Skilhunt H150 Rechargeable Headlamp Review

Skilhunt introduced a new brand name (ESKTE) as well as the H150, a rechargeable headlamp using one 14500 or AA cell and great emitter choices!

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Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the Skilhunt H1 50 rechargeable headlamp product page.

Versions

Three body colors are available: orange, grey, green, and black. Those are available with two emitter choices: Cree XP-L2 HD in 6500K, as well as a Nichia 519a emitter. That Nichia option is broken down even further into 4500K (seen here) and 3000K options. Two kits are available too, and they vary only in the 14500 cell included. (An 14500 is included either way, though.)

Price

Pricing starts at $46.90 but based on the options you select, it might go up to $53.90.

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Short Review

It shouldn’t be any secret that I love Skilhunt and in particular, their headlamps. This is another great iteration. In fact, it’s essentially the headlamp version of the great Skilhunt M150, which you should already own. I like that there are (emitter and body color) options. Cell options are nice too! The H150 is just a great headlamp!

Long Review

The Big Table

Skilhunt H150 rechargeable headlamp
Emitter:	Nichia 519A (High CRI)
Price in USD at publication time:	$46.90
Cell:	1×14500
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)	480
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	420 (87.5% of claim)^
Candela per Lumen	3.86
Claimed Throw (m)	95
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	77lux @ 4.653m = 1667cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	81.7 (86% of claim)^
Claimed CCT	4500
Measured CCT Range (K)	3900-4500 Kelvin
Item provided for review by:	Skilhunt
All my Skilhunt reviews!

 

Skilhunt H150 rechargeable headlamp
Emitter:	Nichia 519A (High CRI)
Price in USD at publication time:	$46.90
Cell:	1xAA
Runtime Graphs
LVP?	Yes
Switch Type:	E-Switch
Quiescent Current (mA):	?
On-Board Charging?	No
Claimed Lumens (lm)	180
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	138 (76.7% of claim)^
Candela per Lumen	122.93
Claimed Throw (m)	56
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	41lux @ 3.492m = 500cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	44.7 (79.8% of claim)^
Claimed CCT	4500
Measured CCT Range (K)	4000-4400 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 H150 rechargeable headlamp
• Skilhunt 800mAh 14500
• Charging cable (USB to proprietary magnetic)
• Lanyard
• Headband and headmount
• Spare o-rings (2)
• Pocket clip
• Manual

Package and Manual

The paper you see included below might or might not be included with your package but anyway, it indicates that the H150 has gone through one revision already. The first iteration had a short issue with flat top cells. That has been fixed; you can see below how to identify your light.

 

Build Quality and Disassembly

This “H” series from Skilhunt is fairly familiar by now. For example, the H300R is just about the same light but in 18650 format. I like that one a lot (in fact I love Skilhunt lights in general), and this H150 is good too.

At some point, we could talk about the brand name change from Skilhunt to Eskte. I don’t know why they needed to do that! “Skillhunt” works just fine for me and plenty of perfectly reasonable reasons for not switching to ESKTE were brought up. But that’s what Skilhunt did, so here we are. I will say, in this post, I’ll freely refer to this as the Skilhunt H150, because there’s clear Skilhunt branding on this light. When the change is complete I suppose I’ll start calling the brand “ESKTE.”

The tailcap has a big spring as well as a strong magnet. These threads are quite smooth, too.

In the photo below you can tell how to identify your H150 as V2 (safe) or not (unsafe). There’s a “V2” just above and to the right of the brass button in the center.

Size and Comps

79.8mm x 21.4mm x 18mm and 33g without the cell.

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 a new standard 18350 light! It’s not one I’ve reviewed yet but this is the CWF Arcadian Peanut in aluminum. This one is stonewashed and has the new Quantum Dragon driver – a whole new product! Stay tuned for a full review of this tiny powerhouse!

Retention and Carry

The Skilhunt H150 rechargeable headlamp 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 H150. It’s very easy to use.

The pocket clip works while the light is mounted in the headband!

As you can see below, there are three band slots, including one that allows an over-the-head band. The light can also rotate while still attached, which is a great new feature.

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

Skilhunt has 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, deep carry, and the fitment is very snug.

This clip can attach on the head or tail end of the H150. That’s an upgrade from previous lights like the H300R.

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

The removable magnet in the tailcap is also perfectly sufficient to hold the H150.

Skilhunt also included these pouches. They’re smaller than similar ones I’ve seen by Skilhunt before, so they seem very rightly sized for a 14500 light. These shipped separately, so I’m not sure if the package includes them.

Power and Runtime

The Skilhunt H150 rechargeable headlamp runs on a single lithium-ion cell. It’s sized for a 14500, and an appropriate cell is included. It’s possible to buy two cells – I think the only (or at least “main”) difference is capacity. This one is an 800mAh cell and I think the other is 1000mAh.

The 14500 fits into the H150 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 H300R 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

A bonus feature in Skilhunt products that run one 14500 cell is that running one AA cell is also an option! Here are three runtime tests with an Eneloop cell. Performance is great!

Charging

The Skilhunt H150 rechargeable headlamp also has built-in charging, just like the other Skilhunt 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. Note that there are some versions – this is the MC-10.

The charger also has a little indicator as well – while charging, the indicator is red. When complete, it’s blue. Charging is around 0.9A, which is around 1C. That’s fine for this cell.

According to the manual, this charging circuit should not be used to charge anything but 14500 lithium-ion cells.

Modes and Currents

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Measured Lumens	Tailcap Amps
T1 (14500)	480-250	1m-65m	427 (0s) 420 (30s)	1.64 (@4.2V)
T2 (14500)	320-250	3m-65m	288	1.04 (@4.2V)
H1 (14500)	250	70m	207	0.71 (@4.2V)
M1 (14500)	80	260m	62	0.19 (@4.2V)
M2 (14500)	13	22h	10.4	0.03 (@4.2V)
L1 (14500)	1.5	100h	1	[low] (@4.2V)
L2 (14500)	0.2	50d	0.08	[low] (@4.2V)
T1 (AA)	180-75	85m-20m	138	1.05 (@1.5V)
T2 (AA)	115-75	160m	86	0.62 (@1.5V)
H1 (AA)	75	280m	54	0.39 (@1.5V)
M1 (AA)	24	14h	18	0.13 (@1.5V)
M2 (AA)	6.5	49h	4.4	0.04 (@1.5V)
L1 (AA)	1.5	105h	0.8	0.01 (@1.5V)
L2 (AA)	0.2	55d	0.03	[low] (@1.5V)

Pulse Width Modulation

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

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

The Skilhunt H150 rechargeable headlamp 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. Skilhunt uses various switches; this one is just like the switch from the EC300 (yet another Skilhunt light I love!)

Below, you can see the switch indicating in blue.

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/H1)
Main Group	Hold	Mode advance (M2 > M1 > H1)
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/H1, 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

To achieve the High CRI claim, Skilhunt has used a Nichia 519a and it’s rated at 4500K. The light uses a dimpled TIR.

LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)

The CCT is around what Skilhunt states – warmer than, but around 4500K. CRI is very high, at around 96. They’re labeled on the chart, but just for reference, the top row is 14500 output and the second row is AA (NiMH) output. That’s the same for all the photos below, too (and the PWM photos above, for that matter.)

Check out how closely that red circle matches that black circle… that’s ideal!

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

• 14500 is included
• Very high CRI!
• AA cells work just fine!
• Charging works well
• Emitter options give plenty of choices
• Body colors include orange
• User interface offers plenty of options
• Light can be rotated while in the headband
• Nice indicating switch

What I don’t like

• Price creep (>$50)

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Notes

• This content originally appeared at zeroair.org.  Please visit there for the best experience!
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