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.
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.
NiteIze is one of those companies that makes products that are brilliant in their simplicity. One of their new items is the KnotBone Adjustable Bungee, which adds flexibility to, well, flexibility.
Two sizes are available, both giving you a wide range of lengths to which you can set the cord. Adjusting is quick and easy, and the cords hold securely once adjusted. Watch the video below for a better idea of what they can do.
When the Gearpods products were released last year, I was impressed with how well thought out the kits and components were compared to other premade kits and containers on the market. Imagine my delight when they decided to update the line this year, improving the quality and moving the production of the main components to the US.
The new pods use Nalgene style threads to achieve their watertight feature instead of a rubber gasket like the first version. They also added some new colors, bringing the available color total to four with orange, black, tan, and olive drab. I made a few videos showing the connect systems, custom kits, and stove kit:
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.
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.
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.
