Skilhunt is a manufacturer that produces flashlights with one of the most interesting and innovative design combined with very good functionality,since its first models.
S2 Defier is the latest 18650 tactical light from Skilhunt.
As expected it has a unique design and features that make it suitable for various activities such as outdoor sports,hunting,etc.
Deep,smooth aluminum reflector.Cree XM-L2 LED.
The tail has a crown shape and initially looks aggressive,but actually it has very smooth edges with very nice feel.
The whole shape is made with great care to detail.
The access to the tail switch is easy and I don't feel any discomfort.
The switch is accessible from the outer side of the tail.The grey part visible here is stainless steel retaining ring that holds the switch in place.
Very nice plastic case.Excellent for carrying the flashlight,batteries,a filter and accessories,well protected on a long trips.
Accessories-User's manual,550 paracord lanyard,Two spare O-rings,Spare tailcap rubber boot,Warranty card.
Optional accessories-Holster,Extender tube(for using two 18650 batteries),Filter,Diffuser,Remote switch.
Beautiful form.Four precisely made cooling fins.Matte black hard type III anodizing.
Protrude side button,easy to find it in darkness.Clear white labeling.
Wider tail end provides excellent,stable and comfortable feel in hand.Stable tail stand feature.
Length 152mm
Head diameter 36.8mm
Body diameter 25.4mm
Weight 133gr (without battery)
Perfectly made knurling.Beautiful looking and not too aggressive.
Anodizing is perfect everywhere on the body.One of the best I've seen.
Removable stainless steel clip with interesting design,different from the standard shape.
I think it could be better and is not the best for this flashlight.It has not enough space for thick pants or belt.
Can be removed as the ring that hold it in place will hide the attaching place.
I don't recommend removing the clip because there's nothing in the shape to provide anti-roll function.
This is the only flow in design.
S2 can be powered by one 18650,two CR123A,Two 16340 or two 18650 batteries.
Battery tube is well sized and all batteries that I have fit in it.
It is wide and long enough for most high capacity protected batteries.
Very well made trapezoid cut threads.Thick and anodized at the tail end for wear resistance.Threads with pleasant,smooth screwing.
Thick,transparent O-ring for water sealing.Lube is not saved here.Threads and O-rings are very well greased.
There is a sturdy spring at the head.It will protect the driver board and battery from damage(drops,impact,recoil).
Tailcap negative contact point with big diameter.Stable contact with the battery.
Battery tube is good thickness.
Very stable in Tail-stand mode.
Removable stainless steel bezel.It has mat finish.The matte finish is good not just for the appearance.
It prevents unwanted reflections which will affect the beam.
Very well made cooling fins with rounded,smooth edges.
Electronic type side switch with nice loud clicky sound.
Convenient tail design.Allows excellent grip without need of tactical grip ring.Cigar grip is easily possible.
One more flashoholic :)
High efficient Cree XM-L2 LED.
Aluminum,vacuum plating reflector.
Toughened,ultra clear glass lens with anti-reflective coating.
The light from Cree XM-L2 used here is cool white with a little yellowish tint,but this highly depends on the light I use for comparison.
Without comparing it to other lights,it is just the right tint.
The hot-spot is a little smaller than the hotspot of Olight M22.
User Interface
Skilhunt S2 has a simple and easy to use interface.
4 brightness modes Low-Mid-High-Turbo and two flashing- Strobe (10Hz) and SOS.
Turning ON/OFF by fully pressing(click) the tail switch.
Half press for momentary on light.
Changing the different modes happens by pressing the side switch.Short press changes Low-Mid-High-Turbo.
Press and hold for 0.6sec to activate Strobe.Second press and hold activates SOS mode.
Short press will return the light to the constant lighting mode used before activating Strobe.
The modes are well spaced.
Turbo 950 lumens / 1,5h
High 400 lumens /4h
Mid 200 lumens / 10h
Low 20 lumens / 150h
S2 has memory for the last used mode,as the memory also includes Strobe mode.If the last used mode is SOS,the light will start on Strobe.
The memory mode is instant and no need to wait it to memorize the last mode.
This is how it should be in any serious flashlight.
Skilhunt S2 has a maximum current draw of 3 Amp.Which means it is driven very well.
The S2 makes a brightness step-down after 3 minutes in Turbo mode to protect the components from overheating.
Here is used very interesting driver circuit.
I can't detect PWM on any of the lighting modes.That's good.
To make step-down Skilhunt S2 uses PWM.Before this step there's no sign of PWM in the signal,but to decrease the heat,respectively brightness S2 starts to use a signal with ~1KHz frequency,which I detect with Soundcard osziloscope and also with a cooling fan.
The PWM signal stops after about 35 minutes and then the light is again fully constant.You can see clearly on the graph this period.
This is very interesting regulation that I see for the first time.Probably it leads to increased efficiency.
Current draw
U=4,2V
I turbo=2970mA
I high=800mA
I mid=320mA
I low=30mA
Battery used for the test, Sanyo 2600 protected.
Short video,presenting the UI and design specifics.
(turn on annotations)
A very useful feature on most of the Skilhunt models is possibility of using filters and diffuser.
There are optional filters that fit a few models.I had a chance to test a warm white filter.
It reflects the bluish in the tint and transmits nice warm tint,very close to incandescent bulb tint.
Because the filter not only makes the light in other color,but transmits the warmer light,there is decreasing in brightness using filter.
If you are fan of incandescent light tint,this diffuser is highly recommended to you.
As you know,the warmer or yellow light is recommend in foggy weather,because it makes less glare on water drops in the air.
Beamshots
Very bright,well concentrated central spot with good spill.Transition from hotspot to spill tipical for a smooth reflector.
1meter, 1/20sec, WB cloudy
Turbo-High-Mid-Low
Other flashlights.
Skilhunt S2 Warm White filter
1meter, 1/250sec, WB cloudy
Other flashlights.
5 meters, 1/6sec, WB cloudy
Other flashlights.
5 meters, 1/50sec, WB cloudy
Other flashlights.
30 meters
Low-Mid-High-Turbo
Mid-High-Turbo Warm White filter
Size comparison.
Klarus RS11, Lumintop TD16, Skilhunt S2, Olight M22, Klarus ST11, Fenix PD35
Lumintop TD16, Skilhunt S2, Klarus XT11, Olight M22
River test.
Skilhunt S2 successfully passed the test.Fully functional underwater with no leaks or fog under glass lens.I used the switches a few times underwater and they functioning well so waterproofing is excellent.You should not worry if the S2 gets wet.
RIVER TEST
Overall Skilhunt S2 is a great flashlight.Strong built.Good choice of lighting modes.Good functionality,tail-stand mode,optional filters.
There are things that some will like other will not.For me this is a good alternative to other approved flashlights like Olight M22,etc.
Thanks for reading!
S2 was kindly provided by Skilhunt for test and review.
