Cyansky H5GT Hunting Flashlight Review

Cyansky has released the H5GT, a multi-emitter hunting flashlight! Here seen with white and red, but others are available. Read on!

---

Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the Cyansky H5GT hunting flashlight product page.

Versions

There’s just one body of the Cyansky H5GT hunting flashlight. That body has three total emitter setup possibilities. All have white but the second emitter can be red (seen here), green, or blue.

Price

The Cyansky store has the H5GT hunting flashlight listed at $180. It’s also available on aliexpress.

---

Short Review

The (patented) reflector design that allows swapping between emitters on the Cyansky H5GT hunting flashlight is quite interesting. Not just that, but it’s also quite effective…  Switching between emitters is smooth and effective. The beam profile doesn’t change much and there are few if any artifacts because of the setup. Performance is also good, with a very great throw using either emitter. The only real complaint I have about the H5GT is the price – $180 (or the higher price at aliexpress) seems quite high.

Long Review

The Big Table

Cyansky H5GT Hunting Flashlight
Emitter:	Luminus SFT-40-W
Price in USD at publication time:	$180.00
Cell:	1×21700
Runtime Graphs
LVP?	Yes
Switch Type:	Both
Quiescent Current (mA):	–
On-Board Charging?	Yes
Charge Port Type:	USB-C
Charge Graph
Power off Charge Port	–
Claimed Lumens (lm)	2000
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	1673 (83.7% of claim)^
Candela per Lumen	167
Claimed Throw (m)	1000
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	9120lux @ 6.062m = 335140cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	1157.8 (115.8% of claim)^
Claimed CCT	–
Measured CCT Range (K)	6400-7300 Kelvin
Item provided for review by:	Cyansky
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 H5GT hunting flashlight
• Cyansky 5000mAh 21700
• Charge cable (USB to USB-C)
• Spare o-rings (2)
• Spare switch cover
• Lanyard
• Nylon belt mount
• Manual

Package and Manual

 

Build Quality and Disassembly

The Cyansky H5GT hunting flashlight is a very well-built light.  Cyansky does this… they build very nice lights!  I’ve reviewed a bunch of them, and even in categories I might not chase (such as this hunting light specifically), it’s easy to note that the lights are still of nice quality.

Below you can see the tailcap removed.  The spring is just a little proud (and that’s fine).  The threads are square-cut, anodized, and lightly lubed.

Inside the tailcap, you can see that the spring is quite long.

The head does have a spring just like you’d expect on a hunting light (which will possibly experience weapon recoil)! This is a good change for this tactical-oriented flashlight.

It’s possible to remove the cell tube from the head. Cell swaps are better through the tail, though.

More on this “neck” area later, but note up here that this area has some fairly deep cooling fins.

Size and Comps

The Cyansky H5GT hunting flashlight is 68mm x 25.8mm x 181.7mm and 295g.

If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here (usually the third photo).  If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll also show that (usually in 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.

Also above is 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

Cyansky includes this neat belt mount for the H5GT. It’s straightforward but also very effective.

The item attaches to a belt and then the light slips into it. The light sleeve part is completely stretchy, so the belt mount will fit more than just the H5GT (in fact, it’ll fit a Surefire E2E very nicely, too – so it’s versatile!) I really like this attachment, and would probably prefer one like this over a bigger pouch style for most lights!

A lanyard is also included and attaches through holes in the tailcap.

Power and Runtime

The Cyansky H5GT tactical flashlight 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.

The cell fits into the H5GT in the usual way – positive terminal toward the head.

Below are a few runtime tests. You’ll note the big stepdown in turbo – I’d like to see this held a bit longer and a bit higher.

Here’s one test of the highest level of the secondary emitter. There’s no reason to think that this output has a separate driver, and the graph looks about the same as above.

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.

An appropriate cable is included – USB to USB-C.

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.

Charging proceeds at 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 4.17V, a very good termination voltage.

C to C charging works well, too.

Modes and Currents

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Measured Lumens	Tailcap Amps
Turbo	2000	2.3h	1673	7.89
High	800	3h	754	1.88
Med	150	15.8h	149	0.23
Low	30	68h	30	0.06
High Red	400	2.4h	430	5.47
Med Red	150	5.4h	194	0.99
Low Red	30	20.5h	30	0.23

Pulse Width Modulation

There are some visible squiggles on the oscilloscope on nearly every mode of the H5GT. The only one without is the middle chart below, which is the highest white output. I don’t think this is PWM though, and it’s not noticeable in use.

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 H5GT hunting flashlight.  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. This switch has an indication function! Upon powering the light on, the switch will indicate as follows:

Green light: 76-100%
Green light blinking: 51-75%
Red light: 26-50%
Red light blinking: 0-25%

And in my experience, the red light blinking will fade in intensity as the cell voltage continues to get lower.

The user interface is not complicated. Here’s a UI table!

State	Action	Result
Off	Click Tail Switch	On (last used mode, except strobe)
On	Click Tail Switch	Off
Off	Click Side Switch	No action
On	Click Side Switch	Mode advance L>M>H>T
On	Hold Side Switch	Strobe
Strobe	Click Side Switch	Return to the previous mode

For this being billed as a tactical flashlight (and also “looking like one”), it’s surprising that there’s no easy or direct access to turbo or strobe. One notable difference in this dual-switch Cyansky is that the “hold e-switch and click tailswitch from off” doesn’t get an “Eco” mode. That loss of a 5th output is sort of felt, but on a dedicated thrower like this, not a huge deal.

LED and Beam

The emitter is a Luminus SFT-40-W. A smooth deep reflector is used here.

That second emitter is accessed when the head is twisted. The two can’t be used together – use of one precludes the other.

Here’s the twisty part. You need to grip the light approximately around the e-switch and twist the head. Twisting one way to the other rotates the other emitter into place.

The bezel is crenelated, so light will shine out when headstanding (and on).

LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)

Below is the mode order low to high, with white first then red. So four white modes then three red modes (remember, secondary has one fewer output levels than the main white emitter.) CCT is cool white at around 6500K-7300K, and CRI is low (under 70.) Red emitter output is very red. 🙂

Beamshots

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

• Very good throw
• Cell is included
• C to C charging works on the included cell
• Unique way to switch to second emitter
• Second emitter options (red/green/blue)
• Good user interface

What I don’t like

• Only 4 modes (no Eco)
• Cool white emitter
• Cost!

---

Notes

• This content originally appeared at zeroair.org.  Please visit there for the best experience!
• For flashlight-related patches, stickers, and gear, head over to PhotonPhreaks.com!
• Use my amazon.com referral link if you’re willing to help support making more reviews like this one!
• Please support me on Patreon!  Feeding flashlights is expensive!  And funding Fun Fund Friday even more so.  I deeply appreciate your support!