Ok BLF, just finished up my latest review. This one took me just a bit longer than usual because I wanted a 4th of July theme for the review- I hope Spark didn’t mind. This is for the Spark SG6 which I don’t think has another review on Youtube even though it’s been out for a while.
It’s a nice headlamp, with the bare emitter configuration, which I think some people call (or all people) a mule? If you wanted Armytek style anodization in a light other than an Armytek then this is your headlamp. It has a nice simple user interface, and is well made- just like you have come to expect from Spark. There’s the usual video runtime tests, which prove the SG6 has a nice even output throughout the runtime.
Also there’s Ozzie, my brother’s jerk cat who will randomly attack people viciously. Spoiler: he did not attack me. My brother found him several years ago on a bridge over a river, after he had been hit by a car. My brother came back a day or two later with food, and took Ozzie home- who was near death. Anyway despite him acting crazy occasionally he’s mostly mellowed out and always comes when you call him because he’s never more than an earshot from the house.
Anyway this isn’t a cat review, it’s for a neat headlamp- with some 4th of July fireworks thrown in for good measure. Also those bottle rockets were in my brothers shed, not mine- in the interest of full disclosure. Cool. This headlamp was provided by Spark for review. Oh make sure you check out my recent review for the Spark ST6 and my now classic review of the SG3 and SG5. Make sure you subscribe to me on YouTube if you like my style of review and feel free to ask any questions if you’d like. And again the reflector is an optional piece, that also fits the SG3 and SG5. And stay tuned for my next review… my first knife review for a budget friendly Sanrenmu courtesy of GearBest.
Edit (9/20/2015): I went back and measured all of my headlamps and here’s the lumens/throw data for the SG6. This info is not contained in the review. The lumens data described in the review are from Spark’s data.
SG6 lumens
Turbo:508
Maximum: 306
Med 2: 106
Med 1: 12.8
Min: 0.67
Throw: 231 cd and 31 meters.
For the SG6, I used the optional reflector for my lumens measurements, since my device doesn’t seem to do as well with bare emitters or diffused optics. For lux though I did it with the bare emitter. I do not have data on hand for the lux with the reflector.
Have you ever used an Armytek light? It seems a bit more scratch resistant, but most importantly it has a nice feel in your hand. The best way I could describe it as a slightly rough chalky feel. It’s not quite as smooth as an Armytek, but it feels a lot different than other anodizations. I like it.
I’ll watch it at home. Thanks for posting. Youtube blocked at work. Mhandle, you could consider putting in some paragpraphs while typing Makes for a much easier read!
Sorry, I was in a hurry before work this morning, so I didn’t realize what a jumbled mess it was. Fixed, and thanks for the heads up- hope you like it, and thanks for watching!
The three minor things I like about the armytek… An ever so slight rosy color to the tint, the TIR optic over a mule style emitter, and the ability to take protected or u protected cells. The spark on the other hand has no visible PWM, unlike the armytek on firefly 1. The spark still has a nice natural white, but I prefer tints that are a bit warmer. I don’t necessarily thing any of these are negatives just different preferences.
Thanks for the reply, useful info. I assume the spark won’t take a protected cell, that’s a bit of a negative then. I have a couple SG5NWs and love them for working inside confined spaces, maybe I should upgrade to the Armytek…
Apparently there’s no longer PWM on the firefly modes and it has a lower firefly now too. Yes the spark will not accept protected cells. At least he spark has the option of using the optional reflector just in case you don’t like the bare emitter and would like a shallow reflector which covers just about as much area as a TIR optic… By the way in my video there’s a nice comparison with all the different types of optic options, so you can see what works best for you.
I’m getting more efficient at writing my scripts and have a better idea of what shots I need… My runtime tests take a while- but because I have awesome cameras with time lapse features and super long record times I can set it and forget it. The hardest part, often times- is coming up with a gimmick to make each review different. I would estimate I’ve gotten my actual labor in each video down to about 10-15 hours. Which is a big improvement. But if you’re comparing my stuff to a table top style review, they do take a while. Although I could assume people here like Flashlion, JohnnyMac, Sunbwoofer, Selfbuilt, etc take a similar or larger amount of time per light than I do.
I am working on a deal right now that may allow us to get the SG6 for $58.30. Waiting to hear back on quantity required. I think it will be 50 but not sure. I will post a thread when I know for sure.
I will say, it’s a nice headlamp. Build quality on this one is right up there with an Armytek, especially with it’s awesome anodization. Good moonlight, you can swap out the lens easy, which makes an emitter swap a piece of cake. There is an optional reflector available too- the SG3 ad SG5 use the same lens system. It’s like an Armytek or Zebralight with a straight forward UI.
It is a hard shut off, but it slowly dims in the final 15 minutes, then a small hard step down, and about two minutes of considerably faster waning light before the hard shut off. It doesn’t mention in the manual if it has low voltage protection but my 3100 mah Panasonic battery was consistently discharged to around 2.8 volts.
Is a hard shut off an indicator of low voltage protection?
And as far as a driver swap, I’ve tried opening Sparks before and thats a no go. Now, why anyone in their right mind would want to pay $60-90 for a headlamp and swap in another driver doesn’t seem that reasonable, when there are much cheaper options out there. You may as well be replacing a driver in an Armytek or Zebralight.
Did you watch the runtime section of the video? It gets pretty obvious in the last bit of runtime that it’s ready to change the battery.
Makes for a much easier read!