You’ve probably seen the ads or the flashy Kickstarter videos. A rectangular slab of metal that glows like a lightsaber and claims it can charge your phone while lighting up a football field. It's easy to dismiss the Loop Gear SK05 Pro as just another over-engineered fidget toy for gear nerds. Honestly? I thought so too. But after spending some real time with it, the reality is a lot more nuanced than the marketing suggests. It’s not just a flashlight. It’s basically a power station that happens to have a "double-barrel" photon cannon attached.
Most people look at the 4,360-lumen claim and assume it’s all hype. While that number is a "burst" figure—meaning you aren't going to be walking the dog with four thousand lumens for an hour—the engineering behind how it handles that heat is actually pretty clever.
Why the SK05 Pro is Different From Your Average Torch
If you're used to the tube-shaped lights from Olight or Fenix, the flat-style EDC (Everyday Carry) trend might feel weird. The SK05 Pro follows the "flat flashlight" philosophy popularized by things like the Nitecore EDC37, but it fixes the one thing everyone hates about those lights: the battery.
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Most flat lights have sealed internal batteries. When that battery dies in three years, you throw the whole $100 light in the trash. Loop Gear didn't do that. They used two standard 18650 cells. You can pop the back open—which has a surprisingly satisfying mechanical latch—and swap them out. This one design choice makes it a "buy it for life" tool rather than a disposable gadget.
The "Double Barrel" Beam Logic
It’s got two distinct business ends. One side is a spotlight (thrower) using a Luminus SFT25R LED, and the other is a triple-array floodlight.
- The Spot: It hits 405 meters. That’s enough to see if that rustling in the woods is a deer or a bear from a very safe distance.
- The Flood: If you get the version from their official site, you can opt for Nichia 519A emitters. These are the gold standard for "tint snobs" because they show colors accurately (High CRI).
- The Combo: Holding the button from "off" engages both. It’s a wall of light.
It's sort of like having a sniper rifle and a shotgun in the same holster. You don't always need both, but having the choice via a physical rotary dial is way better than memorizing twenty different "click-click-hold" sequences.
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The Secret Sauce: It's a 20W Power Bank
This is where the SK05 Pro actually earns its weight in a backpack. It has a total capacity of 8,000mAh. For context, an iPhone 15 has about 3,349mAh. You can effectively charge a dead phone twice and still have enough juice to light your way back to the car.
It supports 20W PD (Power Delivery) fast charging. I’ve seen some forum posts on BudgetLightForum where users mentioned it gets a bit "toasty" when charging a tablet, but that’s just physics. Metal conducts heat. If it’s pumping 20W into your phone, the aluminum shell is doing its job by pulling that heat away from the internal circuits. Just don’t bury it under a pillow while it’s charging your gear.
That Weird Side Light (The RGB Strip)
The side of the light has a COB (Chip on Board) LED strip. It looks like something out of a Cyberpunk 2077 prop. When you first turn the light on, this strip acts as a fuel gauge—it fills up to show you how much battery is left.
But it also does:
- Warm White Lantern: Great for camping or reading in a tent.
- Police Strobes: Red and blue flashing (don't use this on the road unless you want a ticket).
- RGB Mood Lighting: It can cycle through colors or stay on a solid hue.
It’s definitely a bit "extra," but the warm white mode is genuinely useful. It’s much softer on the eyes than the main beam when you’re just trying to find your keys in the dark.
The Reality of Carrying This Thing
Let's be real: this isn't a "tuck into your skinny jeans" kind of light. It weighs about 232 grams with the batteries in it. That’s heavier than most smartphones. If you clip it to a thin pocket, it’s going to sag.
The build quality, specifically the Microarc Oxidation (MAO) finish on the silver/grey version, feels amazing. It’s almost like ceramic—smooth but grippy. However, the magnet in the tailcap is a bit of a polarizing point. It’s strong enough to hold the light vertically against a car hood, but if you try to stick it horizontally on a thin piece of metal, the weight of the head might make it slide.
Technical Nuances You Should Know
The driver is a Buck Driver. In plain English, that means the light stays at the same brightness level even as the battery drains. Cheaper lights get dimmer as the voltage drops. The SK05 Pro stays consistent until the battery is almost dead, which is exactly what you want in a professional tool.
One weird quirk? It requires button-top 18650 batteries. If you have a drawer full of flat-top cells from old vapes or other lights, they might not make contact without a little magnetic spacer. It's a small detail, but it's the kind of thing that ruins your day if you aren't prepared for it.
What’s the Catch?
No product is perfect. The SK05 Pro has an auto-lockout feature that kicks in after 60 seconds of inactivity. To some, this is a safety feature so it doesn't burn a hole in your pocket. To others, it's an annoying extra step of having to twist the dial every time you want to use it. Also, there is no "true" moonlight mode (sub-1 lumen). The lowest setting is still a bit bright if your eyes are fully adjusted to pitch black.
Actionable Steps for New Owners
If you’ve just picked one up or are about to hit "buy," here is how to get the most out of it without the headache.
- Check your emitters: If you want "pretty" light for photography or indoor use, get the Nichia 519A version. If you want raw power and maximum distance, go for the SST25 version.
- The Charging Hack: Use a C-to-C cable for the fastest charging. It handles 12V input, which is way faster than the old-school 5V USB-A bricks.
- Don't lose the tool: It comes with a tiny screwdriver for the pocket clip. Keep that in your junk drawer; the screws use a specific Torx size that isn't always in a standard household set.
- Manage the Magnet: If you’re using the magnetic base, try to surface-mount it on the flattest, thickest steel possible to counteract the 232g weight.
- Lubricate the O-rings: It’s IP68 rated (submersible), but only if the seals stay healthy. A tiny dab of silicone grease on the battery door hinge and the charging port cover will keep it waterproof for years.
The Loop Gear SK05 Pro occupies a weird middle ground. It’s too big to be a "forget it's there" EDC light, but it’s too versatile to leave at home. It’s the light you grab when you know you’re going to be out past dark and might actually need to rely on your gear to get home—or just to keep your phone alive long enough to call an Uber.