The Official Zebralight Thread .

[SYZYGY]

I wish Zebralight would released a flashlight where I could disable beacon. I've a number of Zebralights and it's way too easy to into beacon mode on them.

i think that's a pretty reasonable wish. problem is the economic design philosophy of ZL. it's clear the guy pushes memory to the limit (which is the stated reason behind removal of official liion support from new AA lights).

i'd personally be happy with paying $0.50 or even $5.00 more per light for an MCU with more memory to get more convenience and customization features into the fw. i don't think the ZL engineer feels the same way though.

and although the drivers are great, i'd also shell out a little more for an even better design. bigger inductor if needed, brand new TI regulator, etc.

how about even lower moonlights? i thought the sc700d moonlight (setting 1/12) was very low until i tried using it the other night when i woke up in darkness. it is actually quite bright when your eyes are completely dark adjusted and you've just woken up.

 

[chillinn]

how about even lower moonlights?

SC700d goes down to 0.04Lm, same as SC5c Mk II. SC53c goes down to 0.01Lm. That's pretty low, but with really good dark adapted vision in total darkness, it can light up the room. My feeling is it isn't the lumens that are the problem, it's the color temperature. 30Lm of 2000K with tired eyes feels more comfortable than 0.04Lm of 5000K. So I wonder if in that situation you described, which I also have in other threads (usually I call it "tired pre-dawn morning eyes"), no matter how dim 5000K could get, it will always make my eyes water. Only way for us to know is for you to try a very warm LED and get back to us. Maybe I can get some support for ZL offering some warm LEDs. 4000K and even 5000K are great during the day, and just after dark. By midnight it starts to get painful for me. I'd never grab a Zebralight in the wee hours to pee again, even with 0.001Lm moonlight. Those occasions need the warmest lumens available. Just MHO, please do what you want and be happy.

 

[Lips]

Zebralight SC53w
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198 Lumen – H2b Level- Run-Time Test
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Batteries
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Vapcell H10 (10amp)(1000 mah)/Vapcell F12(3amp) (1250 Mah)/Li-ion
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Eneloop Pro (2523 mah) / Fujitsu (2505 mah) / Nimh
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Parameters: 73° F ambient, Non-Cooling and Cooling, Camera Video Based


FULL TEST HERE
LVP failures, fully depleted cells and full run-times and observations
in Full Test Page...

Summary: 198 Lm run only; not including Med and Low run times...
Vapcell F12 (3amp) (1250 Mah) / Li-ion = BEAST! 1 hr & 55 min
Vapcell H10 (10amp) (1000 mah)/ Li-ion = GREAT! 1 hr & 24 min
Eneloop Pro (2523 mah)/ Nimh = GOOD! 1 hr & 12 min
Fujitsu (2505 mah) / Nimh = GOOD! 1 hr & 7 min


New Button Top Vapcell F12 1250 Mah (3amp) Cell Here
Should fit the new Zebralight SC53c N perfectly



.

 

[SYZYGY]

30Lm of 2000K with tired eyes feels more comfortable than 0.04Lm of 5000K.

i am a little skeptical about 30lm bringing more eye comfort than 0.04lm regardless of CCT, but i will try to give it a shot. 0.04lm of 2000K being more comfortable than 0.04lm of 5000K sounds pretty reasonable though.

i think ultimately i would prefer 0.01lm of something kinda warm.

kind of a hard experiment to plan on because i don't often wake up in that state, and when i do, i'm not thinking clearly or in the mood to experiment.

 

[defloyd77]

i am a little skeptical about 30lm bringing more eye comfort than 0.04lm regardless of CCT, but i will try to give it a shot. 0.04lm of 2000K being more comfortable than 0.04lm of 5000K sounds pretty reasonable though.

I'm not buying that for a second given my personal usage. Even 5 lumens of deep red light, supposedly the "official night vision saving" wavelength is less comfortable and more disruptive than .1 lumen of a 4500K in my experience.

 

[jon_slider]

i think ultimately i would prefer 0.01lm of something kinda warm.

SC53c N comes w a 4000K 519a. It can be dedomed without removing the potting, nor the driver, and becomes 3000K with a very pleasant tint

Though output specs have not been posted (yet), my guess is they will be similar to the SC53w, which does claim 0.01 lumens low.

I just took a trip and brought a 3000K and 4500K LED light. When used when waking up in the dark, I found the 3000K much more soothing and less glaring. Both lights have 0.01 lumen outputs, the warmer light looked more "natural".
I think this is because there is less blue light in 3000K. It is easier to get back to sleep when dark adapted, and our Melatonin hormone levels are highest.

Blue light reduces the sleep hormone melatonin, which is great when we want to be awake and alert. But it is more stimulating and looks bluer, neither of which are ideal when the goal is to stay dark adapted and relaxed, to get back to sleep more easily.

Dark adaptation can also be maintained by using red light, to get back to sleep after waking to answer the call of nature. Since Red light does not deplete melatonin the way blue light does.

 

[Lips]

See the changes in the Google Document "ZebraLight Product Comparison": Click Here

• A user made changes from 4/21/23 10:18 AM to 10:18 AM (Pacific Daylight Time)

Open the current version of the Google Document "ZebraLight Product Comparison": Click Here



H604c moved to the discontinued section:

H604c

89

1

Cree XHP50.2

93-95

4000

3

Flood

16

1616

PID

0.08

3.3 mo

0.95

3.82

1.5

10/31/2017

with multiple UI groups

 

[SYZYGY]

ok so you gotta give it to me straight

is ZL going out of business or what

 

[this_is_nascar]

ok so you gotta give it to me straight

is ZL going out of business or what

Oh, please...... Not again

 

[Secateurs]

I'm sure this has been asked before but I couldn't find the answers: I'm a big fan of Zebralight and have lots of AA and 18650 headlamps. However, i'm getting sick of the straps becacuse of comfort and durability. Any alternatives to the originals? Looking at trail running with them, especially the 18650 ones.

Also looking for ways of belt-wearing the 18650 lights for trail running.

Thanks!

 

[jon_slider]

Any alternatives to the originals?

Officially, No

UnOfficially yes

 

[radellaf]

is ZL going out of business or what

At least, this time, I get the sarcasm.

Chillin finally said something I do agree with: 14500 in SC53 "why mess around". I get why you guys are, but, personally, too many problems /risks for me to bother. One that bothered me with even the 52 is that I think the can (or neg terminal anyway) of a 14500 is thinner than an eneloop, and that spring grinds in a pretty nice groove. At one point I was paranoid enough to tape some brass shim on the bottom. Also, in the 52 days, it was a Sanyo UR 14500, and the new ones (even 800mAh) are significantly more capacious (Wh & Ah). I also worry about the NiMH-useful crushing pressure of that spring can't be good for the positive terminal of a 14500, be it flat or button.
I guess that makes my biggest ZL wish, over any UI or aesthetic considerations, to be (physically) nicer to my batteries. And a clip I can take on and off my H53 without scratching the finish. Ditto the Sofirn SC21. Really, can't someone come up with a better way to attach a (removable) clip to a cylinder, in general?

Blue light and melatonin: I thought that theory didn't hold up to more recent tests. Last I heard was that it was what you were doing with your blue light sources (usually phone/computer LCDs) that got in the way of sleep, more than (or entirely instead of) the spectrum. Read that somewhere, IDK. As far as micro-lumen nightlights, I think a 0.01lm blue light is gonna be exactly the same, sleep wise, as whatever the warm white equivalent is. It's all rod cells, anyway, at that level. And, it's amazing how little blue/cyan light it takes to be able to distinguish a dog bone from a dark floor on the way to the loo.

THANKS for the 198lm test. I was wondering about some of those ZL runtimes. The lumens, at least, I trust. Well, until the 53n - I have serious doubts about the top levels (differences between, mostly, and only on NiMH). My gripe is M1 vs M2. Double lumens and a 8.5h vs 21h runtime? Something is off (I think the claim of 8). Seems like a really big jump in brightness (and tailcap current), not just a doubling.

Looking forward to ZL going out of business and then popping back up with the Nichia 18650 model. I'll definitely set some $ aside for that.

 

[ilikeguns40]

719a sc64 should be arriving within the next couple months

 

[Connor]

719a sc64 should be arriving within the next couple months

Unfortunately the 719A doesn't seem to quite live up to the hype:

Nichia 719A 5000K R9050 tested

I received a request from Simon from Convoyflashlights to test the new Nichia 719A. I have retired from testing stuff for a while, but I found this one interesting enough to do one more (no trend probably). I hope to get familiar with editing posts on the new website too, forgive me for not...

budgetlightforum.com

 

[Lips]

New Nichia 519 Headlamps added to spreadsheet 9am today...
Price set 7:51pm $68

H53c N		1				Nichia 519A-V1	93	4000	3	spill + spot	16					0.86	2.9	1.1	5/2/2023
H53Fc N		1				Nichia 519A-V1	93	4000	3	Floody	16					0.86	2.9	1.1	5/2/2023

 

[n2mb_racing]

New Nichia 519 Headlamps added to spreadsheet 9am today...
Price set 7:51pm $68

H53c N		1				Nichia 519A-V1	93	4000	3	spill + spot	16					0.86	2.9	1.1	5/2/2023
H53Fc N		1				Nichia 519A-V1	93	4000	3	Floody	16					0.86	2.9	1.1	5/2/2023

Just noticed that! Does anyone know if these will work with 14500 batteries? I have been using my H52 for a long time with Vapcell L10 batteries. I'm thinking of getting the new F12 batteries and this light.

 

[ilikeguns40]

Just noticed that! Does anyone know if these will work with 14500 batteries? I have been using my H52 for a long time with Vapcell L10 batteries. I'm thinking of getting the new F12 batteries and this light.

https://www.zebralight.com/H53Fc-N-Neutral-White-High-CRI-AA-Floody-Headlamp-_p_253.html

Officially no, unofficially probably

Not worth the risk IMO. Output isn't that much higher anyway. Be safe and run rechargeable eneloops

 

[jon_slider]

Just noticed that! Does anyone know if these will work with 14500 batteries? I have been using my H52 for a long time with Vapcell L10 batteries. I'm thinking of getting the new F12 batteries and this light.

this is my understanding...

yes you can use LiIon in the SC53c N, but there is no LVP and all outputs stay the same, except H1, which will be brighter.. sooo.. if brighter H1 is important to you, and you are willing to take responsibility not to overdischarge, then Yes, you can use UnProtected LiIon.

It would be prudent to use Protected LiIon instead.. the One option that is not too long is the 14500 from Lumintop, that includes a USB charging port.

There is also a bug in the battery voltage meter, that prevents use of AA after the light was run on LiIon. The light will think the AA has too low voltage, and will shut off.

The fix to use AA again after LiIon, is to press and hold the switch button for a moment, with no battery installed, after removing the LiIon, but before installing an AA again.

Suggestion, if LiIon is really important to you, dont buy an AA model, get the SC64 or SC600, and use 18650 to your hearts content.

 

[Mr. LED]

The H52 has official support for 14500 batteries, so LVP MUST work. G6 and G7 were implemented in the 53/63 series.

 

[Mr. LED]

H53c N and H53Fc N are up for sale!