FieldTest on Zebralight Q5
- Thread starter photonhoer
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Grateful Ned
Newly Enlightened
I was already leaning toward buying one of these for some upcoming winter night outings with students and scouts but wow that was a great review. Thanks for your efforts, both in developing countries and here on CPF !
medicmerlynn
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2007
- Messages
- 111
great review man! glad to hear about your trip too. many thanks to you and your wife on both accounts. think you just sold me a ZL Q5!
photonhoer
Newly Enlightened
Thanks, everyone, for the very nice and encouraging comments. I was - and continue to be - glad to have reviewed this light, as I found - and still find - it to be so VERY USEFUL.
Several of the posts on other threads seem to criticize the light for its flood. This frustrates me a little, as these comments seem to ignore the fact that nothing can be everything to everyone. A narrow-focus light is more useful and most approproate in some situations, and this is when you need to have one. (I do have a variety of"throwier" lights, up to a Mag85 for extreme nightime illumination in 4x4 off-road travel and impromptu exploration of caves and mines.)
What the H-50 Zebralight excells at is giving a broad field of even light out to at least 20-30 feet, with diminishing illumination beyond that point. It is also well made, light, and gives incredibly long battery life on lithium L91s.
No one light can do everything, but an awful lot of life's chores are close in to one's hands (regulated by the length of our arms?) and in this zone the Zebralight is more useful to me than any of the other 6 models of headlamps I have used extensively. The even wall of light vs. the tunnel of more focused beams is a vast improvement to me. On the other hand, this is not a throw-monster, and we could not use it for PAP smears and vaginal biopsies, at which for example a PT Apex served extremely well.
This is a different tool than a "throwier" light, just like a socket wrench is different from a crescent wrench. Depending on what you do, you may well need both; I think it is artificial to try to reduce the choice to a binary "buy-one-or-the-other" decision.
John
Several of the posts on other threads seem to criticize the light for its flood. This frustrates me a little, as these comments seem to ignore the fact that nothing can be everything to everyone. A narrow-focus light is more useful and most approproate in some situations, and this is when you need to have one. (I do have a variety of"throwier" lights, up to a Mag85 for extreme nightime illumination in 4x4 off-road travel and impromptu exploration of caves and mines.)
What the H-50 Zebralight excells at is giving a broad field of even light out to at least 20-30 feet, with diminishing illumination beyond that point. It is also well made, light, and gives incredibly long battery life on lithium L91s.
No one light can do everything, but an awful lot of life's chores are close in to one's hands (regulated by the length of our arms?) and in this zone the Zebralight is more useful to me than any of the other 6 models of headlamps I have used extensively. The even wall of light vs. the tunnel of more focused beams is a vast improvement to me. On the other hand, this is not a throw-monster, and we could not use it for PAP smears and vaginal biopsies, at which for example a PT Apex served extremely well.
This is a different tool than a "throwier" light, just like a socket wrench is different from a crescent wrench. Depending on what you do, you may well need both; I think it is artificial to try to reduce the choice to a binary "buy-one-or-the-other" decision.
John
Last edited:
Great review, thanks for sharing your experiences! :thumbsup:
medicmerlynn
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2007
- Messages
- 111
preciate the response man, but one thing i wanted to know is if there was anything you didn't like about it. i was looking more into it and i might try to wait for the cr123 model... then again, i don't know. i honestly don't 'need' a headlamp right now, but it sure would be a fun stocking stuffer... as i'm sure most everyone else would agree... but, i was trying to get a feel for how it performed. i don't need a thrower; i have several. what i don't have is a friggin' awesome little lite that i can wear on my head while i'm working on my truck or doing odd jobs around the house (insert plumbing, wiring & electrical... you get the point) and walking to my deer stand tomorrow morning... things like that... sounds like i won't be disappointed with the h50, but i also accept perfection to be a journey, not a destination.
photonhoer
Newly Enlightened
After our usage in Guyana and back home (on a small ranch) we have found nothing to not like about the light. The simplicity and reliability of the twist-UI overrode the possible convenience of a clickie; the floody wall of light is highly desireable in our usage (having a separate small thrower for when that is needed, like a Fenix L1D-CE); and the size, adjustability and absoluute minimal weight, and excellent construction are terrific.
I thought saying this would be redundant, but happy to say it again.
John
Thank you for your fine review. :thumbsup:
I have one of these myself (Q5 emitter).
The only thing i'm not happy with is:
My unit has a very strong GREEN tint !
Well, maybe not that pronounced.
Probably woulda' sent it back to dealer for exchange,
if not for dealer being in Shanghai, China.
(took 16 days for me to get it in the first place)
Still, i like mine a lot, and do lots of useful work with it.
Guess that's what really matters most, eh ?
Anybody ELSE have a poor tint in their ZebraLight ?
_
I have one of these myself (Q5 emitter).
The only thing i'm not happy with is:
My unit has a very strong GREEN tint !
Well, maybe not that pronounced.
Probably woulda' sent it back to dealer for exchange,
if not for dealer being in Shanghai, China.
(took 16 days for me to get it in the first place)
Still, i like mine a lot, and do lots of useful work with it.
Guess that's what really matters most, eh ?
Anybody ELSE have a poor tint in their ZebraLight ?
_
greenLED
Flashaholic
It's always great to see a real world review like this one. :twothumbs
Exactly what were you doing in South America?
Exactly what were you doing in South America?
photonhoer
Newly Enlightened
My wife is an OB/GYN, and we were generally doing treatment and research on cervical cancer, among the AmerIndian population deep in the interior jungle, where the women experience a cervical cancer rate more than 10 times the AmerEuropean rate. Specifically, we were doing PAP smears, cervical biopsies, and surgical follow up - using only equipment we were able to transport in ourselves, with no mains power (so battery lights were EVERYTHING for both medical and personal matters.)
I am a psychologist, but in this setting I was the secretary/clerk: registering people, labeling records and specimens, and giving out results from previous tests.
WadeF
Flashlight Enthusiast
I love my Zebralight, but the one day I noticed something, when you open it, it STINKS. It smelled like they lubed the threads with motor oil. The twisty on mine would also kinda stick a bit if it was left in one position for awhile (on, or off). So I cleaned it to get rid of the smell, and whatever the lube was before, which seemed to cause it to stick, and used some nanolube. Now it doesn't smell like a garage and the twisty doesn't stick and is smoother to operate.
Now all of you Zebralight owners, go sniff your threads and report back.
Now all of you Zebralight owners, go sniff your threads and report back.
WadeF
Flashlight Enthusiast
You know, it could have been WD40 smell. All I know is it didn't smell good. WD40 might make more sense, since it get get gunky and sticky can't it? Might explain why my twist would stick a bit after sitting for awhile
If it is WD40, everyone should get it out of your treads and replace it with something better.
curlyfry562
Enlightened
Awesome review, keep up the good work:twothumbs
Just ordered mine, plan on using it to debug wiring harnesses for our schools 26ft. tall Liquid fuel rocket out in Mohave. Usually have to put my surefire in my mouth, anodized aluminum doesn't taste so good :green:
Just ordered mine, plan on using it to debug wiring harnesses for our schools 26ft. tall Liquid fuel rocket out in Mohave. Usually have to put my surefire in my mouth, anodized aluminum doesn't taste so good :green:
DM51
Flashaholic
cat
Enlightened
I didn't notice any smell. but it was sticky, and stiff, so I cleaned it off and put some silicone grease on it.
curlyfry562
Enlightened
I am limited on what photos I can publicly disclose, but I will see what I can do. Will be heading back out in January and will try to get pics. This was our last trip http://www.garvspace.com/News.htm didn't go so well.
