A while ago I’ve won a Cyansky K3 v2 in a giveaway (you can find the review here) and it left a very positive impression. So I got curious and was happy to hear that Cyansky was interested in a sponsored review. I received this flashlight for free without any obligations about the content of the review.
This review is also available in German on my website: SammysHP Blog › Cyansky HS6R
Supplied parts and hardware
- 18650 Li-ion battery with 3400 mAh (protected, integrated USB-C charging, 70 mm long, button-top, came at 3.81 V)
- Elastic headband with mounting plate
- USB-C charging cable
- 2x replacement o-ring
- Storage bag
- 2 mm thick foam rubber pad (self-adhesive)
- Manual (EN, CN)
Everything comes preassembled, just remove the insulator disc from the battery and you’re ready to go!
The mounting plate is made of metal, slightly curved and rounded edges. Unfortunately it starts to feel uncomfortable after a few minutes. The 2 mm thick foam doesn’t help, it needs more.
Otherwise the mounting plate is very nice and sturdy, but the construction isn’t intended for regular removal of the headlamp. On the other hand it holds the light in place and it’s easy to adjust.
For the following review I’ve removed the headlamp from the plate for easier handling. You have to slightly bend the metal wire and unhook it from three hooks. Then you have to carefully remove the wire from the headlamp, which might cause scratches.
The HS6R is my first headlamp of this form factor. In comparison to other 18650 headlamps it it shorter, but slightly thicker with 82 × 33 × 25 mm. The lamp itself weights 71 g. Add 51 g for the battery, 21 g for the mounting plate and 22 g for the strap to get 165 g in total.
The light stands great on both sides because the switch is slightly recessed.
The HS6R is equipped with built-in charging via USB-C. The connector is protected by a silicone flap at the bottom of the lamp. It is rather flimsy and easy to open accidentally.
Charging is done at about 1.15 A (input) to 4.19 V. After three to four hours the battery is full again and the status LED in the switch turns from red to green. During charging only low on the throw channel can be used.
Cyansky wants to be certain that you’re able to charge the battery: The included battery comes with its own integrated USB-C charging port! It charges at up to 1.25 A (input). Great when you use two batteries and can charge them without an additional charger.
The threads of the tailcap are short, just 1.5 turns to remove it!. Mechanical lockout is possible, but don’t turn it too much or you might lose it.
There are springs at both sides. They are long enough that the light works with unprotected flat-top batteries as well. AFAIK this is a very recent addition, as other reviews show a flat contact with mechanical reverse voltage protection at the positive side. Great that the manufacturer listens to the feedback! You can also use two CR123A in series.
The manufacturer gives the headlamp an IPX8 rating, which means you can submerge it up to 2 m. But the battery cover is a weak spot, so be careful! It should survive impacts of 2 m as well.
Designed as a headlamp, there are no holes for a lanyard or a magnet. Machining is perfect, all edges are chamfered, great details. Important parts – tailcap and the opposite side – have a knurling for better grip.
User interface and features
The flashlight is controlled via two buttons: A large side switch with silicone cover and integrated status LED, which controls the throw channel.
On the top there’s a smaller metal button to control the other LEDs.
The UI is the same for both buttons. Throw and flood/red channels can be used independent of each other.
| State | Action | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Off | 1 click | Show state of charge via status LED |
| Off | 2 click | Lock / unlock (and turn on at last used level) |
| Off | Hold (0.5 s) | Turn on at last used level |
| On | 1 click | Change brightness Throw: Low → Med → High → Turbo Flood: Low → Med → High → Red → Red blinking |
| On | Hold (0.5 s) | Turn off |
It can’t be any simpler! No shortcuts, no strobes, no hidden options. Hold for off is slightly annoying at first, but you’re getting used to it and it helps against accidental activation.
Much worse is that it has just a single brightness for red and it is even included in the main mode group! If you’ve previously used flood on low you have to cycle through low, med and high to get red light. Not that you need it after being blinded.
My suggestion: Main switch controls all white LEDs. 1C for on/off. 1H to change brightness, 2C for turbo, 3C to switch between throw/flood/both. Also hold from off as a shortcut to low and 4C for lockout. The secondary switch will then control the red channel in the same way with at least three levels.
The status LED in the main switch shows the state of charge for three seconds when you turn on the flashlight or click the button when it’s off.
| Color | State of charge |
|---|---|
| Green | 80% – 100% |
| Green blinking | 50% – 80% |
| Red | 20% – 50% |
| Red blinking | < 20% |
When the battery is almost empty, the status LED starts to blink red and the main LED will shortly blink every five minutes while it’s on.
Works also great as a regular flashlight.
Illumination
The HS6R has three channels: One LED for throw, one for flood and two for red. All have their own TIR optic and are secured with a screwed metal plate.
- Throw: 1x Luminus SST-40, around 5500 K, low CRI, slightly green with much colder spill. TIR is said to have 15°.
- Flood: 1x Luminus SST-20 with 4000 K and high CRI. Really nice, rosy color and very smooth and even illumination (80° as stated in the manual).
- Red: 2x Everlight 2835, 620 nm, also very floody with 80°.
The SST-40 is certainly not a beauty, but the throw and brightness are noticeably higher than the SST-20 flood LED. Exactly opposite is the SST-20 flood LED: Absolutely amazing color, tint and CRI. The floody illumination improves your orientation because it prevents tunnel vision.
The red LEDs are less red and slightly orange compared to my other flashlights with 660 nm LEDs, but on their own they are very nice. Unfortunately just one (rather high) brightness.
For headlamps I prefer a floody beam because it allows you to see in your peripheral vision, thus prevents tunnel vision. The HS6R is perfect in that regard.
The throw channel is a nice addition for larger distances. While the color is worse, it is acceptable for the time you need it. Because both channels are independent, you can quickly turn it on and off in addition to the flood channel.
Driver and runtime
In addition to the tabular information on the runtime, the manual also contain a simplified diagram with the brightness curve. It makes clear that the brightness is not maintained over the full runtime.
| Mode | Brightness¹ | Runtime¹ | Intensity¹ (Throw²) | Current³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Throw: Turbo | 1200 lm | 2 h | 7200 cd (170 m) | 3.34 A |
| Throw: High | 500 lm | 3 h | 3010 cd (110 m) | 1.00 A |
| Throw: Medium | 150 lm | 12 h | 908 cd (60 m) | 0.28 A |
| Throw: Low | 30 lm | 60 h | 186 cd (28 m) | 0.07 A |
| Flood: High | 500 lm | 3 h | 1006 cd (63 m) | 2.25 A |
| Flood: Medium | 150 lm | 12 h | 300 cd (35 m) | 0.35 A |
| Flood: Low | 30 lm | 60 h | 80 cd (18 m) | 0.08 A |
| Red | 10 lm | 60 h | 24 cd (10 m) | 0.15 A |
| Off | 15 µA |
¹ According to manufacturer ² ANSI FL1 ³ Measured
Brightness and runtime are identical in the table for throw and flood. If you look at the current measurement, it already appears suspicious. Fortunately the stated runtime is reached for turbo and high.
The manual says that the brightness in turbo is reduced after one minute. In addition is should have temperature regulation which reduces and increases the brightness to keep the temperature in a “safe region”. So it can be expected the runtime will change depending on cooling. In my tests the flashlight never exceeded 37°C – warm, but not hot.
Regulation is great and without PWM. Only at low throw some large modulation at 24 kHz can be measured, but it’s invisible to the eye.
When the voltage drops, the current increases. This makes me believe it uses a buck regulator. At 3.0 V the red status LED starts to blink and the main LED shortly turns off every five minutes. At 2.85 V the flashlight turns off completely.
Conclusion
Shape and machining quality of the Cyansky HS6R fully convinced me. The flood LED creates a fantastic, floody beam with awesome color rendition. The throw LED has a less perfect tint, but brings a nice addition in throw.
The UI could be improved, though. First of all: Why do you have to cycle through the white modes to get red light? Also it needs more than one level of red.
The mounting plate needs better padding, at least for my head. Otherwise it makes a good impression and holds the flashlight securely in place. However it is not designed for quick removal of the flashlight.
If you got curious you can buy the Cyansky HS6R here at AliExpress (no affiliate).