Link to site: Lightmalls Ultrafire H6
Price: $38 USD (~$50 AUD) with free shipping
Shipping time: 10 days
Overall Opinion: By far my most practical EDC light, extremely capable for its size
Introduction
Once again my insatiable desire to expand my flashlight collection has resulted in the purchase of a new light. And as per usual, I ordered from my Lightmalls.com, not only because of their quality lights, but also due to their fast shipping (to Australia) and decent customer service.
Having no practical headlamp in my collection, it was only a matter of time before I decided to pick one up. While Zebralight headlamps were extremely temping, they were also fairly pricey, striking my hip pocket nerve. Thus I settled for an Ultrafire H6, which in my opinion seems to be a clone of the Zebralight H600. Nevertheless, I was pleased by the intuitive UI, overall brightness and small size of the Ultrafire H6, which is now my official EDC light.
Contents of the box
Overview
Pros:
- Compact size
- Pocket clip, allows light to be clipped to backpack shoulder strap, waistband, etc.
- Can be used as a headlamp
- Good brightness spacing (plus firefly mode)
- Fairly intuitive UI with soft digital switch
- Long runtime on lower modes
- Aluminium unibody construction (except tailcap) makes for a durable light
Cons:
- PWM on every mode
- Slightly wonky pocket clip etching
- Anodised tailcap threads
While this light does have a few weak points, the pros outweigh the cons and in most cases the few niggles may be ignored.
It tailstands!
Flashlight stated specs (from Lightmalls):
- HAIII finish
- Powered by 1*18650 battery(not included)
- Brightness: 3%/30%/60%/100%/Off (Press the switch for 2 secs to "OFF"; Double click the switch to "Strobe")
- LED: Cree XM-L T6
- Lumen: 700
- Input Voltage: 2.7-4.2V
- Output Current: 2.2A
- Runtime: 1.5 hours wiht full brightness
- Torch will auto turn to 60% brightness when in 100% for 1 mins
- Comes with pocket clip
- Flexible head lamp strap to secure lamp on your front head
Design/Machining
First, I’ll go over the machining quality and physical specifications of this light. The light weighs a paltry 55g by itself and 105g with a Trustfire “Flames” 18650 battery installed, making it practical for EDC purposes.
The light in headlamp configuration
Despite its lightweight construction, Ultrafire has maintained a fantastic build quality throughout the light. The body from the switch to the tailcap threads is milled from a single piece of aluminium, much like the Zebralight H600. This not only increases the durability of the light, but also allows for better heat dissipation. The Ultrafire H6 lacks heatsink fins, however its inbuilt thermo-regulation circuit eliminates the need. Note that this light isn’t a massive thrower or spotlight, (see my Fire-foxes FF4 review), but it does what it’s designed to do; to be a practical headlamp.
A closer look at the head
The reflector is flawless and covered with uncoated glass. The emitter is well centred and is free from defects.
The overall build quality is better than anything I’ve seen from Ultrafire. The grey HAIII anodized aluminium exterior is seemly without defects, with no nicks or scuffs to be seen. Knurling is nice; not too aggressive as to be uncomfortable, yet aggressive enough to provide traction. As per norm, the Ultrafire logo is etched on the body, and appears to be well centred and straight. The “www.ultrafire.net” etching on the clip does appear to be slightly crooked, however this minor flaw does not affect performance (and is most likely a one-off defect). The clip is reversible and removable.
Slightly wonky etching
One of my main gripes about this light is the fact that the tailcap threads are anodised. This is not only unnecessary, but it also reduces the smoothness of the tailcap threads, resulting in a slightly “dry” feeling when screwing the tailcap on and off. This “dryness” is purely a result of the anodised threads, as the flashlight threads came lubed (at last!). The single o-ring forms an impervious seal. While I’m certain that this light will be waterproof to IP67 standards at the very least, I’m yet to test this out.
Triangular cut threads and o-ring
The tailcap spring is not covered, and seems sufficient at carrying the current necessary
I’m very happy with the build quality of this light, it is by far one of my most well-machined Ultrafire lights.
The business end of the light: Emitter, modes, current and brightness
Current Measurements:
Low (3% firefly): 0.04A
Medium (30%): 0.58A
High (60%): 1.06A
Turbo (100%): 2.19A
(Measured with CAT2 DMM, custom 15A test leads. Trustfire “Flames” 18650)
The modes appear to be very well spaced; and they are all easy accessed. This light will hypothetically (if voltage sag is negligible) run for 60 hours on a single 2400mAh 18650 on firefly mode. At first I scoffed at the thought of such a dim mode, but with use, I have found the mode suitable for use at night when night vision is to be preserved.
Switching between the modes is as simple as clicking the switch. When you first turn on your light, it will start on firefly mode. You need to click it to access the next higher mode. When you click it during Turbo mode, it will shut off. It will then start on firefly mode again. However if there is a mode that you use often, while you are on that mode, you can hold down the power switch for about 2 seconds and it will turn off, and the next time you turn it on it will start on that mode. Double click to access strobe (from off or any mode). There is PWM on every mode, but it is not apparent to the naked eye (thankfully).
Tactile digital switch protected by a silicone boot
Interestingly enough, while both the website and the box state that the emitter is a XM-L T6, upon close inspection I have found it to be a XM-L2. In the photo below you can see how there are only 2 bonding wires and no “grid” on the surface. The black spots on the emitter only further reinforce the hypothesis that it is indeed a XM-L2. I’m not sure if this is a one-off fortunate error or if the lights stocked by Lightmalls do come with a XM-L2 instead of a XM-l T6. Regardless, the current is not nearly high enough to unleash the full potential of the XM-L2, and the newer emitter only marginally improves efficiency. The tint appears to be cool white.
Please excuse the dust on the lens of the light. Note the XM-L2 like appearance of the emitter.
I am yet to acquire a light meter, thus cannot test the luminous flux. However looking at the datasheet (and assuming the driver is 90% efficient), this light should be putting out over 600 lumens on turbo. This may not seem like much, but once again, this light was designed to be lightweight and practical. For pure output, check out the Fire-Foxes FF4. For throw, grab an eBay HID or BTU Shocker. There is a brightness comparison below.
Beamshots and brightness comparison
Still limited to my suburban backyard as the venue for beamshots. Distance to the back fence is approximately 10m. These photos were taken at 50mm at f/1.8, 1/6' shutter and ISO400.
Control
H6 on Firefly mode
H6 on Medium mode
H6 High
H6 Turbo (mouse over for Skyray King High)
Change of target. Trees are ~50m from the light. Taken with the same camera settings.
H6 Firefly mode
H6 Medium mode
H6 High mode
H6 Turbo (mouse over for Skyray King high mode)
It is evident from the beamshots that this light was not designed to be a thrower.
I decided to take a brightness comparison photo. Taken at 32mm at f/8, 1/500' shutter, ISO400. All lights were on their highest mode.
From the left: Fire-Foxes FF4, Ultrafire HD2010, Skyray King, Ultrafire XM-L2 C12, Ultrafire H6
This light has the lowest output out of these lights, however it is much smaller and lighter than the others. Do we really expect this 105g light to stack up to the 700g water bottle sized Fire-Foxes FF4?
Overall impression/conclusion
This light is well designed enough to be on my belt throughout the day (and night). It is the rare amalgamation of its light weight and extended runtime that makes it practical in daily life. The ability for it to be used as a headlamp just about tops this off. Thus I'm pleased to name this light my MOST PRACTICAL FLASHLIGHT 
More photos
Front of box
Light resting in foam cutout