Zebralight SC600w IV Plus

[terjee]

What are some good 18650s to use with this flashlight? Whany specific brand/model in mind? I guess it might be a bit off topic: what are good vendors? Know of any non shady Amazon dealers?

30Q and VTC6 are popular for Zebralights.

Direct is a good option for Zebralights, NKON is also good for Europe. I've usually been ordering from NKON with the exception of preorders. They offer a good selection of batteries as well.

 

[TCY]

What terjee said, LG HG2 and and Panasonic/Sanyo NCR18650GA. Watch out for button top cells as some ZL lights only accept unprotected flat top cells.

 

[roger-roger]

Are we expecting the SC600w IV Plus to have more or less the same beam profile, in terms of flood-to-throw as the SC600w MKIII?

 

[Tachead]

Are we expecting the SC600w IV Plus to have more or less the same beam profile, in terms of flood-to-throw as the SC600w MKIII?

It will be a bit different. It uses a larger emitter and has a 14 degree hotspot vs 10 degree for the SC600w MKIII. In addition to the larger hotspot, it has a significantly higher output(2300 vs 1126 lumens). In terms of throw, it's hard to say whether the much higher output will make up for the tighter hotspot on the SC600 MKIII. I would guess it will.

 

[holygeez03]

Has someone confirmed that the Sanyo NCR18650GA will provide the required amperage for the MK IV Plus?

And if so, where is the best place to get those in a small quantity these days? It's been a while since I have needed any 18650's...

 

[terjee]

And if so, where is the best place to get those in a small quantity these days? It's been a while since I have needed any 18650's...

These days, the "where?" depends heavily on "where to?"

 

[holygeez03]

Ohio... and it seems like ZL's $7 sale price is pretty decent to just order 1 or 2 along-side the light... assuming it will power it without any issue.

 

[Tachead]

Illumn is where I get my cells. They have a huge selection and are great guys to deal with.

 

[roger-roger]

It will be a bit different. It uses a larger emitter and has a 14 degree hotspot vs 10 degree for the SC600w MKIII. In addition to the larger hotspot, it has a significantly higher output(2300 vs 1126 lumens). In terms of throw, it's hard to say whether the much higher output will make up for the tighter hotspot on the SC600 MKIII. I would guess it will.

Thanks. After viewing the discussion at the new Hi/Plus thread, I'll probably stay with my earlier plan to go with the MK IV Hi. I'm not looking for a thrower per se, but compared to the base MK III beam, the MK IV Hi should suit my purposes well.

 

[Tachead]

Thanks. After viewing the discussion at the new Hi/Plus thread, I'll probably stay with my earlier plan to go with the MK IV Hi. I'm not looking for a thrower per se, but compared to the base MK III beam, the MK IV Hi should suit my purposes well.

No problem:thumbsup:. Just keep in mind that the tighter defined hotspot of the HI is not well suited to up close tasks. I have heard more then one person complain about this with the HI. But, this can be advantage with longer range stuff.

 

[Flashlight Junkie]

I pre-ordered the SC600w Mk IV (XHP35) and SC600w Mk IV Plus (XHP50.2). Can't wait. Thought about the Mk IV HI, but I already have a MkIII HI and I'm more of a wide hot spot kinda guy anyway. The new mode groups should be interesting.

 

[Derek Dean]

I'm looking forward to this light, but I do have one reservation. Of course, the big draws are the programmable UI and the new 50.2 emitter giving us up to 2300 lumens..... but one of the big things about ZL, at least for me, has also been the uber low levels, and I wonder if anybody else is concerned about the lowest low on this light being .2, rather than the .01 or .06 that we've seen in previous lights?

I know that folks in the 64c thread are concerned because ZL raised the lowest level to .12, and the SC600w IV Plus' low is much higher than that. I notice the the new HC600 IVc/d (which also have the 50.2 emitter), both have lows listed as .08, so it doesn't seem to be a limitation of the emitter. I think I'll check in with ZL and see what they have to say.

 

[CM2010]

No cool white version of the SC600w Mk IV Plus 18650 XHP50.2?

 

[Derek Dean]

No cool white version of the SC600w Mk IV Plus 18650 XHP50.2?

The cool white version was up on the ZL website briefly, but got removed for some reason. If you're interested in it, you might consider contacting ZL to see what's up.

 

[typevii]

I'm looking forward to this light, but I do have one reservation. Of course, the big draws are the programmable UI and the new 50.2 emitter giving us up to 2300 lumens..... but one of the big things about ZL, at least for me, has also been the uber low levels, and I wonder if anybody else is concerned about the lowest low on this light being .2, rather than the .01 or .06 that we've seen in previous lights?

I know that folks in the 64c thread are concerned because ZL raised the lowest level to .12, and the SC600w IV Plus' low is much higher than that. I notice the the new HC600 IVc/d (which also have the 50.2 emitter), both have lows listed as .08, so it doesn't seem to be a limitation of the emitter. I think I'll check in with ZL and see what they have to say.

Yes, very concerned. The H604 lows are higher too. Just posted this in the headlamp forum.

I'm still worried about the low modes. I found the 0.01 lumen on my 602w was perfect as a moonlight mode. However my SC600fd III plus has a lowest low of 0.18 which is too bright. Really hoping Zebralight keep a true moonlight ultra low for the new 604c. Its kind of a dealbreaker for me. I have plenty of super bright flashlights, but not so many with a really low moonlight as well. Still looking for that one flashlght to do it all.

 

[twistedraven]

Even in pitch black I never saw a use for .01 lumen, it wasn't enough light to light up much of anything at all. However, .1 lumen I have found to be rather useful.

 

[Tachead]

Even in pitch black I never saw a use for .01 lumen, it wasn't enough light to light up much of anything at all. However, .1 lumen I have found to be rather useful.

I disagree. When you wake up at night in the tent or at home with fully dark adapted eyes the 0.01 lumen mode is actually quite bright and plenty enough to find your way around. It is nice too as it tends not to disturb your significant other while they're still sleeping. 0.1+ is too bright for these uses and is only good if your eyes aren't fully dark adapted. Having this really low moonlight mode is one of the biggest selling features of ZL for me and several others as you can see. ZL has been giving us a variety of moonlight modes to chose from to serve all preferences and uses. Taking that away is a big mistake imo.

 

[holygeez03]

I have used the super low modes on ZL's for many years... in fact, there is a H502c on my night-stand that gets 99.9% of its use on the 0.04 lm mode... but I am guessing that something has to give on a rather small, handheld light with a large emitter capable of pushing out 2,300 lumens. Personally, I am fine with losing the super-low modes on this particular light in order to push the performance on the high end...

Also, due to the size of the emitter and beam profile, isn't it possible that the lowest 0.2 lm mode on the Plus will have a lux that is similar to a much lower mode on other ZL lights? Which would help since it is the lux that hurts your night-adjusted eyes?

I am not estimating that will be anywhere close to the 0.01 mode, but it might appear like a lot less than the 0.2 from other lights.

 

[Keitho]

The loss of the .01 lumen mode on the 18650's is fantastic for true flashaholics...its the perfect excuse to buy more flashlights! I'd recommend a full set of SC53's, SC5's, and H502's. Even with a AA, the runtime on those is over 3 months at .01 lumens, which should be sufficient for most night-light uses, even if accidentally left on during the day, every day...just swap in a recharged cell every time there is an equinox or solstice.

 

[Derek Dean]

Hmmmmm........ I got a very nice and thoughtful reply from Zebralight regarding my question about why the lowest levels seem to be creeping upwards. Unfortunately, I didn't ask for permission to post their reply, but here is the gist of it, which I found quite interesting.

Maybe you'all already knew this, but apparently the SC600Fd III, and all 18650 lights released after that one, have a driver that has 2048 sublevels, many which are much lower than the ones published on the ZL website. Their choice of .2 for the SC600w IV Plus lowest level has nothing to do with limitations imposed by the LED or driver, but is a conscious choice on the their part to set the 12 allotted user levels so that they are spaced "perfectly to the human eyes".

Evidently, as the output of the LED increases, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain that optimum spacing, requiring them to increase the lowest levels a bit to fit in with that model.

I find this fascinating, and also hopeful. It seems clear that if enough folks ask them to reduce the loweset output levels, at least a bit, then they might be willing to do that. Well, I've done my part (hint hint nudge nudge).

In any case, I'm continually impressed with ZL and their thoughtful approach to portable lighting, and will look forward to getting this newest version for my small, but potent collection.