Zebralight SC600 MKIII HI BUY IT!

[PeterRamish]

I got mine this week. .

I got mine 3 weeks ago.. Testing it I find I prefer the CW, which also have so here's what I decided to do..
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...light-with-Neutral-White-High-Intensity-XHP35

 

[CelticCross74]

glad I got my MkIII HI the new XHP50 with a frosted lens is just a bad design. In order to eliminate the cross artifact from the bigger XHP emitters you either de dome them or shave them and use a heavy orange peel reflector. Just had this done on a new custom 4000 lumen XHP70 Mag build. Went from artifact sent it back for dedome put in an orange peel reflector now its perfect. Am curious as to just how much the frosted lens will mess up the beam profile.

 

[wolfgaze]

I got mine 3 weeks ago.. Testing it I find I prefer the CW, which also have so here's what I decided to do..
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...light-with-Neutral-White-High-Intensity-XHP35

I'm curious, if the light is only 3 weeks old and remains in new condition - how come you're not returning it back to ZL for a full refund?

 

[PeterRamish]

I'm curious, if the light is only 3 weeks old and remains in new condition - how come you're not returning it back to ZL for a full refund?

Well, I do not feel this is a fair way to do business. The agreement on the purchase is that it can be retuned or exchanged if there is an issue with the product.. There is no issue here, the light is exactly as represented and well within spec. I am an experienced user, I knew what I was buying, just now feel that it is not something I can fit into in my personal "use case" .. In other words I have thought better of the purchase now. That is not Zebralights fault, and I would feel like I am 'gaming' them if I just return it..

I know that most here on CPF would just add it to their personal collection and 'shelf queen' it. I rotate and use all my lights, so SQ it would not fit my personal style.

Anyway thanks for asking, it was a fair question.

 

[markr6]

Well, I do not feel this is a fair way to do business. The agreement on the purchase is that it can be retuned or exchanged if there is an issue with the product.. There is no issue here, the light is exactly as represented and well within spec. I am an experienced user, I knew what I was buying, just now feel that it is not something I can fit into in my personal "use case" .. In other words I have thought better of the purchase now. That is not Zebralights fault, and I would feel like I am 'gaming' them if I just return it..

I know that most here on CPF would just add it to their personal collection and 'shelf queen' it. I rotate and use all my lights, so SQ it would not fit my personal style.

Anyway thanks for asking, it was a fair question.

Fair enough. It's a gray area with the issue thing. But if Clinton gets to say "it depends on what the meaning if 'is' is", you should be able to say "it depends on what the meaning of 'issue' is"

Actually, they're pretty lenient with how they state it: Our guarantee is unconditional. If any purchase fails to meet your complete satisfaction, for any reason, you may return it or exchange it within 30 days of receipt of your shipment.

But I've done the same; sell instead of return. I just felt bad.

 

[PeterRamish]

..But I've done the same; sell instead of return. I just felt bad.

That's exactly it. I actually logged into my account over there at Zebra and started to write the first few sentences of a request for an RMA and got this weird little 'creepy' feeling, so I bailed out on finishing the process. I will feel much better just selling it. And anyway, maybe if no one buys it then I will take that as a sign that 'it was meant to be: me and her forever into the sunset !':buddies:

 

[wolfgaze]

Well, I do not feel this is a fair way to do business. The agreement on the purchase is that it can be retuned or exchanged if there is an issue with the product.

Appreciate the response...

Zebralight has a rather liberal return policy.... From the website:

Returns Policy
Our guarantee is unconditional. If any purchase fails to meet your complete satisfaction, for any reason, you may return it or exchange it within 30 days of receipt of your shipment

 

[lampeDépêche]

Well, I do not feel this is a fair way to do business.

Yeah, I agree with you on this case. If someone disagrees, I'm not going to say they are acting illegally--they aren't.

But I have the same reaction you do--it just wouldn't feel right to take advantage of a return policy when I'm an experienced user, the light meets all of its specs, and I just got it for a catch-and-release.

 

[tsask]

after I have changed/added the power levels, is there a way to restore the factory default settings?

 

[TCY]

after I have changed/added the power levels, is there a way to restore the factory default settings?

There isn't a reset function that I know of, you'll need to adjust the levels manually.

 

[mntbighker]

I think the readers and some of the responders on this battery issue would do well to consider that the issue might not be with Zebralight, but, rather with the battery industry that seems to not have a precise specification for the so-called "18650" battery and has allowed sloppy "add-on" of so-called "protection caps", which, as Zebralight engineers point out, are of questionable benefit and questionable engineering.

Exactly what I was thinking.

 

[AussieRanga]

glad I got my MkIII HI the new XHP50 with a frosted lens is just a bad design. In order to eliminate the cross artifact from the bigger XHP emitters you either de dome them or shave them and use a heavy orange peel reflector. Just had this done on a new custom 4000 lumen XHP70 Mag build. Went from artifact sent it back for dedome put in an orange peel reflector now its perfect. Am curious as to just how much the frosted lens will mess up the beam profile.

Bad design!? Do you mean to say it doesn't meet your tastes?

Bad design would be releasing a FLOODY light which had a defined hotspot with (more than likely) obvious flaws because they decided to listen to people on the internet with no real clue telling them they need to add a clear glass window in order to fill a product void that did not exist.

EDIT: I'm curious when people will get that lights that show more of their immediate envirionment in a wide, smooth and consistent manner, like this one should, are way more useful than given credit.

 

[oKtosiTe]

glad I got my MkIII HI the new XHP50 with a frosted lens is just a bad design. In order to eliminate the cross artifact from the bigger XHP emitters you either de dome them or shave them and use a heavy orange peel reflector. Just had this done on a new custom 4000 lumen XHP70 Mag build. Went from artifact sent it back for dedome put in an orange peel reflector now its perfect. Am curious as to just how much the frosted lens will mess up the beam profile.

I think it depends entirely on the use case. My HI is really great for late night forest walks, but way to focused for indoor, up close use. Even my regular CW is a bit too focused for my indoor EDC use, so for me it seems the plus would make for a much better companion to the HI than the CW does.

 

[CelticCross74]

different strokes for different folks. The HI is utter perfection out to near 50 yards for me. Up close work no problem I just turn the output down a bit. Color rendition is fantastic. I find the beam profile pleasantly diffuse around the hot spot transitioning into a surprisingly large spill portion for such a small reflector.

The new XHP50 light. I read the manual online and am convinced it would drive me nuts. In the manual it states that the frosted lens makes the output appear much dimmer. All they had to do was either de dome or shave the dome of the emitter. I just went through this on my new custom 4000 lumen XHP70 Mag build. With the dome on and with a smooth reflector I got the dark shadow cross smack in the middle of the beam. So after talking to the seller we decided to de dome and add an OP reflector. Worked perfectly. Not a single artifact at all at any of the lights 6 output modes. Used a light orange peel reflector and it worked. Beam definition is barely affected vs the smooth one.

For an upscale light maker that produces arguably the most sophisticated mass production lights on the market I am very surprised they did not just de dome or shave the dome the reflector is already a heavy orange peel. The frosted lens cost them more than it would to have just de domed the emitter in house.

On the XHP35 note Armytek has just begun putting XHP35's into their latest Partner Pro. OTF lumens is a claimed 1580. Will be watching AT and ZL closely from here on out. Have no idea how AT would get that much output out of the XHP35 I could have sworn the Cree data sheet said 1200 was what it can do safely.

 

[TCY]

But the ZL XHP50 light is shooting for high CRI and neutral tint. playing with the dome destroys both.

 

[CoherentRays]

Well, I do not feel this is a fair way to do business. The agreement on the purchase is that it can be retuned or exchanged if there is an issue with the product.. There is no issue here, the light is exactly as represented and well within spec. I am an experienced user, I knew what I was buying, just now feel that it is not something I can fit into in my personal "use case" .. In other words I have thought better of the purchase now. That is not Zebralights fault, and I would feel like I am 'gaming' them if I just return it..

I admire your integrity. I generally feel this way too and am often disappointed to read when others decide to return products for no other reason than they've changed their minds. Must be tough to be a conscientious retailer with the attitude some purchasers display on the forums these days.

Ed

 

[snowlover91]

different strokes for different folks. The HI is utter perfection out to near 50 yards for me. Up close work no problem I just turn the output down a bit. Color rendition is fantastic. I find the beam profile pleasantly diffuse around the hot spot transitioning into a surprisingly large spill portion for such a small reflector.

The new XHP50 light. I read the manual online and am convinced it would drive me nuts. In the manual it states that the frosted lens makes the output appear much dimmer. All they had to do was either de dome or shave the dome of the emitter. I just went through this on my new custom 4000 lumen XHP70 Mag build. With the dome on and with a smooth reflector I got the dark shadow cross smack in the middle of the beam. So after talking to the seller we decided to de dome and add an OP reflector. Worked perfectly. Not a single artifact at all at any of the lights 6 output modes. Used a light orange peel reflector and it worked. Beam definition is barely affected vs the smooth one.

For an upscale light maker that produces arguably the most sophisticated mass production lights on the market I am very surprised they did not just de dome or shave the dome the reflector is already a heavy orange peel. The frosted lens cost them more than it would to have just de domed the emitter in house.

On the XHP35 note Armytek has just begun putting XHP35's into their latest Partner Pro. OTF lumens is a claimed 1580. Will be watching AT and ZL closely from here on out. Have no idea how AT would get that much output out of the XHP35 I could have sworn the Cree data sheet said 1200 was what it can do safely.

Actually the XHP35 is rated on Cree's site with a max of 1833 lumens and the XHP50 is rated for 2546 max lumens so the numbers given by ZL are quite reasonable.

For me personally the new MK3 Plus model sounds perfect. I find the floody and high cri beams to be useful for a wide variety of indoor and outdoor activities. It certainly isn't suitable for outdoor areas where much throw is needed but for general hiking or walking the smooth beam profile is more helpful for me. I'm looking forward to testing this light and comparing it to my MK3 HI which is probably my favorite light currently.

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

I just bought the light but i still have a few questions.

1. How durable is the lens? Does it scratch easily? I work on cars with my lights and may shove them into copper wires, door panels, maybe bump them under a car. Will the lens scratch or shatter?

2. How easily do they clean up? Do greasy hands do the in in short time with no chance of getting the color back (as far as a rough surface is concerned)?

3. How do they handle being submerged? If i were to drop it in coolant or water while fishing?

4. How about impacts to the ground from pocket height or maybe a bit more?

 

[Connor]

1. How durable is the lens? Does it scratch easily? I work on cars with my lights and may shove them into copper wires, door panels, maybe bump them under a car. Will the lens scratch or shatter?

The lens is AR coated glass, so yes, it will scratch, both the coating and the glass itself if you push it into anything that's harder than the coating and/or glass.
To shatter the lens you have to be rather unlucky (e.g. drop or hammer the light lens-first into a nail with force).

 

[Bob_McBob]

I love my SC600w HI, but I would not buy it to work on cars. You want something much floodier for that.