Zebralight SC5 and SC5w First Impressions

[markr6]

Thanks! No expert on reflector design but I think the dark centre is just part and parcel of smooth reflectors. The question would be how the spot is it at distance?

The purple dot appears at about 4' and beyond. Any closer than that and I can't see it.

 

[geokite]

Now why the SC32 got PID, but not the SC52 or SC5 is something I will never understand.

I suspect that it has something to do with the voltage it accepts. Are there PID regulated lights that use 1.4V batteries?

Steve

 

[snowlover91]

The purple dot appears at about 4' and beyond. Any closer than that and I can't see it.

I wonder what the cause of this purple dot may be? I tried my light at a distance on all brightness settings and couldn't detect any dot or purple in the center so it seems to be specific to certain lights. Could it be a flaw in the reflector or the LED itself? Did you decide to just return it or do you plan to try once more? If you haven't already you might should give the SC32w a try... I know another Zebralight but it gives similar specs to the 52/5 lights but in a much smaller package. The SC32 and SC62 are the two best EDC lights from them IMO. The 62 offers the extra power and long run times while the 32 offers a compact yet amazingly bright package. Not that the SC5 is bad but for an extra half inch in length you get the SC62 with much stronger battery. The 32 at only 2.6" long is TINY.

 

[fnsooner]

I have a SC62w coming tomorrow so I can try to get some comparison pics of the two for you. I think the biggest benefit of this light is the turbo lasts 3 mins vs 1 and you don't need a lithium battery to get the turbo. Other than that though there isn't much benefit between the SC5 and 52 light.

Thanks snowlover, I look forward to your comparison. I am especially interested on your thoughts about the SC62w.

@markr6, sorry to hear about the tint on your new light. The life of a tint snob is filled with heart ache. I am probably going to pass on the SC5.

I know you have now sworn off of ZLs, but the SC52Fw is one sweet light that I qrecently purchased and it has a decent track record of having a good tint. It has now knocked the SC52w out as my backup to my SC62w. It is a great compliment to the 62w.

 

[markr6]

I don't use my SC52w often; it's the "nightstand" light. I really like it, but the SC62w just beats everything I have, or what I can see on the market.

After getting the SC5w, the SC62w was even more appreciated. The SC5 is quite a bit larger and bulkier than the SC52...even closer in size to the SC62 so I don't really see a benefit to it.

As some hinted, a SC62w and SC32w seems like a great pairing. But I do like to keep an AA-compatible light around. The fact the SC52 accepts both NiMH and Li-Ion makes it a must have in my mind.

 

[snowlover91]

I don't use my SC52w often; it's the "nightstand" light. I really like it, but the SC62w just beats everything I have, or what I can see on the market.

After getting the SC5w, the SC62w was even more appreciated. The SC5 is quite a bit larger and bulkier than the SC52...even closer in size to the SC62 so I don't really see a benefit to it.

As some hinted, a SC62w and SC32w seems like a great pairing. But I do like to keep an AA-compatible light around. The fact the SC52 accepts both NiMH and Li-Ion makes it a must have in my mind.

Have you tried the SC32 yet? I think you would be pleasantly surprised with it, completely disappears in your pocket and you don't even know it's there but gives 400+ lumens with great tint and nice beam as well. Between the SC5 and SC32 I would use the SC32 for EDC use while the SC5 would be a nightstand light or hiking/outdoors as well. The SC5 is a little too heavy for EDC use for me but it's very rugged, the bezel on the front seems quite protective and thick. Anyways if you don't have the SC32 yet I think you should give it a try, great EDC light and super small/lightweight.

 

[seasam]

my 2 cents after receiving today: this light is more of an exercise in pushing the limits of what you can do with a AA rather than the trying to be the successor to the SC52. it's nicely done, but it has lost much of the pocketability of the SC52. upside is that it fits in the hand better (for me).

it would be a great general purpose flashlight for those who prefer to stick to a more familiar battery type. in my case it will make a perfect night stand light. I like it :thumbsup:

 

[StorminMatt]

I suspect that it has something to do with the voltage it accepts. Are there PID regulated lights that use 1.4V batteries?

Steve

There isn't anything about a PID controller that would rule out its use in a light that runs on 1.2V, especially since the boost regulator would supply any higher voltage it may need.

 

[markr6]

my 2 cents after receiving today: this light is more of an exercise in pushing the limits of what you can do with a AA rather than the trying to be the successor to the SC52. it's nicely done, but it has lost much of the pocketability of the SC52. upside is that it fits in the hand better (for me).

it would be a great general purpose flashlight for those who prefer to stick to a more familiar battery type. in my case it will make a perfect night stand light. I like it :thumbsup:

Great way to sum it up!

 

[magellan]

Have you tried the SC32 yet? I think you would be pleasantly surprised with it, completely disappears in your pocket and you don't even know it's there but gives 400+ lumens with great tint and nice beam as well. Between the SC5 and SC32 I would use the SC32 for EDC use while the SC5 would be a nightstand light or hiking/outdoors as well. The SC5 is a little too heavy for EDC use for me but it's very rugged, the bezel on the front seems quite protective and thick. Anyways if you don't have the SC32 yet I think you should give it a try, great EDC light and super small/lightweight.

After reading the posts here which were very helpful I have ordered the SC32 and SC32w in both the AA and CR123A versions.

I have a lot of lights but these are my first Zebras. Given all the positive things I've heard I finally decided to dive in.

 

[gkbain]

For those interested I came up with a pocket clip solution for the Zebralights since they are notoriously known for being pocket shredders due to the very tight pocket clip. I'll try to post pics tonight, it's an aftermarket clip that costs $6-7 shipped and fits any Zebralight and transforms the stiff pocket clip to a nice firm one that won't shred pockets.

Tell us more about the pocket clip. The clips on the 5 & 52 are real shredders, especially the 5.

 

[snowlover91]

This thread I started about it, it works great and is cost effective at $6-7 a clip shipped. http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?401561-Zebralight-Pocket-Clip-Fix

 

[Sarlix]

Can anyone comment about throw, does it go further than the SC52 at comparable outputs?

edit: Nevermind apparently I can't read, this has already been answered

:tired:

 

[Mr Floppy]

The purple dot appears at about 4' and beyond. Any closer than that and I can't see it.

That to me is the LED is bit high in the reflector. I wonder if the solder is a bit thicker under your LED? I wonder why they went smooth with the reflector?

 

[snowlover91]

For those who asked for comparisons between the SC62w and the SC5w here are a few beamshot pics as well as a comparison between the two lights showing how similar they are in size. One thing I will mention is that even though the beam shots don't picture it very well, my SC5w has probably the best tint out of all my lights and is comparable with my Nichia 219 but slightly better to me. Also the better throw of the SC5 is apparent both in the pics and in real life, it isn't a tremendous difference but the hotspot is much more focused and less diffuse. All pictures were taken on the medium setting which is 45 lumens for the SC5w and 65 for the SC62w.

Closeup beam shots about 2.5 feet away. SC5w on the left and SC62w on the right.
​

5 foot beam shots. SC5w on the left and SC62w on the right.
​

 

[Fireclaw18]

Received my SC5w today.

Very nice. It's definitely bigger and heavier than my SC52w, but at least so far it seems to maintain turbo for much longer. The SC52 has a 1 minute timer on 14500 compared to the SC5's 3-minute timer. But I've also experienced an issue on all my previous zebras in that once the cell gets depleted, they no longer run the full amount of time on turbo. Unclear whether this new light will have that issue, but so far it's looking good (running on brand new Eneloop Pro).

Just tried removing the clip on the SC5. This reduces the weight a bit and gives better grip. I'm undecided whether I'll keep it this way as like previous Zebras the corners of the clip mount are sharp. But the clip mount does seem to be a bit more flush, which should help.

My SC5w's tint is perfect, and there's no sign of any purple dot in the center of the beam. Looks like I lucked out on the tint lottery.

 

[markr6]

But I've also experienced an issue on all my previous zebras in that once the cell gets depleted, they no longer run the full amount of time on turbo.

I was playing around with my SC52w yesterday. It would only stay in 500lm mode for about 2 seconds with a 14500. Voltage check gave 2 flashes. Measured 3.71v on the DMM.

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

I was playing around with my SC52w yesterday. It would only stay in 500lm mode for about 2 seconds with a 14500. Voltage check gave 2 flashes. Measured 3.71v on the DMM.

That sounds like a weak battery, unable to deliver the necessary current or has too much voltage sag.

 

[markr6]

That sounds like a weak battery, unable to deliver the necessary current or has too much voltage sag.

It's Zebralights cell. I will be replacing it with a non-protected cell when the time comes, though.

 

[chuckhov]

Actually, if it measured 3.71v it needs to be charged - That voltage level is an almost depleted battery, especially in a high drain situation.

Thanks,
-Chuck