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.
I moseyed on over to the 4Sevens offices last week to pick up the rest of their flashlight line. The have some pretty cool new lights, so I was excited to get my hands on them.
The Mini 123 and Mini AA are tiny little lights that use the latest and greatest LEDs, meaning that you get ridiculous amounts of light in a compact package. They both come in cool and warm tints, in aluminum or titanium bodies.
The Preon series runs off of AAA batteries and comes in titanium, black, yellow, blue, and red. They have smooth finishes instead of the knurling that you find on the rest of the 4Sevens lights, meaning that they look great next to a classy pen in the pocket of a dress shirt.
By far the coolest lights to me are the Quark RGB lights. They feature a four die LED like the big and bright 700 lumen lights, but instead of all being the same color, the LEDs are white, red, green, and blue. When the head is tightened, the light is always white. Loosening and the tightening the head switches between red, green, and blue. There is not much in the way of a reflector, so the light is very floody, which is a nice change from the glut of thrower lights on the market. I am constantly finding excuses to use the light just to mess with the different colors.
The Olight M20 Warrior Premium was developed for military and law enforcement users, and it excels for those type of tasks, but it also works great as an outdoor light. The M20 uses lithium batteries, given you a super bright light in a relatively small package. The packaging contains the light, a killer sheath, a battery holder, and other standard accessories.
Until I run out of them, the 2009 holiday set has an M20 and an iTP A3 EOS titanium for $100. Considering that the lights separately would cost you $140, the set is a pretty ridiculous deal.
The NiteCore D10 SP and EX10 SP are new versions of the popular D10 and EX10. While the previous models had adjustable brightness, the SP versions give you three useful levels and add strobe and SOS. The small size and excellent knurling are still in place, as is the piston drive. The piston drive is a metal sleeve that goes the full inside length of the battery tube to make contact with the head, giving you a more reliable switching mechanism than the traditional switch.
The TA series (TA20, TA21, and TA30) from Fenix is an alternative to the JETBeam Raptor selector ring system. Unlike the smooth action of the JETBeam lights, the TA series has a more tactile feel, with a solid click at each level.
The TA20 has three brightnesses and one strobe setting, running off of two CR123 batteries. The TA30 is a very similar light with the same settings, except it runs off of three CR123 batteries that give you about 50% increased runtime. The TA21 steps up the levels, giving you nine brightnesses and three flashing modes off of two CR123 batteries.
JETBeam is always coming up with new ways to make me drool over flashlights, and one of the neatest things they have incorporated into their lights is the IBS system. The current models that feature a reverse switch (click and release to turn on the light, soft press to switch modes) all have the IBS system. The system allows you to program the light’s three modes to whatever you want, from 2-240 lumens, strobe, SOS, and several other flashing modes. My customers are divided on whether or not strobe is a good thing to have in a light, so this is the light to get if you want to make sure that your light does not have strobe on a daily basis. Of course, if you like strobe and the other flashing modes, you could always program all three modes to give seizures.
The Jet I Pro is the baby of the family, using only one AA battery. On a 14500 rechargeable lithium, the Jet I Pro easily rivals lights several times its size thanks to the powerful LED and reflector designed to take advantage of the LED as much as possible. This is the light that I combine with a headlamp as my lighting arsenal in the woods when I am looking to keep things relatively lightweight.
The Jet I Pro EX is the same as the Jet I Pro, but uses 2 AA batteries instead of just one for twice the battery life and higher brightness on NiMh and alkaline batteries.
The Jet III ST can use 2 CR123, 2 16340, or 1 18650 battery. The body is still slim enough to keep in your pocket or pack, making this one a good option for people who like lithiums and still want a compact light.
The Jet III Ultra is a larger lithium light, with a much larger head and reflector compared to the Jet III ST. The larger head gives you a light that throw the beam much further than the smaller reflectors.
Here’s a video showing the lights and how to program the interface:
The JETBeam Jet III M is a personal favorite light of mine, so I’m kind of surprised at myself for taking so long to make a video of it. Maybe I subconsciously wanted to hoard them all to myself.
The Jet III M has a neat interface. When the head is tightened, you will always have full brightness. When the head is loosened, you have access to a user defined mode with a ridiculous array of options. You can set it to anywhere from 2-240 lumens, strobe frequencies from 1-20 Hz, SOS, beacon flashing, and several other flashing modes. The light is made for rough users in mind, with thick aluminum walls, stainless steel bezels and tail covers, and waterproof seals.
Here’s a video showing the light and how to program it:
The A6 Polestar from iTP is a neat light. Instead of using a rear “tactical” switch like many premium lights these days, you have a switch on the side of the light that turns the light off and on and switches between the three brightnesses and strobe. Another feature that appeals to a lot of people is that it uses 6 easy to find AA batteries instead of lithiums. AA are a lower voltage, so you have to have a wider body to accommodate the higher number of batteries needed to power the LED, but it’s still a very manageable size, at around the size of a 2D MagLite.
Here’s a video I made showing the light and comparing it to a 4D MagLite:
Next up in the videos is one featuring the JETBeam RRT-1 and RRT-2 Raptor series lights. The Raptor series uses a stainless steel selector ring to switch between the three different brightnesses and a strobe mode. The RRT-1 features a massive reflector that can light up objects several hundred yards away, which is pretty neat to see on a dark night. The RRT-2 uses a smaller reflector that is not quite as good at throwing the light, but it’s still impressive.
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.
