Zebralight SC64w HI

[likethevegetable]

My EDC rotates depending on what I'm doing, but it's usually one of my 4 ZLs:

* SC600w IV Plus - walking in the woods, bike light (will use this summer)
* H600Fc IV - utility light, car camping lamp, nightstand
* H53Fc - Lightweight backpacking, travel
* H53c - In my lunch mini toolkit, loaner to GF when travel/camping.

I've never owned an SC6* light, so I'm basically grappling with how much I would actually appreciate the size improvement. I'm a sucker for optimized designs and the compactness is tempting. As you can tell, I'm pretty into 4000k, especially for outdoor use. But I must admit, the w Plus showed me that cooler is a bit nicer for using during the day and staying alert at light, and 80 CRI in use is still very good, definitely not as good as my c lights, but still more than acceptable for all my uses.

I'm thinking the SC64w HI would fit in nicely for carrying in the summer, used as a bike light for shorter rides where I'll be locking my bike and bringing the light with me to a gathering.

But in all seriousness, I think I just have a craving for a clean tint in a less-warm tint that I'm used to

 

[likethevegetable]

Thanks for the 2¢ koziy. I'm thinking I'll still keep my Plus as it's the brightest I have, and I love the feel in hand and broad beam. It can pump out a ton of lumens for a loooong time in the winter here. Which actually leads me to a question:

How dim is the spill on the 64 HI and how sharp is the transition (when say 30 ft away from an object)? I'm okay with having a bright hotspot, but I definitely prefer the appearance of a smoother transition in medium-range use. The SC64w is out of the question because I want a clean tint on this one.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the LE.

 

[likethevegetable]

Well fellas, I caved. Pulled the trigger on an SC64w HI from NKON. Figured I'd try to sell my H53c or H53Fc to make room.

Asked for one with dark ano and clean tint. Hopefully they can deliver!

 

[koziy]

Thanks for the 2¢ koziy. I'm thinking I'll still keep my Plus as it's the brightest I have, and I love the feel in hand and broad beam. It can pump out a ton of lumens for a loooong time in the winter here. Which actually leads me to a question:

How dim is the spill on the 64 HI and how sharp is the transition (when say 30 ft away from an object)? I'm okay with having a bright hotspot, but I definitely prefer the appearance of a smoother transition in medium-range use. The SC64w is out of the question because I want a clean tint on this one.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the LE.

30 feet away, with the flashlight on high, there's plenty of light in the spill. It's a pretty balanced beam overall, like all Zebralights. I was referring more to using it on low/medium modes indoors, up close. The hot spot being so small and bright can be a little annoying for stuff like that, at least in comparison to my other SC64. I am curious how the SC64c LE stacks up as well. So much comes down to the specifics of the LED itself.

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

30 feet away, with the flashlight on high, there's plenty of light in the spill. It's a pretty balanced beam overall, like all Zebralights. I was referring more to using it on low/medium modes indoors, up close. The hot spot being so small and bright can be a little annoying for stuff like that, at least in comparison to my other SC64. I am curious how the SC64c LE stacks up as well. So much comes down to the specifics of the LED itself.

Side-by-side, the 64w HI hotspot is a little more intense than the regular version, especially right in the middle. But, I don't really notice it when using the 64w HI around the house. It's still a floody light, and much closer to the regular version than something like the 600w HI.

Overall, you get a little more throw out of the 64w HI, so it's a bit more useful outdoors. But it's nothing startling.

 

[Mr. LED]

I notice a lot of difference. My SC64w is very floody, almost as much as my H600Fw Mk IV. My SC64w HI has a much more defined hotspot, like the old SC62 or 32 with XM-L emitters.

Funny thing is I ordered a H600w Mk IV last week, expecting it to be as floody as my SC64w (same emitter and reflector angle), but I was surprised by a throwy hotspot completely different than the SC64w. So throwy I couldn't use as a headlamp, so I exchanged it by the H600Fw.

Maybe we have also hotspot lottery?

 

[Mr. LED]

I just scored another SC64w HI. They're too good to have only one :candle:

 

[likethevegetable]

You monster! Some people don't even have one yet.

I might be getting mine today or tomorrow... pretty dang excited.

Also sold an old H53Fc to make room for it, so it only cost me a few bucks.

TBH, I'm a little concerned that it's going to make me want to sell my SC600w IV Plus, as I'm a "man of few lights".

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

TBH, I'm a little concerned that it's going to make me want to sell my SC600w IV Plus, as I'm a "man of few lights".

They're different lights, so you probably won't want to sell the Plus. Also, the 64w HI has a pretty short run-time on max before heat causes it to ramp down. You'll get way longer runs at the same output with the Plus. The 64w HI makes a great EDC. The 600w Plus makes a great floody outdoor light (I use mine for cycling).

 

[likethevegetable]

They're different lights, so you probably won't want to sell the Plus. Also, the 64w HI has a pretty short run-time on max before heat causes it to ramp down. You'll get way longer runs at the same output with the Plus. The 64w HI makes a great EDC. The 600w Plus makes a great floody outdoor light (I use mine for cycling).

Yeah I was actually thinking of using the Plus as my show-off and trail riding light (where I'm not worried about blinding others, since I'm the only one there at night), and my SC64w HI as an urban light where I only need 30 lumens so a car can see me (adequate street lighting here), can pocket it more comfortably in the pub, but still have 400 lumens available for when I hit the trails quickly on the way home.

My H600Fc IV heats up soooo fast compared to my Plus on H1, to the point where I don't even have H1 programmed anymore, I'm expecting to do the same for my HI.

BTW I've read that the actual max for the HI is about 1020 lm, anyone measure the second highest mode? (I'll probably just do a quick ceiling bounce at home and linear interpolation when I get the light anyway).

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

BTW I've read that the actual max for the HI is about 1020 lm, anyone measure the second highest mode? (I'll probably just do a quick ceiling bounce at home and linear interpolation when I get the light anyway).

Yeah, it's around 1100 lumens, give or take. Zebralight didn't update the specs properly, when replacing the regular XHP35 with the XHP35 HI. The SC600w IV HI is the same way.

 

[likethevegetable]

The girlfriend just sent me this. She's such a tease! :naughty:

Total turnaround time was 10 days from NKON (Netherlands), no tracking once it got to Canada though. Paid $105 Canadian all said and done.. $20 cheaper than direct from ZL.

 

[markr6]

The girlfriend just sent me this. She's such a tease! :naughty:

Info on how to get a girlfriend that sends flashlights, please

 

[likethevegetable]

*pictures of flashlights... No, I wouldn't trust ANYONE to buy me a flashlight.. except you guys. lol.

Well, first you DON'T tell her about your addiction, then wait until she's committed... and then lay it all on the table. At best she'll think it's 'cute'...

 

[likethevegetable]

First impressions are good.

Fits nicely in my coin pocket. Might be the only 18650 I'll actually carry. My H600Fc was slim enough, but just a bit too tall.

Tint is beautiful. Wow. So far it's very pure. Colors in my pantry and closet look good. Looking forward to using it tonight, should look great on the snow.

The tint makes the Plus' corona look a nasty green in comparison. Makes the H600Fc look slightly yellow, and makes the H53c like very yellow (I think I won the lotteries with two of my c emitters, no hints of green in them at all. Except for my H53Fc which I sold...).

Ano is very clean and uniformly smooth, except for a very small blemish on the switch side near the bezel. It's not as dark as my H53c (which is very dark, really won that lottery), and I'd say it's a normal ZL.

Good lord this clip is tight. Ridiculous and unusable. I'm afraid to even try removing these screws in fear of stripping 'em. Might have to search for a deep carry. Might have to resort to Pop's, but anyone know of any sub-$20 options?

Something that I just realized I love about ZLs - you always seem to naturally find the switch. They're great in the hand. I've definitely converted to a side-clicky type of guy because of ZL. But...

The switch feels different from my other Zebras. It feels more plump and like there's more space/air between the boot and the switch, where the other Zebra's I have I can't discern the spacing. The actually clicking mechanism is fine though, just feels like it's 1 mm lower than the underside of the boot. I think I've read of another user who's had this concern. I don't know, I kind of like that it's more difficult to activate, but I also don't feel as precise changing modes as it's not as firm and quick to click, very accute.

Anyone care to chime in?

I contacted ZL and the seller and asked them to compare some lights. If I decide to return it, hopefully NKON will be restocking some HI's and I think PayPal would cover return shipping. The SC64w HI model is definitely a home-run.

 

[likethevegetable]

Some more thoughts on the light after about 1 hour outside:

Color rendering is great for 80 CRI due to the pure beam, my white walls look clean, the snow looks true, trees look nice. It definitely doesn't bring out browns like my H600Fc (I think a user measured 90 CRI on BLF), but since there's snow on the ground for half the year, I'd say it does an equally good job outdoors. When looking at the beam, the w Plus is gross compared to the HI. But when looking at an object (i.e. actual use), both beams look nice and there's nothing to complain about from either. I'd say the HI is very, very slightly warmer than neutral at 100-300 K colder than the w Plus which is a fair bit warmer than neutral.

Throw is impressive for a light of this size, but that's probably because I'm used to more floody beams in general. I'd say it has enough throw for anything other than search-lighting. Another user measured the candela to be similar to the w Plus at around 14-15,000 (and stated we should minus 30%), and I would say this is accurate, they seem to throw as far. Other users have mentioned that the wide beam of the w Plus kills your night vision a lot more than HI's, and I'd have to agree, the HI has punch and the Plus is a wall. Although the HI does have a good amount of useable spill. Overall it's a very useful beam.

Moonlight seems as bright as my Plus (might be the higher intensity with actually less lumens), which kinda stinks. I wish it was dimmer.

A little anecdote: some people say that there's some overlap in the non-HI SC600's and the SC64's because of similar beamshape, and that 2000 lumens only looks 50% brighter. I'd have to disagree with that. The max on the Plus trounces the 64w HI, and maintains even 2300 lumens far longer than the HI maintains 1000. I think they'll both have a special place in my collection.

As for the button: I'll likely end up exchanging the light IF the seller restocks with the HIs. I wouldn't mind waiting. If they don't restock, then I have a difficult choice to make. The switch just doesn't feel as good as my others.

 

[JimIslander]

Ordered my SC64w HI on 2-19. ZL says it will ship in 5-10 days. Ordered a SC600w Mk IV Plus the same day and it is shipping tomorrow. So I'll report back my thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of each light in a couple weeks!

I did just receive my SC64c LE and love everything about it.

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

Moonlight seems as bright as my Plus (might be the higher intensity with actually less lumens), which kinda stinks. I wish it was dimmer.

The lowest moonlight on my SC64w HI is a lot lower than the lowest on my SC600w IV Plus. I'd say it's just about right. I'd still like an option for one level lower, even though I'd hardly ever use it.

OTOH, my Plus's moonlight is too bright for middle-of-the-night.

Are you sure you're using the lowest moonlight setting on your SC64w HI ? Zebralight's default is to use the second-lowest setting, so you have to reprogram it when you get the light.

I'd estimate the second-lowest moonlight on the 64w HI is about the same as the lowest on the Plus.

 

[likethevegetable]

I've programmed it to the very lowest - I've never had any issues with programming ZLs before so I'm sure I'm doing it correctly. Will triple check later tonight to be sure. Another little quirk I found (not concerning though) - the LED phosphor afterglow is quite bright and lasts a while (even if I unscrew the tailcap).

Can anyone comment on the switch? Does your SC64 feel different than your other ZLs?

 

[Mr. LED]

My switch feels good, firm click and no gap between the boot and button. But all my Zebras switches are a little different than the other. Some click louder, some are stiffer, they're never identical. My new SC700d switch for instance, is softer. My SC64w is firm with a loud click. The SC64w is almost as firm, but quieter click.

And the afterglow is long. On my second SC64w HI it's much longer than the first one.