EDC Flashlight - Flight Bag - Zebralight?

Hey guys,

I recently bought a Lumentop IYP365 Titanium and a Preon P2 MKIII. I keep the Preon P2 MKIII attached to the outside molle webbing on my flight bag. It has been a nice light, but I'd like something else to keep inside the flight bag that is more powerful. I've found the output of the stylus size lights to be a little underwhelming in some cases.

A lot of folks seems to highly recommend the Zebralight. They have a ton of different models though, so I'm not sure what to look at. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

Something compact is a priority. The ZL SC64w seems to be a top recommendation.

==================Flashlight Recommendation Checklist================

1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?

X This will be mail-order or Online (location doesn't matter).


2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest!

X Up to $100.


3) Format:

X I want a flashlight (hand held/self contained).


4) Size:

X TINY - Every day carry (2-4 inches).
X SMALL - Every day carry (4-7 inches).


5) Emitter/Light source:

X LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness)


6) Manufacturer:

X I want to buy a light from a large/traditional manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.


7) What power source do you want to use?

Open to anything.


8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is not a happy experience).

X I want to illuminate an entire field, the neighbor's front yard several houses down, impress my friends and neighbors, etc. (300-700 lumens).
X I want search and rescue type illumination (800+ lumens).


9) Flood vs Throw: Flood covers an area, Throw reaches out to a distance.

Open to suggestions

____All Flood: I am doing "arms length" tasks like reading and campsite cooking.
____Wide Flood: I want a defined flood area for semi-close tasks like after-dark campsite tasks or working on a car.
____Narrow Flood: I want a sharply defined flood area that will project some distance for tasks like trail walking.
____Wide Throw: I want a beam with a noticeable hot-center for distance throw and a significant amount of "side-spill". Good for rough trail hiking, search and rescue, and general distance work.


9a) Distance: How far away will you typically need to see with this light (check all that apply)

Maybe a little bit of everything?

____Less than 1 yard/meter (reading, other close work)
____Less than 5 yards/meters (looking for something inside a dark shed/garage/basement)
____5-20 yards/meters (check out a noise in the backyard)
____30-50 yards/meters (I have a big backyard)
____50-150 yards/meters (I live in a very rural area/farm with wide open spaces)
____150+ yards (I am searching from a helicopter)

10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum continuous output).

____30-60 minutes (I have plenty of batteries just ready to be changed)
____90-120 minutes (Runtime is moderately important, but still not critical)
____3 hours + (I critically need this light to run on max for extended periods in between battery changes/charges).


11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase "you get what you pay for" is very accurate for flashlights.

X Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box).
X Critical (Police, Fire, Search & Rescue, Caving, Survival).


12) Switch Size, Type, and location (choose all that apply):

X I don't care.


13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.

X I want multiple light levels. (Some lights have 5-16 light levels.)
X I want a programmable light.


14)Material/Finish/Coating

X I don't care.


15) Water resistance

Some amount of waterproofing would be good I suppose.
X IPX4 (Splash resistant)
X IPX7 (Waterproof to 1 meter/30min)
X IPX8 (Submersible to greater than 1 meter for 4 hours)


16) Storage conditions

X Other: Flight Bag____________________________________


17) Special Needs/extras: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Select any/all below.

X Pocket/belt clip

I'd recommend the Zebralight SC64c LE over the SC64w. The color quality is substantially better, which has an impact on your ability to see detail. Sure, the max mode is lower, but it should take longer to thermal-throttle. It says backorder on the official website, but people have been receiving them in spite of that.

Zak said:

I'd recommend the Zebralight SC64c LE over the SC64w. The color quality is substantially better, which has an impact on your ability to see detail. Sure, the max mode is lower, but it should take longer to thermal-throttle. It says backorder on the official website, but people have been receiving them in spite of that.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the recommendation. Don't really want to wait for backorder. Already did that for the Preon P2 I have. Everyone seems to rave about the SC64w, so I'm sure I can't go wrong there.

As far as I've been able to tell, they're not backordered. They started shipping about 2 weeks ago without the status ever changing on the page.

Zak said:

As far as I've been able to tell, they're not backordered. They started shipping about 2 weeks ago without the status ever changing on the page.

Click to expand...

Interesting. Well I guess I will decide between those two. I think I'd prefer the higher output, but maybe not.

I never used a Zebralight, so I cannot comment on it. In my flight bag I carry a Malkoff MD2 with a M361 drop in. Great light. My bag does not utilize Molle, so I fashioned a PVC tube inside my bag as my light holder. If you want to use Molle, you can find any number of generic sheaths that should suit you. I have good light outside and inside the cockpit.

How about the surefire Aviator? Seems to be designed for just that type of use. Multiple output levels, and multiple color LEDs to choose from in addition to the white LED.

I have both of those penlights and they are pretty bright for what they are.

IMO, a Zebralight is designed to be very compact for EDC, and might get lost in a flight bag. Still, they are good lights and i highly recommend them. In order to recommend a light, you will have to define your requirements a little more.

• Do you want a light with a lot of throw to see all the way down the aisle?
• Do you want a floodier light to light the whole immediate area?
• Do you want an SOS mode?
• Do you want colored LED options?

Since you mentioned Zebralight and seem to be gravitating towards the highest lumen output only, i'll run down the options:

• a light with no letters on the end is the coolest white and the brightest (eg SC64, SC63, SC62, etc). Going from your penlights, even an older model Zebralight will be much brighter. To try a Zebralight on the cheap, the are plenty of older model cooler tinted zebralight for sale on Zebralight's website last i checked.
• The 'w' designation is a warmer tint. You sacrifice some lumens for a less harsh tint.
• The 'c' & 'd' designations are for a high CRI (Color Redering Index) tint. The c is warmer than the d. Again, you sacrifice even more lumens, but you get a light that more closely resemble daylight (sunlight has a CRI rating of 100)

IMO, the newer Zebralights with the hi CRI rating have almost as many lumens as the older models (from a couple models back to prior) and if i was just getting into lights, i'd go with one of those. The SC series is a good light, but i tend to use the headlamps more myself for handsfree use. Although the specs are STILL not fully in for the newer headlamps (runtimes at least), i believe the newer H600 series is brighter than the SC series by a hundred or so lumens. a spot/spill hiCRI option (H600c MK IV) wasn't available last time i updated my lights, but it seems to be on backorder on the Zebralight site right now. I'd suggest that as it has 1600 lumens on the highest mode. note that this light steps down very quickly so it won't be that bright for long (and it'll get really hot when it is...)