# What is the point of having .06 lumens and .01 lumens in the zebralight 502?



## josherick (Jul 13, 2012)

I am new to flashlights and I see that the Zebralight 502 looks like a reallly great flashlight, but I was wondering why it has options for .06 and .01 lumens? When would you even want a light that dim? And when you get down that low aren't .06 lumens and .01 lumens virtually indistinguishable from each other?


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## Surnia (Jul 13, 2012)

when your eyes are fully night adapted, 0.06 and 0.01 are sufficient to see things in front of you. Its not sufficient to READ with, but its good to see and navigate around a house easily. I can read with the 0.34 mode though..


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## peterharvey73 (Jul 13, 2012)

You try getting out of bed at 2 am in the morning to go to the bathroom - you will find that 1 lumen OTF is blindingly bright.
Hence 0.06 and 0.01 lumens.
OTF by the way. Actual lumens...


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## [email protected] (Jul 14, 2012)

Caving with dark adapted vision...


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## gcbryan (Jul 14, 2012)

I could see the utility (potentially) of having either .06 or .01 but having both seems like mode overload.


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## Brasso (Jul 17, 2012)

The .01 lumen is barely lit. The GITD is probably brighter. I would think it's purpose would simply be as a locator / beacon. The .06 would work for very dark adapted eyes.


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## Bolster (Jul 17, 2012)

Has anyone here customized their low mode setting to the .06 or the .01? 

I left mine on the default .3 because it seemed plenty low as is. 

If you did change to the .06 or .01, there'd really be no need to ever turn the light off, would there? Given runtime measured in !months!


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## Bolster (Jul 17, 2012)

Regards most used modes on the H502, they'd be M1 and M2 for me. 18 and 36 lumens take care of most of my work needs. Seldom do I go to any of the high modes, and if I do, usually by accident. I did set H2 for the lower (62 lm) number, which runs for over 3 hours...if I ever have a job that short...unlikely.


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## davidt1 (Jul 18, 2012)

josherick said:


> I am new to flashlights and I see that the Zebralight 502 looks like a reallly great flashlight, but I was wondering why it has options for .06 and .01 lumens? When would you even want a light that dim? And when you get down that low aren't .06 lumens and .01 lumens virtually indistinguishable from each other?



Their first generation lights had 3 modes. Then it was 6 modes. Now it's how many? 11 modes? They will probably stick .03 between .06 and .01 for their next generation lights along with some cute clip that glows or tail that blinks.

Our parents had lights with just a single mode and they did just fine.


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## 127.0.0.1 (Jul 18, 2012)

it is enough lumens to poke around at night and

not really wake yourself up too much
not wake anyone else up
plenty of light to find something with dark adapted eyes



_*@davidt1
Our parents had lights with just a single mode and they did just fine.*_

Yup, and I now have sub-lumen modes and do better than parents ever did


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## dealgrabber2002 (Jul 18, 2012)

gcbryan said:


> .06 or .01 but having both seems like mode overload.





davidt1 said:


> Their first generation lights had 3 modes. Then it was 6 modes. Now it's how many? 11 modes?



That is THE reason why I didn't want to get a new Zebralight headlamps. Too much modes. I have OCD,


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## dealgrabber2002 (Jul 18, 2012)

Also, you might want to read this thread I started awhile back. Many people love the low low modes.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?238505-Do-you-really-use-0-2-lumen


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## AnAppleSnail (Jul 18, 2012)

Dim modes:

I have cut up an $8 flashlight and added a 500-kOhm potentiometer to its tailcap. This lets me make the light astonishingly dim - so much so that I can look directly into the LED showerhead when I get up in the night without being blinded. The LEDs are dimmer than my GITD things that sit inside all day. I set this on the nightstand behind my glass of water so I can wake up and get the glass easily. This dimmest setting represents a current of about 4 micro-amps. The intermediate settings of about 100 kOhms are plenty bright enough to walk around in. 

I do see the need for reasonable light steps. In fact, 1.4x brightness is about the minimum 'Okay, that is brighter' change. I would be okay with tripling levels - because tripling photons always looks the same amount brighter, even at low levels. That gives 12 modes between 0.001 and 200 lumens. The trick is to be able to select 12 modes efficiently, and drive them efficiently.


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## CamoNinja (Jul 18, 2012)

It amazes me so many people need a light to get to the bathroom.


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## AnAppleSnail (Jul 18, 2012)

CamoNinja said:


> It amazes me so many people need a light to get to the bathroom.



People are amazed by all kinds of things, including carrying a flashlight every day (Why do you have a _flashlight!?_) or having change for a $20. Some of us don't have any city lights nearby. Others have cats and dogs, or small, wandering plastic bits left on the floor sometimes. When I lived in town, I could just about read in my living room without the lights on. Now if I want to see what I'm about to step on, I need my own light. And since I have the technology, to rebuild them dimmer, stronger, etc, then I will


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## Ezeriel (Jul 18, 2012)

I just got an H502, and mine has 5 low settings I assume the 2.7, and then 4 others I can choose from.

Whatever they are, the brightest one is the only one of any use, and that use would be a nightlight in a camping tent.. maybe.. i dunno, it's all I can think of


and that's a good use.. the H502 should be thought of as camping lantern you can strap to your head


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## Bolster (Jul 18, 2012)

I use the dim modes for checking on my sleeping child. She'll wake up if the light's a couple lumens, but sleeps right through the sublumen modes.


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## bbb74 (Jul 19, 2012)

Brasso said:


> The .01 lumen is barely lit. The GITD is probably brighter. I would think it's purpose would simply be as a locator / beacon. The .06 would work for very dark adapted eyes.



+1

The .01 lumen lets you find the light at night, without the light being bright enough to disturb you.

The .06 mode is enough to get around with dark adapted eyes. Its not enough in general to see small objects of a similar colour on the floor but its enough to avoid tripping over shoes/toy cars etc. Its good because its not enough to disturb anybody.

I find the normal zebra/4sevens 0.1-0.3 lumen type moon modes are still bright enough to disturb sleeping people at night - I usually have to mask the lens and just let a sliver of light come out.

Note: I live in a dark area


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## Brasso (Jul 19, 2012)

I would like to have access to all the modes without having to go into programming mode though.


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## Bolster (Jul 19, 2012)

Brasso said:


> I would like to have access to all the modes without having to go into programming mode though.



Not me!! Unless it was a dial, then OK. I like an uncomplicated UI, with flashy modes well hidden.


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## tychoseven (Jul 19, 2012)

Ideally I'd like to program the output of all modes, not just 1/2 of each level, but I'm pleased with the UI as it is. You can use it as if there were only 3 modes if you so choose, or take advantage of more for additional flexibility.


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## Bolster (Jul 21, 2012)

I forsee a USB hookup where you can program a light with precisely the levels you want, using computer software.


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## Ezeriel (Jul 22, 2012)

Bolster said:


> I forsee a USB hookup where you can program a light with precisely the levels you want, using computer software.




I'd be all in favor of that ! 

and 6 modes too.. 



I'm feeling a slight case of need-a-new-light-itis coming on


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## tickled (Jul 22, 2012)

I spose if you live in an urban area like me you'd have little use for such low levels. I know they're useless for me because there's enough street light filtering in through the windows to make 0.01 and 0.06 unnecessary for maintaining night vision or walking in the hall at night.


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## B0wz3r (Jul 24, 2012)

CamoNinja said:


> It amazes me so many people need a light to get to the bathroom.


Some people's bathrooms are at the other end of their houses from their bedrooms, and the pathways are not very well lit. Some of us are older and have poorer eyesight too. (Sucks getting old...)



Bolster said:


> I use the dim modes for checking on my sleeping child. She'll wake up if the light's a couple lumens, but sleeps right through the sublumen modes.


My daughter isn't that sensitive, but my wife is. I too (as you well know B,  love the sublumen modes. :wave: )



Bolster said:


> I forsee a USB hookup where you can program a light with precisely the levels you want, using computer software.


They're called "NexTorch", or something like that. Don't think they make any neutrals or warms though.


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## Buckley (Jul 25, 2012)

For those of you who live in cities and never venture forth into the dark, dark nights of rural America, sub-lumen lights are probably useless. Until the grid goes down. Once it does, you will understand why I replaced my 0.08 lumen Thrunite T10 with a Nitecore IFE2 -- which can generate as little as 0.003 lumen -- as my bedside torch.


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## Sub_Umbra (Jul 26, 2012)

*"The better part of valor is discretion."* -Falstaff


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## srfreddy (Jul 26, 2012)

Sub_Umbra said:


> *"The better part of valor is discretion."* -Falstaff


As in Henry IV?


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## Sub_Umbra (Jul 26, 2012)

Yes it is.


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## Bullzeyebill (Jul 26, 2012)

tickled said:


> I spose if you live in an urban area like me you'd have little use for such low levels. I know they're useless for me because there's enough street light filtering in through the window as to make 0.01 and 0.06 unnecessary for maintaining night vision or walking in the hall at night.



You need thicker drapes to cut that filtered light down from outside. Of course that is just me, as I turn off lights when I'm walking around at night, so I can use one of my low output flashlights. All the fun in being a flashaholic. LOL.

Bill


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## Woods Walker (Jul 28, 2012)

peterharvey73 said:


> You try getting out of bed at 2 am in the morning to go to the bathroom - you will find that 1 lumen OTF is blindingly bright.
> Hence 0.06 and 0.01 lumens.
> OTF by the way. Actual lumens...



I don't find the older 2ish lumen low of my H501w to be blindlingly bright in the bathroom. Now if I look into the LED then yes.


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## david57strat (Jul 28, 2012)

Bolster said:


> I forsee a USB hookup where you can program a light with precisely the levels you want, using computer software.



Bolster, Nextorch has a line of lights that can be programmed via USB. Some Nextorch threads can be found, here in CPF (I was going to cut and paste a direct link to their website, but I think I'd probably be breaking some CPF rules). I don't have any experience with their lights, so I can't vouch for the quality of the lights; but I think it would be great if Fenix and Eagletac came up with USB-programmable lights.


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## hoffmyster86 (Jul 28, 2012)

late in on the thread but shhhh dont wont anyone to see me reading this map under 1600 luminums now hahaha... the piddly litlle 3v lamp bulbs can be see from like over ther, i mean wayyyyyyy over there.

(that and after a few weeks out in the bush's you can see a gnat fart flash over in the distance.)


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## Ezeriel (Jul 29, 2012)

Just had a power out the other day, and I gotta say, putting the Zebralight H502 on the lowest setting (.01 lumens) was quite valuable in the pitch black.

1. it didn't keep me awake
2. it made the light easy to find in the pitch black


and since it will run for 3 months like that, I didn't need to worry about battery life


quite useful indeed


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