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.
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.
I went a little crazy this week making flashlight videos, so I apologize for the next five or so posts if you are not much of a flashlight fan. That said, they are all pretty badass flashlights.
Here is the first one, an explanation of the Zebralight headlamps I stock:
I know there have been a lot of “I have new stuff in the store” post lately, and I apologize for that. I have been very busy trying to make my store successful now that it is 100% my full time job. I am working on some more content type posts that I think will share some good information. That said, here is another “I have new stuff in the store” post.
Premium flashlights were the very first real reason I wanted to open up an e-commerce store several years ago. I tried opening Fenix as a vendor, but they would not let me do so without a fully functioning website, which was a problem since they were to be my first and premier brand. I got a new job, moved to a new house, and other factors in life combined to let my flashlight and e-commerce dreams be put on hold for a while. Several thousand firesteels later, I have a successful e-commerce site and the ability to pick up a few new brands a month.
The first premium flashlight brand I have in stock is Zebralight, a company known for very high quality headlamps with nice, compact designs. I have the following models in stock and ready to ship:
