Zebralight H600/H604/H600F MKIV headlamp

[terjee]

Can anyone tell me the difference between the 18650 size zebra light headlamp and the cr123 size. I mean in Practical use how much lighter is a cr123 size. I have a H600fdlll high cri floody neutral white 5000k headlamp which I really like but I would like a lighter one. Also the CR 123 size only comes in cool White. Does anyone have both these lights, the h 600fdlll and the cr123 size 6300 k cool White to compare the two side-by-side? Thanks for any input.

I'd expect the CR123 to be much lighter, not just the light, but the cells are lighter too. The CR123 zebras have however not been updated in quite some time. If you want a lighter lithium variant, I'd recomment also considering AA versions with L91. While I don't have any CR123, my kid has an AA version. I see that for indoors use, it can be quite a good choice. For outdoors though, wanting more light, range or runtime, I wouldn't trade my 18650 for an AA or CR123.

I might be slightly biased though, as I'd stay clear due to the cold light as well.

Sorry for butting in with no direct answer, I just really wanted to suggest putting the AAs on the table, unlike the CR123 ones, they've been updated, comes in a wider variety, and you can use them with L91 lithiums (not rechargeable ones though, but there's Eneloops for that).

 

[see level]

Thanks for the input. I thought about the AA zebra light headlamps but they are heavier then the cr123 size and not as bright. They do have more options though and I really don't want a cool White version. All the AA sizes that take 14500 batteries are cool White also. A couple of the AA neutral whites have an operating voltage up to 4.2 but they say 14500 batteries are not supported. My question is has anybody used a rechargeable 14500 for an extended period of time in the AA neutral White zebralight without it burning the Led Out.

 

[Nev]

I have a H52 & a H52f , I only run them on 14500's ,have done for over a year.

 

[terjee]

They do have more options though and I really don't want a cool White version.

There have been warm white versions, so you might be able to find something second hand.

 

[knucklegary]

Thought I'd ask CPF members if there are any issues (have all bugs been fixed?) with H600fd MK IV 18650 XHP50 ~ 5000k (tint lottery?)

Does head band (elastic) hold-up well, or wise to get a spare?
Thx..

 

[terjee]

Thought I'd ask CPF members if there are any issues (have all bugs been fixed?) with H600fd MK IV 18650 XHP50 ~ 5000k (tint lottery?)

Does head band (elastic) hold-up well, or wise to get a spare?
Thx..

Not exactly the same, but since there are no takers yet....

I'm very happy with an H600Fc Mk III, and have experienced few issues with it. It's possible to ask nicely in the order comments field if they can send you once with a nice tint. I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes, but I feel like I've won with regards to tint on all my zebras, so it might.

Head band has been good to me, but I haven't been the heaviest user. What I always do with zebras, is to order a spare anyway, as if I'd have to guess, I'd guess the light will outlive the band. I also like having one black and one glow-in-the-dark, for the fastener, so I usually just order a full band+fastener.

 

[vljm1]

Hi there :wave:

Planning to buy H604Fd/Fc Mk IV XHP50.2 and probably Kdlitker C8.2 XHP50.2 5000K flashlight as a thrower.

Currently I have 1 proper battery left - green protected button top NCR18650B from aliexpress' Liitokala Factory Store (which is now accused at BLF for selling fake Samsung 30Q). In description it says maximum continuous discharge 4.875A, instantaneous 8-10A. As mighty82 measured here 1568lm draws 5.3A, 980lm - 2.7A, maybe it will work with all modes except H1 max?

Of course I need more. What batteries should i buy for these lights? Protected or not, flat or button? Kdlitker seems to have springs at both ends. Saw these recommended in forum:

Sanyo NCR18650GA
Samsung INR18650-35E
Samsung INR18650-30Q

All unprotected, with flat or button choice. Never used unprotected before. H604Fd cuts off at 2.7V. C8.2 has "Low Voltage Warning: It will keep flashing when the voltage is below 3V" so maybe change battery when it happens to avoid over-discharge? Anything else to do/avoid to use them safely? Charger I will use is Lii-500.

Do all XHP50.2 bins have high CRI?

What ZL and genuine battery stores/sellers with non expensive shipping to EU would you recommend?

 

[knucklegary]

Greetings Terjee,

Thank you for your informative reply!!

I contacted ZL yesturday afternoon and received a speedy reply today..

CS addressed one of my concerns;

It appears some MK III and all MK IV 18650 lights come with a "simplified" PID algorithums/parameters to speed up manufacturing (calibration) process.
PID (hopefully) won't be an issue for me, and I plan to order a headlamp soon

@Vljm1
Have you checked out illumination.com for your battery needs?
Owner Craig, is very accommodating.. 90% business is online, but, he also has a brick'n motar store location. His prices are very competitive.. Sanyo/Panasonic NCR18650GA is my go-to for my single cell lights!

 

[TheShadowGuy]

Thought I'd ask CPF members if there are any issues (have all bugs been fixed?) with H600fd MK IV 18650 XHP50 ~ 5000k (tint lottery?)

Does head band (elastic) hold-up well, or wise to get a spare?
Thx..

I have an H600Fc Mk IV 4000k. I find the tint on it excellent, but that's only one point of data.

The headband seems reasonable enough but in my experience, all elastics wear out over time... especially if you like to wear them over-tightened like me. I've heard Armytek's Wizard headband can be used as well, but I still need to try this.

Do all XHP50.2 bins have high CRI?

No, there are non-high CRI XHP50.2 LEDs; however, Zebralight doesn't seem to offer a non-high CRI XHP50.2 headlamp at the moment, although they do have lower CRI handhelds.

 

[eh4]

Yeah I'm in the waiting out bugs camp too, the MK II series has been really good to me.
I did have one failure with an H600Fw MK II, which was fixed and returned, without explanation of what went wrong, and it's since logged as many hours as my other two H600 without fail, over the 2 years or so of daily use.
Recently I've dusted off the H600w MK II (my first ever 18650 powered ZL) and used it in place of the H600Fw MK II for daily carry. Not as good for up close, but the greater throw sure is nice for looking into crawl spaces, and at distance. I had gotten really used to the Fw.
The MK IV models look so, so good.

 

[vljm1]

Could somebody please post some pictures of Fd 5000K and Fc 4000K beams to compare, both outdoors and indoors? Seen some of previous Mks but its hard to decide, jumping from one to another. Fc for the night camping, hiking?

 

[TheShadowGuy]

It'll be a bit before I can get some good shots. I don't have an Fd for direct comparison though.

I prefer 4000k, especially outdoors, which is why I got the Fc. It really comes down to personal preference.

 

[twistedraven]

It's not completely apples to apples, but this is the FD MK3 vs FC MK4:

 

[Romanko]

What is better for close up work? F or C ?

 

[maukka]

Just briefly tested one H600Fc Mk4 sample.

Just like on most frosted ZL's, output is quite far from specified (1124 lumens measured @30s vs. 1568 advertised). The tint is great with little difference between modes. Tint shift is a non issue thanks to the diffused lens. Efficacy is mediocre.

CRI and tint data measured from the hotspot on max mode (H1). Very nice tint (duv 0.0011) at 3983 K.

CRI data on M1. Slightly warmer and farther away from BBL but still great (duv 0.0021).

Total system efficacy over the runtime is 86 lm/W measured on the 410 lumen H2 mode. A Clear improvement over the H600Fd Mk3 with an XM-L2 Easywhite which clocked in at 67 lm/W especially considering the CRI90+ emitter on the Mk4. Still far away from the H2R (135 lm/W).

 

[twistedraven]

So instead of a 500ish lumen high output that's PID regulated, it's around 400 lumen with flat regulation for 2.5 hours? That's rather nice. I think I'll use that as my high output for long walks and hiking.

 

[maukka]

Not quite. In room temperature without cooling, it will step down and start wildly oscillating at about 18-20 minutes.

 

[maukka]

Here's the PID hunting in action when the light is not cooled.

Zoomed in

 

[twistedraven]

Omg that looks horrible. If it were a difference of 150 lumens above 1000 lumens, the effect would barely be perceivable, but at 2-400ish lumens, that would be very noticeable. I'll have to test mine later.

EDIT: I just tested my H600FC MK4 (mine was a pre-order unit) on the 560 output mode up to 30 minutes. I'm not going to deny that there isn't some form of PID on this output, but if there were any changes I saw, they were small enough to make me throw them off as placebo. It was a relatively smooth output. I could not detect the oscillation, or at the very least, nothing was glaringly obvious and distracting.

 

[terjee]

What is better for close up work? F or C ?

F is frosted, for floodier beam.
C is for color temperature.

You can find both in the same light though, so H600Fc, which is also what I'd personally prefer for close up work.