Skilhunt H300 V3 Nichia 144 Headlamp Review

Skilhunt has introduced the H300 a headlamp with many features of the venerable H04, but now with the new user interface and a Nichia 144a!

---

Official Specs and Features

Here’s a ShareASale link to the Skilhunt H300 V3 Nichia 144 headlamp product page.

Versions

Quite a few options exist for the Skilhunt H300 headlamp.  First, there are two body colors, as you can see above.  Black (seen in this review) and grey.  Secondly, there are two options with regard to what goes over the emitter.  There’s a reflector version (which is technically the H300R) and the TIR version (seen in this review).  And finally, with any of those configurations are available multiple emitter options: Cree XHP50.2 CW, Cree XHP50.2 High CRI, Cree XHP50.2 NW, Cree XHP50.3 HI, and Nichia 144AR High CRI (seen here).  

Price

As seen in this review, the Skilhunt H300 Nichia headlamp is $78.90. That includes the 3500mAh 18650, too!

---

Short Review

The H300 is a clear improvement over the build quality of other Skilhunt headlamps.  With that improvement, we see an increase in price too.  The price increase stinks just a little bit, pushing this light into competition with some more recognized brand names.  However, the package as delivered here is really quite nice.  The user interface is what I’d consider “great” but you might need to play around with it. And finally, the emitter options! This Nichia 144AR emitter is fantastic and I’m glad to see Skilhunt using it so much (remember that M300 I tested with that emitter?) 

Long Review

The Big Table

Skilhunt H300 V3 Nichia 144 Headlamp
Emitter:	Nichia 144AR (4500K, 90CRI)
Price in USD at publication time:	$78.90 via my ShareASale link on Skilhunt.com
Cell:	1×18650
Runtime Graphs
LVP?	Yes
Switch Type:	E-Switch
Quiescent Current (mA):	?
On-Board Charging?	Yes
Charge Port Type:	Proprietary Magnetic
Charge Graph
Power off Charge Port	with cell: all modes without cell or tailcap: lowest 5 modes
Claimed Lumens (lm)	1500
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	1327 (88.5% of claim)^
Candela per Lumen	3.4
Claimed Throw (m)	134
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	241lux @ 4.74m = 5415cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	147.2 (109.9% of claim)^
Claimed CCT	4500
Measured CCT Range (K)	4300-4600 Kelvin
Item provided for review by:	Skilhunt
All my Skilhunt 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

• Skilhunt H300 Headlamp
• Skilhunt 3500mAh 18650
• Charging cable (USB to proprietary magnetic)
• Lanyard
• Headband and headmount
• Spare o-rings
• Rubber magnet replacement
• Pocket clip
• Manual

Package and Manual

Build Quality and Disassembly

As I already said above, the H300 has a better build quality than the Skilhunt H03 or H04 – both of those (or “either” of those) are headlamps you should probably already have. The H300 is better. While it’s hard to explain why that is, it’s obvious in hand. It’s just better. This version seems to differ only in emitter from the other H300 I tested a good while back – the H300 with Cree XHP50.2 in Neutral white. Skilhunt doesn’t seem to always label their webpages with “V2” or “V3” though, so I’m unsure if this is only an emitter difference, or a version change, too. 

The tailcap is easy to remove and reveals fairly short and anodized threads (not pictured yet).

The tailcap has a beefy tailcap spring, and also a magnet. The spring is removable as is the magnet. Skilhunt includes a rubber “magnet delete” for replacing that magnet. It’s a nice touch that probably 1% of users will actually use.

Size and Comps

Length 104.7mm / 4.12 inch
Head diameter 25.2mm / 0.99 inch
Body diameter 21.6mm/0.85 inch
Weight: 54g / 1.90 oz (without battery)

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 on the left is a new feature light!! Laulima Metal Craft sent this Todai in tumbled aluminum for some size comparison photos like the ones above. Laulima has a  bunch of incredible items. I’ve tested one (the Laulima Metal Craft Hoku) (the official site for Hoku is here) that was a Friend Fund Friday review. I was impressed enough by that Hoku that I bought a Laulima Metal Craft Diamond Slim (also in tumbled aluminum) (review is upcoming!) These lights by Laulima have impeccable build quality and not only that, they’re quite configurable. There are some (great, actually) default configurations, but Joshua Dawson (of Laulima Metal Craft) is open to ideas and emitter options and the like. I haven’t reviewed this Todai, but I have to say, it feels absolutely fantastic and I love it thus far. (Notably, I love how warm and eggy those emitters look through the TIR.) 

Retention and Carry

The Skilhunt H300 Nichia is primarily a headlamp, so let’s cover that first.  The plastic attachment that connects to the headband has a clip-in slot for the H300.  It’s very easy to use.

As you can see below, there are three band slots, including one that allows an over-the-head band.

The headband is standard Skilhunt, and that’s good.

Skilhunt has very adequately covered how to build this headband, so I’ll just link their video.

 

The second option is, of course, the pocket clip.  It’s a good clip.  Flexible, and deep carry, and the fitment is very snug.

The clip can really only connect on the head end of the H300, as seen above and below.  There is no groove on the tail end.

Also included is a lanyard, which attaches through this little hole in the tailcap.

Also included is a lanyard, which attaches through this little hole in the tailcap. Picture is borrowed from a previous H300 review (with a Grey body).

Power and Runtime

The Skilhunt H300 headlamp runs on a single lithium-ion cell.  It’s sized for a 18650, and an appropriate cell is included. It’s possible to buy two cells – a 3100mAh capacity, and a 3500mAh capacity. My testing is with this 3500mAh version.

Notably, the working voltage mentioned on the H300 product page is 2.8V to 8.4V, so you could likely run two 18350 cells in this light if you wish.

The 18650 fits into the H300 with the positive terminal toward the head, as seen below.

In case you forget that bit of information, there’s a sticker just inside the tube to help.

Here are a few runtime tests. I wouldn’t say there’s anything super surprising here. Output is very stable once a stepdown has happened, and low voltage protection is observed. There’s also a low voltage warning in the indicating e-switch. The switch also indicates the power level upon turning the H300 on. The indication it gives indicates the power level as follows:

Blue constant: 100-80% power
Blue blinking: 80-50% power
Red constant: 50-20% power
Red blinking: 20-0% power 

Charging

The Skilhunt H300 also has built-in charging, just like the other H04 headlamps.  This charging is by way of a magnetic charge port at the top of the light.

A proprietary cable is included.  This is the same type as is used on other Skilhunt lights, so if you’ve “bought in,” you’ll be all set to use this on your other Skilhunts, too.

This is the “MC-20” version, though, which is advanced over some previous versions, like the MC-10. I think charging is a bit faster here.

The charger also has a little indicator as well – while charging, the indicator is red.  When complete, it’s blue.

Modes and Currents

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Measured Lumens	Tailcap Amps
T1	1500 + 590 + 400	1m/90m/50m	1327	5.58
T2	860 + 430 + 230	3m/120m/50m	759	2.28
H1	330 + 210	200m/50m	291	0.75
M1	115	12h	101	0.24
M2	25	55h	21	0.04
L1	4	350h	3.9	~ (low)
L2	0.5	–	0.4	~ (low)

Pulse Width Modulation

One thing to love about these lights is the lack of PWM.  No mode has even a ripple of PWM.

Here you can see a “baseline” – a chart with almost no light hitting the sensor.

Then there’s the Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight, which has some of the worst PWM I’ve seen. It’s so bad that I used a post about it to explain PWM! Here are multiple timescales (10ms, 5ms, 2ms, 1ms, 0.5ms, 0.2ms) to make comparing this “worst” PWM light to the test light easier. That post also explains why I didn’t test the WF-602C at the usual 50us scale.

User Interface and Operation

The Skilhunt H300 is operated by a single switch.  It’s an indicating e-switch on the head.  The switch has a silicone cover and is black but still translucent.  It requires minimal force and has a positive, quiet actuation.  If you’ve had other Skilhunt headlamps, you’ll be very comfortable with this switch.

The user interface could be a bit daunting, but it’s very straightforward when you get used to it. It’s also very logical and provides access to low from off, which is as close to a requirement from a user interface as I have.

Here’s a UI table! Note that this is the same user interface as is on the recent M300 lights, and likely many of the other new-generation Skilhunt lights. That’s fine because I love it, and I also love the delivery of a consistent and reliable user experience. (Also it’s super nice to be able to just copy the already-written table into this post.)

State	Action	Result
Off	Hold	Low (Memory between L1 and L2)
L1 or L2	Hold	Iterate between L1 and L2
L1 or L2	Click 2x	No change in level
Off	Click 4x	Lockout (Three blinks of main emitters to confirm and the switch turns red briefly)
Lockout	Click 4x	Unlock to Low group (memory, can be L1/L2)
Lockout	Click 2x	Iterate lockout indicator^
Lockout	Hold	Momentary Output (Appears to be approximately L1)
L1/L2	Click	Off
Off	Click	On in “Main Group” (Mode memory M2/M1/H)
Main Group	Hold	Mode advance (M2 > M1 > H)
Main Group	Click	Off
Main Group or Off	Click 2x	Turbo Group (Mode memory T1/T2)
T1/T2	Hold	Iterate between T1 (higher) and T2 (lower) output
T1/T2	Click	Off
T1/T2	Click 2x	Main Group (memory output)
Main Group or Off	Click 3x	Strobe Group (with memory)
Strobe Group	Click 3x	Previous Group (T1/T2 or M2/M1/H, depending on how you accessed Strobe Group)^^
Strobe Group	Click 2x^^^	Strobe Advance (S1 > S2 > S3)†
Strobe Group	Hold	No result

^ Lockout indicator blinks a red switch every 2-3 seconds.
^^ Aside from just general mode memory (which you know I don’t like) this seems to me to be the only place where you may need to immediately remember what mode you were in so you have the experience you expect. However, the difference is getting the two highest white outputs, or the three main white outputs – it won’t be that dramatic even if you don’t remember. Also note that if you access the strobe group from off, triple-clicking will not return to off. For continuity, it should! In fact, if you accessed the strobe from an off state, a triple-click sends the light to the Main group!
^^^ Seems like the strobe group is the only group that isn’t advanced by a hold. Since there’s no hold anywhere else into or out of Strobe, I am not sure why that user interface continuity wasn’t maintained here.
† Strobes are like this:

S1: Disorienting strobe of White (turbo, ish)
S2: SOS (main white, some mid-High output)
S3: Beacon (one highish blink every second or so)

LED and Beam

Skilhunt offers quite a few emitter options for the H300. In this test, it’s the Nichia 144a emitter, which is high CRI at 4500K, as well as (more specifically) R9050. It’s a very good emitter.

LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)

Both the CCT and CRI are great. The light is rated at 4500K and meets that on the highest output – otherwise staying below 4600K (which is usually the preferred way). CRI is high, too, at over 90 at all levels. The Duv is just ever so slightly positive which actually surprises me. Being near zero is really ideal though. So it’s good.

Beamshots

These beamshots are always with the following settings:  f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure. These photos are taken at floor level and the beam hits the ceiling around 9 feet away.

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

• Great build quality
• Cell is available with the purchase
• User interface allows access to many options from off
• Working voltage up to 8.4V so can use 18350×2 (but probably not with an output bump)
• Reflector and TIR options
• Good headband and connector
• Many carry options
• Many emitter options!

What I don’t like

• Price creep from the original Skilhunt headlamps
• Proprietary magnetic charging

---

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!
• Please use my amazon.com referral link to help support zeroair.org!
• Please support me on Patreon! I deeply appreciate your support!