My EDC light is the SC30 from Zebralight, so I was very excited when Zebralight announced their first headlamp to use a real reflector, the H31/H31w, which was essentially the SC30 at a 90 degree angle. The interface on both the flashlight and headlamp is sublime with its instant access to all three modes from being off. Not having to cycle through bright modes to get to a super dim mode or vice versa is much more useful than I realized before having a light like this. The headlamp comes in two flavors, the H31 and H31w. The H31 is the cool white version, while the H31w is the warm white version, with a tint closer to what you would see with an incandescent light.
Both versions come with a headlamp strap and a pocket clip. I personally prefer the pocket clip, because having the light attached to your belt, pack strap, or anywhere else lower than your head creates much better shadows on the trail, giving you excellent depth perception compared to having a light on your head. Watch the video below for a better idea of what the headlamps can do.
Yeah, it’s another flashlight video. If you aren’t a big fan of flashlights, just ignore the site for a week or so. If you do like lights, then you might wet yourself from excitement with all the flashlight goodness I will be posting.
Next up is a video for the JETBeam E3S, probably the classiest looking light that we carry. The E3S is the updated version of the E3P, with a slimmer body, much brighter LED, and improved (in my not at all humble opinion) looks. I’ve been sending a lot of these to businessmen and other guys that do not ncessarily want a black tactical light with a strike bezel on it. Check out the video below for more info.
The JETBeam RRT-3 is the latest model in the Rapid Response line. Like the other models, the RRT-3 uses a rotating ring to switch between modes. The RRT-3 has eight different modes: seven brightnesses from 1 all the way to up 1200 lumens plus variable strobe. 1200 lumens is about 15 times the brightness of a 4D MagLite, or, in other words, a crazy amount of light. The RRT-3 has a range of several football fields, easily, making it powerful enough for just about any task. Add in JETBeam’s attention to detail, top end machining, and flat out good looking aesthetics and you have a heck of a light.
A carry handle, remote pressure switch, and picatinny rail mount are also available if you want to fully trick out your light. Watch the video below for a better idea of what the light can do.
One of the big benefits of having a retail store is that we can pick up some premium brands that were previously unavailable to us. You have already seen me mention a few of them, but the big one we have been waiting for was Surefire.
We picked up about 25 of their items to start out with, including flashlights (of course), batteries, headlamps, and pens. Yes, Surefire makes pens, and some awfully nice ones at that. We plan on carrying their entire line before the end of the summer, including their knives, so just drop me a line through the store or comments if you have any questions or want something that we do not stock quite yet.
Surefire has been busy updating their line with new lights and new LEDs to make their existing lights brighter and more powerful. My personal favorite that they have right now is the LX2.  It has a two stage switch, so you press softly for the low level and a little harder for the high level. The high level is right at 200 lumens. Considering that Surefire measures their lumens by doing something like leaving the light running for 10 minutes and then measuring the brightness at a meter away, 200 lumens is quite bright. Most companies use the theoretical lumens that are coming out of the LED based on the current and voltage going to it, so take that into consideration when you start thinking that 200 lumens is low compared to some of the other lights we offer.
I’m working on videos for all of the new lights and hope to have them up in the next few days. Keep an eye on the blog and youtube page for updates.
Novatac just announced a heck of a deal, for those of you in the market for a new flashlight. When you buy a Novatac at full price from an authorized dealer (like me), you can get one of their new lights from them for $20 plus shipping. The models included are the Storm, Special Ops, and Classic. Considering that the lights start at $89, this is a pretty sweet deal.
The Novatac lights feature a switch that is probably my favorite out of the 200+ flashlights that I stock. Unlike most of the tactically oriented models where you lightly press for momentary activation and click all the way for constant on, you can press the Novatac switch as hard as you want for either operation. Press and hold for momentary and release when you are done to have it turn off. Quickly press it to leave it on. Each model has multiple brightnesses and all except the Wichita have strobe, so you have versatility when you need it.
The 4Sevens Quark RGB is the light that I find myself wandering over to mess with more than any other light in the store. It features a really neat version of the CREE MC-E LED, which is used in big and bright lights like the JETBeam M1X, Olight M30, and Fenix Tk40. The MC-E has four dies, which is basically the same as four LEDs on the same chip. The big and bright lights use four white dies to put out a ton of light, but the RGB has four different colored dies. As is hopefully obvious from the name, the colors are red, green, blue, and white. Each die can be powered and run separately, so you can access each one individually. This gives you four colors in one light without having to use filters or use a ton of LEDs crammed in the head.
When the head of the RGB is tightened, the light is always white. When the head is loosened, you have the choice between the red, green, and blue. Each time you tighten and loosen the head, you switch to a new color. The RGB has the same modes as the other Quark models, five brightnesses, strobe, SOS, and beacon. Tap the switch when the light is on to switch modes.
The reflector on the light is wide and shallow, which is nice to see on a light. A lot of lights these days are going after optimum throw (lighting up far away objects), but the RGB’s reflector will spill the light in a wide area in front of the light, lighting up a lot of area at once.
Enough flashlight nerd talk, here is a flashlight nerd video:
Next up we have the Olight SR90 Intimidator. I might have to do another video where I have more than 100 yard or so to show the thing off, because it is ridiculous. If you have a job or volunteer in a position where you need to see things that are far away at night, the SR90 is hard to beat. The light is rated to light up objects up to a kilometer away. I can’t even see that far during the day in the pollen haze that we have during spring in Georgia.
The light is easily one of the nicest that I sell and have ever seen. The machining is top notch, the case is really nice, and the performance is incredible. I know it sounds like I am gushing about one of my own products, but the SR90 really is fun to use and is a serious tool for those that need it (or just want a ton of light). The one big drawback is the weight. At about 3.5 lbs, the SR90 is definitely not made for ultralight backpackers and the included padded shoulder strap is highly recommended for extended use.
As usual, I went completely overboard making flashlight videos this week (I stopped at 18 thanks to the record levels of pollen killing my voice). I’m really glad that I do this for a living, because my obsession with creating light would be a little unhealthy if I did not profit from it.
First up is a video featuring my current favorite light, the ZebraLight SC30, along with the SC30w, SC50, and SC50w. The w notates a warm tint, which is closer to what you would see with an incandescent bulb light, like the class Mini MagLite.
I posted about my love for the SC30 a little while back, and the infatuation still stands. I’ve been really pleased with the performance and ease of use of the light, so having the AA option in the SC50 and SC50w will be great for those of you that do not care for lithium batteries.
For someone that stocks over 100 flashlight models (soon to be 300+), I am bad about using the latest and greatest lights on a daily basis. My constant companion has been a $30 iTP A3 EOS SS for several months, and I only carry the stainless version over the aluminum because I needed the gift tin that the stainless one came in for a customer. Customers ask which big and bad light I use, and I sheepishly pull out a tiny little light that maxes out at 80 lumens. Granted, it is an awesome tiny little light that I absolutely love.
With (literally) thousands flashlights in cases and displays around me, I am becoming harder and harder to impress. I admit that I do still get giddy when a shipment of new models arrives, and I doubt that will ever fade, but I need a special light to widen my eyes.
Enter the ZebraLight SC30. ZebraLight has created a very solid reputation as a small, light, and bright headlamp manufacturer, so creating flashlights was the next logical step for them. The SC30 bucks the “tactical” trend that the majority of manufacturers are following by having a switch on the side of the light instead of the rear.
The switch isn’t the usual simple clicky switch, but instead a slick Panasonic switch that gives you instant access to all three modes. When it is off, lightly tap it for high, press and hold for low, and double click for medium. When it is on, hold the switch down to cycle through the modes. You can even double click it in each mode to give you another brightness level, for a total of six brightnesses ranging from a max of 193 lumens (out the front of the light) all the way down to 0.4 lumens. Each mode remembers the brightness you last had it on, so you can set your favorite levels for quick access.
I have found that having instant access to three brightnesses without having to cycle through modes is incredibly useful. At night, I can use the 0.4 lumens to keep from killing myself while trying to navigate our bedroom without waking my wife. The middle set to 21 lumens is perfect for poking through bins or boxes of merchandise. The high at 193 lumens works great for lighting up the backyard to locate my goofy dog while he barks at an imaginary squirrel during his 2 AM pee break.
The SC30 is also available in a warm tint version, the SC30w. A warm tint is closer to what you would see with an incandescent flashlight like a MagLite.
The new Olight SR90 Intimidator is in stock and shipping. Olight went all out with the SR90, creating a light geared toward search and rescue and other emergency services with its blistering 2200 lumens. This is definitely no backpacking light, weighing 55 oz and measuring over a foot in length. That size combined with a massive reflector gets you a light that can shine a beam up to a kilometer away, which is quite impressive to see in person. I tried putting the SR90 to its limit and just couldn’t find an area big enough near my house. I need to go climb a mountain and shine it down into a valley to really see what it can do.
The SR90 is powered by a custom battery pack that can be charged on or off the light. The light has three modes, high (2200 lumens), low (700 lumens), and strobe. Admittedly, a low of 700 lumens is not really very low, but you don’t buy this light to preserve your night vision.
