Skilhunt EC500 WW#

Specifications#

Brand/model Skilhunt EC500 WW
LED Luminus SFT40 3000K 95 CRI
Maximum lumens 1,300 lm
Maximum beam intensity 122,000 cd
Maximum throw 698 m
Battery 1*21700 Li-ion (button top)
Onboard charging Yes (USB-C)
Powerbank Yes (USB-C)
Material Aluminium
Modes 7
Blinkies 4
Reflector Smooth
Waterproof IPX8
Review date January 2025

Introduction#

The Skilhunt EC500 WW is a 21700-sized thrower with a Luminus SFT40 3000K 95 CRI emitter and built-in USB-C charging. It is also available with a NW (5000K) or a CW (6500K) emitter. And there is a choice of Carbon Black, Gun Metal Grey or Coyote Brown for the body colour.

I previously reviewed the Skilhunt H150 headlamp with a 3000K emitter and I have been EDC’ing that on and off for the past year. This Skilhunt EC500 WW may be a perfect companion as a spotlight with a 3000K emitter.

Skilhunt is also known as ESKTE. The SKT is short for for SKilhunT.

Skilhunt kindly provided this torch for review. I have not been paid for this review nor have I held back my opinions of this torch.

Packaging#

The EC500 comes in a black and yellow ESKTE branded box with an image of the torch on the front and details on the back.

Skilhunt EC500 WW packaging Skilhunt EC500 WW packaging

Skilhunt EC500 WW packaging Skilhunt EC500 WW packaging

Two yellow ESKTE branded boxes can be found inside the black box. One is for the torch and the other is for the accessories.

Skilhunt EC500 WW packaging Skilhunt EC500 WW packaging

The following was included in the box:

  • Skilhunt EC500 WW.
  • Skilhunt BL-250 21700 3.6V Li-ion 5000mAh 15A Max CDR cell.
  • Pocket clip.
  • Two spare o-rings.
  • Lanyard.
  • USB-A to USB-C cable.
  • User manual.

Skilhunt EC500 WW packaging

Skilhunt EC500 WW accessories Skilhunt EC500 WW usb-cable

Skilhunt EC500 WW user-manual-1

Skilhunt EC500 WW user-manual-2 Skilhunt EC500 WW user-manual-3

Torch in use#

The Skilhunt EC500 feels relatively lightweight and grippy in my hand.

Skilhunt EC500 WW in-use-1 Skilhunt EC500 WW in-use-2

The torch is controlled with an electronic side-switch.

The lanyard hole in the side of the tailcap allows the torch to tailstand while a lanyard is inserted.

Skilhunt EC500 WW closeup-lanyard-hole Skilhunt EC500 WW closeup-pocket-clip

The pocket clip comes in handy when hanging the torch off a bag or a pocket.

Build quality#

The Skilhunt EC500 WW is made of aluminium and it has a Coyote Brown anodised finish. It is also available on Carbon Black and Gun Metal Grey.

The tube and tailcap provide plenty of grip.

Skilhunt EC500 WW side Skilhunt EC500 WW closeup-tail

Skilhunt EC500 WW front Skilhunt EC500 WW left

The USB-C charging port cover has a unique design. It is like a rubber band with a cover attached to it. I am keen to see if it is durable over time.

Skilhunt EC500 WW closeup-charging

Skilhunt EC500 WW back Skilhunt EC500 WW right

The torch came with a piece of protective film to remove from the lens.

Skilhunt EC500 WW closeup-protective-film

The button looks cool. It gives a satisfying click and it has a battery status indicator behind it.

Skilhunt EC500 WW closeup-button Skilhunt EC500 WW closeup-button-red

The threads came well lubricated and the tailcap turns smoothly. That said, the threads do become dirty over time and some care is needed to get the tailcap onto the threads properly to avoid cross-threading it. I have not cross-threaded it so far.

Skilhunt EC500 WW closeup-threads

Springs at both ends allow button top and flat top cells to fit.

Skilhunt EC500 WW closeup-tail-spring Skilhunt EC500 WW closeup-head-spring

Reverse Polarity Protection#

There is reverse polarity protection (RPP) built into the flashlight but the first EC500 that I received was faulty.

I checked RPP by: inserting an unprotected 21700 backwards, screwing on the tailcap, and then by pressing the switch. DO NOT try this at home!

First EC500: Smoke started appearing between the reflector and the lens. I removed the cell and some smoke escaped from the tube. The torch continued to work but an inductor on the charging board was burnt.

I immediately contacted Skillhunt and I shared my findings and photos. The head of the torch is glued to the tube but it is relatively easy to apply some force and unscrew the tube to get access to the driver and the separate charging board.

A yellow wire was slightly crushed. There may have been a short somewhere.

Skilhunt kindly sent a replacement EC500 and a spare driver, charging board and a switch so that I can fix the first EC500.

Second EC500: RPP worked as expected. The driver and wires look ok.

LED, bezel, lens, reflector and beam#

The Skilhunt EC500 is available in:

  • Skilhunt EC500 WW (Luminus SFT40 3000K 95 CRI)
  • Skilhunt EC500 NW (Luminus SFT40 5000K)
  • Skilhunt EC500 CW (Luminus SFT40 6500K)

It has a smooth reflector with gasket surrounding the emitter.

I like the design of the bezel.

Skilhunt EC500 WW closeup emitter Skilhunt EC500 WW closeup bezel

CCT, CRI, and duv#

I have taken Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT) and Colour Rendering Index (CRI, RA of R1-R8) measurements for each mode with the torch positioned five metres away from an Opple Light Master Pro III (G3) except for L2. L2 was measured at one metre.

The CCT is around 3080K, the CRI is around 97 and the Delta u, v is slightly negative (rosy) on lower modes and closer to pure white on higher modes.

The beam produced has an intense warm white hot spot and a wide spill. It is like a traditional spotlight beam.

Mode CCT (K) CRI (Ra) x y Duv
L2 2913 97.6 0.4377 0.3949 -0.0038
L1 2832 96.8 0.4453 0.4002 -0.0026
M2 2895 97.6 0.4422 0.4017 -0.0016
M1 2931 97.5 0.4403 0.4022 -0.0012
H1 3026 97.4 0.4351 0.4029 0.0002
T2 3021 97.2 0.4347 0.4015 -0.0007
T1 3074 96.1 0.4305 0.3988 -0.0012

Calculate Duv from CIE 1931 xy coordinates

Dimensions and size comparison#

Dimensions#

I took the following measurements using a digital caliper.

Measurement Unit (mm)
Length 138.77
Head diameter 51.60
Tube diameter 24.05
Tail diameter 27.98
Battery length 74.60
Battery diameter 21.38

Weight#

I took the following measurements using a digital scale.

Weight Unit (g)
Skilhunt EC500 WW 135
Battery 72
Skilhunt EC500 WW with battery 207

Size comparison with its competition#

From left to right: Skilhunt EC500 WW, Mateminco MT-911, Sofirn C8L, Convoy L21B

Skilhunt EC500 WW, Mateminco MT-911, Sofirn C8L, Convoy L21B

From left to right: Skilhunt EC500 WW, Mateminco MT-911, Sofirn C8L, Convoy L21B

Skilhunt EC500 WW, Mateminco MT-911, Sofirn C8L, Convoy L21B

User interface#

The Skilhunt EC500 WW is controlled by an electronic side switch.

There are seven main modes split across three groups (Low, Main, Turbo):

  • Low has: L1 and L2.
  • Main has: M1, M2 and H1.
  • Turbo has: T1 and T2.

There are four blinks: Strobe, Beacon (1 second), SOS and Beacon (2 seconds).

There are shortcuts to Low, Turbo and Strobe from off.

Group State Action Result
Off Click Main (mode memory)
On Click Off
Main On Hold Cycle (M2, M1, H1)
Main On Two clicks and hold Low (mode memory)
Main Off Two clicks Turbo (mode memory)
Main On Three clicks Strobe (mode memory)
Off Press and hold for 0.5 seconds Low (mode memory)
Low On Hold Cycle (L2, L1)
Low On Two clicks and hold Main (mode memory)
Off Two clicks Turbo (mode memory)
Turbo On Hold Cycle (T2, T1)
Turbo On Two clicks Main (mode memory)
Turbo On Three clicks Strobe (mode memory)
Off Three clicks Strobe (mode memory)
Strobe On Two clicks Cycle (Strobe, Beacon (1s), SOS, Beacon (2s))
Strobe On Three clicks Previous group
Off Four clicks Lock
Locked Off Click Battery status indicator blinks red
Locked Off Hold Momentary L1
Locked Off Four clicks Unlock and L1
Locked Off Two clicks Location indicator on
Locked On Two clicks Location indicator off

The location indicator is the red emitter in the button. It blinks like a beacon.

Strobe#

There are four blinky modes: S1, S2, S3 and S4.

  • S1: Strobe with an alternating frequency.
  • S2: Beacon (flash once every second).
  • S3: SOS.
  • S4: Beacon (flash once every two seconds).

The last used mode for Strobe is memorised when going back to Strobe via three clicks.

S1, S2, S3, S4

Skilhunt EC500 WW s-1 Skilhunt EC500 WW s-2 Skilhunt EC500 WW s-3 Skilhunt EC500 WW s-4

I measured Strobe, Beacon (1 second), SOS and Beacon (2 seconds) with a Zoyi ZT-703S oscilloscope using High Speed mode.

Battery status indicator#

The battery status indicator in the button will be displayed for 5 seconds when the torch has been turned on.

Colour Battery status
Blue 80% - 100%
Blue blink 50% - 80%
Red 20% - 50%
Red blink 0 - 20%

Skilhunt EC500 WW closeup-charging-red Skilhunt EC500 WW closeup-charging-blue

Low voltage protection#

The torch has low voltage protection built-in. I tested the second EC500 using an unprotected 21700 cell by turning on T2 mode and it turned off around 2.96V.

Pulse Width Modulation#

I did not notice any visible PWM (flickering).

I measured the PWM of the light with a Zoyi ZT-703S oscilloscope.

L2, L1, M2, M1, H1, T2, T1

Skilhunt EC500 WW PWM Skilhunt EC500 WW PWM Skilhunt EC500 WW PWM Skilhunt EC500 WW PWM Skilhunt EC500 WW PWM Skilhunt EC500 WW PWM Skilhunt EC500 WW PWM

What I like about the UI#

  • Shortcuts to Low, Turbo and Strobe from off.

What could be improved#

  • There is a shortcut to the Low group from off but it would be even better if the torch had a shortcut to L2 from off so that the lowest mode is directly accessible from off.

Batteries and charging#

Battery#

The included Skilhunt BL-250 21700 3.6V Li-ion 5000mAh 15A Max CDR cell arrived with a voltage of 3.44V.

Skilhunt EC500 WW battery Skilhunt EC500 WW battery

It came with a bit of plastic at the end to prevent accidental activation while in transit.

Skilhunt EC500 WW closeup-insulating-film

I tried the following cells:

Cell Top Compatible?
Skilhunt BL-250 21700 3.6V Li-ion 5000mAh Button Yes
Armytek 21700 3.7V Li-ion 5000mAh Flat Yes
Molicel P42A 21700 4200mAh Flat Yes
Weltool UB21-50 21700 5000mAh USB-C Button Yes

Charging#

The Skilhunt EC500 has built-in USB-C charging.

Skilhunt EC500 WW closeup-charging

Power supply: PinePower Desktop USB-C
USB Meter: ChargerLAB Power-Z KM003C
Room temperature: 21 C

Skilhunt EC500 WW charging profile

I charged the included cell from 2.94V to 4.186V inside the torch.

It took about 2 hours 27 minutes to fully charge the torch at a rate of 5V/2.5A.

The charging status indicator in button went red while charging and it went blue when charging was complete.

Skilhunt EC500 WW closeup-charging-red Skilhunt EC500 WW closeup-charging-blue

Powerbank#

The EC500 can be used as a powerbank via the USB-C port. It can supply 5V/2A.

Skilhunt has a warning on their website: “Please note, it is not suitable for devices that require lower charging currents, as it may damage the product.”

I used a ChargerLAB Power-Z KM003C and it detected these charging protocols:
DCP
SAM 2A
Apple 2.4A

Power supply compatibility#

I tried the following power supplies with the built-in USB-C charger:

Power supply USB Type Protocol Does it charge?
Apple 61W Power Adapter USB-C PD Yes
Google Pixel Power Adapter USB-C PD Yes
PinePower Desktop USB-C PD Yes
PinePower Desktop USB-A QC Yes
PinePower Desktop USB-A Yes

USB-C to USB-C charging works.

Performance#

Specifications from the user manual:

FL1 STANDARD LED T1 T2 H1 M1 M2 L1 L2
Output (lumens) CW 2,100 + 1,000 + 580 1,000 + 580 580 280 92 6 1
Output (lumens) NW 1,780 + 950 + 570 950 + 570 570 275 90 5.5 1
Output (lumens) WW 1,300 + 640 + 385 640 + 385 385 180 60 3.5 0.5
Runtime 2 + 110 + 30min 115 + 30min 250min 9.5h 29.5h 300h
Beam Distance (metres) CW 902
Beam Distance (metres) NW 843
Beam Distance (metres) WW 698
Beam Intensity (cd) CW 203,600
Beam Intensity (cd) NW 178,000
Beam Intensity (cd) WW 122,000

I tested the light using the included button top Skilhunt 21700 BL-250 5000mAh 3.6V Li-ion cell.

Lumen measurements#

I used a bench power supply to measure the current at turn on.

Mode Amps at start Specs Lumens @turn on Lumens @30 sec Lumens @10 min
L2 6 mA 0.5
L1 15 mA 3.5 6 6 6
M2 0.138 A 90 80 79 79
M1 0.438 A 180 234 230 230
H1 1.013 A 385 461 459 453
T2 2.012 A 640 + 385 773 763 735
T1 5+ A 1,300 + 640 + 385 1,657 1,510 733

L2 was too low for my DIY lumen tube to detect.

My DIY lumen tube appears to be reading a bit high compared to other reviews of the Skilhunt EC500 WW (3000K) version of the torch.

Standby drain#

39.2 µA

Measurements were taken using a UNI-T UT139C digital multimeter.

Runtime graphs#

I used my own DIY lumen tube with a TSL2591 sensor and forked bmengineer’s project RuTiTe to record runtimes.

Note: Lumen measurements may be off by 10% with my DIY lumen tube.

The room temperature was approximately 21 C.

Skilhunt EC500 WW runtime graph

Skilhunt EC500 WW first 3 hours runtime graph

Skilhunt EC500 WW first 10 minutes runtime graph

Runtime#

Here is a summary of the runtime results:

Mode User manual Runtime Turn off Final Voltage
T1 2 + 110 + 30min 2h 22min 20s 2h 22min 20s 2.94
T2 115 + 30min 2h 26min 16s 2h 26min 17s 2.96
H1 4h 10min 4h 21min 35s 4h 21min 35s 2.98
M1 9h 30min 9h 54min 43s 9h 54min 43s 2.97
M2 29h 30min 30h 59min 59s 30h 59min 59s 2.91
L1 300h 10min+ 10min+
L2 10min+ 10min+

“Runtime” is the time until the output reduces to 10% of the output at 30 seconds (as per the ANSI/PLATO FL1 2019 Standard).

“Turn off” is the time until my DIY lumen tube no longer detects more than one lumen.

“+” indicates that the light remained on after recording had stopped.

The runtimes are slightly better than expected for most modes.

The output looks well regulated.

Throw#

I took lux measurements with a UNI-T UT383BT at 30 seconds. T1 was measured at five metres.

Mode Specs (cd) Specs (m) Candela measured (cd) Distance (m)
T1 122,000 698 129,975 721

Beamshots#

I went to a local park and aimed the torch at a tree 70 metres away while using Turbo.

Beamshots were taken using a Sony RX100M2 using 3.2", f3.2, ISO 100, 5000K WB.

Skilhunt EC500 WW (T1)#

Skilhunt EC500 WW T1 beamshot

Mateminco FT01 (Turbo)#

Mateminco FT01 Turbo beamshot

Mateminco MT-911 (Turbo)#

Mateminco MT-911 Turbo beamshot

Conclusion#

The Skilhunt EC500 WW in Coyote Brown produces a lovely warm throwy beam!

The beam distance is good. It could be even better if you get a CW 6500K version instead of this WW 3000K version.

The output is well regulated.

The user interface is almost identical to Skilhunt’s other torches. This helps provide a consistent experience. But it might be a bit daunting at first to remember how to use it.

The build quality is pretty good but there was an issue with the first sample that I received where a yellow wire was partially crushed and reverse polarity protection failed. The second sample worked properly.

Overall, the Skilhunt EC500 would make a good gift for hunters or someone wanting a decent spotlight.

Pros:#

  • Warm colour temperature (3000K).
  • High CRI.
  • Good beam distance.
  • Good runtimes.
  • Output is well regulated.
  • USB-C charging.

Cons:#

  • Reverse polarity protection failed for the first EC500 that I tested. It worked on the replacement.

Price#

The Skilhunt EC500 WW Coyote Brown with a 21700 BL-250 battery is AU$144.47 from skilhunt.com

Product page#

Skilhunt EC500 at skilhunt.com