can’t actually find a link to the official product page…. It’s not on their old site (which didn’t have sales). And it’s not on their new site, which does have sales!
Versions
There is just one version as far as I am aware.
Price
The price is unknown at this time because I’m not sure if or where you can buy it!
Short Review of the Cyansky H3 Flashlight with Color
The Cyansky H3 has a very interesting implementation of red and green filters. I love that I am not required to carry around lens covers, and still have access to red and green (as well as the default white). The interface is nice, and the build quality is good. I can’t say what the value for the money is, since a price hasn’t been stated.
One more quick note – this is a smaller version of the H5, which I already reviewed. As such, much of the text from that review will likely be seen here. They’re very similar lights!
Long Review
The Big Table
Cyansky H3 flashlight with color | |
---|---|
Emitter: | Cree XHP35 HI |
Price in USD at publication time: | ? |
Cell: | 1×21700 |
Turbo Runtime Graph | High Runtime Graph |
LVP? | Switch to Low |
Switch Type: | Both |
Quiescent Current (mA): | – |
On-Board Charging? | Yes |
Charge Port Type: | USB-C (On Cell) |
Charge Graph | |
Power off Charge Port | – |
Claimed Lumens (lm) | 1300 |
Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1194 (91.8% of claim)^ |
Candela per Lumen | 32.1 |
Claimed Throw (m) | 400 |
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 1076lux @ 5.843m = 36735cd |
Throw (Calculated) (m) | 383.3 (95.8% of claim)^ |
All my Cyansky reviews! |
^ Measurement disclaimer: Testing flashlights is my hobby. I use hobbyist-level equipment for testing, including some I made myself. Try not to get buried in the details of manufacturer specifications versus measurements recorded here; A certain amount of difference (say, 10 or 15%) is perfectly reasonable.
What’s Included
- Cyansky H3 Multi-color Hunting flashlight
- Cyansky 5000mAh 21700 (with USB-C Charging)
- Lanyard
- Nylon carry pouch
- Spare tailswitch cover
- Spare o-ring
- Charge cable (USB to USB-C)
- Manual and some paperwork
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
It’s very interesting how the red and green output is achieved. There’s a very small disk just below the reflector and above the emitter, that can be rotated by a collar just under the head. This rotation is easy and smooth and has detents.
Here’s a photo of the side e-switch, and just below that, the rotating ring for red and green.
The bezel has a shape that allows light out when headstanding. I am not sure if this is stainless or not, and I was unable to remove it by hand.
The tailcap has a minimal (but adequate) grip for removal.
In order to give some idea of the rotating red and green filter, here’s a photo that shows it between states. Also if you ever wondered how to draw an alien head, this should be a primer on that, too.
The threads on the tailcap are very thick and beefy. They’re anodized, square-cut, and moderately long.
The spring in the tailcap is also very beefy.
The head end also has a spring. And a bunch of other stuff. That spring is actually very shallow, and I’m not sure it’s very springy (or actually if it’s even a spring, or just coiled wires).
Size and Comps
If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here (usually the third photo). If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll show that here, too (usually the fourth photo).
Here’s the test light with the venerable Convoy S2+. Mine’s a custom “baked” edition Nichia 219b triple. A very nice 18650 light.
And here’s the light beside my custom engraved TorchLAB BOSS 35, an 18350 light. I reviewed the aluminum version of that light in both 35 and 70 formats.
Retention and Carry
The primary means for carrying the Cyansky H3 is the included belt sheath. It’s not a “pouch” in the sense that it covers the whole light – the sheath doesn’t cover nearly the whole light. But it works for what it is.
The H3 will fit in the sheath in only one direction and can be carried only bezel-up. Otherwise, it’ll fall out of the sheath.
Also included is a lanyard. It’s a very simple lanyard, which attaches through two holes in the tailcap.
There is no pocket clip
Power and Runtime
The Cyansky H3 is powered by a single lithium-ion cell. Cyansky includes an appropriate cell – a 5000mAh 21700, the BL2150U.
As far as usage goes, this is a standard button top 21700. It has some additional features, which I’ll cover below. This is the same cell that’s used in the other Cyansky 21700 cell lights. My flat top 21700’s don’t work in the H3!
The cell fits into the H3 in the usual way – positive terminal toward the head.
Here are a few runtimes. Note that the graph looks like it does on the back of the H3 box, all the way down to the bouncing around starting at 40 minutes.
In all of the modes that are well regulated (anything below Turbo), they’re very well regulated. Also, I measure the output to be very near what the claim is, which is appreciated.
Both during the testing and on bench power, I did not notice any low voltage protection. On bench power, the light shut off at 2.4V, which is too low for a cell. The output does step down noticeably (around 20 lumens or so).
Charging
As stated, the cell has some other features too. There’s built-in USB-C charging, by way of a USB-C port on the positive terminal end.
Another feature is a little indicating LED right in the positive terminal of the 21700. When charging, this indicator is red. When charging is complete, the indicator is green. Otherwise, the indicator is not on at all.
An appropriate cable is included – USB to USB-C.
Charging proceeds at a fairly slow 1.5A or so, which is well under 0.5C for this 5000mAh cell. The time required is around 3.5 hours, and the terminal voltage seems to be consistently 4.19V, a very good termination voltage.
Modes and Currents
The amperage is just repeated for all the output colors since the light changes only with a filter. In the turbo setting, the current seemed to jump around a little. I am afraid my bench power may be starting to fail!
White:
Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
---|---|---|---|---|
Turbo | 1300 | 3h | 1197 | 6.05 |
High | 450 | 4h | 463 | 1.30 |
Med | 200 | 10h | 200 | 0.48 |
Low | 20 | 60h | 17 | 0.06 |
I am unable to measure lumens on these other colors, so I have no estimate here.
Red:
Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
---|---|---|---|---|
Turbo | 100 | 3h | – | 6.05 |
High | 35 | 4h | – | 1.30 |
Med | 15 | 10h | – | 0.48 |
Low | 2 | 60h | – | 0.06 |
Green:
Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
---|---|---|---|---|
Turbo | 300 | 3h | – | 6.05 |
High | 104 | 4h | – | 1.30 |
Med | 46 | 10h | – | 0.48 |
Low | 5 | 60h | – | 0.06 |
Pulse Width Modulation
No mode utilizes pulse width modulation.
For reference, here’s a baseline shot, with all the room lights off and almost nothing hitting the sensor. Also, here’s the light with the worst PWM I could find. I’m adding multiple timescales, so it’ll be easier to compare to the test light. Unfortunately, the PWM on this light is so bad that it doesn’t even work with my normal scale, which is 50 microseconds (50us). 10ms. 5ms. 2ms. 1ms. 0.5ms. 0.2ms. In a display faster than 0.2ms or so, the on/off cycle is more than one screen, so it’d just (very incorrectly) look like a flat line. I wrote more about this Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight and explained a little about PWM too.
User Interface and Operation
Two switches are used for control of the Cyansky H3. First is the mechanical tail clicky. It’s a forward clicky, which allows momentary actuation. This switch also serves as a mechanical lockout to prevent any parasitic drain on the cell
The switch cover is big but the switch itself is normal-sized. It’s not terribly thick, so you can feel the actual switch underneath. The clicky is very clicky and the action is low.
The second option for operation is the e-switch on the side near the head. This switch is metal(ish?) and very proud. Also, it doesn’t compete with anything else, so it’s very easy to find without looking.
The user interface is not complicated.
Here’s a UI table!
State | Action | Result |
---|---|---|
Off | Click Tail Switch (TS) | On (last used mode, except strobe) |
On | Click TS | Off |
Off | Click Side Switch (SS) | No action |
On | Click SS | Mode advance L>M>H>T |
On | Hold SS | Strobe (the manual doesn’t cover this!) |
Strobe | Click SS | Return to previous mode |
Any | Rotate lens bezel | Change color (The order is, when turning clockwise: White, Green, Red) |
LED and Beam
The emitter is a Cree XHP35 HI. An orange peel deep reflector is used here. At the very bottom is the emitter. When in “white” mode, there’s another tiny reflector very close to the emitter.
Each of the colors has a colored lens to cover the tiny reflector. It’s the same emitter for all the color options – the emitter doesn’t rotate, only a lens cover rotates.
These beamshots are always with the following settings: f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure.
Tint vs BLF-348 (KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b version) (affiliate link)
I keep the test flashlight on the left, and the BLF-348 reference flashlight on the right.
I compare everything to the KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!
Conclusion
What I like
- A novel way to administer colored-lens output
- Modes meet the claimed output level
- The included cell seems to be high quality
- USB-C charging on the cell works well
- Well regulated levels (the only exception being turbo, which steps down due to heat – which is acceptable)
What I don’t like
- Inability to buy this anywhere at the moment.
Notes
- This light was provided by Cyansky for review. I was not paid to write this review.
- This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
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