Review: Skilhunt M150 (14500, LH351D 90CRI, high-cri EDC)

This sample is first version. Now M150 V2 version is available

Whats the difference with the V2 vs V1 version?

The most different is the UI

What exactly? Cannot find any difference in UI

M150 V2 UI is same as M200/M300/H04 series

I don’t have a M150 V1 to compare with. But I have the M150 V2. :slight_smile:

M150 V1 UI:

M150 V2 UI:

Enter and exit Lock-out mode:

From off:

Hold for 3 seconds until you see 3 fast flashes. Release.

Switch between Mode Group A and Mode Group B:

From off:

Hold for 5 seconds until you see 3 fast flashes followed by 3 slow flashes. Release.

Which mode is the flashlight in?

From off:

Single click on. The flashlight should be on. If the flashlight turned on momentarily and then off when you released, then you’re in Lock-out mode (exit lock-out mode!).

Single click again. If the flashlight turned off, then you’re in Mode Group B.

Mode Group A

There are more details on:

Mode Group B

From on, you can hold to ramp up between the enabled steps. Each step can be toggled off and on. The order from lowest to highest is L2, L1, M2, M1, H2, H1, T2.

M150 V1 UI ramps up from Low to Turbo and down to Low?

From off:

Single click to turn on. This enters the last memorised step.

Hold for a few seconds to enter L2 (or the lowest step).

Double click to enter Turbo.

From on:

Hold to ramp up between the enabled steps.

Double click to enter Turbo.

Triple click to Edit Mode Group B steps.

Edit Mode Group B Steps:

From on:

By default 4 of 7 steps are enabled (L2, M2, H2, T2). The flashlight will cycle through from lowest to highest: L2, L1, M2, M1, H2, H1, T2 while editing. A red light will appear if that step is enabled.

Click once to toggle a step on or off. The red light will turn on or off.

Hold for one second to save your preferred steps. You should see 3 fast flashes and the flashlight will remain on.

You can now ramp up between your preferred steps.

Some photos of my Skilhunt M150 V2 (arrived yesterday!):

Skilhunt M150 V2 AA 14500 High CRI LH351D ~4500K

My Skilhunt M150 V2 arrived without (any?) glue. The head screwed off easily. :+1: :smiley:

The switch is still difficult to find in the dark. I keep pressing the charging port on the opposite side of the switch. A pocket clip might help distinguish between the two.

M150 V2 is charging my Vapcell H10 14500 at around 1A after using Turbo. The charging current then reduces to 800mA, 700mA, 500mA etc.

what is that blue thing?

It’s a Ruideng UM25C USB Meter:

I ordered a RD TC66 for USB Type C but it didn’t arrive. After 90 days I was able to file a dispute. AliExpress asked me to wait a little longer… so after about 100 days they provided a refund. I’ll order again on 11.11. Hopefully it arrives this time. :weary:

so these things are used to measure flashlights? or batteries? or both? i dont know how these things work. and how much is the RD TC66?

I use the RD UM25C USB Meter to measure the voltage and current used by small chargers (e.g. Xtar ANT MC1 Plus) or devices with built-in charging (mobile phones, flashlights).

It can help with verifying what current can be drawn from a particular USB port. E.g. The USB port on my radio in my car only provides 5V at 0.5A. Charging a mobile phone from that can be slow. However, the USB port in the cigarette socket supports 5V at 2.4A.

Modern USB Meters may also be able to detect whether a device is using QC2, QC3, USB PD etc.

I wanted to use the TC66 to see what my MiniWare TS80 soldering iron is doing. As shown on eevblog:

ok, sounds a bit too technical for me lol…

Thanks for the review. I have be thinking of this light.
Does the battery indication work with primary cells ?

No, only with 3,7V 14500s

I would like Skilhunt to make a Headlamp based on this light. Small, same UI. Same LED. Mag charging. etc etc.

The H04 RC is great. I use it daily. but of course the size is bigger given that it’s a 18650

Yes. The H04 or H04RC also happens to come with the best headband I’ve ever come across in a headlamp. I’ve owned and tested 10-15 headlamps across various brands and nothing else even comes close.

Received my grey skilhunt M150 v3 yesterday.

Here are my impressions:

What I like:

  • Excellent build quality - it feels high quality. It looks and feel higher quality than other similar lights like the Sofirn SP10 Pro. The grey and blue anodizing with gold charging contact looks quite snazzy.
  • Very small and lightweight - slightly smaller than a Sofirn SP10. Slightly longer than a Wurrkos TS10. This is a great size for pocket EDC.
    Good “hand-feel” - The light feels secure and comfortable in the hand. It doesn’t feel like it will slip out of the hand like some other lights. The button falls naturally under the thumb.
  • Good clip - yes it’s a 2-way clip (ugh), but it is one of the least obnoxious 2-way clips I’ve tried. the clip has a ramp to easily clip onto a pocket or belt one-handed. It’s long enough to hold fairly securely. The backbend is subtle enough it probably won’t catch on things while being long enough to actually use as a headlamp on a cap brim. The clip does rotate around a bit, but I solved this with a little Talon grip tape applied to the clip arms.
  • Good quality anodizing. Installing and removing the clip didn’t immediately damage the anodizing.
  • Removable tailcap magnet. If a magnet is added, it’s always a nice option to make it removable.
  • Easy emitter swap. Mine came with an LH351D emitter. It’s not a bad emitter, but nowhere near as good as my current favorite emitter: dedomed Nichia 519a. The bezel of the M150 is not glued and was easy to remove. With the bezel off it was a simple matter to pull out the star, reflow a 519a onto the star, dedome it, and reinstall into the light for much improved tint and throw.
  • Good UI. Similar to Olight, though not quite the same.
  • Tailstands perfectly - The M150 tailstands perfectly. Much better than the Sofirn SP10 Pro.

What could be better:

  • Charging port - the M150 uses a proprietary magnetic charging cable. The charge port is on the head of the light opposite the button. It looks similar to the ones used by some Olights. I was skeptical of this design because I’ve read of problems with shorting when the contact in the center of the port. I tested this briefly on the M150 by bridge the 2 contacts and immediately saw orange sparks, suggesting a direct short. (Note: I didn’t want to risk the light exploding so I didn’t maintain contact for more than a half a second). This is made even more problematic, because the charging port has a magnet inside to help it connect to the cable. If you EDC the light loose in your pocket with your keys or other metal items it looks like something metal could stick to the port and cause a short. This suggests the M150 may be dangerous to pocket EDC with other metal items unless tailcap lockout is used.
  • Button - it looks good. It feels good. It’s even very slightly recessed. However, it still feels like it requires light enough pressure to activate and is close enough to the surface of the light that accidental activation is quite possible. I prefer my pocket EDC lights to not require lockout as having to unlock a light takes time and makes the light much less convenient.
  • Output - Skilhunt claims 750 lumens max. And I saw a previous review where sustained output was under 300 lumens. This is fine for such a little light. But at the same time it is a bit disappointing. Other lights like the FWAA, FW1AA, TS10 and SP10 Pro are all similar in size but with noticeably higher max output.

Edit: I used a multimeter to check voltage between the two contacts of the charging port on the bottom of the light. My multimeter read 4.1v. This confirms that the contacts are directly connected to the battery at all times and present a serious risk of a direct short if pocket carried without tailcap lockout with other metal items like keys or coins. I consider this a serious negative in a pocket EDC light.

If you wish to do so, I recommend always using tailcap lockout, or placing some tape over the charging contacts and using an external charger.

2 Thanks