ZebraLight H50 - impressions thread

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Oddjob

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I got a PM today that they will be shipping upon paypal receipt so rather than cluttering up old threads I thought I would start this thread. Post your first impression, issues, opinions, likes and dislikes here when you get yours.
 

BlackDecker

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George sent me a PM and said their internet connection was taken out by an earthquake. Hoping all is well there and they get their site up soon.
 
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gunga

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I just wanted to chime in.

I've picked up the first ever Zebralight Q5 from George in Shanghai.

I'm impressed with the build quality but just as impressed with the though put into every detail by George. Kudos!

Some intial info:

- The levels are well spread out. The low being good for night adapted vision and close up work. I found medium useful for most tasks and high was a great even flood. Very impressive.

- The light is as advertised: all flood. Great for task lighting and also for indoor use. It's pretty good for trail type use, but a bit diffuse for aggressive trail use. Don't expect to use it on a bike or on skis. It's a great reading lamp too.

- The GID brackets are pretty cool. The GID rings I get here on CPF are fun but dim very fast. The GID material used on these brackets stays usefully bright. I was able to easily find the headlamp several hours later in the dark. Good stuff. They are also made of high grade silicon (used in keypads for Taxi dispatch units) and have a slick anti-dust coating.

- The lense over the cree is very exposed. Could be prone to scratching and it's pretty easy to accidentally plant a fingerprint on it. I'm a bit worried about this part.

- The anti-glare shield is a silicone cover and works quite well. I think it should be left on the light as it does not hurt the beam and adds a degree of protection to the light and makes it easy to find the business end by feel.

- The lamp is light and feels pretty weightless on the head.

- The twist switch is very stiff. It's water proof, but the double o-rings make it a bit tough to turn. Removing 1 o-ring did not help.

- The switch uses a spring inside like a Fenix L0D, so no battery denting.

- The light came well finished with lube on the o-ring, but like all lights, benefits from a clean and lube before use.

No battery runtime tests from me, I'm still in Asia till October. I just thought I'd let everyone know initial impressions.


Overall, I like this light. If you want a thrower, look elsewhere, but for a great, versatile, high efficency floody headlamp with cree and 1 AA, you've got it.


The thought that went into the details is impressive. I guess this "first impression" is more detailed than I thought.

In any case, enjoy your lights when you get them! I'm liking mine so far!

:twothumbs
 

BlackDecker

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Thanks for the write-up, gunga! I have my paypal in to George and am looking forward to getting my Q5 Zebralight.

I plan on taking it on a weeklong backpacking trip at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. With no moon and no light pollution in the area, it should be a perfect place to test the Zebralight.
 

swxb12

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Thanks for taking the time to post some thoughtful impressions, Gunga. Any chance you can take a few pictures?
 

PeLu

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The twist switch is very stiff.
If you are willing to modify your light, you could add a cable tie in the center (and therefore drill two holes into the bracket) to add friction where you need it.
One hand operation will be a big benefit for me. I'm shure we find an easy way to manage it.
 
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Daniel_sk

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I am waiting for my Zebralight - will post more when I get it, I am planning to write a review for Czech/Slovak websites.

Actual pictures of the production model from George (ZebraLight), if someone missed them in the Zebralight Summary thread:
DSC_0679cropped.jpg


DSC_0650cropped.jpg


DSC_0670cropped.jpg
 

serious sam

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I am waiting for my Zebralight - will post more when I get it, I am planning to write a review for Czech/Slovak websites.

Actual pictures of the production model from George (ZebraLight), if someone missed them in the Zebralight Summary thread:
DSC_0679cropped.jpg


DSC_0650cropped.jpg


DSC_0670cropped.jpg

Those are so CUTE! :grin2::grin2::grin2: actually I couldn't view those pics on the zebralight summary/review on the other post. This is the first pic i saw on a zebralight! :twothumbs uh oh! Must.... get.... one.... for... my.... self.... ;)
 

jirik_cz

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I'm looking forward for your review Daniel :thumbsup:

BTW what is the black part on the third image? Is it for head protection?
 

Daniel_sk

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BTW what is the black part on the third image? Is it for head protection?
That's an "Anti-glare device". It's purpose is to make the beam angle more narrow, good for people with glasses (which would reflect the light). I also read complaints from people that use the Petzl eLite+, it doesn't have anything like this and a part of the beam is shining right on your nose - quite annoying :).
It will also protect the lens from scratches - that's a side effect of this good design.
 

Daniel_sk

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Daniel_sk: How do you like the GID bracket?
I haven't received my Zebralight yet. The pictures are made by Zebralight. Gunga described it as high quality GID material that stays bright for hours.
I personally think that it's a good idea for most people, so you can find the headlamp faster in the dark - but some people might prefer a non-GID version -if you just want to turn off the headlamp and don't want to be seen. This is why I would welcome a non-GID option...(well at least the clip isn't GID).
 

gunga

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Wow, I'm getting famous.

Cool.

:twothumbs

Sorry folks, will not have time to take pix or such, but in any case, George has posted new pics already!

OKay, I took the Zebra on a Summit climb to Mt. Kinabalu today. I must say, it is not designed for this.

The light lasted about 1.5 hours in near freezing temps on high with a 2000 mah Eneloop. That is pretty much as expected so that is fine. Actually, when the battery was too low, it switched to medium only mode. I did not test further at this point as I needed high mode so did a field battery replacement (went fine, kept the light on my head the whole time).

The beam is a near bare bulb (more accurately bare LED) pattern, so is too diffuse for use climbing and scrambling in the dark. It was okay for the pitch black trail, but the beam was still a bit too diffuse for me.

I will have to compare it to my Seouled EOS with stippled reflector when I get home and comment.

I still think this is a great headlamp for the following uses:

- basic camping use, rummaging in a tent, pack.
- around the house and most indoor use.
- reading.

I do not think it is suitable for any real heavy trail use as the light is too diffuse and flat, even on high. If you want to wander the trails at night route finding with this light, you will likely not be happy.

I cannot comment on campground use yet, but I will be trekking in Thailand in about 10 days so can provide more feedback at that time.

I would suggest perhaps a more "wall of light" beam, but I'm unsure it's possible in such a compact design. I will consult with George and submit a complete summary/review in early October when I return.

Note: Beamshots are pretty tough to do for a bare bulb...

:grin2:


Also, I think the switch will loosen up with use and I will switch to my traditional superlube when I get home. This is not likely to be a real problem.

2 things that would make this light completely unbeatable:

- more "wall of light" beam.
- clicky switch (reverse would be best for mode changes).

Other features would be awesome but I will limit my comments to those 2 for the moment.

One more thing I forgot. If you do white wall hunting with the Zebra, you will notice a strange square grid pattern of lines on the wall. I contacted George about this. It is known and a function of the Cree LED. While this is a bit disconcerting and weird, I only noticed it when I was white wall hunting.

I have not noticed this in real world use (including reading). I will keep an eye put for this and comment as needed.

Hmmmm, I'm giving away all my my review secrets early! Enjoy folks.

:naughty:
 

Daniel_sk

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Thank you Gunga for the news.

I don't do climbing so I expect it will be more than OK for me. I use my Tikka XP with a diffuser all the time on low or medium (which is not much light, because it's an old Luxeon LED) and it's sufficient for me, so Zebralight will be an improvent over the Tikka XP for me.
I think it's good to bring a flashlight if you need to spot a trail further away. That's why I am going to carry a SF A2 along with the Zebralight.
 

gunga

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Sounds good Daniel.

The Zebra could be perfect for you. I don't have the clip yet, but will likely be testing it in October.

I just can't get over how good the GID is. I left it in the light for a little while (it can also be charged with the headlamp) and it is still quite visible 5 hours later.

Other note, I recommend using the anti-glare device at all times as it provides some protection for the lense and does not hurt the beam.

Also, when placing the lamp in a pocket etc, just turn it so the lense faces the bracket and it's protected.

The light spins a bit too readily in the bracket for my tastes, but I don't think it will ever spin by accident in use (unless you bump it firmly). Also, if the bracket was tighter, it might make it too hard to remove the light from the bracket.
 

BlackDecker

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Thank you Gunga for the news.

I don't do climbing so I expect it will be more than OK for me. I use my Tikka XP with a diffuser all the time on low or medium (which is not much light, because it's an old Luxeon LED) and it's sufficient for me, so Zebralight will be an improvent over the Tikka XP for me.
I think it's good to bring a flashlight if you need to spot a trail further away. That's why I am going to carry a SF A2 along with the Zebralight.

Daniel - sounds alot like the usage I experience... I too have a Tikka XP and use the diffuser a lot, but the light output pales in comparison to the Rayovac Sportsman Extreme I picked up at Wal-Mart a few months ago. The bad thing about the Rayovac is only one light level, so it burns through a AA Sanyo Eneloop in 1.5 to 2 hours.

I carry a Fenix L2D-CE if I want a bit more light throw. I'm planning on taking the Zebralight along with my Fenix on my Grand Canyon backpacking trip in Oct. At the bottom of the Grand Canyon, there is very little light pollution in the nighttime sky, as the nearest large city is Las Vegas which is over 150 miles away. I will bring along a Inova X1 (ver 2) for the extremely long runtime it offers.
 
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PeLu

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The people who have already got them are impressed, too.

The beam is a near bare bulb (more accurately bare LED) pattern, so is too diffuse for use climbing and scrambling in the dark. It was okay for the pitch black trail, but the beam was still a bit too diffuse for me.
....
I do not think it is suitable for any real heavy trail use as the light is too diffuse and flat, even on high.
As I wrote several times, a flood beam is very good for climbing and walking in the dark. That is (one of the reasons) why carbide lights were so popular for such a long time for cavers. Of course, there are cases were you have to look for a trail in the distance.

The light spins a bit too readily in the bracket for my tastes, but I don't think it will ever spin by accident in use (unless you bump it firmly).
Very unlikely that it spins, as there is almost no momentum. It's center of gravity is very, very close to the pivot point.
 
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