Review: UltraFire UF-H6 Headlamp

LED Flashlights – General Info 18650 Flashlights
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UltraFire UF-H6

I finally found the time (and good weather, as you can see ;) ) to make a review of the kinda-successor of the glorious UF-H3: the H6.

Many people have been eagerly awaiting an alternative to the famous but expensive Zebralight H600.
Ultrafire got the message and made the step to bring out an 18650-powered headlamp featuring the XML emitter.
This is my first review and I want to thank Foy for unknowingly lending me his review pattern. :)

For about 38$, this light comes in a nice box, containing the removable clip, pre-installed on the light and the standard Ultrafire headband. Related improvement to the H3: the light can be swiveled up and down in the headband rather easy although the clip is installed because its clipped on rather than being screwed.


What I like:

-soft button
-beam: large hotspot with really useful spill
-machine quality
-takes flat-top cells thanks to positive spring (H3 didnt)
-size
-mode spacing
-heat dissipation

What I dont like:
-no magnet in tailcap
-soft button cant be unscrewed
-tube too tight for certain cells (HiMax for example)

I got mine from http://www.ultrafire-shop.net/UltraFire_Shop.php?view=productPage&product=133
They claim to be the official Ultrafire store. The H6 was listed for 45$ + 8$ shipping with tracking number upon release. I asked for a special price for BLF and they set up above link -> 38$ including tracking number. Thats a 15$ (almost 30%) discount on a new product! Shipping was fast and everyone was happy. Well, almost.. My first light had a faulty switch. As they couldnt supply me with spare parts, they sent a new light, without further questions. Good for me, because now I had a light to take apart for some shots of the internals which can be seen in the review.

Delivery times were about 2 weeks both times.


Now the official specs, as seen on the package:

LED: XML T6
Brightness: 700 Lumens
Voltage: 2.7-4.2V
Current: 2.2A
Runtime: 1.5hours
Finish: HAIII
Weight: 100g
Dimensions: 105mm*25mm
Brightness levels: 3%-30%-60%-100% (and strobe)

UI:
Simple click: cycling from low to high, then off
Double click: strobe
Holding the button when off: no effect
Holding the button when on: turn off with memory

Torch will automatically step down from 100% to 60% after ~60sec (measured). With another click, you can enter "turbo" again, but it will get warm.

Measured currents (LG D1 charged to 4.2V):
Low: 0.05A
Med: 0.45A
High: 0.9A
Turbo: 2.25A

PWM exists in all modes (tested with camera) but I wasnt able to notice it.



Threads are very smooth and came lubed. No square threads, just well cut. Anodization is on a high level, but not perfect. Lens and reflector are flawless. There is a nice GITD O-ring between bezel and lens and the light seems to be waterproof (not tested).
The LED is well centered and glued in with thermal adhesive. The brass ring for the driver is press fit and was really hard to get out.
As you can see, its not that much larger than a standard 18650 without PCB.
The modes are well set. Low could be lower, but the light is spread pretty wide. High is very bright and there is still turbo for the extra punch when needed. The light gets warm quickly and thoroughly.


The magnet in the tailcap was a big plus for the H3 and I dont know why they didnt include it. 20mm magnets fit and allow the light to hang from metal surfaces, but the bottom of the tailcap is rather thick so it doesnt stick to stuff as good as the H3.
On my broken light, I tried to get the soft button out but it didnt work. I ripped the rubber cap and desoldered the wires to turn it, but it still wont come out.

The tint is white and less blue than the UF980L. I'm a NW guy, so that might not bug everyone.


I was able to lever the whole driver and LED assembly out with a large screwdriver. That worked rather good, but I put some soft stuff around the screw driver so I wouldnt scratch the body.

So, modding is doable if you have steady hands, a tiny soldering tip and some patience.




Beamshots indoors:

980L low vs. H6 low:

980L low vs. H6 med:

980L low vs. H6 high:

980L low vs. H6 turbo:

980L med vs. H6 turbo:

Outdoors:

980L low:

H6 low:

H6 med:

H6 high:

H6 turbo:

980L med:

And - for color reference - my Trustfire Z8 XML T6 3C @ 2.8A:

Settings for outdoor beamshots were ISO-400, F/4.5 and 2s.

I really like that light. Its small, bright, has an intuitive UI and, if you compare it to other available headlights, its very well built at a budget price.
If I hadnt put several hours in modding my H3 to meet my expectations, the H6 would be my headlamp of choice.

Verdict: Recommended!

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Excellent first review.
I echo your preference towards neutral tints, I wish it it could be offered as a option.

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Thanks for the excellent review of what appears to be a very promising light !

I've never owned an Ultrafire headlamp; could you possibly include a picture of the version that comes with this torch, please ?

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Nice review, thank you!

I also own the UF-H3b and the UF-H6, and I agree entirely with your review, and although you briefly mentioned it, I would like to emphasize one more thing:

The PWM on these lights is absolutely terrible. If you are affected by low PWM, you will not like the H6. I hate mine, and mostly because of this reason. (also no magnet in the tail)

As you mentioned, there is PWM on ALL modes, even high! (Strobe is the exception, although strobe all by itself is basically super slow PWM)

The H3 uses PWM as well, although on high it’s not noticeable. BUT, once you leave high, it’s hard to get it back on 100% high because of the silly ramping being impossible to catch before it goes back down again.

5

Great review! I really like this torch and kinda want one, but I don’t like the price all that much considering I got my HD2010 for a bit less. I don’t get why the little UF headlamps demand $30+…

Also, I have yet to notice PWM with my eyes on any of my lights that are supposed to have them. So weird. :slight_smile:

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Thanks for that review - very detailed, from parts break down to beamshots. I have the UF-H4, mostly because I wanted something small. I agree with another poster about the ‘silly ramping’. It’s the one thing I really dislike about mine. The H6 looks like a nice light. Added to my wish list…

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Nice review and pics

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Also works to carry spare batteries. ;)

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Thanks very much for the pics.

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You do realize that on the H3 if you hold the switch, from the off position, that it will shortcut to full high mode, don’t you? Getting to max high is never a problem with this shortcut they built into it. I just wish they had programmed a similar shortcut to maximum low.

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I didn’t JohnnyMac, thank you for the heads up, and that information will certainly make the H3 my favorite now. I can’t stand PWM.

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Well then, happy to have helped! :slight_smile:

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Great job with the review NightCrawl, thanks very much for your time and effort. Frontpage’d and Sticky’d.

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I just received mine 2 days ago. I tested it last night, walking the dogs alongside a creek for about an hour. I agree with all the previous comments, plus some I saw in other threads:

  • the H6 is small and light
  • the beam is nice and wide, and the transition from spot to spill isn’t too harsh (I don’t like harsh spot-to-spill transitions in headlamps)
  • I was walking in about 11C or 12C temperatures, and I had the H6 on High or Turbo (for 1 minute at a time) for maybe 20 minutes, and I didn’t feel the H6 getting warm.
  • The XM-L tint is cool white, but it’s not too blue or green. I have worse tinted XM-Ls in my collection.
  • The snap-on pocket clip is good because it can be rotated out of the way of the headband holder.
  • It’s a bit difficult to rotate the light in the holder, because it’s quite a tight fit.
  • the soft switch is a little bit difficult to press. You have to use your fingertip. It might be hard to press with gloves on. This is my only complaint about this light.
  • I’m not very sensitive to PWM, and I didn’t notice the PWM at all last night. Waving my fingers in front of the light though, I can see that the PWM is not of a very high frequency.
  • The light bobs up and down a bit on your head, making the beam bob up and down. Maybe it would bob less if I tightened the head strap. Luckily, the beam is wide, so even with the bobbing you can still see where you’re going/looking.
  • It works with an AW 2200 18650, but not an XTAR 2600, at least not without modification.
  • the outputs are, according to szwholesale.com (where I bought it from):

3:8 lumens / 30:118 Lumens / 60:230 Lumens / 100:490 Lumens (integrating sphere measured lumens)

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Thanks for the review! And thanks also to peteybaby for the lumen specs. Now should I get one…

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I’m just waiting on mine!

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Great review! And I’m in the market for a headlamp for winter so guess I know what I’ll order now. Thanks and keep those reviews coming!

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Just ordered one. Looking forward to getting it :slight_smile:

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A fix for the bobbing I mentioned above: