This Skilhunt M200 v3 (affiliate link) was provided by Skilhunt for review.

Overview

The Skilhunt M200 v3 is an 18650-powered everyday carry flashlight with USB-magnetic charging and a magnetic tailcap. It offers excellent color rendering with the Nichia 519A option and it's fairly slim for the battery size. It's an obvious competitor to the Olight Baton Pro, but uses standard batteries and offers much better color quality.

It's hard to overstate how much of an improvement the latest M200 is over v2. I gave that light a positive review and was happy to recommend it to other people who liked the magnetic charger, but v3 is a light I'm happy to carry and use myself. It's one of the only EDC lights that rarely makes me miss my Zebralight SC64c LE when I'm carrying it. The changes are subtle, but many. The pocket clip, LED options, reflector, switch, and power levels have all been improved. I'm seeing output well above advertised with the Nichia 519A and sunlight-like tint on medium to high levels, though lower levels are a bit green. Sustained output is very good for a light of this size with good color rendering.

My one serious complaint is that the charging pad can cause sparks when short-circuited. I was not able to ignite steel wool with it as I could with the Olight H2R and the current shuts off almost instantly. Still, live contacts on the outside of a flashlight are a safety concern in some situations and I'd like to see Skilhunt add a diode to the charging pad to eliminate the risk. This is enough of a flaw to keep me from giving the M200 v3 the five-star rating it has otherwise earned and to hesitate to recommend it to mechanics who could be around both metal shavings and fuel.

For everyone else, the M200 v3 is truly excellent and recommended.

Specifications

Highlights

• Excellent color rendering
• Neutral tint
• Excellent pocket clip
• High sustainable output relative to competitors

Lowlights

• Magnetic charging pad can make sparks when short-circuited
• The lowest mode is not as low as I would prefer

Details and technical analysis

Versions

A choice of three LEDs is offered: the low-CRI Cree XP-L2, high-CRI Samsung LH351D, and high-CRI Nichia 519A. There's a choice of grey or black body color. This is the 519A, grey version.

Accessories

A charging cable, spare O-rings, and user manual are included. A battery is optional.

Modes and user interface

Modes

Measured output was substantially higher than advertised in all modes.

User interface

There is also a mechanical lockout by slightly loosening the tailcap.

Output, runtime, and efficiency

I failed to measure current and am currently traveling. I will update later. Advertised standby current is 38μA, which would take years to drain the battery.

Light quality

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

There is no PWM on any mode.

Beamshots

Max vs SC64c LE

Sustainable vs SC64c LE

Batteries and charging

The M200 v3 uses a single 18650 Li-ion battery. Any 18650 of reasonable quality can be used, though vigorous shaking may cause unprotected flat-top cells to break contact momentarily and turn off the light. The battery can be charged internally with the included USB-A to magnetic pad cable. A full charge requires 90 minutes.

The light can operate while charging.

As a backup option, the M200 v3 can use two CR123A disposable lithium batteries, or two 16340 or 18350 Li-ion rechargeable batteries. These cannot be charged with the internal charger.

Size and ergonomics

The M200 series has always been slim for an 18650 light. The basic design hasn't changed with v3, but the pocket clip is a major improvement. While the previous version had a poorly designed clip that was bezel-up only, v3 now has a reversible two-way clip with an excellent ramp for easy insertion into the thickest of pockets. It carries flush in the bezel-down position and in theory can be used as hat light, though most find 18650 lights too heavy for that.

The switch sits slightly recessed opposite the charging pad, and while the two can be difficult to distinguish by feel, squeezing them together reliably actuates the switch. The feel of the switch itself is firmer than previous models and has a more distinct click. It's a subtle change, but accidental activation is less likely than the old model, and the tactile feedback is pleasant.

Modification potential

Emitter swaps are easy in all Skilhunt lights I've encountered, though the MCPCB is an odd size and rectangular shape.