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

LED Flashlights – General Info 1 x AA / 1 x 14500 Flashlights
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The H04 RC is great. I use it daily. but of course the size is bigger given that it’s a 18650

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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.

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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