Just did my third round of purchases from Zebralight and must say i'm over the moon with the new User Interface (UI).
I always hated that the quickest way to get from low to high was to turn the light off briefly and turn it on again, because this let me in the dark for a brief second at the exact moment when I wanted/need MORE light, not less.
The New UI fixes this. This is how I have set up my H600Fd Mk IV:
H1: 3.3lm H2: 0.08lm
M1: 562lm M2: 9.6lm
L1: 1568lm L2: 296lm
How I use my light, from most to least often:
* Putting kids to bed and reading stories to them, checking on them in the middle of the night: H1 (3.3lm)
* General outdoors work - setting up camp, collecting firewood, working on the car, etc: L2 (296lm) or M1 (562lm) if I need a bit extra. I like plenty of light, and I am extremely happy that I can use this level for 4+ hours (basically a whole evening of work) on a single charge.
* Showing off, seeing that bit further, fulfilling my flashaholic cravings: L1 (1568lm)
* Extra fill for photography: L1 (1568lm) - Hence High CRI version
* Camping/holiday night light for the kids: H2 (0.08lm) or H1 (3.3lm)
This setup has the following advantages:
1) When I turn on the light with a single short click it goes to one of the low/dim modes, which is good when I am checking on the kids so as not to wake them.
2) Having H1 and H2 set to low also means that when the younger kids find and use my light they are far more likely to turn it onto low, rather than blasting their and their siblings' eyeballs out with a short click. They are also less likely to have interest in the light if it's not very bright when they turn it on. Aaand, I'm more likely to find my light with some juice left in the battery when they leave it on.
3) A long click will still get me to high modes relatively quickly
4) When on dim modes (H1 or H2) it only takes a long click (press-and-hold for a moment) to get me to bright modes, without a brief plunge into darkness.
5) Double click from off and I have "high beam" and "low beam" accessible with a simple double-click. I was thinking of setting up L1 and L2 like this, but I needed to be sure it would only turn on in a low mode for when I am around sleeping kids.
From High it still does take me a little longer to get back to low. The quickest way is to turn the light off briefly and turn it back on with a short click. This shouldn't be as much of an issue as the old setup because when I am going from brighter to dimmer I shouldn't mind a brief bit of darkness as much. It will help my eyes accustom to the new lower light level anyway...
I never found I used the light on the middle "M" settings on my older Zebralights. So I have set up M1 and M2 as a mid-range bright and a slightly brighter low mode to give me a few extra options. I might also use M1 when I use the light as a camping lantern.
How do you use your light and how have you set up the UI to suit your needs?
I always hated that the quickest way to get from low to high was to turn the light off briefly and turn it on again, because this let me in the dark for a brief second at the exact moment when I wanted/need MORE light, not less.
The New UI fixes this. This is how I have set up my H600Fd Mk IV:
H1: 3.3lm H2: 0.08lm
M1: 562lm M2: 9.6lm
L1: 1568lm L2: 296lm
How I use my light, from most to least often:
* Putting kids to bed and reading stories to them, checking on them in the middle of the night: H1 (3.3lm)
* General outdoors work - setting up camp, collecting firewood, working on the car, etc: L2 (296lm) or M1 (562lm) if I need a bit extra. I like plenty of light, and I am extremely happy that I can use this level for 4+ hours (basically a whole evening of work) on a single charge.
* Showing off, seeing that bit further, fulfilling my flashaholic cravings: L1 (1568lm)
* Extra fill for photography: L1 (1568lm) - Hence High CRI version
* Camping/holiday night light for the kids: H2 (0.08lm) or H1 (3.3lm)
This setup has the following advantages:
1) When I turn on the light with a single short click it goes to one of the low/dim modes, which is good when I am checking on the kids so as not to wake them.
2) Having H1 and H2 set to low also means that when the younger kids find and use my light they are far more likely to turn it onto low, rather than blasting their and their siblings' eyeballs out with a short click. They are also less likely to have interest in the light if it's not very bright when they turn it on. Aaand, I'm more likely to find my light with some juice left in the battery when they leave it on.
3) A long click will still get me to high modes relatively quickly
4) When on dim modes (H1 or H2) it only takes a long click (press-and-hold for a moment) to get me to bright modes, without a brief plunge into darkness.
5) Double click from off and I have "high beam" and "low beam" accessible with a simple double-click. I was thinking of setting up L1 and L2 like this, but I needed to be sure it would only turn on in a low mode for when I am around sleeping kids.
From High it still does take me a little longer to get back to low. The quickest way is to turn the light off briefly and turn it back on with a short click. This shouldn't be as much of an issue as the old setup because when I am going from brighter to dimmer I shouldn't mind a brief bit of darkness as much. It will help my eyes accustom to the new lower light level anyway...
I never found I used the light on the middle "M" settings on my older Zebralights. So I have set up M1 and M2 as a mid-range bright and a slightly brighter low mode to give me a few extra options. I might also use M1 when I use the light as a camping lantern.
How do you use your light and how have you set up the UI to suit your needs?
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