# New Zebralight S5310



## Quality (Sep 30, 2011)

Zebralight has been on fire lately and most of their upcoming lights have me very interested. Add another one to the list, the S5310, a 3x AA, 750 lumen tiny little flashlight. Here's the available details.

MSRP: 89$
Batteries: 3x AA
LED: XM-L
Typical CRI: 65
Nominal CCT: 6300
Beam Type: Spill+Spot
Max Lumens: 750
Min Lumens: .01 
Bezel Diameter: 1.47"
Length: 3.5"
Programmable L2 setting (.01-.32lm)
It also sports a battery indicator, nice!

Honestly this one has me almost more intrigued than the Q50. The output is nearly the same, and the S5310 should be easier to EDC.

What do you guys think?


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## josean (Sep 30, 2011)

October fools' ?

Wrong month! :thumbsdow


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## run4jc (Sep 30, 2011)

Even better to me - low is actually _*.01 lumen*_

Bring it!


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## papageorgio (Sep 30, 2011)

Was this just added to their site? I am assuming it will be round unlike the q50. I might hold out because I'm not so sure I'm in love with the square look...


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## Danielsan (Sep 30, 2011)

Its for the friends of round lights who dont like the cubic shape of Q50. 750 Lumen with only 3 batteries? So it means a lot less runtime then Q50. I will still buy Q50 and not this, i want the 800 Lumen and round lights are so common


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## Burgess (Sep 30, 2011)

Let me be the *very first one* to ask . . . .


Will it be available in Neutral Tint ? ? ?


:thumbsup:
_


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## Deal4 (Sep 30, 2011)

I like the Q50, but this should be easier to have in your pocket without it sticking out real awkwardly.
Sign me up! That is amazing output for 3 AA batteries!
Zebralight, you are on a roll!


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## 1anrm (Sep 30, 2011)

I'm interested!!!!


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## Acid87 (Sep 30, 2011)

Any pics yet?


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## low (Sep 30, 2011)

Acid87 said:


> Any pics yet?



I was waiting for that remark to pop up.


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## Acid87 (Sep 30, 2011)

low said:


> I was waiting for that remark to pop up.



Rules are rules and I want to make this one. If you find a light post a pic none of this coming soon rubbish either! Give me lumens god dammit!

In reality though thought there may have been pics as they have released some of the Q50 etc.


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## Scubie67 (Sep 30, 2011)

Of course AA battery chargers are are 2,4,8 and 16 capacity so you will have to be "creative" when it comes to charging your batteries and at 1.47" even if it is round will it be much smaller than the 1.3" square of the Q 50 profile wise.Great if they manage to do it

edit* it says bezel diameter is 1.47",I wonder if the rest of it might be smaller....ZL are great Tease artists


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## Lapetus (Sep 30, 2011)

Zebralights lineup seems to be getting pretty busy with light not too different to each other. 1 x AA was always their thing, I get that with the small size. 3 x AA and 4 x AA lights now too.

Gives users more choice I suppose, but I can't see the point in owning a lot of them, they would all just be too similar.


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## tre (Sep 30, 2011)

Huh. very cool light. They really are firing the models off left and right.


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## LiteShow (Sep 30, 2011)

Yeah, checked zebralight site and sure enough, they just updated their spreadsheet.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...Fc0FfUDFVSHVNS1E&hl=en&authkey=CNqP6KIC#gid=0

The notes at the right side of the spreadsheet does say "Programmable L2 (0.01-0.32Lm), Battery Indicator". I like low lows! Wonder how the battery indicator works?


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## B0wz3r (Sep 30, 2011)

Burgess said:


> Let me be the *very first one* to ask . . . .
> 
> 
> Will it be available in Neutral Tint ? ? ?
> ...



*+1!*



Scubie67 said:


> Of course AA battery chargers are are 2,4,8 and 16 capacity so you will have to be "creative" when it comes to charging your batteries and at 1.47" even if it is round will it be much smaller than the 1.3" square of the Q 50 profile wise.Great if they manage to do it
> 
> edit* it says bezel diameter is 1.47",I wonder if the rest of it might be smaller....ZL are great Tease artists


 
Not all. Chargers like the MH C9000 have four independent charging bays, so you can charge cells in any combination up to four. You can also have it doing different charge/refresh/break-in routines on different cells at the same time. So charging three at a time for this light wouldn't be an issue with that charger. (Not to mention it's one of, if not the best AA nimh charger on the market right now.)


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## Scubie67 (Sep 30, 2011)

B0wz3r said:


> *+1!*
> 
> 
> 
> Not all. Chargers like the MH C9000 have four independent charging bays, so you can charge cells in any combination up to four. You can also have it doing different charge/refresh/break-in routines on different cells at the same time. So charging three at a time for this light wouldn't be an issue with that charger. (Not to mention it's one of, if not the best AA nimh charger on the market right now.)


 

Yeah I guess I didn't think of that .I have the Maha 801D and I guess I am so used to having all they bays filled.Haha.


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## Diablo_331 (Oct 1, 2011)

ZL needs to slow down! They have so many really cool lights coming out. I can't decide which one I want to try first.


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## Changchung (Oct 1, 2011)

I will like to see some pics...


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## tygger (Oct 1, 2011)

I wonder if it can operate on 2 batteries like the Q50?


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## Tsportmat (Oct 1, 2011)

I've noticed that it's fairly big (for a 3xAA ZL), and also it just states 750, not 750/500. Maybe this has some decent heat sinks so doesn't have to kick down to a lower level after 5 mins? Very cool if so. The battery indicator sounds great as well.


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## scout24 (Oct 1, 2011)

If it's really .01 and programmable on low, I'm there. In neutral, of course... :thumbsup:


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## grayhighh (Oct 1, 2011)

Been looking for a AA light for a while, this might just be what im looking for. Also i never own a Zebralight, maybe this will be my first Zebralight.


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## Beacon of Light (Oct 1, 2011)

programmabgle low low. See Zebralight gets it. Other big name light manufacturers don't. I'm talking about the Fenixes, Eagletacs, and most Jetbeam models. Their idea of low lows are 2-5 lumens which is a huge fail.


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## specimen (Oct 1, 2011)

wait for launching


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## fnj (Oct 1, 2011)

YOWZA!!! ZebraLight is _*ON FIRE*_!!! The SC80 does _*29 DAYS*_ on a single AA at 0.12 lumens, so with 3 AA's at much less lumens, this one has the potential to give a staggering run-time. It does all depend on the regulator circuit, though. I will be watching this one. oo:


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## Quality (Oct 1, 2011)

All you guys asking about a neutral version; I'm with ya! :thumbsup:

I truly believe that they will release a neutral version of this light. Zebralight is waiting on very specific emitters for their Q50w and SC600w, so I don't see why they wouldn't use the same emitters for a S5310w.


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## Toaster (Oct 1, 2011)

I'm kinda on the fence on this one. The S6330 will have 288 step PID thermal regulation and I assume the S5310 will as well. I'm assuming there will be some fairly heavy throttling going on in "Turbo" mode out of necessity which is fine. If there's any thermal regulation interfering with "Max" mode or lower under normal operating temps, that will kill any interest I have in this light. I need my lights to have constant and predictable output + battery drain under normal use levels. I don't care to deal with a light that has intrusive thermal regulation and constantly wavering output when I don't want it to.


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## Tenebrae (Oct 1, 2011)

Toaster said:


> I don't care to deal with a light that has intrusive thermal regulation and constantly wavering output when I don't want it to.



I hear ya on that one. I've been in too many situations where the output ramps down but fast at exactly the wrong time. At first I naturally think, "Oh no, my battery's dying." But it ain't. It's the thermal reg kicking in and I find it annoying.


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## BBL (Oct 2, 2011)

I dont like thermal regulation too. If i switch the light to 700lm, it should stay there - or shut down if thats not possible, but not degrade over time.


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## ofgmjnfdu (Oct 2, 2011)

Need neutral version too.


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## NickBose (Oct 2, 2011)

This will be another 18 pages thread without a pics on a non existent light. Oops, I'm contributing to it.


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## jiuong (Oct 2, 2011)

NickBose said:


> This will be another 18 pages thread without a pics on a non existent light. Oops, I'm contributing to it.


 
Hahaha, but you are right, where's the pics......


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## Gregozedobe (Oct 2, 2011)

So far ZL have a pretty good record of actually making and selling "planned" lights (with the exception of the "2xAA side-by-side" light, but I don't think they ever claimed it got past the "thinking about it" stage to the "yes we are going to make and sell these" stage.

I believe more choice is usually better - a bit like the ZL UI gives you lots of choices of output (but is easy to quickly get the one you want).

For the people who don't like thermal management there are choices/compromises to be made (by both manufacturers and buyers). Smaller lighter lights simply don't have the capacity to dissipate a lot of heat, so most reputable manufacturers are conservative and reduce max light output ALL the time, or they allow a higher initial output but reduce when it gets too hot to save the emitter (thermal management).

Other choices are: allow the emitter to be degraded due to excessive heat; significantly increase the size and weight of the light to allow better heat disssipation.

As buyers, we can weigh up all factors before buying a light.


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## Gregozedobe (Oct 2, 2011)

NickBose said:


> This will be another 18 pages thread without a pics on a non existent light. Oops, I'm contributing to it.



That's nothing, check this one out:

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/sh...yle-4Sevens-light/page27&highlight=e01+killer

807 posts, over 51,000 views and still no specs, let alone a pic or two


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## Deal4 (Oct 3, 2011)

Beacon of Light said:


> programmabgle low low. See Zebralight gets it. Other big name light manufacturers don't. I'm talking about the Fenixes, Eagletacs, and most Jetbeam models. Their idea of low lows are 2-5 lumens which is a huge fail.



+1!


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## low (Oct 3, 2011)

How about a S5310w OR even better a S5310c Mr. Zebra?????????
Huh? Huh? Come on you know we want it, and we want it NOW!


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## bigfish5 (Oct 3, 2011)

I do not buy all that many lights, but this light would be a must have for me. I like the sound of the q50 with 4aa's , but I think the 3aa light will be much more pocketable instead of the square light. I also just bought 16 new eneloops and a smart charger, all I need is for this light to be released. 
My only concern with the zebralight would be toughness. I flounder gig almost every weekend out of a kayak at night. This light will see plenty of salt water, I hope it can stand up.


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## T-roc87 (Oct 4, 2011)

So many tempting lights being offered by zebralight as of lately.

Bigfish5, check this thread relating to the durability of zebralights. http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?321619-Zebralight-Torture-Test


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## Samy (Oct 4, 2011)

I'll take one in addition to the Q50 i plan to purchase 

cheers


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## bigfish5 (Oct 6, 2011)

Does anyone know when this light is supposed to go up for sale? Any pics of it out there? I really want this one.


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## NickBose (Jan 20, 2012)

Unverified source stated the S5310 would be released in Mar 2012.
Now let make this thread 20 pages before a picture appears!
stp where are you we need your autoCAD skill


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## fnj (Jan 20, 2012)

Remarkable how little buzz this is making, compared to the SC600 when the latter was announced. Maybe we're all so pleased with the way the SC600 turned out, we don't really need another more-or-less-the-same light with a much poorer form factor. I'm still psyched, especially with the 0.01 lumen L2, but I have to admit 3 AA's clunking around inside and containing less energy than a single 18650 which is barely bigger than a single AA ... I have to admit that does dampen my enthusiasm.


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## UpstandingCitizen (Jan 20, 2012)

fnj said:


> Remarkable how little buzz this is making, compared to the SC600 when the latter was announced. Maybe we're all so pleased with the way the SC600 turned out, we don't really need another more-or-less-the-same light with a much poorer form factor. I'm still psyched, especially with the 0.01 lumen L2, but I have to admit 3 AA's clunking around inside and containing less energy than a single 18650 which is barely bigger than a single AA ... I have to admit that does dampen my enthusiasm.



I know I'm stating the obvious here, but there are way more people that use AA's. As a person who strictly uses AA/AAA Eneloops, the form factor of 3xAA is very appealing to me.


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## Scubie67 (Jan 20, 2012)

UpstandingCitizen said:


> I know I'm stating the obvious here, but there are way more people that use AA's. As a person who strictly uses AA/AAA Eneloops, the form factor of 3xAA is very appealing to me.


 
This.....I have said it before the possible market of people that would use a AA light compared to Li-Ion light is easily 100 to 1 or even more.How many people "outside of this forum" that you know use Lithium Ion lights or Cr123 lights ..now how many of the other people use readily available AA lights or products. Outdoor sports people Hunters,Fisherman, hikers and campers would love a small packable AA light that would put out 750 or so lumens and not worry getting into a new battery format


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## Mr_Moe (Jan 20, 2012)

UpstandingCitizen said:


> I know I'm stating the obvious here, but there are way more people that use AA's. As a person who strictly uses AA/AAA Eneloops, the form factor of 3xAA is very appealing to me.


Exactly!


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## DIΩDΣ (Jan 20, 2012)

I am a tech geek, or, well, used to be... went to college for EE, etc etc and I didnt even know that universal Li-ions like 14500, 18650, etc existed until I came to this forum... and I am tempted to try them for there energy density but since I am already setup on AA so far I am planning to stick to that. About the only thing thats going to change my mind is when some 4x 18650 2,000+ lumen lights start becomming more affordable. To get in that range I think AA's would not be a good choice!


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## bbb74 (Jan 6, 2013)

Its moved in the spreadsheet. February 2013


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## Beacon of Light (Jan 7, 2013)

Looks like you're in luck with the SC6330 3x18650 and 3 XM-L LEDs for a high of 2400 lumens! Will also run continuously for a YEAR on .09 lumens for when the SHTF moments in a doomsday scenario which is something everyone should be at least preparing for.



DIΩDΣ;3853496 said:


> I am a tech geek, or, well, used to be... went to college for EE, etc etc and I didnt even know that universal Li-ions like 14500, 18650, etc existed until I came to this forum... and I am tempted to try them for there energy density but since I am already setup on AA so far I am planning to stick to that. About the only thing thats going to change my mind is when some 4x 18650 2,000+ lumen lights start becomming more affordable. To get in that range I think AA's would not be a good choice!


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## markr6 (Jan 7, 2013)

I love Zebralight but I think they need to calm down on the hype of possibly-upcomming lights and work on getting more of their flagship models in stock. You know, the ones that gave them a name and reputation for awesome lights in the first place.


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## TweakMDS (Jan 7, 2013)

I hope they give it 14500 support and maintain the feature I just posted about in the SC6330 thread: independent battery channels. I have quite a few orphaned eneloop sets and dislike making more of them and keep them in pairs.
If they do this I might forget all about the Q50 and get this one instead.

However, it's a bit unlikely. They list 1 - 3 x 18650's for the SC6330 but just 3 x AA for the SC5310.


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## juplin (Jan 7, 2013)

LiteShow said:


> Yeah, checked zebralight site and sure enough, they just updated their spreadsheet.
> 
> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...Fc0FfUDFVSHVNS1E&hl=en&authkey=CNqP6KIC#gid=0
> 
> The notes at the right side of the spreadsheet does say "Programmable L2 (0.01-0.32Lm), Battery Indicator". I like low lows! Wonder how the battery indicator works?


The circuit of S5310 might be three SC52's in parallel. Three AA batteries of S5310 might be also in parallel or independently operate like S6330.
Programmable L2 and battery indicator of S5310 shall be similar to those of SC52.


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## moozooh (Jan 8, 2013)

Looks like it won't be independent. In the battery column of S6330 it says "1–3" whereas for S5310 it's just "3". It probably made sense to make it so complicated for 18650s due to more dangers involved, which isn't much of an issue with 1.5 volt batteries in terms of both chemistry and temperatures. It's also cheaper than the new SC600 mk2 despite having the same max brightness—which is the highest I've seen for a mass-produced AA light, too. Even brighter than TK41! Way to go, ZL!

I'm very interested in runtimes of this new light. If they're gonna be anywhere near the original SC600 on eneloops XX, I might end up getting SC5310 instead of SC600 mk2. Extra weight, sure, but more abuse-tolerant chemistry and the ability to run on primaries and leech off of other AA-powered appliances in case of an emergency is more important in my book. I just hope this light takes 5.5 volt on input just in case PowerGenix comes up with a new generation NiZn cells, because that would be really interesting.


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## GordoJones88 (Jan 8, 2013)

Is the wily and elusive Q50 dead?

It's been deleted from the spreadsheet.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet


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## moozooh (Jan 8, 2013)

I guess they decided there wasn't much sense in doing it after all, especially since Nitecore had released EA4. If ZL holds true to their output promises, they've already beaten EA4 with 3xAA (good marketing potential there), and the only benefit of Q50 over S5310 at this point would be ~33% improvement in runtimes at the cost of square body profile. Round(-ish) is still more comfortable.


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## g.p. (Jan 8, 2013)

GordoJones88 said:


> Is the wily and elusive Q50 dead?
> 
> It's been deleted from the spreadsheet.
> 
> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet




The SC51 has been put in the discontinued section. :thumbsdow


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## Elitl (Jan 8, 2013)

GordoJones88 said:


> Is the wily and elusive Q50 dead?
> 
> It's been deleted from the spreadsheet.
> 
> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet



No, The Q50, no! You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, d**n you! :sigh:


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## rioimmagina (Jan 8, 2013)

Mmm imagine that with three 14500... 1500 lumens boooommm!!!


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## moozooh (Jan 8, 2013)

Lumens don't stack with batteries, lol.


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## Fireclaw18 (Jan 8, 2013)

What we need to do is convince Zebralight to make an SC600 sized light with 3 emitters and a TIR reflector.


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## chouster (Jan 8, 2013)

Has anyone yet noticed that Zebralight updated the specs of the S5310... It now says 900 Lumen from 3xAA! Hell yeah!!!


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## g.p. (Jan 8, 2013)

chouster said:


> Has anyone yet noticed that Zebralight updated the specs of the S5310... It now says 900 Lumen from 3xAA! Hell yeah!!!


Technology has marched on since they announced this in *2011*! :shakehead


That is sweet though! Any pics anywhere? I hope it doesn't have a square body. Triangular might be a neat anti-roll design.


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## markr6 (Apr 11, 2013)

Elitl said:


> No, The Q50, no! You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, d**n you! :sigh:




LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Somehow I missed this. CLASSIC!!!


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## regulator (Apr 21, 2013)

Updates?


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## GunnarGG (Apr 22, 2013)

Haven't given much thought to this light before but it sounds interesting.
Could be a bit like the SC600 but slightly wider/shorter.
3xAA in series gives a voltage like a 18650 but shorter runtime I'd guess.
If it is in series I don't think it's possible to run Li-ion in it but I don't see the use of it either, then just go for the SC600 instead.


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## regulator (Apr 22, 2013)

There have been some who received an email from Zebralight indicating it would be released this April. So hopefully it is close.

It should throw better than the sc600 due to a larger reflector. Having the option of primary lithium Energizers, Eneloops, Sanyo 2700ma NiMh, and alkalines allows a lot of flexibility. I would like to see at leasst a picture to hold us over.


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## davidt1 (Apr 22, 2013)

Zebralight has changed the release date to 2013. That means it could be December of 2013.


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## regulator (Apr 22, 2013)

I noticed this thread actually started in 2011! After looking at how long this light has been anticipated and not even a picture available yet, I lost confidence in it being released relatively soon. Bummer because I was really looking forward to it. I will not get my hopes up.


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## Bumble (Apr 22, 2013)

by the time zebralight releases this light we will all look like tom hanks in castaway... lol


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## fnj (Apr 22, 2013)

... and be skeletons slumped over the keyboard with cobwebs all over us.


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## GordoJones88 (Apr 22, 2013)

regulator said:


> There have been some who received an email from Zebralight indicating it would be released this April. So hopefully it is close.





davidt1 said:


> Zebralight has changed the release date to 2013.
> That means it could be December of 2013.


 
December 31, 2013 11:59pm UTC


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## Lightman2 (May 11, 2013)

So now I see maybe a Dec 2013 release ......... Was hoping the expected April or May so I could read up what others were saying about it. Dec will probably mean re considering the Eagletac GX25a3 or the Nitecore.


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## Dr.444 (Sep 25, 2013)

Now they removed the release date , guess it's not coming anytime soon


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## Derek Dean (Sep 25, 2013)

To bad. I would have already given away 3 or 4 of the Q50 lights as presents. The S5310's 3xAA form factor seems odd to me, but still, it would have been better than nothing. It's a challenge trying to understand ZL's marketing strategy. 

By the way, I love the homage to Planet of the Apes, in Eliti's above post. Very apt. Ah, the beautiful light that never was. Oh well.


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## regulator (Sep 25, 2013)

Too bad. I thought it would be released near the end of the year. I planned on purchasing it but am not counting on it now.


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## Zenbaas (Oct 3, 2013)

regulator said:


> Too bad. I thought it would be released near the end of the year. I planned on purchasing it but am not counting on it now.



Have lost interest with ZL. Instead of expanding they seem to have become somewhat stagnant.


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## markr6 (Oct 3, 2013)

Zenbaas said:


> Have lost interest with ZL. Instead of expanding they seem to have become somewhat stagnant.



It would appear that way, but in reality I think they just want to focus on what sells. They found their niche and want to stick with it. Of course, I'm just speculating, but feel confident about this.

Stuff like the blue and red H51's probably wern't worth the effort. IMO, the SC6330 seemed more like a fun project, experimental, rather than a light that would sell well. At $199 I bet the margin was pretty good, but definitely not a hot seller like their H51 and H600.

The SC52 seems to be a big hit. Common AA format, small size, Li-Ion support. Now in a headlamp config (H52)

For quite some time now I wished they would clean house and focus on the popular lights. It seems they read my mind! I'm rambling on...sorry!


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## moozooh (Oct 3, 2013)

This is an interesting point.

At first I felt somewhat irked about ZL continually shrinking their active assortment and near-future plans, but it seems that with their general pace of introducing lights, moving them to the market and reacting to market changes, there's just no other way. Compared to a good number of Chinese brands, ZebraLight is mighty slow! Not as slow as most American and European-operated brands—unlike those, ZL typically comes ahead of competition in their class at least at the moment of release—but not remotely as dynamic as ThruNite and the like, who just swap a new LED in at every opportunity, put the new numbers on the site, and call it a day in a good number of cases... cashing in on the novelty every time while others just haven't had enough time to react properly. It's a brutish tactic, but it helps pushing the reference frame forward. ZL, on the other hand, is visibly determined to do things _right_, and as with any self-respecting perfectionist, that often results in not releasing anything at all.  Which is also why it never fails to trigger a furious backlash whenever ZL _doesn't_ do things right—the QC issues, the tint, etc.—a backlash that most other brands are spared of because people didn't expect too much of their new releases in the first place (or because they worship the brands too much to care).

But focusing on the popular lights, well, I don't exactly believe the current approach and what the ideal one would be are so simple as may seem, but it certainly appears to me that they are not the same thing. SC52 and SC600 have been the main attraction, undeniably, but are they _really _worth neglecting everything else as badly as ZL has recently? For instance, the only non-lithium-powered light platforms ZL has released in three years between Oct'2010 and Oct'2013 were SC80, SC52 and H502... of which SC80 uses a 3.5 year old LED and isn't even produced by this point. People who wanted a larger and/or a longer-lasting form factor than 1xAA but didn't want to switch to a more volatile, less common, harder to replace cell chemistry, are still without the options they were waiting for: Q50, S5310, and a hypothetical 2xAA light. T5 and SC5 were also left in the limbo, even though I'm sure the market for them would be no worse than for H602 or something of that sort. New CR123-based lights haven't been produced for two years straight either—the last one was, once again, the discontinued SC80. The trend will hopefully reverse a little bit with H52 and H32 finally ready for release. Interestingly enough these two platforms skipped a whole important LED generation which otherwise convinced everybody else to jump on the XM-L bandwagon.

So yes, it does irk me that quite a few potentially useful lights—even if not as popular as SC600 and SC52—were delayed, or indefinitely postponed, or scrapped altogether for the mentioned reasons. SC600 and SC52 are of course necessary to show the market that ZebraLight is ahead of competition, but the truth is, without the two there's _no shortage_ of excellent high-performance 1x18650 and 1xAA lights (and even 3x/4x18650 lights) on the market. I don't even remember the time when there was! There is, however, a shortage of _virtually everything inbetween_ that isn't mediocre by today's high standards: 2xAA should be way more efficient than they are now, 3xAA and 4xAA are completely under-represented, there are no tactical lights remotely as efficient as a ZL, there are no simple UI lights as efficient as a ZL, and SC80-like transformers, when done right, actually make for amazing EDCs. But sadly ZL has been so focused on the number hunt recently that it continues to miss all of those opportunities entirely. Maybe it's to counter some of the dominant methods of Chinese hardware development (i.e. copypasting, like L3 has been busy doing). I've no idea actually, I'm not really seeing a solid strategy there, especially with certain lights being announced and postponed repeatedly, and others just popping out randomly.


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## stp (Oct 3, 2013)

I see few reasons:
-They are limited by resources to introduce more lights...designers/machine shop/led suppliers/money frozen in the produced products limit the amount of light they can offer.
-They need some x amount of lights sold to get back design and production cost. Maybe the other lights don't have market demand big enough to cover these costs.

I think that they will be able to offer more when ZL as a company will grow little more.


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## moozooh (Oct 4, 2013)

Yeah, it appears that ZL has suffered a financial hit when building new construction lines on their US factory, which they were trying to recoup with something they did best and knew would be a hit. The obvious niche diversions such as SC62 that take barely a year between the first mention and release can only be explained by the fact that they didn't require as much R&D as, say, SC82 or T5 or S5310 or Q50 or SC5, which is of course a stretch, but still plausible.


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## passive101 (Oct 4, 2013)

They need to change their design so their lights are actually water proof on a regular basis before I buy another light I might have to trust my life to.


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## Phry (Oct 8, 2013)

passive101 said:


> They need to change their design so their lights are actually water proof on a regular basis before I buy another light I might have to trust my life to.



Amazing how often one hears this sentiment. 

I wonder if anyone, anywhere, ever has died due to their flashlight not being good enough


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## moozooh (Oct 8, 2013)

Death is a requirement for a tool to be considered inadequate now?

I'll attempt to address this seriously. I'm guessing if you're living in the dry part of the US and/or have never gone away from home for more than a couple days, this shouldn't be a big issue for you, but some of us actually expect to use these lights in humid or even rainy environments (or underwater, because buying a separate light for a rare use case is hardly warranted).

Myself, I've tested the watertightness of my Zebras and the ones I bought as gifts rigorously enough, and none of them failed. Maybe I'm lucky, but so far I've had no QC-related problems with my lights.


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## markr6 (Oct 9, 2013)

If death was a real possibility, you can bet I'd be carrying about 10 different flashlights on my belt!


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## moozooh (Oct 9, 2013)

So you'd eat them, take them as medicine, and used them to fight dangerous people/creatures?  "I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail."


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## markr6 (Oct 9, 2013)

I don't know about all that. But if death was certain and one light went out, I wouldn't want to rely on one backup. Who said 2=1 and 1=0?


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## moozooh (Oct 9, 2013)

If death was certain and you could account for that beforehand, it's extremely unlikely that quality of illumination would be the deciding factor. You can also bleed, drown, starve, dehydrate, suffocate, become poisoned, hit by a heavy object or a large enough animal, fall, freeze, overheat, suffer mental damage, and chances are I'm forgetting something important. Surplus flashlights will do remarkably little to prevent or remedy any of that, but they sure give a nice false sense of security.


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## markr6 (Oct 9, 2013)

moozooh said:


> If death was certain and you could account for that beforehand, it's extremely unlikely that quality of illumination would be the deciding factor. You can also bleed, drown, starve, dehydrate, suffocate, become poisoned, hit by a heavy object or a large enough animal, fall, freeze, overheat, suffer mental damage, and chances are I'm forgetting something important. Surplus flashlights will do remarkably little to prevent or remedy any of that, but they sure give a nice false sense of security.



Oh no no no. It was more of a joke based on what passive101 said about trusting your life to. Of course more flashlights won't save you from all the obstacles out there!


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## moozooh (Oct 9, 2013)

Ah, okay. This forum has so many people who _actually _carry 3+ flashlights on them to be "prepared", it made me take even the jocular notions seriously.


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## Derek Dean (Oct 9, 2013)

Hmmmmm......... a forum about flashlights where folks gather who actually carry multiple flashlights. Now that is unusual . But seriously, some of us do actually rely on our lights for our work (including me), and there have been many times when having several flashlights made all the difference between one of my guests being injured climbing up a dark trail, or having a wonderful carefree evening down at the beach. 

And yes, I can think of many times when a flashlight could have saved some ones life. It's not that hard to imagine that kind of situation. Sure, there are plenty of things that can go wrong out in the world where a flashlight might not help, but hey, half of the time it's dark, and if a flashlight can make it easier to find your way to medication, or signal somebody that you're injured and need help, or any of a number of other things, then why not carry a couple?

As to the S5310, I'm still holding out hope that Zebralight will get back to it one of these days.


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## burntoshine (Oct 9, 2013)

Some may think it's not necessary to carry a flashlight. I don't ever expect to get trapped anywhere or stranded in the dark, but if I do and the light happens to get wet, I very much hope it's waterproof. Earthquakes happen and things collapse. Most of the time I don't absolutely _need_ a flashlight, but there might be that one time when it makes a world of difference.


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## moozooh (Oct 9, 2013)

I was talking about carrying 3+ flashlights actually; I carry one myself. I mean if you're going to carry so much surplus weight, might as well carry something more useful in situations other than darkness. Like I said before, it's the law of the instrument.


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## burntoshine (Oct 10, 2013)

moozooh said:


> I was talking about carrying 3+ flashlights actually; I carry one myself. I mean if you're going to carry so much surplus weight, might as well carry something more useful in situations other than darkness. Like I said before, it's the law of the instrument.



I basically agree with you. I am often judging how much I bring with me and try to be somewhat realistic. I usually carry two lights; HDS rotary and a MiNi CR2. Lately I've been carrying a third, my SC52w, but when I switch to jeans I might have to just carry the two again. I carry more than one just because one could fail and then I'd have no light at all. I can't see a reason to carry more than three. If I have a backpack or something else, then I sometimes will carry a few more and extra batteries, but that also depends on where I'm going and what I'm doing. I carry 6 lights in my work backpack just for fun.


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## tonkem (Mar 19, 2014)

Anyone have anything new on this light?


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