Zebralight SC51 (XP-G R4) & SC50w (XP-E Neutral) 1xAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS +

[RedForest UK]

Re: Zebralight SC51 (XP-G R4) & SC50w (XP-E Neutral) 1xAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOT

Did they give you any info on a possible release date? Or a neutral version?

 

[Brasso]

Re: Zebralight SC51 (XP-G R4) & SC50w (XP-E Neutral) 1xAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOT

If the performance on a Nimh and 14500 are the same, why would you use a lower capacity 14500 anyway?

 

[mellowman]

Re: Zebralight SC51 (XP-G R4) & SC50w (XP-E Neutral) 1xAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOT

If the performance on a Nimh and 14500 are the same, why would you use a lower capacity 14500 anyway?

14500 weighs less than a NiMh bat, almost 1/2 as much.

+1 for adding a low freq. strobe to second med. or better yet a programmable UI like IBS.

 

[FroggyTaco]

Re: Zebralight SC51 (XP-G R4) & SC50w (XP-E Neutral) 1xAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOT

If the performance on a Nimh and 14500 are the same, why would you use a lower capacity 14500 anyway?

Umm a 14500 cell has 2.775 Wh of energy.

A Eneloop has 2.4 Wh of energy.

So technically a 14500 has more capacity than a eneloop.

However the Nimh circuit may be more efficient than the Li-on circuit within the light.

Travis

 

[Gregozedobe]

Re: Zebralight SC51 (XP-G R4) & SC50w (XP-E Neutral) 1xAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOT

But no they have to listen to the whining morons who don't like emergency modes.

Hmmm, you have just directly insulted an awful lot of CPFers with that statement. I thought this forum had a policy of "attack the post, not the person" ?

I'd also be interested in finding out why you think your preferences should take priority over mine ? :devil:

I hate strobes with with a passion, so I'm happy to either not have them at all, or have them hidden away so well I can't accidentally activate them unless I specifically want them (which is probably the best compromise, but does complicate the UI).

There are so many conflicting preferences amongst potential customers it is impossible for any manufacturer to satisfy everybody with just one UI (and yes, I include programmable lights in that statement). Of all my lights, I prefer the Zebralight style of UI.

I guess the marketplace will have the final say (there are lots and lots of cheap lights that DO have strobes - some with a choice of more than one frequency)

PS As soon as the SC51 is available I will be buying one, it looks very promising (and I like the two ZL lights I have now).

 

[leon2245]

Re: Zebralight SC51 (XP-G R4) & SC50w (XP-E Neutral) 1xAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOT

detectable by oscilloscope

So the production model's PWM can no longer be seen with the naked eye? If I wasn't looking for it with a ceiling fan test or something I wouldn't notice? I've since found out my would-be alternative to this light already has some other type of flickering anyway (& at a much higher cost), so I still welcome any improvement in this regard. Thanks for the updated specs.

Hmmm, you have just directly insulted an awful lot of CPFers with that statement. I thought this forum had a policy of "attack the post, not the person" ?

I'd also be interested in finding out why you think your preferences should take priority over mine ? :devil:

I hate strobes with with a passion, so I'm happy to either not have them at all, or have them hidden away so well I can't accidentally activate them unless I specifically want them (which is probably the best compromise, but does complicate the UI).

There are so many conflicting preferences amongst potential customers it is impossible for any manufacturer to satisfy everybody with just one UI (and yes, I include programmable lights in that statement). Of all my lights, I prefer the Zebralight style of UI.

I guess the marketplace will have the final say (there are lots and lots of cheap lights that DO have strobes - some with a choice of more than one frequency)

PS As soon as the SC51 is available I will be buying one, it looks very promising (and I like the two ZL lights I have now).

Wish more companies could appease these competing interests like S.F. did with their M3LT & M3LT-S. Otherwise identical except for strobe. That's pretty rare though for obvious reasons. At least Z.L.'s listening, so our moronic whining IS working. Let's keep it up! And yes personal insults are sometimes okay- but only when you're really angry, about flashlights.

Hey the heads don't unscrew on these right, just the tailcaps? So no swapping out with one of their headlights' bodies & using the SC51's head to avoid the whole clip situation?

 

[selfbuilt]

Re: Zebralight SC51 (XP-G R4) & SC50w (XP-E Neutral) 1xAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOT

So the production model's PWM can no longer be seen with the naked eye? If I wasn't looking for it with a ceiling fan test or something I wouldn't notice?

Well, ZL is hoping to have the PWM freq higher on the shipping version - as always, no guarantees.

Personally, even at ~120 Hz (the Lo2 freq on the SC30/H31), I find PWM quite noticeable in use. But other report not finding it an issue at this level. Certainly no problem with 450+ Hz .... although detectable with a ceiling fan, I don't know anyone who complains about it in practice.

Hey the heads don't unscrew on these right, just the tailcaps? So no swapping out with one of their headlights' bodies & using the SC51's head to avoid the whole clip situation?

That's right, the head is a sealed unit - only the tailcap opens.

 

[Dioni]

Re: Zebralight SC51 (XP-G R4) & SC50w (XP-E Neutral) 1xAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOT

Thanks for this great review!

 

[yowzer]

Re: Zebralight SC51 (XP-G R4) & SC50w (XP-E Neutral) 1xAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOT

Having higher PWM in the shipping version is good. Higher than 120hz would be nice, but personally, it's under 100hz where it's really annoying.


And not having silly useless strobe and sos and such automatically makes a light more appealing than one with der blinkenlights. :sick2:

 

[Lobo]

Re: Zebralight SC51 (XP-G R4) & SC50w (XP-E Neutral) 1xAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOT

I've been away for a while from here, but it's very nice to see that you still are keeping up the great work. :thanks:
As always, awesome review Selfbuilt!

And holy crap, what kind of output on a regular AA. Seems like I chose the right time to look for another light.

A small request if you have the time. Since the light is so tiny, it would be nice to see it together with other recent popular AA-lights in the review(your regular comparison pics you usually have are great to judge the sizes). I was kind of surprised when I googled and couldn't find any good comparison pics anywhere with the SC50/51 and other popular AA-lights like D10, Quark AA, Fenix etc etc. Seems like the SC50 hasn't reached the popularity as the previous mentioned lights, yet.

 

[selfbuilt]

Re: Zebralight SC51 (XP-G R4) & SC50w (XP-E Neutral) 1xAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOT

A small request if you have the time. Since the light is so tiny, it would be nice to see it together with other recent popular AA-lights in the review(your regular comparison pics you usually have are great to judge the sizes). I was kind of surprised when I googled and couldn't find any good comparison pics anywhere with the SC50/51 and other popular AA-lights like D10, Quark AA, Fenix etc etc. Seems like the SC50 hasn't reached the popularity as the previous mentioned lights, yet.

A good point:

Added to the review (I'll leave you guessing which is the SC51 and which is the SC50w ... ).

 

[Lobo]

Re: Zebralight SC51 (XP-G R4) & SC50w (XP-E Neutral) 1xAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOT

Thanks!

Damn, it's as short as a quark mini. Think you just pushed me off the fence there with that pic. =)
Can't wait til the sc51 is available(and hopefully with the standard zebralight headband).

 

[tandem]

Re: Zebralight SC51 (XP-G R4) & SC50w (XP-E Neutral) 1xAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOT

I keep wanting to like Li-ion cells (maybe the TK12 and 18650's will convert me yet) in single cell lights so I was staring at the review charts of nicely flat regulated SC51 output on Hi-1 and Hi-2 on AW Protected 14500 cells (good job!) until finally I noticed that output and runtimes on High-2 are more or less the same for Sanyo Eneloops and AW Protected 14500's. The AW cells provided 10 minutes more runtime but at what appears to be a negligible drop in output compared to the Eneloops.

 

[pae77]

Re: Zebralight SC51 (XP-G R4) & SC50w (XP-E Neutral) 1xAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOT

If you want to like Li-ion cells, it's best to try them in a light that is optimized for them, unlike the SC51 which is most definitely not.

 

[pae77]

Re: Zebralight SC51 (XP-G R4) & SC50w (XP-E Neutral) 1xAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOT

I happen to agree about the desirability of having a signaling flashing mode available but well hidden. However, I would never refer to other posters who hold a different opinion as "whiners." That kind of language/behavior is just obnoxious and uncalled for, imo.

 

[RedForest UK]

Re: Zebralight SC51 (XP-G R4) & SC50w (XP-E Neutral) 1xAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOT

I happen to agree about the desirability of having a signaling flashing mode available but well hidden. However, I would never refer to other posters who hold a different opinion as "whiners." That kind of language/behavior is just obnoxious and uncalled for, imo.

+1

 

[DM51]

Re: Zebralight SC51 (XP-G R4) & SC50w (XP-E Neutral) 1xAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOT

I've been away for a while from here, but it's very nice to see that you still are keeping up the great work. :thanks:
As always, awesome review Selfbuilt!

I've been away too - for the last 10 days.

Excellent review! This new ZL seems extraordinary...

 

[selfbuilt]

Re: Zebralight SC51 (XP-G R4) & SC50w (XP-E Neutral) 1xAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOT

Excellent review! This new ZL seems extraordinary...

Yes, it certainly is upping the ante for the 1xAA realm!

FYI, having EDCed the SC50w for the last month or so, I can report I am still pleased with its performance. But the SC51 does have an improvement in terms of switch timings that isn't immediately obvious: it doesn't move through the modes quite as quickly.

This is important, as I find sometimes on the SC50w I still don't hold the button down long enough to get only Min, and instead get treated to Max output when I release too early. It usually happens when I have dark-adapted eyes and I'm trying to avoid it cycling up to Med by holding too long - an unpleasant surprise to get hit with Max, to put it mildly.

As such, I'm glad to see the SC51 gives slightly more time before cycling on a press-hold. The difference isn't huge - and I can't quantify it - but I can tell the difference if I let the lights cycle through a few rounds repeatedly. The SC51 cycles through them slower than the SC50. :thumbsup:

 

[LiteShow]

Re: Zebralight SC51 (XP-G R4) & SC50w (XP-E Neutral) 1xAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOT

Yes, it certainly is upping the ante for the 1xAA realm!

FYI, having EDCed the SC50w for the last month or so, I can report I am still pleased with its performance. But the SC51 does have an improvement in terms of switch timings that isn't immediately obvious: it doesn't move through the modes quite as quickly.

This is important, as I find sometimes on the SC50w I still don't hold the button down long enough to get only Min, and instead get treated to Max output when I release too early. It usually happens when I have dark-adapted eyes and I'm trying to avoid it cycling up to Med by holding too long - an unpleasant surprise to get hit with Max, to put it mildly.

As such, I'm glad to see the SC51 gives slightly more time before cycling on a press-hold. The difference isn't huge - and I can't quantify it - but I can tell the difference if I let the lights cycle through a few rounds repeatedly. The SC51 cycles through them slower than the SC50. :thumbsup:

That's a small but significant improvement IMO. Low mode for me is used very often and after 4 months of EDC use with the SC50, I still make the occasional mistake (especially if I am in a big rush) in letting the switch go too quickly when attempting to start in low - blinding my night adapted eyes with high mode. With the extra time between modes, that's a welcome feature indeed. Of course the other way to absolutely guarantee I start in low is to cover the front of the light (and leaving a small crack) when turning it on. I can then check the output and making it sure it is on low before uncovering it.

I do wish that Zebralight could find a way to keep the strobes (fast and slow speeds) in there - maybe add some sought of hidden modes somewhere (accessed by a sequence of long and short presses). I have used strobes with my EDC a few times in the past for either getting people's attention form a distance or at the scene of a traffic accident to warn other drivers. Plus, strobes add a little cool factor too IMO. OK, I know this topic about having stobes in lights is highly subjective and I don't want to start yet another debate about it. However, if strobes can be hidden away until when needed and not interfere with regular use, I think that would be ideal.

 

[selfbuilt]

Re: Zebralight SC51 (XP-G R4) & SC50w (XP-E Neutral) 1xAA Reviews: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOT

Low mode for me is used very often and after 4 months of EDC use with the SC50, I still make the occasional mistake (especially if I am in a big rush) in letting the switch go too quickly when attempting to start in low - blinding my night adapted eyes with high mode. With the extra time between modes, that's a welcome feature indeed.

Agreed. Note that the difference with the SC51 is subtle (I hadn't noticed at first). But it does seem to lead to less accidental middle-of-the-night blindings (at least for me).

Plus, strobes add a little cool factor too IMO.

Yeah, nothing impresses non-flashaholics like a strobe mode. :laughing: I do like the slow strobe of the SC50w, but would also like a secondary Hi (as a battery saving measure for relatively high output). Not sure how to implement "hidden" modes with this design, though.