Loop Gear SK05 Pro 2 Flashlight
June 7th, 2026Loop Gear SK05 Pro 2 Flashlight
(There’s an Amazon Affiliate link above this line. If you can’t see it, please temporarily disable your ad blocking software if you want to buy the light and support Cryptogon. That’s a special link that pays me more than your usual Amazon purchases. Loop Gear has not paid me, contacted me or sent me a light for review. I bought this light with my own money.)
I needed a more powerful spotlight. The last flashlight I bought was a Fenix PD32 a decade ago (which still works great).
After looking at dozens of lights, I came across the Loop Gear SK5 Pro 2.
Woh! This light feels like something out of a science fiction movie.
The build quality is unbelievably high. I chose the white MAO (micro-arc oxidation) finish, which is a durable protective finish. I mainly chose it because I wanted the increased visibility of the white surface in case I dropped the light (powered off) in the dark, wet conditions I’m often dealing with in New Zealand.
After I got this light, I noticed that the MAO finish feels pleasant in the hand as well. The light has a grip machined into the aluminum, and the MAO finish adds to the non-slip design.
The Loop Gear SK05 Pro 2 is three lights in one. You get a floodlight, a spotlight and a sidelight for close up work.
When I let this thing rip at full power (both flood and spot on turbo), how can I put this? Being able to send 5000 lumens from a device that fits in the palm of your hand is a pretty weird capability. Besides all of your regular flashlight needs, maybe this could have a self defense role???
Printed on the side of the light is, “WARNING: Do not look directly into the LED at close range.”
Needless to say, they’re not kidding.
This is all a way of saying that if you’re worried about not having enough light for your application, unless what you’re trying to see requires binoculars, this flashlight is probably bright enough.
Of course, it’s not just insanely bright. The three different types of lights and variety of output levels has you covered for whatever your application demands. I use the spotlight for hunting and the floodlight for just about everything else. I had my PC case open to check fans and the sidelight was perfect.
The sidelight would be great for any application where you need a small to medium amount of light for close up tasks; looking for something inside your car, or a tent. It has a lot of modes. I have mine set to a very warm orange color. It looks like candle light.
Beyond the three highly functional lights, why spend this much money?
The Loop Gear SK05 Pro 2 is for people who appreciate the details.
I mentioned the top tier built quality and finish above. Here are some other features that I appreciate on this flashlight:
* No pulse width modulation: None of the three lights (flood, spot, side) use PWM. The light doesn’t flicker at all. The ZeroAir review (below) confirms this with an oscilloscope. Some cheaper lights use pulse width modulation.
* The USB-C charging port is bi-directional: You can charge the light with a standard USB-C connection, but it will also charge USB-C devices such as phones, tablets, headphones, etc. My Samsung phone indicated “Fast charging” when I plugged it into this light.
For around the house/camping/hunting/EDC/SHTF/etc., besides being the best flashlight you’ve probably ever had, it can charge your devices if necessary.
* Charging port cover: The charging port cover is hinged metal cover that stays closed with a small magnet, not a rubber plug that will wear out and break off.
* Magnet: There’s a strong magnet in light’s tailcap that can be used to attach the unit to ferrous metal surfaces. There are two rubber feet on the tailcap to prevent the light from scratching metal surfaces.
* Afterglow on floodlight lens: The floodlight lens is coated with a glow-in-the-dark paint that glows green after the floodlight is turned off. This makes the light very easy to see in the dark after use.
* Optional carry clip: The light comes with a optional/removable pocket clip. When the clip is not being used, a branded badge can be secured with screws. This makes makes for a clean appearance for those who prefer not to use the clip.
If the scale of flashlight freakism goes from 1 to 10, I’m about a 2. I like the Loop Gear SK05 Pro 2 a lot and I recommend it. If, however, you want to see what people think about this who are much further up that scale than I am, here you go. Get comfortable!
Written review: ZeroAir Reviews
“U.S. Elevates Threat of Israeli Espionage to Highest Level” *eye roll*
June 6th, 2026Here’s one for your News Not News file folder. *yawn*:
U.S. counterintelligence officials consistently rank Israeli espionage as among the most active on American soil, alongside larger countries such as France, China and Russia.
The U.S. will likely punish Israelis by giving them additional billions of dollars.
Via: FirstPost:
The US Department of Defense has reportedly elevated its internal counterintelligence threat level concerning Israel to the highest category, following what officials described as a significant increase in espionage activity targeting American federal systems.
According to an NBC News report citing two current US officials and one former official familiar with the matter, the move reflects growing concern within the US national security establishment over surveillance and intelligence-gathering operations allegedly linked to Israel.
U.S. Special Forces Training Operations in Orange and Los Angeles Counties
June 6th, 2026Via: New York Post:
Military helicopters, simulated gunfire and flash grenades rattled Los Angeles County and Orange County this week — exercises that could reportedly continue in Southern California for years.
Federal officials say large-scale tactical training exercises could continue across the region for the next two years as law enforcement agencies gear up for a series of major international events, including the FIFA World Cup, the Super Bowl and the Olympics.
The recent operations in Pasadena, Irvine, Long Beach and Industry, have drawn attention from residents who were caught off guard by the late-night urban warfare drills.
According to FBI spokesperson Laura Eimiller, the exercises are part of routine preparedness efforts involving federal, state and local partners.
Scientists Edit Human Embryo Genes With Startling Precision
June 5th, 2026Via: New York Times:
Scientists at Columbia University have edited the DNA of early human embryos with unprecedented accuracy, an achievement that could open the way to babies engineered with particular characteristics.
The prospect has fueled controversy for years. On the one hand, the technology might one day enable parents to safely repair disease-causing mutations in embryos. But it might also be used to select desired traits — a practice that some ethicists have argued is nothing short of eugenics.
Dieter Egli, a geneticist at Columbia University who led the research, called for a public conversation about the pros and cons of altering embryonic DNA. “As a scientist, you can provide the data for discussion, but then essentially there you stop and let others take over,” he said.
With a newer technology called base editing, Dr. Egli and his colleagues were able to meticulously replace individual genetic letters in sequences of DNA without causing the damage often observed with an earlier form of gene editing, CRISPR.
Something Is Briefly But Regularly Jamming GPS Over Europe
June 5th, 2026Via: Veritasium:
Failing Grades Soar as Professors See Greater AI Usage, Dwindling Math Skills in UC Berkeley Computer Science Classes
June 4th, 2026Via: The Daily Californian:
UC Berkeley teaching professor Dan Garcia taught both CS 10, “The Beauty and Joy of Computing,” and CS 61A, “The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs,” in spring 2026. Garcia believes the “primary driver” of these abnormally high failing rates is due to a “vast increase in academic dishonesty” due to students’ usage of large language models, such as Claude, ChatGPT and Google Gemini.
“Some of the numbers that you saw from the number of students who receive failing grades were because we caught them (cheating) and prosecuted them and are sending their cases to the center for student conduct,” Garcia said. “But in other cases, it’s students who are leaning a little too hard on LLMs to do their work for them, and then at exam time just really aren’t ready.”
According to Garcia, nearly 30 students in CS 10 were caught cheating on take-home exams in spring 2026.
Senior NIH Scientist, Research Fellow Charged with Bringing Deactivated Monkey Pox Virus Into U.S.
June 3rd, 2026BREAKING: NIH ebola expert ARRESTED by the FBI for smuggling deadly pathogens into America from the Congo
Vincent Munster was BUSTED at an airport with 113 vials containing monkeypox, chickenpox, and human DNA.
93 of the vials haven't even been tested yet…… pic.twitter.com/VLwDAajrOy
— Nicolas Hulscher, MPH (@NicHulscher) June 3, 2026
Via: AP:
Two scientists at a U.S. government lab were charged with smuggling vials of deactivated mpox virus into the country from Africa and lying about it during interviews with investigators at a Michigan airport, authorities said Tuesday.
A criminal complaint was unsealed in federal court in Detroit against Vincent Munster, who is chief of the virus ecology section at Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana, and Claude Kwe, who works with him as a research fellow.
Munster and Kwe were stopped at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in January after a flight from Paris and nine days in the Republic of Congo.
Munster “adamantly denied” returning to the U.S. with biological materials or samples, the FBI said in a court filing. But tests subsequently revealed that Munster and Kwe were traveling with vials of deactivated mpox, the FBI said, yet they had failed to declare them or obtain the necessary permission.
“Any deliberate effort to conceal and smuggle biological materials into the United States without proper authorization is a breach of the public’s trust and could have placed the public at risk,” said Marcus Sykes of the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services.
Groups of Men Seen Climbing In and Out of Manholes in Brooklyn for Unknown Reason
June 3rd, 2026Via: USA Today:
Groups of people have been caught mysteriously sneaking in and out of manholes around Brooklyn, stoking fear in locals as an investigation remains ongoing.
Police say that there is no threat to the public, and that the sewer systems have been investigated after the unknown individuals spent hours in the underground tunnels.
…
In two separate incidents, surveillance footage has caught groups of people leaving, or entering, manholes in the middle of the night.
The two incidents were reported last week, both in Brooklyn, after police were called for individuals seen going into the manholes. The first group was reported Thursday night, while the other was called in Friday at around 1 a.m.
The Thursday night group was seen leaving about three hours afterward, according to the NYPD, while the second odd circumstance ended after individuals were seen crawling out and leaving in a vehicle more than two and a half hours after.
A law enforcement official said that the NYPD’s main theory is that the trespassers were looking for valuables, according to NBC New York.
But locals expressed concern as the individuals are still unknown, with fears stoked online.
No arrests have been made in both of the incidents, and their investigations remain ongoing, police told USA TODAY.
Christine Cotton – Suicide After Covid Vaccine Injury
June 3rd, 2026Her work: christinecotton.com (English)
Nous sommes le 02 juin 2026, quand vous lirez ces lignes j’aurais quitté ce monde.
Pour ceux qui ne me connaissent pas, je m’appelle Christine Cotton, je suis ce qu’on appelle une lanceuse d’alerte. j’ai travaillé 25 ans pour l’industrie pharmaceutique dans la gestion et…— Christine Cotton OFFICIEL (@StatChrisCotton) June 2, 2026
Peer-Reviewed Paper: Ticks That Cause People to Have Allergic Reactions to Meat Are Good
June 2nd, 2026A peer-reviewed paper published in the journal Bioethics (Oct 2025, Wiley) argues that we may be MORALLY OBLIGATED to promote the spread of the lone star tick — the one that gives people a severe red-meat allergy called alpha-gal syndrome (AGS).
The authors' logic, in plain… pic.twitter.com/s5E1L7SozH
— The Wellness Company (@twc_health) June 2, 2026
