The M300 V2 is a compact general-purpose flashlight running on a single included 21700 battery.Includes a colourful build and versatile user interface.

1. Introduction
2. Manufacturer Specifications
3. Package Details
4. Build
5. User Interface
6. Circuit Measures
7. Emitter Measures
8. Beamshots
9. Testing Results
10. Runtimes
11. Pros and Cons
12. Overall Rating
13. Preliminary Conclusions
14. Acknowledgement

Introduction

I remember when Skilhunt first came on the scene, over a decade ago. Their early lights had a distinctive rakish design, with cut-outs showing gold-plated brass heatsinks (I believe I referred to them at the time as a steam-punk aesthetic). I was glad to see they are still around, upon my return to reviewing. I see that they have moved to a more minimalist build, with a good number of headlamp models, and a strong focus on built-in magnetic charging docks.

This is the first of two Skilhunt lights that I have on hand for testing (the H300 review will be coming soon). A really nice feature is the option to select your own emitter – with a good range of options. Case in point for the M300: you can select between CREE XHP50.3 HI Cool White 6500K, CREE XHP50.2 HD Neutral White 5000K, CREE XHP50.2 HD Ra90 High CRI 5000K, and Nichia 144ART R9050 sm453 4500K.

I’ve opted to go for the XHP50.2 HD Neutral White 5000K for this review, for the highest maximum output of 3000 lumens. Normally, I would have opted for one of the High CRI versions, or the cool white HI emitter (for better throw and reduced chromatic aberrations). But it’s good to compare maximum output versions for comparative purposes, and I was glad to see the max 3000 lumens was available with the XHP50.2 neutral white.  As always, you can select the emitter option that best suits your needs.

Let’s see how it compares in my testing.

Manufacturer Specifications

Note: as always, these are simply what the manufacturer provides – scroll down to see my actual testing results.

Feature	Specs
Maker	Skilhunt
Model	M300 V2
Emitter	XHP50.2 HD Neutral White
Tint	5000 K
Max Output (Lumens)	3,000
Min Output (Lumens)	1
Max Runtime	200 hrs
Max Beam Intensity (cd)	12,000 cd
Max Beam Distance (m)	219 m
Constant Levels	7
Flashing	Strobe 1/2/3
Battery	1x21700
Weight (w/o battery)	75 g
Weight (with battery)	-
Length	120 mm
Head Diameter	29.5 mm
Body Diameter	-
Waterproof	IPX-8 1m

Package Details

The light comes in a fairly standard shelf-presentation style box, with a description of the features and characteristics printed on it. Inside is a professional looking package, with the cover tab under the plastic tray holder. My sample came with an extra light carrying pouch in a small plastic bag.

Inside the box, I found:

• Skilhunt M300 V2 flashlight
• Skilhunt BL-250 5000mAh 21700 battery (optional)
• Wrist lanyard
• Bi-directional pocket clip
• USB magnetic charging dock
• 2 Spare O-rings
• Manual

It’s a decent package, consistent with other lights of this class. As always, I would have liked to have seen a holster, but at least they included a bi-directional pocket clip and a carry pouch. This is a good set of extras.

Build

From left to right: Skilhunt 18650 (3500mAh), Wurkkos 21700 (5000mAh), Acebeam 21700 USB-C (5100mAh), Acebeam E70 Mini, Armytek Wizard C2 Pro Nichia, Acebeam E70, Armytek Wizard C2 Pro Max, Convoy S21E, Fenix E35 v3, Imalent MS03, Skilhunt H300, Skilhunt M300 V2, Wurkkos TS22.

The M300 is a solid build, with lots of design elements to help with grip, including sharp concentric rings on the body and tailcap, and with large cut-out ridges. There is also a raised metallic blue ring surrounding the switch, and a magnetic charging dock on the opposite site of the head. Ironically, while these both help with grip, it can make identifying the switch by feel alone difficult (i.e., hard to tell the two apart by touch). But a simple solution is simply to squeeze both areas with your thumb and forefinger simultaneously to activate the light, if you can’t see what you are doing.

Along with the switch and dock areas, there are relatively flat cut-outs on the other two sides of the head, helping limit the roll of the light (better than I expected, frankly). That said, if you really want to prevent roll you are going to want to attach the removable pocket clip (which would also further help with grip, not that it really needs it). I like the bi-directional design of the clip, so that you can carry it bezel up or down.

I would say the overall size is about typical for the compact 1×21700 class – not the smallest, but also not largest I’ve seen. Handfeel is good, it is comfortable to hold and use.

The electronic switch has blue and red LEDs underneath it, which can be used to signal status of the light or battery. Switch feel is good, with a standard traverse/tactile feedback for an electronic switch. The metallic blue switch surround is distinctive looking.

One nice thing about magnetic charging docks is that waterproofness is not a concern – the light looks quite spashable/dunkable (although note that I do not test for this in my reviews).

Tailstanding is very stable, thanks to the flat tailcap (there is a side cut-out to allow you thread the basic wrist lanyard through). Tailcap threads are square-cut and anodized, with good feel. I always recommend you keep a light stored locked out when not in use. Thanks to the anodized tailcap threads, you can do this easily by a simple twist of the tailcap. There is a decently robust tailspring in the tailcap, suggesting higher current draws won’t be a problem.

Anodizing is a distinctive gun-metal gray colour, and looks to be good quality on my sample with no damage or issues, in matte finish. Skilhunt reports it is type III (hard anodized), and I see no reason to doubt that. I would say the colour goes well with the metallic blue switch surround and bezel ring.

Inside, my sample came with the optional Skilhunt-branded button-top 5000mAh 21700 battery. The battery is labelled as high-drain (15A), so that should similarly not limit maximum output.

The USB charging dock also comes with blue and red LEDs, to signal charging status. The magnet has a strong pull, and locks into place easily.

My M300 came with a XHP50.2 HD emitter, in neutral white. The reflector is fairly shallow and textured (moderate orange peel, OP). However, as expected, there is noticeable tint/colour shifting across the periphery of the beam (a well-known issue with HD emitters of the XHP family). This one seems more pronounced than most, with a relatively neutral white hotspot surrounded by an extensive corona that is very yellowish-green, and then a relatively cooler spill beam with a purplish edge. Scroll down to my Emitter Measures section more details and a discussion. There is a mild purplish anti-reflective (AR) coating on the lens.

The bezel is crenelated stainless steel, with a stylish metallic blue colour to match the switch surround. Scalloping is not too aggressive, so you can headstand stably.

User Interface

The M300 uses the latest version of the Skilhunt user interface (UI), and has a reasonably good number of modes and features. You get two Low modes, three Regular modes (two Med modes, one High mode), two Turbo modes, and three Strobe modes – organized into those four mode sets.

One comment to make up front – the mode level labels are different from most lights in that the lower number for a given level is actually the higher output (so, for example, T1 is brighter than T2). That means the constant output modes, in sequence, are: L2 > L1, M2 > M1 > H, and T2 > T1.

The manual doesn’t describe the three strobe modes, but for sake of this review I will refer to them as S3 = Strobe, S2 = SOS, and S1 = Beacon.

Let me break down the full interface for you:

From OFF:

• Press-and-hold: Turns On in memorized Low mode (L2 or L1).
• Single-click: Turns On in memorized Regular mode (M2, M1, or H).
• Double-click: Turns On in memorized Turbo mode (T2 or T1).
• Triple-click: Turns on in memorized strobe mode (S3, S2, or S1).
• 4 clicks: Activates the electronic Lockout mode.
  • Press-and-hold for momentary Moonlight (i.e., lowest Low, L2)
  • While in lockout, the switch indicator light will flash red every second, but that can be toggled off/on with a double-click.

From ON:

• Press-and-hold: Cycle to the next level within the current mode level set (constant output modes only, doesn’t work for Strobe).
• Single-click: Turns Off.
• Double-click: Jumps to the memorized Turbo level (from Regular modes only), or back to Regular modes if already in Turbo (note this doesn’t work from Low modes or Strobe modes)
• Triple-click: Jumps to the memorized Strobe mode (from Regular or Turbo), or back to most recent Regular or Turbo if already in Strobe mode.

Strobe modes:

• Triple-click: Turns On in memorized Strobe mode.
• Double-click: Cycles through the Strobe modes in sequence:
  • S3 – Strobe
  • S2 – SOS
  • S1 – Beacon

Mode memory:

Yes, each mode set retains its own memory for the last level selected in that mode set.

Shortcuts:

• To Low (L2 or L1): Press-and-hold from Off.
• To Turbo (T2 or T1): Double-click from Off or when On in Regular mode.
• To Strobe (S1, S2, or S3): Triple-click from Off or when On in Regular or Turbo mode.

Low voltage warning:

When the battery is running very low (<3.0V according to the manual), the switch indicator light will flash red, and the main emitter will flash every couple of seconds. The light will shut off at 2.7V according to the manual.

Lock-out mode: 

• 4 clicks from Off: Activates the electronic Lockout mode.
• Physical lockout is also possible by simply unscrewing the tailcap.

Battery indicator:

Yes. The LED under the switch indicates the battery status for the first ~5 secs after turning on:

• Solid Blue: >80% Battery power remaining.
• Flashing Blue: 50-80% Battery power remaining.
• Solid Red: 20-50% Battery power remaining
• Flashing Red: <20% Battery power remaining.

These seem reasonable to me, and similar to the Sofirn C8L that I recently reviewed.

Video Overview:

Please see the video below, which walks you through the common UI and build features of this light and its H300 headlamp sibling:

Reviewer Comments:

Like many of the recent lights I’ve reviewed, I find this UI to be very reasonable, and relatively versatile. Of course, you are never going to please everyone with any given UI (e.g., I would like to see double-click reliably jumping to Turbo, and have the Low modes as part of a regular sequence without having to go through off first). But these are really quibbles, the light does reasonably well.

One small thing I would like is the ability to independently turn on the the blue switch indicator, to serve as an additional “moonlight mode”. This is something the Anduril-based lights allow (if implemented, like on the Sofirn IF25A), and some other new UIs (like the Wurkkos TS22).

Allowing momentary L2 when in the electronic lockout is a nice touch. But as always, I recommend locking out the light at the tailcap when not in use.

Circuit Measures

Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM):

L2:

M2:

H:

T2:

T1:

There is no sign of PWM on any level – the circuit appears to be fully current-controlled. This is also no sign of high-frequency noise at any level. This is refreshing – although PWM is very rare nowadays, it is not uncommon to see some (visually-undetectable) circuit noise.

Strobes:

S3 – Strobe:

S3 Strobe alternates between 6 Hz and 14 Hz strobes (1 sec for 6Hz, 3 secs for 14 Hz).

S2 – SOS:

S2 is clearly a SOS mode.

S1 – Beacon:

S3 is a 1hz slow signalling strobe.

Charging:

The magnetic charging dock switches from blue (when charger power is provided) to solid red when connected and charging the M300. The dock switches back to solid blue when the charging is complete.

In my testing, resting voltage of the cell was ~4.12V at termination. This is lower than typical, but is easier on the cell. Note that the charging dock won’t initiate a charge cycle if the cell is above 4.0V resting, just like the Armytek charging dock.

Resting voltage <3.0V

Resting voltage >3.0V

The M300 doesn’t really have a two-stage charging feature, but it does start off at a lower charge rate when the cell is heavily depleted <3V (1.55A shown above, rises to 1.62A within a minute or so).

Standby / Parasitic Drain:

I measured the standby current as 25.4 uA. This is an extremely low standby drain, and will not appreciably affect the light (i.e., it would take ~22.5 years to fully drain the cell). Regardless, I always recommend you lockout the light when not in use – either by electronic lockout, or better yet physically by twisting the tailcap.

Emitter Measures

In this section, I directly measure key emitter characteristics of my sample in terms of colour temperature, tint, and colour rendition. Please see my Emitter Measures page to learn more about what these terms mean, and how I am measuring them. As tint in particular can shift across levels, I typically stick with the highest stably regulated level for all my reported measures.

As explained on that page, since I am using an inexpensive uncalibrated device, you can only make relative comparisons across my reviews (i.e., don’t take these numbers as absolutely accurate values, but as relatively consistent across lights in my testing).

M300 on H (Hi):

The key measures above are the colour temperature of ~4420K, and a moderately positive tint shift (+0.0117 Duv) to yellowish at this temperature. For CRI (Ra), I measured a combined score of 67.

These values are very consistent with the rated specs for the neutral white XHP50.2 emitter on my sample, and match my visual experience of this light.

Note that the standard measures above refer to the hotspot specifically. As you move away, there is always some variation in colour temperature and tint with XHPx0.2 emitters. Since my return to reviewing, I’ve found the XHP50.2 emitters are particularly prone to this, and I did notice significant tint/colour shift across the beam on this particular sample. As such, I decide to do some some additional measures.

Below are are two beamshots on a white wall of the Hi (H) level. I’ve chosen two different exposure times to better show the hotspot and spill. Camera is set to daylight white balance, and this matches pretty well to what I see by eye. I’ve also taken additional colour temp/tint readings at the various points identified:

Here are those specific measures again:

Hotspot: ~4400K, Duv +0.0117 : Neutral-warm white, somewhat yellowish tint.

Corona: ~4150K, Duv +0.0148 : Slightly warmer white, even more yellowish tint.

Mid-spillbeam: ~4950K, Duv +0.0025 : Neutral-cool white, no significant tint shift at all.

Spillbeam edge: ~6000K, Duv -0.0003 : Cool white, no significant tint shift.

Note that the spillbeam edge is much lower intensity (and thus more variable on the lightmeter). It also doesn’t show up well at the exposure settings above – but it definitely appears to the eye that there is a cooler white ring all along the outside edge. XHPx0.2 emitters are well known to produce these, although I suspect this is enhanced here due in part to the purplish AR coating on the lens and to reflections off the blue stainless steel bezel ring (both of which are “cooling” the CCT tint readings and providing this subjective edge effect).

Again, these colour temp/tint shifts are predominantly a characteristic of the XHP50.2 emitter selected here. But as this sample has a more significant variation in the beam profile than I typically notice, I’ve provided the extra context above. As an aside, this is why I generally prefer XHPx0.3 HI emitters, as they don’t show as severe chromatic variation.

Note that you can even see this effect somewhat in my outdoor beamshots below as well.

Beamshots

All outdoor beamshots are taken on my Canon PowerShot S5 IS at f/2.7, 0.5 secs exposure, ISO 400, daylight white balance. The bend in the road is approximately 40 meters (~45 yards) from the camera. Learn more about my outdoor beamshots here (scroll down for the floody light position used in this review).

Click on any thumbnail image below to open a full size image in a new window. You can then easily compare beams by switching between tabs.

As you can see above, the M300 has a balanced beam, consistent with its smaller reflector (i.e., more on the floody side). Output seems particularly high for 3000 lumens light.

Testing Results

My summary tables are generally reported in a manner consistent with the ANSI FL-1 standard for flashlight testing. In addition to the links above, please see my output measures page for more background.

All my output numbers are based on my home-made lightbox setup. As explained on that methodology page, I have devised a method for converting my lightbox relative output values to estimated lumens. My Peak Intensity/Beam Distance are directly measured with a NIST-certified Extech EA31 lightmeter.

M300 Testing Results

Mode	Spec Lumens	Estimated Lumens @0sec	Estimated Lumens @30 secs	Beam Intensity @0sec	Beam Intensity @30secs	Beam Distance @30secs	PWM/Strobe Freq	Noise Freq	Charging Current <3V	Charging Current >3V	Parasitic Drain	Weight w/o Battery	Weight with Battery	CCT (K)	Duv	CRI
L2	1	0.9	0.9	-	-	-	No	No	1.55 A	1.65 A	25.4 uA	75 g	147 g	-	-	-
L1	6	4.1	4.1	-	-	-	No	No	1.55 A	1.65 A	25.4 uA	75 g	147 g	-	-	-
M2	60	60	60	-	-	-	No	No	1.55 A	1.65 A	25.4 uA	75 g	147 g	-	-	-
M1	230	245	245	-	-	-	No	No	1.55 A	1.65 A	25.4 uA	75 g	147 g	-	-	-
H	610	610	610	-	-	-	No	No	1.55 A	1.65 A	25.4 uA	75 g	147 g	4,420	0.0117	67
T2	1,130	1,150	1,150	-	-	-	No	No	1.55 A	1.65 A	25.4 uA	75 g	147 g	-	-	-
T1	3,000	3,650	3,350	15,400 cd	14,200 cd	238 m	No	No	1.55 A	1.65 A	25.4 uA	75 g	147 g	-	-	-
S3	-	-	-	-	-	-	1 Hz	No	1.55 A	1.65 A	25.4 uA	75 g	147 g	-	-	-
S2	-	-	-	-	-	-	SOS	No	1.55 A	1.65 A	25.4 uA	75 g	147 g	-	-	-
S1	-	-	-	-	-	-	6-14 Hz	No	1.55 A	1.65 A	25.4 uA	75 g	147 g	-	-	-

For most of the levels, there is a remarkably good concordance with my lightbox. The one exception is the T1 level – where I actually measured slightly higher output than the specification.

By the same token, my NIST-calibrated luxmeter actually reports slightly higher beam distance measures as well, showing these results are consistent. An impressive showing!

I’m also happy to see a ~1 lumen “moonlight” low mode here (i.e., L2). I would prefer a true <1 lumen moonlight though.

To view and download full testing results for all modern lights in my testing, check out my Database page.

Runtimes

As always, my runtimes are done under a small cooling fan, for safety and consistency. To learn more about how to interpret runtime graphs, see my runtimes methodology page.

Skilhunt shows both excellent output/runtime efficiency and regulation, consistent with a top-quality current-controlled driver.

As you can see above, the XHP50.2-equipped M300 shows overall output and runtime on T1 and T2 that is very similar to the XHP50.3-equipped Sofirn C8L (another very efficient light). As expected, XHP50.x lights show output performance intermediate to the XHP70.x/SST70-equipped lights and SFT40-equipped lights.

These results are all the more impressive when you consider there is a ~1 lumen “moonlight” mode (L2) included on the M300. Most of the other lights shown above don’t go as low, so this is a plus for the M300.

The regulation pattern is also impressive. Along with perfectly flat and stable outputs, you also get a reasonable amount of time at lower levels before the light shuts down. This is plenty of warning to stop and recharge.

To better show the Turbo step-down pattern on T1/T2, here is a view of just those two levels on this light:

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Light has excelent output/runtime efficiency, consistent with other good current-controlled lights with the XHP50 emitter.	User interface is fairly sophisticated, and reasonable for the class, but it does have some small quirks and limitations.
Circuit shows excellent regulation, with stable runtimes and reasonable step-down levels and duration.	There is a noticeable colour temperature/tint shift across the spillbeam with this XHP50.2 emitter (you may want to consider an alternate choice from Skilhunt).
Although not a true "moonlight" mode, the lowest output is reasonable and effective at ~1 lumen.	Magnetic charging dock performance is good and consistent with others, and won't initiate a charge >4.0V resting voltage.
Compact build with good quality and decent handfeel.
Includes a bidirectional pocket clip

Overall Rating

Preliminary Conclusions

The Skilhunt M300 ticks a lot of boxes for me. It has a high quality build, with a thoughtful design and some nice stylistic touches. Switch feel is good, and the user interface is very reasonable for the class. The charging dock worked well in my testing, consistent with others who use this magnetic design.

In terms of the circuit, the M300 is a great performer for the compact 1×21700 class. Higher output levels and runtime efficiency are on par with other good quality, constant-current circuits coupled with XHP50.x emitters. Regulation patterns are flat and stably regulated. The light even comes with a near “moonlight” level of ~0.9 lumens in my testing, which is better than most lights nowadays. Very respectable performance – although I feel you need to have a proper <1 lumen moonlight mode to earn a full 5 stars on a general purpose EDC light.

The main thing I’m not crazy about on my sample is the pronounced colour tint/temperature shift across the beam profile. XHP50.2 HD emitters are known for their chromatic aberrations, so I expected this going in – although it is particularly pronounced here. The purplish AR lens coating and reflections off the blue stainless steel bezel ring may also be contributing to a relatively cool outer edge to the spillbeam.

This is the price you pay for selecting the emitter choice that produces the maximum output in this model (which I thought was important, in order to fairly compare to other lights I’ve reviewed with that emitter). But it is great that Skilhunt offers so many emitter options here – personally, I recommend you go with one of the high CRI options instead, or the XHP50.3 HI if you really want max output with minimal chromatic aberrations.

The M300 is a very nice light, well implemented, but there are some small issues that could be tweaked to give it a top score (i.e., true moonlight, some interface improvements, higher termination level for the dock, etc.).

I’m glad to see Skilhunt is still around and producing such quality lights.

Acknowledgement

The M300 V2 was supplied by Skilhunt for review. As always, all opinions are my own and the light received the same rigourous and objective testing as all other lights that I have reviewed. At the time of review, this light retails for ~$80 USD (~$105 CDN).