This Skilhunt EK1 (affiliate link) was provided by Skilhunt for review.

Overview

The Skilhunt EK1 is a keychain flashlight with USB-C charging optional high-CRI, and a two-position twist switch. It resembles the previously popular CooYoo Quantum and similar lights from other brands, but has a larger battery and modern charging. Unfortunately, the battery is not field-replaceable.

It won't be a surprise to most people who have read my articles in the past that the low-CRI SST-20 is not the LED option I would recommend here. It is extremely green and does not have an output advantage that would justify giving up the color quality.

For those who want a small keychain light, the EK1 is Conditionally Recommended with the high-CRI LED option.

Specifications

Spec	-
Battery	1x10220
LED	SST-20, 219F
Color temperature	6329K
Color rendering index	69
Max output	162 lm
Max throw	60 m
Max sustainable output	n/a
Best efficiency	122 lm/W @ 12 lm
Candela per lumen	5.6 (floody)
Length	50.5 mm
Head diameter	14.6 mm
Weight	14.8 g
Charging	USB-C
Low Voltage Protection (LVP)	No
Lockout	No
Approximate price	$19
Rating	★★★☆☆ (conditionally recommended)

Highlights

• Compliant USB-C (use any power supply)
• Larger battery than many competitors
• Optional high CRI

Lowlights

• Battery is not field-replaceable
• No low-voltage protection
• No moonlight mode

Details and technical analysis

Versions

The EK1 comes in red, blue, green, and orange with a choice of low-CRI SST-20 or high-CRI 219F LEDs. This is the orange, SST-20 version.

Accessories

The EK1 comes with a USB-A to USB-C cable, keyring, and spare O-rings

Modes and user interface

Mode	Estimated lumens	Estimated throw (FL1 meters)
Low	12	14
High	162	60

The EK1's user interface is very simple: tighten the head to turn on low; tighten more for high.

Output, runtime, and efficiency

Mode	Estimated lumens	Time to 80%	Time to 50%	Time to 10%	Efficiency (lm/W)	Current (mA)
Low	12	95 minutes	6.8 hours	11.0 hours	122
High	162	7.9 minutes	24 minutes	36 minutes	109

Light quality

Readings are taken from the center spot diffused with DC Fix diffusion film using an X-rite i1Pro spectrophotometer.

Mode	Color Temperature	Tint Duv	CRI	CRI R9 (deep red)	CRI R12 (deep blue)
Low	5628K	0.0162 (extremely green)	68.2	-58.3	35.0
High	6329K	0.0099 (extremely green)	69.1	-45.9	39.2

Beamshots

EK1 vs Zebralight SC64c LE and BLF 348

Note the Zebralight SC64c LE used for reference here is a much larger and more poweful light. It's my standard reference for everything even though a comparison would be unreasonable.

Low, high, SC64c LE

Batteries and charging

The 10220 Li-ion battery is not field-replaceable. Its capacity is listed at 130 mAh. That's larger than many competitors in this segment, as the previous common battery was a 10180 with a capacity of 80 mAh. Charging is via USB-C, and C-C cables do work. It takes about 90 minutes to charge from empty.

With a bit of wiggling and tugging, the head comes off the battery compartment. Some pulling on a plastic retaining clip with tweezers allows removal of the charging pill and battery. I did not find reliable suppliers for batteries in this size with a quick web search, though there are some sellers offering them on Aliexpress.

Size and ergonomics

The EK1 is about half the length of an AAA light, allowing it to go nearly unnoticed on most keyrings.

Modification potential

Removing a pair of tiny screws inside the head grants access to the MCPCB, which also has some resistors on it to serve as the EK1's driver. Swaps to other 3V 3535 size emitters are possible, though it's more challenging to reflow than a standard MCPCB. I put a high-CRI SST-20 in mine.