Loop Gear is known for producing unique, high-end flashlights. Their latest model, the SK05 Pro MAO, combines a powerful floodlight with a long-range spotlight. A multi-colored side light completes the lighting package.
The most significant feature and main difference from the previous version is the MAO finish, which gives the SK05 Pro a refined, premium look.
You can find the German version of this review on my website: SammysHP Blog › Loop Gear SK05 Pro MAO
The flashlight was provided by the manufacturer for this review. Thank you very much!
Overview
The SK05 Pro comes in a sturdy cardboard box with a magnetic closure. The accessories are packed in a small inner box, ensuring the flashlight is protected from scratches during transport.
- 2x Loop Gear 18650 Li-ion batteries (4000 mAh, protected, button-top, 69.0 mm in length, 3.89 V at arrival)
- Clip (separate) with four screws and screwdriver
- USB-C to USB-C charging cable
- Small rubber pad
- Manual (EN, CN, DE, JP, FR, IT, ES)
In my delivery, there was a small plate with the Loop logo in an extra pouch, which fits perfectly into the slot intended for the clip. However, there’s no adhesive or holes for screws, so I’m not entirely sure what its exact purpose is.
The first part of the manual explains all the functions using diagrams. The second part summarizes the features briefly in seven languages. In some parts the manual is a bit hard to understand, as some actions or their effects are described ambiguous.
The SK05 Pro is often marketed as an EDC flashlight. At 106 × 47 × 24 mm, it still fits well in a pants pocket, but its 232 grams are definitely noticeable. While it’s a solid choice when the situation calls for it, it’s a bit too bulky to be a real “every day carry” flashlight.
Length: 106.3 mm
Width: 47.8 mm
Thickness: 24.5 mm
Weight (without battery): 132 g
Weight (18650 battery): 2 × 50 g
Weight (total): 232 g
With its rectangular shape, I’d categorize the SK05 Pro as a “flat” flashlight. In that category, it’s most comparable to the Nitecore EDC37. While the SK05 Pro is slightly larger, it offers easy to replace batteries and a more customizable beam in return.
The SK05 Pro isn’t just designed to provide light – it’s also meant to look elegant. Its angular design shows influences from science fiction and certain video game genres. Many of the small details are best appreciated by looking at the photos, rather than describing them at length here.
A major feature of the new version is its surface treatment. It uses a process called “Microarc Oxidation” (MAO), which – similar to anodization – creates a protective oxide layer on the surface. The result is impressive: the surface of the SK05 Pro feels unexpectedly smooth and has a ceramic-like quality. Its irregular, cream-gray coloration resembles stone or concrete, giving it a truly distinctive character. It’s just a pity that this high-end impression is somewhat disrupted by numerous warning labels.
If you don’t want to just carry the flashlight loosely in your pocket, you can attach a clip to the back. The necessary screws and a matching screwdriver are included in the box.
The shape of the clip allows the flashlight to sit fairly deep in your pocket. Its wide opening makes it easy to slide in, without sticking out too much or getting in the way. Plus, it blends well with the overall design of the flashlight. Depending on your preference, the clip can also be reversed so the flashlight can be carried with the emitters facing upward.
A lanyard can be attached through a hole on the back of the flashlight. The hole remains accessible even with the clip mounted. Unfortunately, no lanyard is included in the package. For a flashlight in this price range, a high-quality lanyard would definitely have been expected.
At the rear end of the flashlight, there are two rubber strips that protect both the flashlight and the surface it’s placed on from scratches.
This protection is a great addition because there’s also a magnet in the tail cap. It’s strong enough to securely hold the flashlight in a horizontal position.
The SK05 Pro is powered by one or two 18650 Li-ion batteries connected in parallel. The awesome part about this flashlight is that the batteries can be removed easily without any tools. This gives the SK05 Pro an advantage over the Nitecore EDC37.
The batteries are swapped through a lid at the tail end of the flashlight. To open it, you need to press the release latch. A small sliding switch prevents accidental opening.
After that, the cover can be easily flipped open. A rubber gasket prevents water from entering. Two springs make contact with the batteries and a small spring contact connects the lid with the front part of the flashlight. Loop Gear has paid attention to even the small details: when you flip the cover open, it doesn’t just bang against the aluminum; instead, it is gently stopped by a small piece of rubber.
I really like this mechanism because it’s simple and quick to use. There’s no need to awkwardly unscrew a tailcap – which isn’t even possible with this design – and no tools are required either.
On the driver side, there are two large contact pads. Because of this, only button-top batteries work in the flashlight. The contact pads are slightly springy when pressed. The included protected batteries are 69 mm long. Longer batteries won’t fit and significantly shorter ones risk losing contact or not making contact at all.
The batteries can be charged directly via a USB-C port on the head of the flashlight. A silicone cover protects the port from water and dirt. With a fast-charging power adapter at 12 V, the charging process finishes in under three hours. A red chasing light on the side indicates that the batteries are charging. Near the end, it changes to pink and once charging is complete, the side light stays lit in cyan.
During charging, a sort of emergency mode is available: each channel has one brightness level that can be activated by holding down the button. A short press toggles the charging indicator on and off.
The SK05 Pro can also be used as a power bank – even with fast-charging capability. Combined with its total battery capacity of 8000 mAh, this feature is more than just a gimmick.
Not only is the surface coating excellent, but the overall build quality also makes a great impression. According to the specifications, the SK05 Pro is rated IP68, which means it’s protected against continuous submersion up to one meter deep. It’s also designed to withstand drops from up to one meter in height.
User interface
The SK05 Pro is operated using a combination of a rotary switch and a button. The rotary switch selects the mode (lockout, floodlight, spotlight, side light). It turns smoothly and clicks softly into each position. With a bit of practice, you can even feel which setting it’s on.
The button used to turn the flashlight on and off and adjust the brightness has a noticeable click, but it can sometimes feel a bit soft if you don’t press it right in the center.
When the rotary switch is in the first position, the flashlight is locked and cannot be turned on. The next positions are for floodlight and spotlight. In both modes, the button works in the same way.
| State | Action | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Off | 1 click | Turn on (previous level, except Turbo) |
| Off | 2 clicks | Turbo |
| Off | 3 clicks | Strobe |
| Off | 6 clicks | Auto-lock enable/disable |
| Off | Hold | Momentary Turbo (Flood & Throw) |
| On | 1 click | Turn off |
| On | 2 clicks | Turbo |
| On | 3 clicks | Strobe |
| On | Hold | Change brightness Low → Med → High |
| Turbo | 1 click | Turn off |
| Turbo | 2 clicks | Previous level |
| Turbo | 3 clicks | Strobe |
| Turbo | Hold | Previous level |
| Strobe | 1 click | Turn off |
| Strobe | 2 clicks | Turbo |
| Strobe | 3 clicks | Previous level |
| Strobe | Hold | Switch between strobe and SOS |
The last selected brightness level is saved individually for each mode. This means you can switch directly from floodlight at a low brightness to spotlight at a high brightness using the rotary switch. The only exception is Turbo mode: it isn’t saved when the light is turned off but remains active when switching between modes.
I find it a bit disappointing that holding down the button while the flashlight is off doesn’t give direct access to a moon mode – actually, there isn’t a moon mode at all, which is a bit of a letdown. Instead, holding the button activates Turbo mode on both channels at the same time. What a surprise…
When turned off, the flashlight automatically locks itself after 60 seconds of inactivity. This helps prevent accidental activation in your pocket. To unlock it, simply turn the rotary switch briefly to the lock position. You can also disable this auto-lock feature by quickly pressing the button six times in a row while the light is unlocked.
You can easily check the current status: when the button is pressed while the flashlight is locked, the side light lights up in red if auto-lock is enabled and green if it’s disabled. Personally, I would have preferred if this action gave momentary access to a moon mode instead.
The strobe operates at a fixed frequency of 10 Hz. The “SOS” mode is implemented in a rather unconventional way, as neither the timing between the signals nor the ratio of short to long flashes matches the standard SOS pattern.
The side light offers more functions, and accordingly, its controls are more complex. Several steady and flashing modes are available, each of which can be individually customized in terms of color, brightness and speed. A short click turns the side light on in the last-used mode. The color setting is saved separately for each mode.
When unlocking via the rotary switch and when turning the flashlight on, the current battery level is displayed on the side light as a cyan-colored bar graph.
The handling of the flashlight is excellent: the switch is exactly where you’d expect it to be. Both the rotary switch and the button can be comfortably operated with your thumb. Thanks to the finger grooves on the opposite side, the flashlight sits securely in your hand. However, it’s less suited for a “tactical” grip.
Illumination
The SK05 Pro uses a Luminus SFT-25R in the throw channel. For the flood channel, there are two options available: the cool white Luminus SST-25 for higher brightness, or the Nichia 519A, which offers slightly less brightness but has a better tint and better color rendering.
| Luminus SST-25 | Nichia 519A | Luminus SFT-25R |
|---|---|---|
| 6500 K | 5700 K | 6500 K |
| 3060 lm | 2100 lm | 1300 lm |
| 10 000 cd | 5625 cd | 41 000 cd |
| 200 m | 150 m | 405 m |
| 3.3 cd/lm | 2.7 cd/lm | 31.5 cd/lm |
| CRI 70 | CRI 95 | CRI 70 |
When I was offered the SK05 Pro for testing, the Nichia version unfortunately wasn’t available yet. Normally, I place a lot of importance on good light quality. But aside from the color rendering, the SST-25 also makes a pretty good impression.
The flood channel uses three LEDs behind a clear TIR optic. Behind that is a GITD insert that glows bluish in the dark. The throw channel has a smooth reflector, protected by a lens with a blue anti-reflective coating.
Both channels have a similar color temperature and tint, making the transition between them more pleasant. Overall, the floodlight appears slightly warmer than specified. There is a light greenish tint, but it remains within an acceptable range.
The floodlight features a wide beam that smoothly transitions into a bright spill. In contrast, the SFT-25R produces a tightly focused spot with minimal spill. Its round light-emitting surface makes it ideal as a thrower, delivering a clean, circular beam with very few artifacts.
The difference between spotlight and floodlight is especially noticeable outdoors. Both channels are well matched and complement each other perfectly. At close range, I sometimes find the floodlight a bit too bright even at its lowest setting. A true moon mode would be a real benefit for this flashlight. On the other hand, the SK05 Pro impresses with its bright dual-turbo mode.
Behind a black, translucent window are 22 RGB LEDs for the multi-colored side light. The colors come across as rich and vibrant; the effects are a real eye-catcher. There’s also a “white” mode with three adjustable color temperatures. However, the white light created by mixing red, green and blue looks somewhat unnatural and is far away from true white. Real RGBWW LEDs would have made a lot of sense here.
Driver and runtime
The high capacity of the two batteries allows for long runtimes. Power consumption is largely the same for both channels, with only a slight difference in turbo mode.
| Mode | Brightness¹ | Runtime¹ | Intensity¹ (Throw²) | Current³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood » Turbo | 3060 lm / 950 lm / 50 lm | 40 s + 2.5 h + 30 min | 10 000 cd (200 m) | 8.80 A |
| Flood » High | 950 lm / 50 lm | 3 h + 30 min | 1.62 A | |
| Flood » Med | 350 lm | 11 h | 0.53 A | |
| Flood » Low | 50 lm | 52 h | 0.13 A | |
| Throw » Turbo | 1300 lm / 600 lm / 40 lm | 40 s + 3 h + 30 min | 41 000 cd (405 m) | 7.23 A |
| Throw » High | 600 lm / 40 lm | 3.5 h + 30 min | 1.62 A | |
| Throw » Med | 220 lm | 11.5 h | 0.53 A | |
| Throw » Low | 40 lm | 58 h | 0.13 A | |
| Turbo (Flood & Throw) | 4360 lm | 11.50 A | ||
| Off | 115 µA |
¹ According to manufacturer ² ANSI FL1 ³ Measured
After about 40 seconds, the brightness in turbo mode gradually starts to decrease. For roughly four minutes, it stays just below the high brightness before rising back up to that level. At this brightness, the buck driver maintains a steady output for the majority of the remaining runtime.
While the flashlight shuts off at the end of most modes, it continues to glow at a very low brightness for a long time in turbo mode. In turbo mode with both channels active, the brightness gradually decreases over time.
When turbo mode is activated once, the temperature stays below 45°C. In theory, there’s still some room for slightly higher brightness during continuous operation.
Interestingly the heat is mainly concentrated in the head of the flashlight. While this makes it more comfortable to hold, it does reduce its ability to dissipate heat effectively.
Measured with Zoyi ZT-R01
As shown by an oscilloscope check, all brightness levels except turbo are regulated without PWM. In turbo mode, the LEDs apparently operate in direct-drive mode, with brief interruptions at a frequency of 24 kHz likely serving to limit power output.
Below a battery voltage of 3.0 V, the flashlight automatically shuts off to protect the batteries from deep discharge. At a certain voltage level, the side light starts blinking red to provide an early warning of a low battery. At higher brightness levels, this causes the side light to flash briefly once, while the flashlight automatically reduces its brightness. This reduces the load on the batteries, allowing them to recover slightly, which stops the blinking temporarily.
Conclusion
The Loop Gear SK05 Pro MAO really has a lot to offer: it comes as a comprehensive lighting package with powerful floodlight, long-range spotlight and a multi-colored side light. Operation is intuitive, using a rotary switch combined with a push button. The batteries are easy to swap – a rare feature for a flashlight of this kind. The impressive MAO surface finish gives the light a truly distinctive character.
Unfortunately there’s no true moon mode. The side light’s “white” setting doesn’t make an adequate substitute, since it lacks dedicated white LEDs and the red, green and blue mix looks rather unnatural.
Got curious? Take a look at the Loop Gear SK05 Pro MAO on the manufacturer’s website.