# Zebralight SC64w HI



## michaelmcgo (Oct 16, 2018)

I lost my last cr123 pocket light so I'm now ready to go back to solely 18650 powered lights. I was just about to get a SC64w but then noticed on their website (on the compare models spreadsheet) they say an SC64w HI is going to be released this month!

Any details on it or a known release date?


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## holygeez03 (Oct 16, 2018)

Interesting... that might finally be a worthy upgrade to my SC62w!


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Oct 16, 2018)

I was considering getting the 64w HI, but then I thought it would be redundant since I already have the 600w MkIV HI.

The 600w HI is a great outdoor light, but not really too good for EDC. The hotspot is too narrow for close-up lighting, so I think the 64w with its traditional floody-ish beam makes a better EDC.

But I guess if you want a very small thrower for outside, the 64w HI could be good.


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## michaelmcgo (Oct 16, 2018)

I tend to like as throwy a light as possible because it allows you to use a lower brightness setting, especially at medium and long ranges. I use my 18650 almost exclusively outdoors. Can't wait!


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Oct 16, 2018)

Hmmm, I may have to reconsider, and get the 64w HI. On the spreadsheet, the minimum output is listed as 0.01 lumens, rather than the 0.07 lumens that the 64 and MkIV lights all have. I find the 0.07 lumen output to be too bright for middle-of-the-night. If the 64w HI really does have a lower output than the 64w, it might make a better light for moonlight lovers.

I guess I'll wait for a real test from someone who gets it first.


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## holygeez03 (Oct 16, 2018)

If I end up with the 64wHI... my usage will be H52Fw/SC600IV Plus/SC64wHI

Should be a pretty good combo... my SC62w will go into a car or backpack.


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## dealgrabber2002 (Oct 16, 2018)

michaelmcgo said:


> I tend to like as throwy a light as possible because it allows you to use a lower brightness setting, especially at medium and long ranges. I use my 18650 almost exclusively outdoors. Can't wait!



I also tend to buy light that throw rather than flood. You can always make a throwy light floody by adding Scotch tape or other films. But you can't make a floody throw.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Oct 16, 2018)

dealgrabber2002 said:


> I also tend to buy light that throw rather than flood. You can always make a throwy light floody by adding Scotch tape or other films. But you can't make a floody throw.



True, but the HI emitters are less efficient than the regular domed emitters. And, adding a diffuser will cut down quite a bit on output.

I'm not sure scotch tape is a good idea with lights that get hot. I'd be concerned that the tape would melt or burn and mess up the lens.

But in a pinch, sure, a diffuser can be useful. You can use an old laptop or smart phone screen, and take out the diffuser film that it uses. It makes for a pretty good solution.


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## Bob_McBob (Oct 16, 2018)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> Hmmm, I may have to reconsider, and get the 64w HI. On the spreadsheet, the minimum output is listed as 0.01 lumens, rather than the 0.07 lumens that the 64 and MkIV lights all have.



Just updated to 0.07 in the spreadsheet unfortunately.


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## dealgrabber2002 (Oct 16, 2018)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> True, but the HI emitters are less efficient than the regular domed emitters. And, adding a diffuser will cut down quite a bit on output.
> 
> I'm not sure scotch tape is a good idea with lights that get hot. I'd be concerned that the tape would melt or burn and mess up the lens.
> 
> But in a pinch, sure, a diffuser can be useful. You can use an old laptop or smart phone screen, and take out the diffuser film that it uses. It makes for a pretty good solution.



Scotch tape is not a good idea for high mode but great for Low and Med. Those are my most used modes. I honestly don't buy Zebralight for high mode use.


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## markr6 (Oct 16, 2018)

d-c-fix is MUCH better than scotch tape. It doesn't melt on the highest modes, doesn't come off, but will come off cleanly IF you want it too. No goo to pick at, just one clean piece. The results are better too with less output lost and smooth beam with a little hotspot still evident.


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## dealgrabber2002 (Oct 16, 2018)

markr6 said:


> d-c-fix is MUCH better than scotch tape. It doesn't melt on the highest modes, doesn't come off, but will come off cleanly IF you want it too. No goo to pick at, just one clean piece. The results are better too with less output lost and smooth beam with a little hotspot still evident.



D-C-Fix works good. I read about them. Didn't try it tho. I wonder does it has GITD version of D-C-Fix.


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## markr6 (Oct 16, 2018)

Bob_McBob said:


> Just updated to 0.07 in the spreadsheet unfortunately.



Yeah, bummer!


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## likethevegetable (Oct 17, 2018)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> True, but the HI emitters are less efficient than the regular domed emitters. And, adding a diffuser will cut down quite a bit on output.



DC-Fix is pretty darn efficient. I wouldn’t say the output compromise is quite a bit, I would say it’s quite small of a compromise. (alas, it kinda does defeat the purpose of a high intensity beam…). I would not hesitate to recommend DC-Fix to anyone who wants a smoother beam, even if their primary concern is total output.

I have an H53c + DC-Fix and H53Fc. Comparing them side-by-side, the H53c+DC has a slightly more defined hotspot with a slight hotspot shadow compared to the H53Fc, and actually throws just slightly farther than it while offering a similar beam breadth, but the spill is not quite as bright and smooth. Comparing the H53c (sans DC-Fix) with the H53Fc, the throw actually isn’t compromised a whole lot, and spill of the H53Fc is significantly brighter. The comparison of the H53c to H53Fc shows unperceivable compromise in total output, and the H53Fc to H53c+DC also shows an unperceivable compromise. This leads me to believe that the efficiency of DC-Fix is for all intents and purposes, comparable to ZebraLight’s frosted optics, which are highly efficient.


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## Outdoorsman5 (Oct 17, 2018)

Sweet! I love my SC600w HI Mk IV. It's been my favorite flashlight for a while now even though my first 2 were defective. I guess/hope ZL worked out the problem. A smaller version of that light would be very very interesting to me!!! I go camping once a month, backpacking at least 3 times per year, and primarily use a headlight (ZL H52w or H600w MkII) and love having a throwy handheld along for these trips. Hope this new one becomes my new favorite, and I hope they don't have the same stupid defects that 4 of the new ones I bought had.


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## Flashlike (Oct 17, 2018)

This is really interesting. I inquired with Zebralight back in September, asking them if they were going to introduce any upgraded versions of their "SC" series flashlights later this year -- in particular the SC64W. Their reply was "No plans for any updated SC's this year". This model was exactly what I was hoping for (an SC64w HI)! :thumbsup:


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## markr6 (Oct 18, 2018)

With an SC64w and SC600w IV HI, I originally said I didn't need this. But now I'm not so sure...it'll be hard to resist!


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## holygeez03 (Oct 18, 2018)

Anxiously awaiting beam reports... I would be forever grateful if someone could compare the beam to an older SC62w... and it would also be helpful for me to compare it to the SC600w IV Plus and HI to see where it falls.


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## Bob_McBob (Oct 18, 2018)

You may be waiting for a rather long time with ZL's typical turnaround.


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## markr6 (Oct 18, 2018)

Bob_McBob said:


> You may be waiting for a rather long time with ZL's typical turnaround.



They're been really good on the past few introductions, even putting them up for sale before anyone expected. I'm guessing not much into November on these two.


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## Flashlike (Oct 18, 2018)

markr6 said:


> With an SC64w and SC600w IV HI, I originally said I didn't need this. But now I'm not so sure...it'll be hard to resist!





markr6 said:


> They're been really good on the past few introductions, even putting them up for sale before anyone expected. I'm guessing not much into November on these two.



*markr6* -- Yes, you need one of these! And I agree on your projection as to when they will be shipping them. :thumbsup:


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## PoliceScannerMan (Oct 18, 2018)

This has my attention, bet the beam is awesome.


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## twistedraven (Oct 18, 2018)

I wonder why Zebralight isn't using the XPL HI in this light? The XPL is a smaller die compared to the xhp35, and would throw more in the smaller reflector of the SC64. It's true that XHP35 can offset that throw difference with its higher output, but only when it gets upwards of 2000 lumens. Even the SC600 only puts out about 13-1400 lumens with the XHP35 HI.


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## PoliceScannerMan (Oct 18, 2018)

twistedraven said:


> I wonder why Zebralight isn't using the XPL HI in this light? The XPL is a smaller die compared to the xhp35, and would throw more in the smaller reflector of the SC64. It's true that XHP35 can offset that throw difference with its higher output, but only when it gets upwards of 2000 lumens. Even the SC600 only puts out about 13-1400 lumens with the XHP35 HI.



Ah dang it, didn't see it wasn't the XPL HI. Poo.


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## markr6 (Oct 18, 2018)

Every comment I remember about the XHP35 HI (SC600w HI) was very good in regard to the consistent tint. That's my main concern. I'm just wondering how different it will be from the SC64w with the same small reflector.


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## twistedraven (Oct 18, 2018)

From what I have read on BLF, XPL HI is just as consistent with tint.


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## markr6 (Oct 18, 2018)

twistedraven said:


> From what I have read on BLF, XPL HI is just as consistent with tint.



I have an Eagletac that isn't so great, but that's just one example...and the only one I have. I'm very happy with my SC600w IV HI though, and the III before that.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Oct 18, 2018)

I find that my lights with the XHP35 HI have more consistent tints, regardless of CCT, than my XPL HI lights. The XPL HI are still very good, though. It's all the Cree domed emitters that have tint shift and green coronas, some worse than others.


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## twistedraven (Oct 18, 2018)

I picked the best out of 3 tints with my SC600 MK3 HI, and it still isn't nearly as good as the LH351D and SST20 4000k emitters that I put a minus green filter over, but the important thing is there's no nasty tint shift with the domeless Crees. Of course it all comes down to what tint bin Zebralight sources. There are tint bins that are below the BBL for both XPL HI and XHP35 HI.


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## michaelmcgo (Oct 20, 2018)

Looks like the preorder is open!


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## Fireclaw18 (Oct 22, 2018)

twistedraven said:


> I wonder why Zebralight isn't using the XPL HI in this light? The XPL is a smaller die compared to the xhp35, and would throw more in the smaller reflector of the SC64. It's true that XHP35 can offset that throw difference with its higher output, but only when it gets upwards of 2000 lumens. Even the SC600 only puts out about 13-1400 lumens with the XHP35 HI.



Probably because the SC64w HI is just a straight emitter swap from the SC64w. Since the earlier light uses a boost driver with 6v emitter, it's easy to swap in the HI version of the same emitter without changing any of the other components.

If they chose to use an XPL HI, they would no longer need the boost driver, and might need to make other hardware changes than just swapping the emitter.

Also, XHP 35 HI isn't a bad emitter. My understanding is it is brighter and more efficient than XPL HI.


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## anthon87 (Oct 22, 2018)

Fireclaw18 said:


> Probably because the SC64w HI is just a straight emitter swap from the SC64w. Since the earlier light uses a boost driver with 6v emitter, it's easy to swap in the HI version of the same emitter without changing any of the other components.
> 
> If they chose to use an XPL HI, they would no longer need the boost driver, and might need to make other hardware changes than just swapping the emitter.
> 
> Also, XHP 35 HI isn't a bad emitter. My understanding is it is brighter and more efficient than XPL HI.



They could use the internals from the Sc64c, which uses a 3v led, so a xpl hi version would be as easy as a xhp35 hi


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Oct 22, 2018)

anthon87 said:


> They could use the internals from the Sc64c, which uses a 3v led, so a xpl hi version would be as easy as a xhp35 hi



They'd still need a boost driver, for proper regulation. Or suffer a dimmer light that is regulated. Overall, I think the XHP35 HI is a better choice.


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## Bob_McBob (Oct 22, 2018)

The SC64c only drives the LED at 3A, so the XP-L HI would have a pretty low output in it. Swapping an XHP35 HI into an SC64 is a much more straightforward change. For some reason Zebralight runs the XP-L2 at exactly the maximum current specified in the datasheet, while they're happy to overdrive the XHP35 at 1.5 times as much or more.


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## Tixx (Oct 24, 2018)

The other night I needed more throw from my SC64w. Definitely interested in this. I have an SC600 coming just to fill the gap for a little. But no way I could pocket a SC600 like I can the SC64.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Oct 24, 2018)

Yeah, I was going to wait for reviews, but I'm sold on the SC64w HI. Definitely going to pre-order.


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## markr6 (Oct 24, 2018)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> Yeah, I was going to wait for reviews, but I'm sold on the SC64w HI. Definitely going to pre-order.




Man, I feel like I need to do the same! Buying both at the same time just doesn't feel right though. Wait, am I even allowed to talk like that here?


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## holygeez03 (Oct 24, 2018)

I have decided to pre-order the SC64w HI as it should be a clear upgrade to my SC62w... but I am likely going to wait to for reports on the SC700 beam/tint/etc as it doesn't seem like it's definitely going to provide me with significant benefit over the SC600IV Plus.


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## nahid0812 (Oct 24, 2018)

holygeez03 said:


> I have decided to pre-order the SC64w HI as it should be a clear upgrade to my SC62w... but I am likely going to wait to for reports on the SC700 beam/tint/etc as it doesn't seem like it's definitely going to provide me with significant benefit over the SC600IV Plus.


I am planning to purchase SC64w, what's your experience?


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## markr6 (Oct 25, 2018)

nahid0812 said:


> I am planning to purchase SC64w, what's your experience?



It's one of my favorites. And I got totally lucky on the tint. It could vary on other screens, but hopefully this photo shows you how good mine is. No yellow or green. Just a nice neutral white. Of course, these vary so it's really just up to chance. Good beam, compact, UI, everything is solid. It's so good I'm considering the SC64w HI as well.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Oct 25, 2018)

I can't stand it anymore. I pre-ordered it this morning. Christmas gift!


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## holygeez03 (Oct 25, 2018)

The SC64w HI is scheduled to start shipping November 23rd... that's an early xmas gift!


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## ven (Oct 25, 2018)

Should be as near as damn the perfect light, compact, powerful, decent reach.................win! Always wondered why they did not do a HI at the start with the sc64.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Oct 25, 2018)

holygeez03 said:


> The SC64w HI is scheduled to start shipping November 23rd... that's an early xmas gift!



It'll take at least a week to get here from China. And, hopefully they won't push out the Nov 23 estimate. So, yeah, maybe an early Christmas! 





ven said:


> Should be as near as damn the perfect light, compact, powerful, decent reach.................win! Always wondered why they did not do a HI at the start with the sc64.



Probably a good business decision, to push sales of the SC600w HI. Besides, ZL has generally stuck with floody lights for their small sizes. The 64w HI will be a different offering than they usually do.


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## holygeez03 (Oct 25, 2018)

I will be interested in seeing comparisons between the SC600 HI and the SC64 HI.


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## Tixx (Oct 25, 2018)

Ok, I ordered as well. This will be damn near perfection.


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## ven (Oct 25, 2018)

Tixx said:


> Ok, I ordered as well. This will be damn near perfection.




It is, decent reach, bright spill thanks to high output. Trick UI to program how you want out of 12 levels, 18650 fed in a smaller/lighter package than HDS for a 1/3 or even a 1/4 of cost. All the energy in the tank for pretty much most applications, more reach, clever PID. 2nd to none ano as well on top in my fav green flavour!!! For $80 , potted, programmable............


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## holygeez03 (Oct 25, 2018)

^^^^ This guy better order two!


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Oct 25, 2018)

holygeez03 said:


> I will be interested in seeing comparisons between the SC600 HI and the SC64 HI.



I'll do a comparison video when I get the SC64w HI.


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## NPL (Oct 25, 2018)

What would be interesting to see is how much faster the SC64w hi steps down compared to it's bigger brother sc600w hi in the higher PID settings.


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## Fireclaw18 (Oct 25, 2018)

NPL said:


> What would be interesting to see is how much faster the SC64w hi steps down compared to it's bigger brother sc600w hi in the higher PID settings.


No need to wait. You can test this now with an SC64w. The upcoming HI model should step down at the same rate.

Bottom line is the SC64w HI should step down much faster than the SC600w HI due to less thermal mass.


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## ven (Oct 26, 2018)

holygeez03 said:


> ^^^^ This guy better order two!




Haha, in time I will. The 700 looks cool also but sure a bit chunky. This would be the one that got more use. Still prefer the 62 body, I am enjoying the previous models still. Don’t have any 64 or mkIV yet! But this could be the next, form/xhp35 HI /UI. Who knows what the future brings


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## PoliceScannerMan (Oct 26, 2018)

I am having trouble pulling the trigger. Seems too similar to my SC63w. Now that SC700d tho.....


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## Bob_McBob (Oct 26, 2018)

Remember Zebralight has a very generous return policy and their lights also tend to keep most of their value on the used market, so there isn't really a lot of cost involved if you really don't like it. Personally I think an XHP35 HI would work beautifully in the current rougher OP reflectors.


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## PoliceScannerMan (Oct 29, 2018)

Bob_McBob said:


> Remember Zebralight has a very generous return policy and their lights also tend to keep most of their value on the used market, so there isn't really a lot of cost involved if you really don't like it. Personally I think an XHP35 HI would work beautifully in the current rougher OP reflectors.



This is true...


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## holygeez03 (Oct 29, 2018)

Bob_McBob said:


> Remember Zebralight has a very generous return policy and their lights also tend to keep most of their value on the used market, so there isn't really a lot of cost involved if you really don't like it. Personally I think an XHP35 HI would work beautifully in the current rougher OP reflectors.



The cost is the return shipping... but it's worth it if you need to test the light to see if it will fit your needs. Brand new models that are often out-of-stock at release can probably be sold relatively easy to someone who doesn't want to wait and the shipping can be paid by the buyer, or split with buyer/seller.


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## PoliceScannerMan (Oct 29, 2018)

Just ordered one, couldn't take it anymore LOL


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## markr6 (Oct 29, 2018)

holygeez03 said:


> The cost is the return shipping... but it's worth it if you need to test the light to see if it will fit your needs. Brand new models that are often out-of-stock at release can probably be sold relatively easy to someone who doesn't want to wait and the shipping can be paid by the buyer, or split with buyer/seller.



They ask that you send it USPS 1st class, not sure why. There's no protection there unless you insure it. I roll the dice and just trust it gets there for about $2.75 mailed in the US.


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## Tixx (Oct 29, 2018)

markr6 said:


> They ask that you send it USPS 1st class, not sure why. There's no protection there unless you insure it. I roll the dice and just trust it gets there for about $2.75 mailed in the US.



I just strap it to whatever animal I could catch and then think and pray it gets there!


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## Sadsack (Oct 29, 2018)

holygeez03 said:


> I have decided to pre-order the SC64w HI as it should be a clear upgrade to my SC62w... but I am likely going to wait to for reports on the SC700 beam/tint/etc as it doesn't seem like it's definitely going to provide me with significant benefit over the SC600IV Plus.



Likewise I just pre ordered too as an upgrade to my SC62w. Just hope it throws a little bit better.
L


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## Glock27 (Oct 31, 2018)

w00T! Shipping Confirmation: SC64w HI!!!!

G27
​


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## markr6 (Oct 31, 2018)

Glock27 said:


> w00T! Shipping Confirmation: SC64w HI!!!!
> 
> G27
> ​



WHAHAAA!?!? Nov 23! Good to hear...maybe the SC700d will also come early. Let us know how this is...I may end up getting one afterall.


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## holygeez03 (Oct 31, 2018)

Someone's getting a prototype? Or it's a glitch as they ready the packaging?


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## markr6 (Oct 31, 2018)

holygeez03 said:


> Someone's getting a prototype? Or it's a glitch as they ready the packaging?


I don't remember which, but there were two consecutive announcements that I got way in advance...I think 2-3 weeks or even more. Maybe it was the SC600 III and SC5w OP?

Totally not complaining 

Or, it's a glitch like we saw before. What light was that with? Everyone kept getting shipping notifications, then a duplicate. The only way to trust it is if you actually get a tracking number and see some activity there.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Oct 31, 2018)

Glock27 said:


> w00T! Shipping Confirmation: SC64w HI!!!!
> 
> G27
> ​



Out of curiosity, when did you order yours? Mine still says "New (Shipping From China)" on my orders page. Is yours coming from China, or their US address?


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## michaelmcgo (Oct 31, 2018)

Got shipping confirmation today too!!!


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## Fireclaw18 (Oct 31, 2018)

I also got my shipping confirmation today. I ordered on October 19.

I am located in California. The shipping notice says it is shipping via USPS first class mail.

This matches the shipping method in the email which mentions international orders are shipped from China and take 2-6 weeks to arrive, while orders to the contintenal USA are shipped via USPS and take 2-4 days to arrive.

However, I can't confirm the ETA yet. The tracking number is not yet active (usually takes a day or two).


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## Glock27 (Oct 31, 2018)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> Out of curiosity, when did you order yours? Mine still says "New (Shipping From China)" on my orders page. Is yours coming from China, or their US address?



I ordered 10/20/2018 It shipped from Irving, TX I expect to have it Saturday.

G27


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## Flashlike (Oct 31, 2018)

I just checked my order and mine has been shipped via 1st class mail. Tracking number was provided. Ordered mine on October 21st. Woot!! :thumbsup:


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## Tixx (Oct 31, 2018)

Got mine too! Nice surprise!


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Oct 31, 2018)

Glock27 said:


> I ordered 10/20/2018 It shipped from Irving, TX I expect to have it Saturday.



Maybe these lights are assembled in the US, which means you're first to get them? Mine has to go to China, then is mailed back to Canada?


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## holygeez03 (Oct 31, 2018)

Ordered on 10/24... got my shipping notice today as well.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Nov 1, 2018)

Okay, got my shipping notice now. I guess they're shipping from China now, too.


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## PoliceScannerMan (Nov 1, 2018)

Whoa shipping early, looking forward to first impressions Saturday!


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## markr6 (Nov 1, 2018)

PoliceScannerMan said:


> Whoa shipping early, looking forward to first impressions Saturday!



There's a good chance I'll be talked into this one...


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## holygeez03 (Nov 1, 2018)

I doubt I mine will show up before I head out of town on Friday afternoon... but maybe.


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## Glock27 (Nov 1, 2018)

Usually USPS status changes from "Shipping Label Created, USPS Awaiting Item" To EnRoute. Looks like USPS hasn't picked them up yet...I'm guessing Monday now....at the earliest.

G27


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## markr6 (Nov 1, 2018)

Hopefully they didn't just print a bunch of labels to have ready. I've ordered from other stores in the past and the package sat for days or even a week.


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## holygeez03 (Nov 1, 2018)

I have a feeling they are not actually going out just yet.


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## markr6 (Nov 1, 2018)

holygeez03 said:


> I have a feeling they are not actually going out just yet.



If they actually have the product to ship, we should see actual tracking numbers AND some movement by today (i.e. _Accepted at USPS Origin Facility_)


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## Glock27 (Nov 1, 2018)

I just PM'd them asking about why the 2nd day in Pre-Shipment status.
I have been asking them to put a HI emitter in the SC6Xw series since HI's were available.....still just out of reach!
I do have an H600c Mk IV XHP50.2 4000K High CRI Out For Delivery!

G27


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Nov 1, 2018)

Glock27 said:


> I just PM'd them asking about why the 2nd day in Pre-Shipment status.



When I look at my last couple of Zebra orders this year, it took 2 days from when I got the shipping e-mail, until tracking said they were in the mail.


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## Fireclaw18 (Nov 1, 2018)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> When I look at my last couple of Zebra orders this year, it took 2 days from when I got the shipping e-mail, until tracking said they were in the mail.


Yup. I wouldn't worry. Those of us in the U.S. who got shipping notification this week should have the lights in our hands by the end of next week.


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## markr6 (Nov 1, 2018)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> When I look at my last couple of Zebra orders this year, it took 2 days from when I got the shipping e-mail, until tracking said they were in the mail.



Geez, mine were same day or the next at the latest.


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## Glock27 (Nov 1, 2018)

*November 1, 2018, 8:21 am * 
Out for Delivery 
 ROLLA, MO 65401 
Your item is out for delivery on November 1, 2018 at 8:21 am in ROLLA, MO 65401. 
 * November 1, 2018, 8:11 am * 
Sorting Complete 
ROLLA, MO 65401 
 * November 1, 2018, 5:26 am * 
Arrived at Post Office 
ROLLA, MO 65401 
 * November 1, 2018, 5:14 am * 
Arrived at USPS Facility 
ROLLA, MO 65401 
 * November 1, 2018, 2:37 am * 
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility  
SPRINGFIELD MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER 
 * October 31, 2018, 10:45 pm * 
Departed USPS Regional Facility 
KANSAS CITY KS NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER 
 * October 31, 2018, 4:04 am * 
Arrived at USPS Regional Destination Facility 
KANSAS CITY KS NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER 
 * October 30, 2018, 5:10 am * 
Departed USPS Regional Facility 
DALLAS TX DISTRIBUTION CENTER 
 * October 29, 2018, 10:33 pm * 
Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility 
 DALLAS TX DISTRIBUTION CENTER 
 * October 29, 2018, 9:18 pm * 
Accepted at USPS Origin Facility 
IRVING, TX 75038 
 * October 29, 2018, 1:49 pm * 
Shipping Label Created, USPS Awaiting Item 
IRVING, TX 75038 

^^^^This is usually what happens when they print a label for me. This is the H600c + Cells + replacement headbands.
G27


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## Glock27 (Nov 1, 2018)

Hopefully USPS just didn't get their tracking updated. ZL is pretty adamant that 64wHIs were picked up yesterday. 

*(Administrator)*
11/1/2018 3:34:39 
Shipped yesterday. USPS tracking: XXXXXXXXX


G27


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## Tixx (Nov 1, 2018)

Mine is still in Pre-Shipment staus.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Nov 2, 2018)

Mine is tracking now, China to Canada.


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## holygeez03 (Nov 2, 2018)

So did anyone get one yet?


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## CreeCrazy (Nov 2, 2018)

Mine arrived today. It’s exactly what you would expect from Zebralight SC64w HI. Has a tighter beam mine with a perfect tanish creamy neutral tint without a hint of yellow or green. The beam profile is a mix between the SC600w and the SC600w HI being closer to the profile of the HI. Beam about 1/2 the size of the standard SC64 beam at about 12 feet. Hotspot being what appears to be about twice as bright at the highest level to my eye. Anodizing is standard Zebralight and mine has a small blemish around where the switch was seated in the body. Not a dealbreaker for me but a small disappointment. I was going to take a wall shot and the camera picks up a ring that is not visible to my eye and wasn’t a good representation of the beam as I’m only using a phone camera.


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## Glock27 (Nov 3, 2018)

Glitch was in USPS tracking. Finally updated to " Your item arrived at the Post Office at 4:40 am on November 3, 2018 in ROLLA, MO 65401." I'll get it today!

G27


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## Cpl S (Nov 3, 2018)

You gentlemen have me refreshing this page often, hoping for beam shots. I just received the SC600W IV Plus and am trying to talk myself into why I need both:naughty:

I won't derail this thread with talk about the 50.2 lights, so on with the pics already


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## holygeez03 (Nov 4, 2018)

Mine should arrive tomorrow (Monday)... I will do my best to verbally compare it to my SC600IV Plus and SC62w.


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## Glock27 (Nov 4, 2018)

Well waiting for darkness to further test the HI! Definitely throws farther! Will be interesting to see lux readings...

G27


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## Tixx (Nov 5, 2018)

and bam! mine just appeared at my local PO and eta is today


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## Fireclaw18 (Nov 5, 2018)

I received my SC64w HI on Friday. Here are some preliminary lux numbers.

MY TEST SETUP: My testing system is very simple. I tape the sensor of my lux meter to the wall near the floor. Then use a measuring tape to measure off 1 meter. I then place the light on the floor at the 1 meter mark and point at the meter just long enough to see the reading. My readings are at turn-on with fresh cells only.

*Also in practice, my system seems to overrate the lux readings by about 30%. My readings are accurate when compared to other lights tested with the same system, but if you're actually calculating distance or trying to compare to what someone might get with a calibrated system, please reduce my readings by 30%.*

*Light ................. Battery used (fresh charge) ........................ lux reading*
SC64w................. Sony VTC5A ............................................... 9,400
*SC64w HI............ Sony VTC5A .............................................. 14,600*
SC600w IV Plus..... Sony VTC5A ............................................... 14,700
SC600w III HI ...... Sony VTC5A ............................................... 26,600
Emisar D4 Ti ........ Sony VTC5A ............................................... 27,600
Emisar D4 Al ........ Sony VTC5A ............................................... 28,800
Sofirn SP10B Mod . Efest purple 14500 ....................................... 18,800
Eagtac DX3 ......... Aspire 1100 mAh 18350 ................................. 10,100
Led Lenser Mt10 ... Sony VTC5A ............................................... 28,000

*Notes*: 
(1) The Sofirn SP10B mod is using an Emisar D4 driver with XPL HI 4000K on copper.
(2) Both Emisar D4s are stock and are equipped with 4000K XPL HI 5D. They should have gotten the same result, but one just happens to be brighter than the other. Perhaps one just got luckier with its LEDs.

*Conclusions*:
(1) When the -30% "fudge factor" for my test setup is figured in the SC64w HI should still output over 10,000 lux
(2) The SC64w HI has approximately 55% more lux than the regular SC64W.
(3) The SC64w HI has about the same peak throw as the SC600w IV Plus, but with a much smaller hotspot and dimmer spill.
(4) At turn-on, the Emisar D4 is so bright it makes the SC64w Hi looks like it's not even on. However, the D4 gets extremely hot extremely fast and the temp sensor causes its output to fall much faster than any of the Zebras.

*Other notes:*
(1) Beam pattern on the SC64W Hi is a lot like the SC62D or SC600w III HI. Relatively small bright hotspot with wide dim spill.
(2) Tint on my SC64w HI is slightly cooler than my SC64w. At a guess I'd put the SC64w HI at maybe 4800K. It looks good, but not quite as good as the tint on my SC64w.
(3) My SC64w HI may have a hardware quality control issue: On several occasions I have turned it on in turbo only to have the light turn off again 1 second later. If I press the button again it will turn on and stay on. This problem seems to be intermittent, but has happened enough times to be worth mentioning.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Nov 5, 2018)

Fireclaw18 said:


> I received my SC64w HI on Friday. Here are some preliminary lux numbers.
> 
> *Light ................. Battery used (fresh charge) ........................ lux reading*
> SC64w................. Sony VTC5A ............................................... 9,400
> ...



Very interesting! I expected the lux to be greater than the SC600w MkIV Plus, which I find underwhelming. Probably just my imagination, because the spill is so bright on it. Also, I expected it to be closer to the 600w HI, not just a bit more than half.



> (3) My SC64w HI may have a hardware quality control issue: On several occasions I have turned it on in turbo only to have the light turn off again 1 second later. If I press the button again it will turn on and stay on. This problem seems to be intermittent, but has happened enough times to be worth mentioning.



Grrrrrr! My 600w MkIV HI has that issue, but only when it's in winter weather. Cold (freezing) light + turning it on to H1 is not great. It has to warm up before H1 will work consistently. Very annoying. I really hope my 64w HI won't have that same issue. This time, I will be sending it back if it does.

Zebralight must be aware of this issue with some of their lights, because they're offering a "low temperature" battery now.

But if you're seeing this at room temperature, that is not promising. Have you tried a different (high drain) cell?


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## Fireclaw18 (Nov 5, 2018)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> Very interesting! I expected the lux to be greater than the SC600w MkIV Plus, which I find underwhelming. Probably just my imagination, because the spill is so bright on it. Also, I expected it to be closer to the 600w HI, not just a bit more than half.


Both the SC 600w III HI and the SC64w HI use the same emitter (even if the SC64w uses a more recent bin). It shouldn't be surprising that the SC600w III HI has much better throw considering it has a much bigger reflector.




> But if you're seeing this at room temperature, that is not promising. Have you tried a different (high drain) cell?


This problem has occurred several times for me at room temperature. I've even had it occur above room temperature when the light has been sitting in my pocket next to my leg for an hour.

So far the only cells I've used in it are Sony VTC5, 5A and 6 .... all three are high drain IMR cells. All were purchased from Mountain Electronics, and I use them to power my D4s and my other Zebras.

Over the years I've purchased probably 14 Zebralights and over half of them were defective. However, this is the first time any of my Zebras has ever experienced this particular problem.


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## Tixx (Nov 5, 2018)

Thank you Fireclaw! Those results were what I was hoping for. Just got the SC600w IV Plus as a place holder and was hoping this would be the result. Yeah, D4 is fun, but scary.


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## JStraus (Nov 5, 2018)

Realy quick beamshot next to my SC64c in my office on M1 with the office lights on.





https://imgur.com/LV4EtP9 "c" on the left and "w HI" on the right...


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Nov 5, 2018)

Fireclaw18 said:


> Over the years I've purchased probably 14 Zebralights and over half of them were defective.



WTH??? If karma is a thing, then you must have won multiple lottery jackpots.


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## Fireclaw18 (Nov 5, 2018)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> WTH??? If karma is a thing, then you must have won multiple lottery jackpots.



Yeah.

SC51 - works fine
SC52 - works fine
SC52w - works fine
SC62d - works fine
SC600 - defective. Switch triggered from static electricity just from being lightly brushed with fingertip without being depressed at all. This was a known defect on first-run SC600s. Sent back for warranty repair. Works fine since.
SC80 - defective. H2 doesn't work. Double-clicking to swap to H2 causes the light to blink once then turn off. All other modes except H2 work fine so I consider this a minor defect.
SC62w - defective. Won't maintain H1. After on for less than 10 seconds swaps down to a low medium
SC5w - defective. Worked fine initially. After less than 5 days of use, LED barely lights up. Either the driver or emitter is blown and needs replacement.
SC32w - defective. Won't stay in H1 for longer than 1 second, then drops down to low-medium
SC600w III HI - works fine
SC63w - defective. Initially worked fine. After less than 2 days of use it started not being able to maintain H1 for longer than 10 seconds. by 4 days of use it wouldn't maintain H1 for even 5 seconds. Returned for warranty replacement.
Second SC63w. Same problem as first SC63w, but stays in H1 approximately 15 seconds. Still far less than the 1 minute the light is supposed to hold H1.
SC64w - works fine
SC600w IV Plus - works fine
H604C - works fine
SC64w HI - intermittently turning off after 1 second when turned on in H1.

So out of 16 lights, 7 with defects. Almost all my Zebras tend to be first-run preorders though. They seem to have a lot more kinks in them than later production runs.

Note on the above: These defects are not battery issues. I use only quality batteries from known suppliers (Illumn, Mountain Electronics, Eneloop Pros, and in some cases Zebralight's own brand of battery) with my lights. I tested every light with multiple different cells, and these are cells which work fine in other lights that draw more amps than the Zebras.


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## Tixx (Nov 5, 2018)

Couple of beam shots. Please excuse that weird font writing stuff.


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## PoliceScannerMan (Nov 6, 2018)

Awesome beam shot thanks! 

Ordered mine 10/29 shipped 10/5. Nice.


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## markr6 (Nov 6, 2018)

Fireclaw18 said:


> (3) My SC64w HI may have a hardware quality control issue: On several occasions I have turned it on in turbo only to have the light turn off again 1 second later. If I press the button again it will turn on and stay on. This problem seems to be intermittent, but has happened enough times to be worth mentioning.



That's exactly what happened to my SC600w HI IV. Same with at least two other CPF members. I sent it back and got a new one and it never happened again.


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## PoliceScannerMan (Nov 6, 2018)

My SC63w buzzes on turbo, but it works. That normal?


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Nov 6, 2018)

PoliceScannerMan said:


> My SC63w buzzes on turbo, but it works. That normal?



I've heard that on a couple of lights. Could be the whine from an induction coil. I don't think it's anything to be concerned about, except for the annoyance of it.


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## PoliceScannerMan (Nov 6, 2018)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> I've heard that on a couple of lights. Could be the whine from an induction coil. I don't think it's anything to be concerned about, except for the annoyance of it.



It is that! Lol thanks, looking forward to my SC64w HI and hope it has no issues...


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## Tixx (Nov 6, 2018)

Decent tint on this. Could be the lottery, but I find it definitely acceptable.


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## Outdoorsman5 (Nov 9, 2018)

Hey Fireclaw and others. I was hoping Zebralight had fixed the problems you are having. I ordered and posted videos of 4 defective Zebralights I received in a row earlier this year. All four would abruptly turn off when switched on to H1 (Max) and 3 of them experienced problems with the UI after programming the G6 and G7 groups. I was accused several times of not knowing what I was doing (which is not at all accurate) or defective batteries (nope,) or defective chargers (nope,) etc., but all four lights were absolutely defective. I have since bought the SC600 Plus and the SC600w Mk IV HI without any signs of the defects. I was able to return 3 out of the 4, but the one I'm stuck with they never could fix (after 3 attempts) - garbage. I ordered the new SC64w HI and am hoping I don't have to go through all that again. If it is defective, I will let you all know.


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## Fireclaw18 (Nov 9, 2018)

Outdoorsman5 said:


> Hey Fireclaw and others. I was hoping Zebralight had fixed the problems you are having. I ordered and posted videos of 4 defective Zebralights I received in a row earlier this year. All four would abruptly turn off when switched on to H1 (Max) and 3 of them experienced problems with the UI after programming the G6 and G7 groups. I was accused several times of not knowing what I was doing (which is not at all accurate) or defective batteries (nope,) or defective chargers (nope,) etc., but all four lights were absolutely defective. I have since bought the SC600 Plus and the SC600w Mk IV HI without any signs of the defects. I was able to return 3 out of the 4, but the one I'm stuck with they never could fix (after 3 attempts) - garbage. I ordered the new SC64w HI and am hoping I don't have to go through all that again. If it is defective, I will let you all know.


My SC64w HI experiences the "turn off from H1" only occasionally. My guess is maybe one out of every 10 or 20 turn-ons.

When the bug happens, I can override it and get it to stay on in high, by clicking to turn the light off, then click-and-hold to get to low, then turning it off and then on again. It will come on in H1 and stay on.

I'm undecided whether to return this one and buy a replacement SC64w HI. The problem is irritating when it happens, but it is intermittent and the workaround is quick. That said, for an $80 flashlight it would be nice if it worked properly all the time.

Apart from this defect, I like the light. I find the beam pattern much more useful than the pattern in my SC64w.


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## Outdoorsman5 (Nov 10, 2018)

Fireclaw18 said:


> My SC64w HI experiences the "turn off from H1" only occasionally. My guess is maybe one out of every 10 or 20 turn-ons.
> 
> When the bug happens, I can override it and get it to stay on in high, by clicking to turn the light off, then click-and-hold to get to low, then turning it off and then on again. It will come on in H1 and stay on.
> 
> ...



Fireclaw, I’d return it if I were you. The light I’m stuck with out of the 4 defective lights I got is the SC600w MkIII HI. It will behave that way at least 1 out of 10 tries and I have grown to hate the light. I’m reminded every time it does it. It now sits in a drawer - what a waste. I complained to ZL about it again 3 months ago with absolutely no response. I have felt with their 3 failed attempts at fixing it and lack of response recently to fix it, that they just don’t care. So whatever. Why do I not just stop buying their lights? They still have my favorite design - UI, size, weight, output, options, improvements, etc., and I don’t want to have different lights with different UI’s. I’m quite happy though with my ZL’s that work perfectly, but I won’t hang on to a defective ZL again which are becoming much more common. Since this has been a clear problem for 2 years (from my experience,) I wonder when it will hurt enough for them to fix the problem.


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## aginthelaw (Nov 10, 2018)

it's weird customer service is hit or miss. i had one light fixed and returned to me within 2 weeks of sending it to them. i guess all companies are like that. i would never buy an imalent again because of it. All of my armyteks have been fixed or replaced and they kind of dropped the ball on the last one. i sent them a tiara for repair and received the new wizard pro


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## holygeez03 (Nov 14, 2018)

I have been using the SC64w HI for several nights now and my eyes and opinions reflect most of what has already been stated... it has a very similar intensity as my SC600IV Plus... smaller hotspot, but more pocketable size... not a bad tradeoff, depending on the situation.

The tint is very neutral and there is essentially no tint-shift, even at the outermost edges... definitely the most neutral/white light I have used and I have been "neutral/warm only" for many, many years now.

I was most surprised by how much the new HI didn't overwhelming impress me in comparison to my old SC62w... don't get me wrong, the tint is technically better since the 62w has slight purple shift on the edges, and the reach is longer, but it wasn't the massive trouncing that I expected. I might prefer the slightly rosy tint of my SC62w, but that is purely personal preference and will vary between copies This is in no way a bashing of the HI, but more of a testament to the impressiveness of the SC62w that is how many years old now?

I will almost definitely be keeping the 62wHI and carrying it in place of my 600IV Plus, which is just a little big for me to pocket... the 600IV is wonderful for yard use... also, the 62wHI clip is great and I have never even attached the 600IV clip. I hope the black finish on the new clip holds up. My SC62w will probably go to "car duty", but I will still smile every chance I get to use it...

My only real complaint about the 62wHI is the design choice of the body tube... either stick with the classic "ZL ribs" or change it to a new, smoother design.... but the current mix of both is hideous in my opinion. Luckily, looks mean next to nothing with this type of light/tool... some knurling would be nice, but not too aggressive since it is a pocket light.


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## twistedraven (Nov 14, 2018)

You won't be getting a real trouncing in throw for pocket sized lights unless you put something like an Osram Black Flat in a smooth reflector, and even then it's not a huge difference.


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## holygeez03 (Nov 15, 2018)

I wasn't expecting anything mind-blowing in terms of throw... I am aware of the physics... I just thought/hoped the beam, in general, would be more potent. 

The SC64wHI is a fantastic light... and I would definitely recommend it, without question, over any of the other 6X series lights and it might be the most versatile ZL of all... my most used lights will likely be the H52Fw, SC600 Plus, and SC64HI for quite a while.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Nov 19, 2018)

I noticed that Zebralight has updated the SC64w HI specs with the beam profile. 11 degree hot spot. This surprises me, as I expected more narrow. I guess that explains why people are reporting that it doesn't throw much more than the regular SC64 with a 12 degree spot.

Even my SC5w has a 10 degree spot. Why is it more narrow, using a regular domed XML2 emitter? I expected something closer to the 600w HI 8 degree spot.

Oh well, I should have mine whenever our postal strikes decide to deliver it. I'm glad it's less floody than the regular SC64, but I was hoping it could serve to replace my more bulky SC600w HI. I guess I'll have to see what niche it will fit into. It might be more EDC than a dedicated outdoor light.


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## Outdoorsman5 (Nov 20, 2018)

I've had my SC64w HI for almost 2 weeks, and love it. I was hoping for a bit more throw out of it, but do like that it is more throwy than my SC62w. What I wasn't expecting was how much smaller it is compared to its predecessors. It is even surprisingly smaller than all of my non-zebralight AA lights (mostly quarks, but have a couple of fenix lights.) Because of it's better throw, my SC600w Mk IV HI will still be my go to backpacking light for night hikes where I use a floody headlight (Zebra H600w MKII or H52w) and a throwy handheld, but if I'm not planning a night hike on my trips, I will carry the new SC64w HI. Because of it's smaller size, great output, & better beam quality, I'd consider it my favorite all-arounder for a handheld. REALLY REALLY IMPRESSED WITH THIS THING!


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Nov 20, 2018)

A miracle happened, and my SC64w HI arrived today, despite our postal strikes. My first impressions are very positive. The tint is very nice, even a bit on the rosy side which is a surprise from Zebralight. I like that the XHP35 HI emitter has almost no tint shift.

As I thought, it's a bit more floody than I expected from a HI emitter. But, I now see that it's due to the small reflector that Zebralight uses in all their smallest lights. So, I'm not sure it will replace my SC600w MkIV HI that I use on long walks, but it might for shorter walks when seeing in the distance isn't needed. But, I often bring a dedicated thrower on walks, so it might replace the SC600w HI more often than I think. 

Certainly the weight and narrow size is a big plus, so maybe I'll change my EDC to the SC64w HI. It fits in the pocket almost as well as a SC52, and at 85g vs 64g with battery, it's not much more weight considering you get 4x as much run time from an 18650 compared to a AA Eneloop.

One downside is that PID throttles the output on max very quickly due to heat; about a minute when tail-standing. This is a bit faster than I thought, but probably not an issue for an EDC, and certainly not in the winter. Gripping it tightly in the hand increases the output, as the heat is absorbed out of the light. I really like the Zebralight's thermal controls go up, and not just down. But, I was hoping for a couple of minutes at max.

Strange they still use a spring in the tailcap. I thought they moved to using the pogo pins at both ends.

Another bonus in the moonlight modes are lower than the SC600 variants! About a third to half the brightness of the SC600w HI or Plus. Not nearly as low as the older Zebras, but definitely a step in the right direction again.

Again, big plus for the tint and nice even beam.

Overall, I'll give it a 9/10. I don't think you'll find a smaller 18650 light. Maybe DQG has one?


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## Fireclaw18 (Nov 20, 2018)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> Overall, I'll give it a 9/10. I don't think you'll find a smaller 18650 light. Maybe DQG has one?


Yes, the DQG 18650 Tiny IV is considerably smaller than the SC64. That said, I think the SC64w HI is a much better light.


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## Repsol600rr (Nov 20, 2018)

Wait, they are using srpings in the tailcap again? Is this on all 64 series? Does it elimiate the battery crushing issue they had in previous lights when they got dropped? If so then I really need to consider getting one.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Nov 20, 2018)

Repsol600rr said:


> Wait, they are using srpings in the tailcap again? Is this on all 64 series? Does it elimiate the battery crushing issue they had in previous lights when they got dropped? If so then I really need to consider getting one.



I'm not sure. Maybe it would help? The positive terminal is still using pogo pins, 5 of them. Not sure if the spring on the negative end would give enough to eliminate any crushing if you dropped the light on its end.

Personally, I haven't had any issues on my Zebras that use pogos on both ends, but I seldom drop them on hard surfaces. I drop them all the time on carpets, but that ain't gonna do any damage.

It seems strange that they'd use a spring at one end, and pogos at the other. Why not pogos at both ends, or springs at both ends? Maybe it's an attempt to eliminate the issue of dents?


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## Repsol600rr (Nov 20, 2018)

Yeah I have a tendency to drop them on concrete. With the programable ui, a spring in the tail, and the little extra throw of the hi it seems like I have found myself a christmas present to myself along With a 53w to replace the 62w and 52w in their respective roles in my edc rotation.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Nov 21, 2018)

Repsol600rr said:


> Yeah I have a tendency to drop them on concrete. With the programable ui, a spring in the tail, and the little extra throw of the hi it seems like I have found myself a christmas present to myself along With a 53w to replace the 62w and 52w in their respective roles in my edc rotation.



Don't discount that 52w yet. I gave mine new life by using a 14500 cell in it. 500 lumens and lighter than with an Eneloop. I think I now prefer it to my SC5w, which is a bit thick in a pocket.


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## holygeez03 (Nov 21, 2018)

It's tough to ever go back to a 52/53 at all, once you start using a 62/63/64...


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## Repsol600rr (Nov 21, 2018)

Ive also been using a 14500 in mine for quite a while now and I agree it made a huge difference. But im interested mostly in the programable ui aspect. Most of my use is in the lower lumen areas like low medium. I dont like the press and hold for quite a while or preflash double click it currently takes to get there. With the new ui on the 64s amd 53s I can make that happen on click 1 which is a big bonus for me. As far as going back to the 52/53 series after using the 18650 lights, well ive determined that the 18650s are simply too large for how I like to carry it as part of my baseline edc. They get added in a different spot when I know or think I will need them but on a day to day basis the extra bulk is not required. My 52d, 52w, 62d and 62w arnt going anywhere though. The 64w hi and a 53w just seem to make more sense for what I typcially need.


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## anthon87 (Nov 21, 2018)

Received mine today

compared to my SC600W IV Hi, the tint is slightly cooler, I’d say around 4700k, it’s a very nice tint

beam looks very close to the sc600w Hi, with less intensity in the hotspot and a more bright spill, very good for a EDC

my sphere shows 1020lm whereas the SC600W shows 1070lm, I’ll make a runtime test to both lights to compare step downs and max sustained lumens


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## NPL (Nov 21, 2018)

anthon87 said:


> Received mine today
> 
> compared to my SC600W IV Hi, the tint is slightly cooler, I’d say around 4700k, it’s a very nice tint
> 
> ...


Thanks for the feedback. I'm curious... With both on H1, how much faster does the sc64 step down?


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Nov 22, 2018)

NPL said:


> Thanks for the feedback. I'm curious... With both on H1, how much faster does the sc64 step down?



A lot. The SC600w MkIV HI maintains H1 for 3-5 minutes. The SC64w HI starts stepping down in about a minute. But it's so light, compared to the SC600w. There just isn't much mass to absorb the heat. However, you can grip it around the head firmly to absorb much of that heat into your hand, which allows it to run on full much longer.

I don't see the SC64 as a light that is useful on max for long periods of time. Very nice to have that output when needed, but expect to use it at 500 lumens or less most of the time.


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## NPL (Nov 22, 2018)

Makes sense, thanks!


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Nov 23, 2018)

I did a small video review of this light:


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## Repsol600rr (Nov 23, 2018)

^Thanks for that. A useful comparison for me agaisnt that 52w as far a beams go.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Nov 23, 2018)

Repsol600rr said:


> ^Thanks for that. A useful comparison for me agaisnt that 52w as far a beams go.



Yeah, the beams are very similar up close, but I notice the 52w really starts to fade off at moderate distances, whereas the 64w HI keeps things lit up a bit further out (at the same output for both lights). Not a huge difference, but it's noticeable.

The 52w has the same 12 degree hotspot that the regular SC64 uses, so I expect it's the same difference.


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## likethevegetable (Nov 23, 2018)

Thanks! I've found your review videos, especially the SC600w HI vs Plus, very helpful.


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## markr6 (Nov 23, 2018)

Very helpful video. It shows I personally won't be replacing my SC64w...but if I had neither, I would probably go with the HI choosing only one.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Nov 23, 2018)

markr6 said:


> Very helpful video. It shows I personally won't be replacing my SC64w...but if I had neither, I would probably go with the HI choosing only one.



I think the HI gives a better tint/beam, or at least a better chance of getting a good one. Less tint lottery with the XHP35 HI, than a domed XHP35. But if you already have a good SC64w, then it doesn't make much sense to get the HI. If someone needs more throw, the SC600w HI makes a lot more sense as an upgrade.


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## NPL (Nov 23, 2018)

Great video with beam shots at the end. Thanks for sharing


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## Outdoorsman5 (Nov 25, 2018)

Good job, Walk into the Light. Thanks!


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## Mr. LED (Nov 25, 2018)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> I'm not sure. Maybe it would help? The positive terminal is still using pogo pins, 5 of them. Not sure if the spring on the negative end would give enough to eliminate any crushing if you dropped the light on its end.
> 
> Personally, I haven't had any issues on my Zebras that use pogos on both ends, but I seldom drop them on hard surfaces. I drop them all the time on carpets, but that ain't gonna do any damage.
> 
> It seems strange that they'd use a spring at one end, and pogos at the other. Why not pogos at both ends, or springs at both ends? Maybe it's an attempt to eliminate the issue of dents?



Hello, great video! I don’t know if other SC64w have POGO pins on the tailcap, but mine has a spring, so I’m not surprised the HI version has a spring as well. My SC600w Mk IV HI, has pins on both ends, though.

I’ve dropped my SC64w once and it hit the head first, and the Sanyo 18650 had the positive thin metal sheet dented. Now it matches the pins perfectly and every time I reinstall the battery, I match the dents with the pins LOL!


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Nov 25, 2018)

Mr. LED said:


> Hello, great video! I don’t know if other SC64w have POGO pins on the tailcap, but mine has a spring, so I’m not surprised the HI version has a spring as well. My SC600w Mk IV HI, has pins on both ends, though.



Yeah, the SC600w HI and Plus I bought this year have them on both ends. I just figured they were going that way with all new lights. I guess not. I'm not sure why they need the tail pins on the 600w HI, since it has the same max output as the 64w HI, so current should be the same.



> I’ve dropped my SC64w once and it hit the head first, and the Sanyo 18650 had the positive thin metal sheet dented. Now it matches the pins perfectly and every time I reinstall the battery, I match the dents with the pins LOL!



Heh. Yeah, I've only dropped onto concrete one light with pogo pins on both ends. No damage to the battery, but the bezel got a small chip. All my other drops were on much softer surfaces.

I was doing this for awhile:







But I found it made charging more difficult, so I gave up on it.


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## markr6 (Nov 25, 2018)

I haven't had any damage since ZL started using more pins. Specifically the 3 vs 5 pins; not the slightest dent with the 5-pin version.


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## Mr. LED (Nov 25, 2018)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> Yeah, the SC600w HI and Plus I bought this year have them on both ends. I just figured they were going that way with all new lights. I guess not. I'm not sure why they need the tail pins on the 600w HI, since it has the same max output as the 64w HI, so current should be the same.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I’ve read around here that the SC600 draws more current, hence the pins. Larger and deeper reflector needs more lumens to maintain the same output as the smaller lights, due to losses caused by reflector and lens. Notice they have a shorter runtime for the same brightness, compared to the SC64w for example.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Nov 25, 2018)

Mr. LED said:


> I’ve read around here that the SC600 draws more current, hence the pins. Larger and deeper reflector needs more lumens to maintain the same output as the smaller lights, due to losses caused by reflector and lens. Notice they have a shorter runtime for the same brightness, compared to the SC64w for example.



I wouldn't trust the published specs too much on the Zebralight website. Sometimes they're too optimistic, sometimes not enough.

For example, I measure the max output as 1100 lumens on both the S600w HI and the SC64w HI. On the website, they're listed as 1300 and 1400, respectively.

I also measured the 600w MkIV HI run time on H2c (the highest regulated mode without PID), as 6.5 hours using a Sanyo GA battery. The website lists it as 5.6 hours. The website lists the SC64w HI as 6.3 hours, which is about what I think it should be if it uses the same driver. I haven't measured it yet, myself.

Anyway, I think they do use exactly the same driver. I could be wrong, but I'll wait until someone does some concrete measurements of the currents of the two lights.


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## anthon87 (Nov 25, 2018)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> I wouldn't trust the published specs too much on the Zebralight website. Sometimes they're too optimistic, sometimes not enough.
> 
> For example, I measure the max output as 1100 lumens on both the S600w HI and the SC64w HI. On the website, they're listed as 1300 and 1400, respectively.
> 
> ...



I totally agree, runtimes, current and lumens are very similar in both lights (I measured 1050lm)


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## anthon87 (Nov 25, 2018)

I made a small comparison between SC600w IV HI and SC64w HI. Both lights with fully charged Sony VTC6 and at 21ºC









I thought the difference would be smaller but the SC600w stays in turbo much longer, it also recovered full output when I turned on the fan, whereas the SC64w couldn't go back to 1000lm and stayed at 800lm even with the fan

I also notice differences between the PID, I read the head temperature from the SC600w at 52º when steppin down and the SC64w shows 46º, I'm trying to increase PID temperature but I can't notice any difference

I'll try to increase PID of the SC64w and repeat the test but now I can say that the SC600w has a much longer turbo time and can sustain 100lm more than the SC64w


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## likethevegetable (Nov 25, 2018)

Very informative, anthon87! These graphs will be very useful for someone trying to decide if the smaller size of the SC64 is worth the loss of sustained output.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Nov 25, 2018)

anthon87 said:


> I also notice differences between the PID, I read the head temperature from the SC600w at 52º when steppin down and the SC64w shows 46º, I'm trying to increase PID temperature but I can't notice any difference



Very interesting graphs. I also noticed that the SC64w HI doesn't get as hot as the SC600w HI. I haven't tried cranking up the PID temperature to see if it can compensate, but I'm not sure that would do much other than give a few more seconds of run time on max. Looks like you have already determined it doesn't so much at all.

When I was testing PID, I didn't think the SC600w MkIV HI could maintain much more than 300 lumens after it ramped down, but that was back in the summer so the ambient temperature was probably 10 degrees warmer than your test.


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## Mr. LED (Nov 25, 2018)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> I wouldn't trust the published specs too much on the Zebralight website. Sometimes they're too optimistic, sometimes not enough.
> 
> For example, I measure the max output as 1100 lumens on both the S600w HI and the SC64w HI. On the website, they're listed as 1300 and 1400, respectively.
> 
> ...



I’d like to see the currents comparing both lights too.


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## SubLGT (Dec 8, 2018)

I currently own a SC62w, and want to upgrade to either a SC64w or a SC64w HI, primarily for the programmable UI. From what I have read, there is not a big difference between the two. Is the HI version the better overall choice, for mostly indoor use?


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Dec 8, 2018)

SubLGT said:


> I currently own a SC62w, and want to upgrade to either a SC64w or a SC64w HI, primarily for the programmable UI. From what I have read, there is not a big difference between the two. Is the HI version the better overall choice, for mostly indoor use?



SW64w HI advantages:

- Greater chance of getting a nice tint with no green or color shift across the beam. The XHP35 HI emitter is great for tint snobs.
- Slightly more throwy (11 degree hot spot).

SC64w advantages:
- Slightly more output (about an extra 100 lumens) on max.
- Slightly more floody (12 degree hot spot).

If this is mostly for indoors, and you don't mind a beam that isn't perfect for tint (all domed Cree emitters are like this), get the regular SC64w. If you're picky on tint (the domeless HI emitters are good for this), or plan to use it outdoors much, get the SC64w HI.

Overall, there isn't much difference, and both are good choices.


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## SubLGT (Dec 8, 2018)

Thanks for the reply. I like a pleasing tint, so I will order the HI version.


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## lampeDépêche (Dec 8, 2018)

I just got a SC64w HI, after about a year of EDC'ing the SC600 Mark III HI. 

I got it simply to have a slimmer, lighter pocket-carry, and that's what I got.

It is not as powerful as the SC600 HI, and has less throw. And as I learned from some graphs up-thread, it maintains the high-mode for a considerably shorter time.

So it is less of a light. But it also takes up considerably less room in the pocket. 

Even Zebralight cannot overcome that trade-off. 

So for a while I am going to try the SC64 HI for pocket-carry, and put the SC600 HI in my bookbag where I can get it when I need more punch. 

I'm satisfied. The SC64 HI is not a revolutionary improvement, esp. if you are coming from the SC600 HI. But it's good, and much smaller.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Dec 8, 2018)

lampeDépêche said:


> I'm satisfied. The SC64 HI is not a revolutionary improvement, esp. if you are coming from the SC600 HI. But it's good, and much smaller.



Yeah, I was expecting a smaller SC600w HI, but what I got was really a SC64w with a bit better tint and slightly more throw. I was dumb, but overall I still like it. It's certainly easier on the pocket than the SC600, but in winter it doesn't matter much because I'm carrying it in a coat pocket. It will probably prove more useful in summer.


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## SubLGT (Dec 16, 2018)

Received my HI a few days ago. The HI still has some "Cree rainbow", but it is subdued. Compared to my SC62w, it has a lot less yellow in the hot spot, and less yellow/green in the corona. I did not encounter any electronic bugs. The switch cover is not leaking light. My new GA battery has not been crushed, so far. I installed the chrome clip from the SC62w onto the SC64w HI, for easier jeans pocket insertion and extraction.


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## Mr. LED (Dec 16, 2018)

SubLGT said:


> Received my HI a few days ago. The HI still has some "Cree rainbow", but it is subdued. Compared to my SC62w, it has a lot less yellow in the hot spot, and less yellow/green in the corona. I did not encounter any electronic bugs. The switch cover is not leaking light. My new GA battery has not been crushed, so far. I installed the chrome clip from the SC62w onto the SC64w HI, for easier jeans pocket insertion and extraction.



The clip is one thing I hate about the new SC64 and others... I’ve retrofitted all my new lights with older clips.


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## markr6 (Dec 16, 2018)

Mr. LED said:


> The clip is one thing I hate about the new SC64 and others... I’ve retrofitted all my new lights with older clips.



I bought a bunch of the old ones to "future proof" myself from the black, but I never got around to switching out my SC64w. At this point, I may just leave it since I mind so much anymore.


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## Mr. LED (Dec 16, 2018)

Double post, please remove.


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## Mr. LED (Dec 16, 2018)

markr6 said:


> I bought a bunch of the old ones to "future proof" myself from the black, but I never got around to switching out my SC64w. At this point, I may just leave it since I mind so much anymore.



Too bad the old ones can’t be found anymore...

When I got my SC64w I couldn’t remove those lousy torx screws using the correct wrench. The head was stripped so I had to file a slot and use a screw driver to get them out. I was so mad at Zebralight...


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## 18650 (Dec 21, 2018)

Fireclaw18 said:


> My SC64w HI experiences the "turn off from H1" only occasionally. My guess is maybe one out of every 10 or 20 turn-ons.
> 
> When the bug happens, I can override it and get it to stay on in high, by clicking to turn the light off, then click-and-hold to get to low, then turning it off and then on again. It will come on in H1 and stay on.



I wanted to speak to this. I took the plunge and ordered one of these and out of the box I had this happen to me once after about half a dozen off-on clicks to H1. I tried 5-6 more times but it didn't reoccur. The next day I clicked off-on to H1 over 300 times over about 2 hours and I could not get it to happen again. I've now gone from off-H1 over 500 times now and it hasn't happened again.

Interestingly my SC62d which has been my desk side light for the past 4 1/2 years also turned off from H1 after clicking on about 2 weeks ago. It was the first time I'd ever seen that behavior.


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## Repsol600rr (Dec 26, 2018)

Well I ordered one of these an an sc53w for myself for Christmas. Lets see how it is when it arrives. Hopefully fully functional, no glitches and with a good tint. Ive had good luck with that with the 6 zebras I have so far so we shall see...


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## ven (Dec 26, 2018)

Repsol600rr said:


> Well I ordered one of these an an sc53w for myself for Christmas. Lets see how it is when it arrives. Hopefully fully functional, no glitches and with a good tint. Ive had good luck with that with the 6 zebras I have so far so we shall see...



Mine is no too bad, i find nicer than the hi cri 4k anyway. Little towards yellow on my sample, but not distracting. In use outdoors its fine, inside where there may be white walls and light colours, then its not as nice on my eye. Its been in my coat for EDC use for a while now, dont even know its there.


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## hatman (Dec 27, 2018)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> SW64w HI advantages:
> 
> - Greater chance of getting a nice tint with no green or color shift across the beam. The XHP35 HI emitter is great for tint snobs.
> - Slightly more throwy (11 degree hot spot).
> ...



Thanks for this useful information.


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## ieslei (Dec 27, 2018)

I am still trying to decide rather i should replace my sc600w mkiv plus with the sc64w hi.... I dont know If the effort is worth it or not....


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Dec 27, 2018)

ieslei said:


> I am still trying to decide rather i should replace my sc600w mkiv plus with the sc64w hi.... I dont know If the effort is worth it or not....



Very different lights. I wouldn't get rid of the Plus. If you want to get a SC64w HI in addition, it would make a better EDC. If you only want one, and you're happy with your Plus, then don't bother getting the HI.


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## ieslei (Dec 28, 2018)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> Very different lights. I wouldn't get rid of the Plus. If you want to get a SC64w HI in addition, it would make a better EDC. If you only want one, and you're happy with your Plus, then don't bother getting the HI.


Thank you, WalkingIntoTheLight. I am edcing a Fenix e16 and i use the sc600w mkiv plus when camping and during night hikes.


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## Tixx (Dec 28, 2018)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> Very different lights. I wouldn't get rid of the Plus. If you want to get a SC64w HI in addition, it would make a better EDC. If you only want one, and you're happy with your Plus, then don't bother getting the HI.



Definitely. I have both and feel the same way.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Dec 28, 2018)

ieslei said:


> Thank you, WalkingIntoTheLight. I am edcing a Fenix e16 and i use the sc600w mkiv plus when camping and during night hikes.



I find the SC600w MkIV HI makes a better night-hiking light than the Plus. I prefer the SC600w HI more than the SC64w HI for outdoors.

The Plus is great for cycling, when I want a wide beam to illuminate a large area, but not out to far distances. It destroys night-vision, though, as the large beam means there's a lot of light up close.

IMO, the SC600w HI would make the best light for your camping/hiking purpose. Much better light to see in the distance, without ruining your night vision. It has a relatively narrow beam, though still big enough and with enough spill to avoid tunnel vision.


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## markr6 (Dec 28, 2018)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> IMO, the SC600w HI would make the best light for your camping/hiking purpose. Much better light to see in the distance, without ruining your night vision. It has a relatively narrow beam, though still big enough and with enough spill to avoid tunnel vision.



That's what makes the HI lights so great. I hope mine lasts forever; everything about it is perfect.


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## NPL (Dec 28, 2018)

markr6 said:


> That's what makes the HI lights so great. I hope mine lasts forever; everything about it is perfect.


Amén to that. Love my sc600w hi and find it very pocketable! Use it mostly outdoors though.


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## likethevegetable (Dec 28, 2018)

Having an H600Fx and the SC600w/SC64w HI would make for an awesome compact pair of lights... I only like to carry one light at a time though so I went with the Plus (and use it or my H600Fc for general purpose) over the HI (I was also hungry for lumens).. definitely happy with how far I can see, but the prospect of more throw with the SC600 HI or more compactness with the SC64w HI is so tempting.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Dec 28, 2018)

likethevegetable said:


> Having an H600Fx and the SC600w/SC64w HI would make for an awesome compact pair of lights... I only like to carry one light at a time though so I went with the Plus (and use it or my H600Fc for general purpose) over the HI (I was also hungry for lumens).. definitely happy with how far I can see, but the prospect of more throw with the SC600 HI or more compactness with the SC64w HI is so tempting.



The SC64w HI is a great EDC. Very compact and light. The beam has a great tint, with no green and no tint shift. As far as the beam profile goes, it's about half-way between the 600w Plus and the 600w HI, so a very good compromise.

The Plus definitely wins on lumens and efficiency, though. And the 600w HI is a clear winner on throw.


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## xevious (Jan 1, 2019)

markr6 said:


> I bought a bunch of the old ones to "future proof" myself from the black, but I never got around to switching out my SC64w. At this point, I may just leave it since I mind so much anymore.


Where do you buy your spares? Zebralight site doesn't seem to have them. And on eBay there's this guy making custom ones at a hefty price.


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## Mr. LED (Jan 1, 2019)

xevious said:


> Where do you buy your spares? Zebralight site doesn't seem to have them. And on eBay there's this guy making custom ones at a hefty price.



I guess he bought when they were still available. I have looked everywhere on the internet and haven’t found none. I even contacted Zebralight and they don’t have any


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## Repsol600rr (Jan 4, 2019)

Well my 64w hi arrived today and its pretty much perfect. Tint is clean and a good as I could have hoped. Makes my 62w look rosey though still great. I can notice a brightness difference between the 2. I'm very happy with it and cant wait to program it to my needs. The 53w however, not so much. Very yellow green corona around a pretty nice hotspot. If sending it back is an option I might take it but I dont really want to play mail tag hoping for better. First one thats disappointed me.


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## Mr. LED (Jan 5, 2019)

SC53w also disappointed me.


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## Tachead (Jan 5, 2019)

It's the emitter choice guys. Stay away from the new Cree designs(XP-L2, XP-G3, XHP50.2, XHP70.2) as they all have the same yellowish green corona due to the new full phosphor coating when used in a reflector based light. Some optics and/or frosted lenses can help blend in this corona howerever.


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## xevious (Jan 7, 2019)

Mr. LED said:


> I guess he bought when they were still available. I have looked everywhere on the internet and haven’t found none. I even contacted Zebralight and they don’t have any


Well that's a bummer. I wonder what led them to making this change. I really like the thick chrome plated clip. It's so solid and does the job well. Seems odd that it would be that much of a cost factor to motivate a change to this seemingly inferior clip. Zebralight mantra has always been about solid host quality.



Tachead said:


> It's the emitter choice guys. Stay away from the new Cree designs(XP-L2, XP-G3, XHP50.2, XHP70.2) as they all have the same yellowish green corona due to the new full phosphor coating when used in a reflector based light. Some optics and/or frosted lenses can help blend in this corona howerever.


Is this becoming more widely recognized and CREE will address it in a future emitter release? Or is it considered more of a nitpicky thing and this is the way CREE will be going forward?


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## Tachead (Jan 7, 2019)

xevious said:


> Well that's a bummer. I wonder what led them to making this change. I really like the thick chrome plated clip. It's so solid and does the job well. Seems odd that it would be that much of a cost factor to motivate a change to this seemingly inferior clip. Zebralight mantra has always been about solid host quality.
> 
> 
> Is this becoming more widely recognized and CREE will address it in a future emitter release? Or is it considered more of a nitpicky thing and this is the way CREE will be going forward?



Some people, including myself, like the new clip better(although I run custom clips on my ZL's now). Many people also prefer the more descrete carry that a black clip offers over a super shiny chrome one.

Your guess is as good as mine. My guess is it's a nit-picky thing. Cree sells emitters like hot cakes(flashlights are a very small part of their market). And, most customers are concerned with output and efficiency the most. I would imagine the full phosphor coating was used to increase efficiency and/or output and the corona effect(caused by the phosphor not on the die being less "excited") was a byproduct that most average people wouldn't even notice.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Jan 7, 2019)

Tachead said:


> Some people, including myself, like the new clip better(although I run custom clips on my ZL's now). Many people also prefer the more descrete carry that a black clip offers over a super shiny chrome one.



Yup, for those reasons, I prefer the new clip over the (ugly) chrome one they used to use.


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## xevious (Jan 7, 2019)

Tachead said:


> Some people, including myself, like the new clip better(although I run custom clips on my ZL's now). Many people also prefer the more descrete carry that a black clip offers over a super shiny chrome one.


The chrome one faces inward... and when the light is held, it is face down. So visibility isn't really much of a concern, unless you're more of a tactical user in which case... why are you using a Zebralight? These aren't tactical flashlights. Heck, they're not even black. I like mine because it's so tough, not as "bendy" as the new one.



> Your guess is as good as mine. My guess is it's a nit-picky thing. Cree sells emitters like hot cakes(flashlights are a very small part of their market). And, most customers are concerned with output and efficiency the most. I would imagine the full phosphor coating was used to increase efficiency and/or output and the corona effect(caused by the phosphor not on the die being less "excited") was a byproduct that most average people wouldn't even notice.


CREE sells emitters that are used for a multitude of purposes. Certainly there are uses in the medical field where tint and artifacts would be a concern... just as they are in the flashlight community. Is this "full phosphor" coating a new technique?


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## Tachead (Jan 7, 2019)

xevious said:


> The chrome one faces inward... and when the light is held, it is face down. So visibility isn't really much of a concern, unless you're more of a tactical user in which case... why are you using a Zebralight? These aren't tactical flashlights. Heck, they're not even black. I like mine because it's so tough, not as "bendy" as the new one.
> 
> 
> CREE sells emitters that are used for a multitude of purposes. Certainly there are uses in the medical field where tint and artifacts would be a concern... just as they are in the flashlight community. Is this "full phosphor" coating a new technique?



I am not sure what you mean. Most people clip lights to the inside of their pocket which leaves the shiny chrome clip on the outside of the rim of your pocket. No, I don't use my ZL's for tactical purposes but, only because of their complicated UI not the colour lol.

Cree makes many emitters, as far as I know the ones I listed are the only ones using the full phosphor coating. Not to mention, large industries like the medical field undoubtedly get preference when it comes to their choice of top binned emitters. The flashlight industry is tiny and they likely get whatever scraps are left as their order sizes are far too small.

If you want the best chance of getting a good tint then stick to Cree's HI emitters or Nichia's. Frosted glass or optics is another option to help blend tint shift. Or, just use your flashlight for what it was designed for... Light.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Jan 7, 2019)

Tachead said:


> I am not sure what you mean. Most people clip lights to the inside of their pocket which leaves the shiny chrome clip on the outside of the rim of your pocket.



Yeah, I'm not sure why he'd wear the flashlight on the outside of his pocket, but maybe it saves pocket space? Seems like it would catch on a lot of things, though. And, personally, I don't really want it visible. People think I'm already weird enough for carrying around a flashlight.


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## Tachead (Jan 7, 2019)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> Yeah, I'm not sure why he'd wear the flashlight on the outside of his pocket, but maybe it saves pocket space? Seems like it would catch on a lot of things, though. And, personally, I don't really want it visible. People think I'm already weird enough for carrying around a flashlight.



Yeah, I would likely loose my light the first day I wore it on the outside as it would catch on everything and pop off. It would save space though but, there is plenty of pockets in my tac pants and a belt sheath is always an option. 10-4 on the keeping it discrete, I feel the same.


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## Tachead (Jan 7, 2019)

Well, I am torn. The 62/63/64 series is my favorite off the job EDC but, I already have a 64w and 64c. Do I really need the HI? I know, this is the wrong place to ask that question lol. I would like a bit more punch at times and it's hard not to like the tint on the XHP35 HI's.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Jan 7, 2019)

Tachead said:


> Well, I am torn. The 62/63/64 series is my favorite off the job EDC but, I already have a 64w and 64c. Do I really need the HI? I know, this is the wrong place to ask that question lol. I would like a bit more punch at times and it's hard not to like the tint on the XHP35 HI's.



Tint is the reason to get it. As far as throw goes, it's a little bit of an improvement, but probably not worth the upgrade just for that. Get the SC600w HI if you want throw.


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## Tachead (Jan 7, 2019)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> Tint is the reason to get it. As far as throw goes, it's a little bit of an improvement, but probably not worth the upgrade just for that. Get the SC600w HI if you want throw.



Yep, I know. Honestly though, the tint is pretty nice on my 64w. It's a bit on the pink/magenta side but, still very nice. Not HI nice though. 

I already owned the SC600w MKIV HI and returned it. Yes, it had a beautifully pure white tint but, it's a bit too big to EDC imo and the clip totally sucks.

I'm out on the 64c LE for sure but, I will still have to ponder the 64w HI.


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## xevious (Jan 7, 2019)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> Yeah, I'm not sure why he'd wear the flashlight on the outside of his pocket, but maybe it saves pocket space? Seems like it would catch on a lot of things, though. And, personally, I don't really want it visible. People think I'm already weird enough for carrying around a flashlight.


Well, I guess one could call me a flashlight-bonehead, but I don't care. With a form factor like a ZL SC52, I have it hanging on the outside with the clip on the inside. I find having the light on the inside uncomfortable. Because the chrome clip is nice and tight, I haven't had to worry about the light popping off. I guess with this newer clip, I'd have to change how I carry it.


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## Tachead (Jan 7, 2019)

xevious said:


> Well, I guess one could call me a flashlight-bonehead, but I don't care. With a form factor like a ZL SC52, I have it hanging on the outside with the clip on the inside. I find having the light on the inside uncomfortable. Because the chrome clip is nice and tight, I haven't had to worry about the light popping off. I guess with this newer clip, I'd have to change how I carry it.


I find the lip on the new clip actually makes it hold better. It may lift easier until it hits that lip but, it takes more force to get past that lip vs the chrome one that doesn't have it. But, of course, to each their own. 

Personally, I had these customs made as I prefer deep carry...

https://i.imgur.com/FitwQFL.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/wP0me22.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/I83G5jo.jpg


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## xevious (Jan 7, 2019)

Tachead said:


> I find the lip on the new clip actually makes it hold better. It may lift easier until it hits that lip but, it takes more force to get past that lip vs the chrome one that doesn't have it. But, of course, to each their own.
> 
> Personally, I had these customs made as I prefer deep carry...
> 
> ...


I may go that route, of a custom clip. There's a seller on eBay offering at least one of these for about $25 plus shipping. Not bad for a custom made item, though a bit high when compared to the price of the light. Yet, if they're super sturdy and will last the life of the light, it should be worth it.


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## Tachead (Jan 7, 2019)

xevious said:


> I may go that route, of a custom clip. There's a seller on eBay offering at least one of these for about $25 plus shipping. Not bad for a custom made item, though a bit high when compared to the price of the light. Yet, if they're super sturdy and will last the life of the light, it should be worth it.


Most custom clips are made of titanium(6AL-4V). It doesn't have quite as much holding power as heat treated steel and it bends a bit easier but, can easily be bent back. I have been daily carrying the black one for about a year now and aside from some scratches in the powdercoat it is holding up great. If you don't want it to show surface wear then have it stone washed like my other one. 

I recommend Pop's Custom Clips if you go the custom route. The owner John is a very nice guy and great to deal with. I think he may be a member on here too. He has a bunch of designs but, will work with you and make you whatever you want(I sent him the image to engrave on the black powder coated one).


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## Mr. LED (Jan 7, 2019)

The problem I see with the new clips is not color, it is design. The older one is more tasteful, efficient and the opening on the clip allows for lanyard options. The new one is ugly and shreds pockets. IMHO it was a bad move for Zebralight. Also those torx shitty screws are a nightmare. I stripped both heads trying to get them out of my SC64w (using the correct wrench of course) and I had to file slots and use a screw driver.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Jan 8, 2019)

Mr. LED said:


> The problem I see with the new clips is not color, it is design. The older one is more tasteful, efficient and the opening on the clip allows for lanyard options.



The new clip has holes for a lanyard, just not as big.



> The new one is ugly and shreds pockets.



I haven't found that, since it sits on a smooth body. Very good to pants, IMO. The pants-shredders are the SC600 lights, since the clip rests on the body knurling. What were they thinking with that design???



> IMHO it was a bad move for Zebralight. Also those torx shitty screws are a nightmare. I stripped both heads trying to get them out of my SC64w (using the correct wrench of course) and I had to file slots and use a screw driver.



Agreed about the stupid torx screw choice. The phillips choice worked fine, so I don't know why they had to change it.


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## Tachead (Jan 8, 2019)

Mr. LED said:


> The problem I see with the new clips is not color, it is design. The older one is more tasteful, efficient and the opening on the clip allows for lanyard options. The new one is ugly and shreds pockets. IMHO it was a bad move for Zebralight. Also those torx shitty screws are a nightmare. I stripped both heads trying to get them out of my SC64w (using the correct wrench of course) and I had to file slots and use a screw driver.



Clip preferences aside, using a high quality driver or bit that is the right size is key. Low quality Torx and hex drivers are slightly undersized causing damage to fasteners. I have removed ZL's clip screws multiple times on more then one model and have never stripped a fastener head nor threads. Get yourself a good set of Torx and hex drivers, a high quality torque wrench if needed, make sure you are using the right size bit(a common error too), and your fastener problems will go away.


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## Mr. LED (Jan 8, 2019)

I used German WERA torx wrench, which is supposed to be extreme quality. And obviously the correct size. The screws were so tight I thought they had loctite. I heated them really good but didn’t work. So the heads stripped.


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## Mr. LED (Jan 8, 2019)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> What were they thinking with that design???



I ask myself the same question. Why not the same screwed on clip as the other lights? Or at least a smooth area under the contact point...


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## xevious (Jan 8, 2019)

Mr. LED said:


> I ask myself the same question. Why not the same screwed on clip as the other lights? Or at least a smooth area under the contact point...


I wonder if it was to eliminate any kind of "edge" on the screws, that will be present with flat head and Philips head. Torx is "smoother."


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Jan 8, 2019)

xevious said:


> I wonder if it was to eliminate any kind of "edge" on the screws, that will be present with flat head and Philips head. Torx is "smoother."



I see that the torx holes they use in the screws are certainly smaller. Maybe smoother. But I'm not sure that makes much difference, since most people pocket-carry with the clip out. Besides, I can't see that screws cause much friction compared to all the body knurling.

Perhaps the assembly line was stripping too many phillips screws, so they moved to something less strippable (assuming good screwdrivers). I don't think they really care about whether or not people can remove them; they just want to make sure it's attached tightly.


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## holygeez03 (Jan 8, 2019)

Tiny Philips head screws would be way worse in my opinion... with small screws, I have had better luck with hex head.

Torx work great in general, but the screws need to be proper hardness and the socket and/or driver need to be rather precise when small.


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## Tachead (Jan 8, 2019)

Mr. LED said:


> I used German WERA torx wrench, which is supposed to be extreme quality. And obviously the correct size. The screws were so tight I thought they had loctite. I heated them really good but didn’t work. So the heads stripped.


Well, I have never tried Wera tools but, all I can say is my Snap-on and Mac drivers rarely ever strip screws unless they are already damaged. But, keep in mind I was a professional mechanic for 15+ years so I have mastered many of these techniques. 

Just an FYI...

When removing a stuck bolt/screw you want to heat the material surrounding the screw, not the screw itself. This allows the threaded area to expand lowering its grip on the fastener. By heating the screw you were in effect making the the screw tighter going against what you were trying to accomplish.


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## Fireclaw18 (Jan 8, 2019)

I use torx wrench set I got from OSH years ago.

It works great with the SC64 clip screws. Absolutely zero slippage or stripping of the screws. Much better results than with Phillips.


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## Mr. LED (Jan 8, 2019)

Tachead said:


> Well, I have never tried Wera tools but, all I can say is my Snap-on and Mac drivers rarely ever strip screws unless they are already damaged. But, keep in mind I was a professional mechanic for 15+ years so I have mastered many of these techniques.
> 
> Just an FYI...
> 
> When removing a stuck bolt/screw you want to heat the material surrounding the screw, not the screw itself. This allows the threaded area to expand lowering its grip on the fastener. By heating the screw you were in effect making the the screw tighter going against what you were trying to accomplish.



Tachead, I’ve 20+ years of experience in engineering, machining and I’m a luthier working with hand tools forever. And obviously I heated up the whole area to expand the hole and loose any possible loctite. But it was so tight that stripping the heads was inevitable. I wish I had the luck you had removing them without damage. Aside from the time lost, I’m glad I got rid of those screws, replacing the clip with the old one and philips head screws.


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## Tachead (Jan 8, 2019)

Mr. LED said:


> Tachead, I’ve 20+ years of experience in engineering, machining and I’m a luthier working with hand tools forever. And obviously I heated up the whole area to expand the hole and loose any possible loctite. But it was so tight that stripping the heads was inevitable. I wish I had the luck you had removing them without damage. Aside from the time lost, I’m glad I got rid of those screws, replacing the clip with the old one and philips head screws.



I was just trying to help man, I have no idea what your level of experience is. You said you heated the screws so I just figured I would let you know the correct way for next time. Hopefully if you have to do it again it goes smoothly👍.


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## Mr. LED (Jan 9, 2019)

All cool, thanks for the help!


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## Tachead (Jan 26, 2019)

Well, I ordered one of these for myself. I figured I was one of the ones who pushed for this model so I better buy one or ZL might not listen again lol. 

I will post my thoughts when it gets here.


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## m_kluch (Feb 22, 2019)

One seller on ebay has 4 of these in stock F your I.
They've been on back order for a while now


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## koziy (Feb 22, 2019)

m_kluch said:


> One seller on ebay has 4 of these in stock F your I.
> They've been on back order for a while now



I've had a lot of luck with ZL back order recently. Usual wait time is less than a week, although the longest (SC64c LE) took about 5 weeks. Amazon Prime is a Godsend, though, for the models you can get from there. I'm always a little bit more leery of ebay than I am of Amazon (although I'm plenty leery of ordering from either place!).


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## Mr. LED (Feb 22, 2019)

I got my SC64w HI last week and I hate it. Makes all my other flashlights (including Zebralights) have terrible tint compared to it. :duh2:


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Feb 22, 2019)

Mr. LED said:


> I got my SC64w HI last week and I hate it. Makes all my other flashlights (including Zebralights) have terrible tint compared to it. :duh2:



Yeah, I hear you. I have several lights that use the XHP35 HI, but whatever reel they bought for producing the SC64w HI, they either got lucky or they're choosing really well now.

Hopefully, they'll keep using great tint bins going forward. It would be a shame if a future release of the SC64w HI goes back to using an inferior bin to the one they're using now.


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## Mr. LED (Feb 22, 2019)

I wish my SC600w Mk IV HI had the same tint. It’s slightly greenish compared to the SC64w normal and HI, but fine by itself.


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## Fireclaw18 (Feb 22, 2019)

I have two SC64w HI. One is a first run preorder, the other is a second run.

The tint on the first one is very slightly greenish. The tint on the second is better with no significant green. It's comparable to the excellent tint of my SC64w.

None of my zebras has tint as good as my Emisar D4 4000K 5D XPL HI though.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Feb 22, 2019)

Fireclaw18 said:


> I have two SC64w HI. One is a first run preorder, the other is a second run.
> 
> The tint on the first one is very slightly greenish. The tint on the second is better with no significant green.



I guess there's a bit of variation. My pre-order 64w HI has a perfect tint. No green. Perhaps some slight rosiness to it.



> None of my zebras has tint as good as my Emisar D4 4000K 5D XPL HI though.



The 5D is a really nice tint bin, yes. Warmer than the "w" Zebralights.


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## Tachead (Feb 22, 2019)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> I guess there's a bit of variation. My pre-order 64w HI has a perfect tint. No green. Perhaps some slight rosiness to it.
> 
> 
> 
> The 5D is a really nice tint bin, yes. Warmer than the "w" Zebralights.


Yep, the tint lottery is real, even with HI emitters and Nichia's. My 64w HI is quite pinkish/magenta where as my 600w HI was almost pure white.

5D is indeed a nice tint.


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## m_kluch (Feb 22, 2019)

koziy said:


> I've had a lot of luck with ZL back order recently. Usual wait time is less than a week, although the longest (SC64c LE) took about 5 weeks. Amazon Prime is a Godsend, though, for the models you can get from there. I'm always a little bit more leery of ebay than I am of Amazon (although I'm plenty leery of ordering from either place!).



Yeah I just read on a different thread someone posted that they ordered an sc64w hi a week ago and just got a shipping notice in the mail. Why wouldn't they take them off of back order then? Do they only make them one at a time only if they have an order for it? I've been wanting one since January and it always says backorder so I wasn't buying due to not knowing how long its going to take. Pisses me off.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Feb 22, 2019)

m_kluch said:


> Yeah I just read on a different thread someone posted that they ordered an sc64w hi a week ago and just got a shipping notice in the mail. Why wouldn't they take them off of back order then? Do they only make them one at a time only if they have an order for it? I've been wanting one since January and it always says backorder so I wasn't buying due to not knowing how long its going to take. Pisses me off.



Zebralight is horrible for keeping their website up to date. Stuff was still showing pre-order, a month after I already had my light delivered! Best advice is to ignore the status on their website, and just go ahead and order.


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## Tachead (Feb 22, 2019)

m_kluch said:


> Yeah I just read on a different thread someone posted that they ordered an sc64w hi a week ago and just got a shipping notice in the mail. Why wouldn't they take them off of back order then? Do they only make them one at a time only if they have an order for it? I've been wanting one since January and it always says backorder so I wasn't buying due to not knowing how long its going to take. Pisses me off.


It's a ZL thing, they have always been like that.

I would just order one, cross your fingers, and be patient. When I ordered my 64w HI it said backordered and I think it shipped in 3 days. They are probably quite busy and can't be bothered to constantly update product status as they make new runs of dozens and dozens of different models. Don't worry, all your stress will go away when you get it in your hand, it is an awesome light👍.


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## xevious (Feb 23, 2019)

Tachead said:


> Well, I ordered one of these for myself. I figured I was one of the ones who pushed for this model so I better buy one or ZL might not listen again lol.
> 
> I will post my thoughts when it gets here.


Did you get it yet ?


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## Tachead (Feb 23, 2019)

xevious said:


> Did you get it yet ?


Sure did, I got it about 3 weeks ago. It is my favorite ZL flashlight so far. 

I posted my thoughts about it in the main ZL thread(starting at post #2501)and forgot to post something in here. I posted a bunch of beamshots comparisons and thoughts after some use later in the thread as well(beamshots start at #2529). Let me know if you have any other questions👍.


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## likethevegetable (Feb 23, 2019)

Tachead, do you own an H600x by any chance?

Considering getting the SC64w HI as a smaller light to carry around in the summer time. I'm suuuper tempted by how well praised the tint is.


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## Tachead (Feb 23, 2019)

likethevegetable said:


> Tachead, do you own an H600x by any chance?
> 
> Considering getting the SC64w HI as a smaller light to carry around in the summer time. I'm suuuper tempted by how well praised the tint is.



Yep, I have an H600Fc MKIII and an H600Fd MKIII and have been using them almost exclusively(I also have a H502c L2)for the last 3+ years. They are great headlamps. 

I don't think you can go wrong with the SC64w HI but, of course flashlight preference is quite subjective. The SC64w HI is my favorite ZL flashlight so far and I have owned the SC600w MKIV Plus XHP50.2, SC600w MKIV HI, SC64w, and SC64c. It offers a great balance of attributes and is a great mid sized/high capacity EDC(one of the best I have found). 

What do you currently EDC and have you owned any SC6x series before?


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## koziy (Feb 23, 2019)

I have (and had) the following ZL's: SC64, SC64w HI, (SC600w IV HI), (SC600w IV Plus), SC700d, H600d IV, and I will soon have a SC64c LE once the postman in Irving, TX picks up ZL's outgoing mail. 

I just returned my last SC600 as of today. The SC600w IV Plus put out a lot of light, and while it maintained its brightness for longer than something like an Emisar D4, it got too hot, too quickly for my preference, and now that I have the better heat-managed SC700d, it occupied more of an intermediate space in my collection rather than a sweet spot for me. Since I got it from Amazon, the return was easy. My SC600w IV HI was a better performer in terms of heat management, but it had a strange black spot on the LED. It was probably nothing, but I emailed ZL to see if I could send them a photo and get their opinion. They said to just send it back and they'd send a replacement. Great, I thought, except the replacement they sent looked used, made a pretty loud high pitched whining noise on H2 and came with a battery still inside the light. Maybe it was another customer's returned flashlight? So, that went back too, and I decided to just request a refund because I didn't want to deal with another potential customer's rejected flashlight. At first I was thinking I'd reorder the SC600w IV HI, but after some consideration, I decided that I'm pretty content with the SC64w HI. The SC600 version is not different enough for me to justify having both.

As far as comparisons go, the SC600w HI gives what appears to be more light than the SC64w HI. The throw is a little farther outdoors, and the spill is a little better transitioned and more usable indoors--although they both struggle with this, IMO. The base model SC64's beam is better than both of them indoors (probably any HI emitter is going to be a suboptimal choice if you want a broad hot spot with even transition to spill). If you're not comparing directly, though, it's hard to be dissatisfied with either beam outdoors. Indoors, the beam of the SC64w HI leaves a little to be desired, since the hot spot is so narrow and so much brighter than its spill, especially when I can compare it to the base model SC64 beam, which gives a much broader hot spot. I would say that the SC64w HI sits somewhere in between the SC64 and the SC600w HI in terms of having a good EDC flashlight with a "punchy" beam. If you want a small EDC flashlight that works pretty well indoors but punches well above its weight outdoors, get the SC64w HI. Make no mistake, the SC600w IV HI is the more competent general purpose flashlight, but the drawback that is that it's slightly larger when the advantages in the beam are pretty minor, IMO.


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## likethevegetable (Feb 23, 2019)

My EDC rotates depending on what I'm doing, but it's usually one of my 4 ZLs:

* SC600w IV Plus - walking in the woods, bike light (will use this summer)
* H600Fc IV - utility light, car camping lamp, nightstand
* H53Fc - Lightweight backpacking, travel
* H53c - In my lunch mini toolkit, loaner to GF when travel/camping.

I've never owned an SC6* light, so I'm basically grappling with how much I would actually appreciate the size improvement. I'm a sucker for optimized designs and the compactness is tempting. As you can tell, I'm pretty into 4000k, especially for outdoor use. But I must admit, the w Plus showed me that cooler is a bit nicer for using during the day and staying alert at light, and 80 CRI in use is still very good, definitely not as good as my c lights, but still more than acceptable for all my uses.

I'm thinking the SC64w HI would fit in nicely for carrying in the summer, used as a bike light for shorter rides where I'll be locking my bike and bringing the light with me to a gathering.

But in all seriousness, I think I just have a craving for a clean tint in a less-warm tint that I'm used to


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## likethevegetable (Feb 23, 2019)

Thanks for the 2¢ koziy. I'm thinking I'll still keep my Plus as it's the brightest I have, and I love the feel in hand and broad beam. It can pump out a ton of lumens for a loooong time in the winter here. Which actually leads me to a question:

How dim is the spill on the 64 HI and how sharp is the transition (when say 30 ft away from an object)? I'm okay with having a bright hotspot, but I definitely prefer the appearance of a smoother transition in medium-range use. The SC64w is out of the question because I want a clean tint on this one.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the LE.


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## likethevegetable (Feb 24, 2019)

Well fellas, I caved. Pulled the trigger on an SC64w HI from NKON. Figured I'd try to sell my H53c or H53Fc to make room.

Asked for one with dark ano and clean tint. Hopefully they can deliver!


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## koziy (Feb 24, 2019)

likethevegetable said:


> Thanks for the 2¢ koziy. I'm thinking I'll still keep my Plus as it's the brightest I have, and I love the feel in hand and broad beam. It can pump out a ton of lumens for a loooong time in the winter here. Which actually leads me to a question:
> 
> How dim is the spill on the 64 HI and how sharp is the transition (when say 30 ft away from an object)? I'm okay with having a bright hotspot, but I definitely prefer the appearance of a smoother transition in medium-range use. The SC64w is out of the question because I want a clean tint on this one.
> 
> Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the LE.



30 feet away, with the flashlight on high, there's plenty of light in the spill. It's a pretty balanced beam overall, like all Zebralights. I was referring more to using it on low/medium modes indoors, up close. The hot spot being so small and bright can be a little annoying for stuff like that, at least in comparison to my other SC64. I am curious how the SC64c LE stacks up as well. So much comes down to the specifics of the LED itself.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Feb 25, 2019)

koziy said:


> 30 feet away, with the flashlight on high, there's plenty of light in the spill. It's a pretty balanced beam overall, like all Zebralights. I was referring more to using it on low/medium modes indoors, up close. The hot spot being so small and bright can be a little annoying for stuff like that, at least in comparison to my other SC64. I am curious how the SC64c LE stacks up as well. So much comes down to the specifics of the LED itself.



Side-by-side, the 64w HI hotspot is a little more intense than the regular version, especially right in the middle. But, I don't really notice it when using the 64w HI around the house. It's still a floody light, and much closer to the regular version than something like the 600w HI.

Overall, you get a little more throw out of the 64w HI, so it's a bit more useful outdoors. But it's nothing startling.


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## Mr. LED (Feb 25, 2019)

I notice a lot of difference. My SC64w is very floody, almost as much as my H600Fw Mk IV. My SC64w HI has a much more defined hotspot, like the old SC62 or 32 with XM-L emitters.

Funny thing is I ordered a H600w Mk IV last week, expecting it to be as floody as my SC64w (same emitter and reflector angle), but I was surprised by a throwy hotspot completely different than the SC64w. So throwy I couldn’t use as a headlamp, so I exchanged it by the H600Fw.

Maybe we have also hotspot lottery?


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## Mr. LED (Mar 7, 2019)

I just scored another SC64w HI. They’re too good to have only one :candle:


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## likethevegetable (Mar 7, 2019)

You monster! Some people don't even have one yet.

I _might _be getting mine today or tomorrow... pretty dang excited. 

Also sold an old H53Fc to make room for it, so it only cost me a few bucks.

TBH, I'm a little concerned that it's going to make me want to sell my SC600w IV Plus, as I'm a "man of few lights".


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Mar 7, 2019)

likethevegetable said:


> TBH, I'm a little concerned that it's going to make me want to sell my SC600w IV Plus, as I'm a "man of few lights".



They're different lights, so you probably won't want to sell the Plus. Also, the 64w HI has a pretty short run-time on max before heat causes it to ramp down. You'll get way longer runs at the same output with the Plus. The 64w HI makes a great EDC. The 600w Plus makes a great floody outdoor light (I use mine for cycling).


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## likethevegetable (Mar 7, 2019)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> They're different lights, so you probably won't want to sell the Plus. Also, the 64w HI has a pretty short run-time on max before heat causes it to ramp down. You'll get way longer runs at the same output with the Plus. The 64w HI makes a great EDC. The 600w Plus makes a great floody outdoor light (I use mine for cycling).



Yeah I was actually thinking of using the Plus as my show-off and trail riding light (where I'm not worried about blinding others, since I'm the only one there at night), and my SC64w HI as an urban light where I only need 30 lumens so a car can see me (adequate street lighting here), can pocket it more comfortably in the pub, but still have 400 lumens available for when I hit the trails quickly on the way home.

My H600Fc IV heats up soooo fast compared to my Plus on H1, to the point where I don't even have H1 programmed anymore, I'm expecting to do the same for my HI.

BTW I've read that the actual max for the HI is about 1020 lm, anyone measure the second highest mode? (I'll probably just do a quick ceiling bounce at home and linear interpolation when I get the light anyway).


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Mar 7, 2019)

likethevegetable said:


> BTW I've read that the actual max for the HI is about 1020 lm, anyone measure the second highest mode? (I'll probably just do a quick ceiling bounce at home and linear interpolation when I get the light anyway).



Yeah, it's around 1100 lumens, give or take. Zebralight didn't update the specs properly, when replacing the regular XHP35 with the XHP35 HI. The SC600w IV HI is the same way.


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## likethevegetable (Mar 7, 2019)

The girlfriend just sent me this. She's such a tease! :naughty:

Total turnaround time was 10 days from NKON (Netherlands), no tracking once it got to Canada though. Paid $105 Canadian all said and done.. $20 cheaper than direct from ZL.


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## markr6 (Mar 7, 2019)

likethevegetable said:


> The girlfriend just sent me this. She's such a tease! :naughty:



Info on how to get a girlfriend that sends flashlights, please


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## likethevegetable (Mar 7, 2019)

*pictures of flashlights... No, I wouldn't trust ANYONE to buy me a flashlight.. except you guys. lol.

Well, first you DON'T tell her about your addiction, then wait until she's committed... and then lay it all on the table. At best she'll think it's 'cute'...


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## likethevegetable (Mar 7, 2019)

First impressions are good.

Fits nicely in my coin pocket. Might be the only 18650 I'll actually carry. My H600Fc was slim enough, but just a bit too tall. 

Tint is beautiful. Wow. So far it's very pure. Colors in my pantry and closet look good. Looking forward to using it tonight, should look great on the snow.

The tint makes the Plus' corona look a nasty green in comparison. Makes the H600Fc look slightly yellow, and makes the H53c like very yellow (I think I won the lotteries with two of my c emitters, no hints of green in them at all. Except for my H53Fc which I sold...).

Ano is very clean and uniformly smooth, except for a very small blemish on the switch side near the bezel. It's not as dark as my H53c (which is very dark, really won that lottery), and I'd say it's a normal ZL.

Good lord this clip is tight. Ridiculous and unusable. I'm afraid to even try removing these screws in fear of stripping 'em. Might have to search for a deep carry. Might have to resort to Pop's, but anyone know of any sub-$20 options?

Something that I just realized I love about ZLs - you always seem to naturally find the switch. They're great in the hand. I've definitely converted to a side-clicky type of guy because of ZL. But...

The switch feels different from my other Zebras. It feels more plump and like there's more space/air between the boot and the switch, where the other Zebra's I have I can't discern the spacing. The actually clicking mechanism is fine though, just feels like it's 1 mm lower than the underside of the boot. I think I've read of another user who's had this concern. I don't know, I kind of like that it's more difficult to activate, but I also don't feel as precise changing modes as it's not as firm and quick to click, very accute. 

Anyone care to chime in?

I contacted ZL and the seller and asked them to compare some lights. If I decide to return it, hopefully NKON will be restocking some HI's and I think PayPal would cover return shipping. The SC64w HI model is definitely a home-run.


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## likethevegetable (Mar 8, 2019)

Some more thoughts on the light after about 1 hour outside:

Color rendering is great for 80 CRI due to the pure beam, my white walls look clean, the snow looks true, trees look nice. It definitely doesn't bring out browns like my H600Fc (I think a user measured 90 CRI on BLF), but since there's snow on the ground for half the year, I'd say it does an equally good job outdoors. When looking at the beam, the w Plus is gross compared to the HI. But when looking at an object (i.e. actual use), both beams look nice and there's nothing to complain about from either. I'd say the HI is very, very slightly warmer than neutral at 100-300 K colder than the w Plus which is a fair bit warmer than neutral.

Throw is impressive for a light of this size, but that's probably because I'm used to more floody beams in general. I'd say it has enough throw for anything other than search-lighting. Another user measured the candela to be similar to the w Plus at around 14-15,000 (and stated we should minus 30%), and I would say this is accurate, they seem to throw as far. Other users have mentioned that the wide beam of the w Plus kills your night vision a lot more than HI's, and I'd have to agree, the HI has punch and the Plus is a wall. Although the HI does have a good amount of useable spill. Overall it's a very useful beam.

Moonlight seems as bright as my Plus (might be the higher intensity with actually less lumens), which kinda stinks. I wish it was dimmer.

A little anecdote: some people say that there's some overlap in the non-HI SC600's and the SC64's because of similar beamshape, and that 2000 lumens only looks 50% brighter. I'd have to disagree with that. The max on the Plus trounces the 64w HI, and maintains even 2300 lumens far longer than the HI maintains 1000. I think they'll both have a special place in my collection.

As for the button: I'll likely end up exchanging the light IF the seller restocks with the HIs. I wouldn't mind waiting. If they don't restock, then I have a difficult choice to make. The switch just doesn't feel as good as my others.


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## JimIslander (Mar 8, 2019)

Ordered my SC64w HI on 2-19. ZL says it will ship in 5-10 days. Ordered a SC600w Mk IV Plus the same day and it is shipping tomorrow. So I'll report back my thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of each light in a couple weeks!

I did just receive my SC64c LE and love everything about it.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Mar 8, 2019)

likethevegetable said:


> Moonlight seems as bright as my Plus (might be the higher intensity with actually less lumens), which kinda stinks. I wish it was dimmer.



The lowest moonlight on my SC64w HI is a lot lower than the lowest on my SC600w IV Plus. I'd say it's just about right. I'd still like an option for one level lower, even though I'd hardly ever use it.

OTOH, my Plus's moonlight is too bright for middle-of-the-night.

Are you sure you're using the lowest moonlight setting on your SC64w HI ? Zebralight's default is to use the second-lowest setting, so you have to reprogram it when you get the light.

I'd estimate the second-lowest moonlight on the 64w HI is about the same as the lowest on the Plus.


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## likethevegetable (Mar 8, 2019)

I've programmed it to the very lowest - I've never had any issues with programming ZLs before so I'm sure I'm doing it correctly. Will triple check later tonight to be sure. Another little quirk I found (not concerning though) - the LED phosphor afterglow is quite bright and lasts a while (even if I unscrew the tailcap).

Can anyone comment on the switch? Does your SC64 feel different than your other ZLs?


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## Mr. LED (Mar 8, 2019)

My switch feels good, firm click and no gap between the boot and button. But all my Zebras switches are a little different than the other. Some click louder, some are stiffer, they’re never identical. My new SC700d switch for instance, is softer. My SC64w is firm with a loud click. The SC64w is almost as firm, but quieter click.

And the afterglow is long. On my second SC64w HI it’s much longer than the first one.


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## likethevegetable (Mar 8, 2019)

Yeah on my 4 other ZLs the click does vary slightly in loudness and response, and I don't expect them to be exactly the same, but my SC64w HI has noticeable "play" in the rubber, about 1 mm before activating the switch. I'm going to return it, it will bother me in the long run.


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## Mr. LED (Mar 8, 2019)

Better to return than be unhappy.


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## likethevegetable (Mar 8, 2019)

Well, I got lucky and it turned out NKON had 1 left in stock (despite their webpage saying out). Asked them to check the switch and they compared it to 10 other Zebra's (hopefully they knew what I meant when I asked them and my request didn't get lost in translation).

Now it's time to play the Tint and Ano lottery again... hah.

Another two weeks! I can wait...


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Mar 8, 2019)

I find there's a long afterglow with both my XHP35 HI Zebras (64w HI and 600w IV HI). I think it's normal with their driver design. Probably some capacitor slowly discharging.

As for the button, mine is fine. But, as mentioned, all my Zebras are a bit different, from soft to hard. The only one that I don't like is a very mushy SC52w switch. But, it has held up for years, so I don't think it causes problems.


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## Stefano (Mar 8, 2019)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> As for the button, mine is fine. But, as mentioned, all my Zebras are a bit different, from soft to hard. The only one that I don't like is a very mushy SC52w switch. But, it has held up for years, so I don't think it causes problems.



Even some of my old Zebralight have a very soft button, it must be pressed carefully and using a fingernail.
This often happened on old models (2012/2013) but not on all .
On all those bought later I found a good button.
Except for the problem of some buttons that are too soft, all these switches have proved to be reliable.


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## likethevegetable (Mar 8, 2019)

ZL said it could be the dimension/shape of the silicone cover, retaining ring, or casing is slightly off and it likely shouldn't be an issue for longevity. Returned anyways because I prefer the feel of the normal ones.


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## xevious (Mar 8, 2019)

likethevegetable said:


> ZL said it could be the dimension/shape of the silicone cover, retaining ring, or casing is slightly off and it likely shouldn't be an issue for longevity. Returned anyways because I prefer the feel of the normal ones.


I wonder if there have been different tolerances on buttons over the course of different production runs. I have an SC52w L1 from 2008 and it has a somewhat "mushy" button, in that there's about 1~2mm travel before the button clicks. However, the precision control after that travel is great. It's a VERY quiet button too.

My new SC64c LE has a very tight button. No mush at all. An audible click that's pretty subtle (but is about twice as loud as the SC52w).

I picked up an H54F recently that was sold as used, but had pretty much been in the box for the years it was owned (it was a backup, according to the seller, and the pristine body support that). So, essentially like new. That button is very tight like the SC64c LE, but it's about twice as loud when clicking. Louder than my Astrolux S43, and probably the loudest of all the flashlights I own.

So apparently there's a button lottery as well. I'm just glad that the best button came on my SC64c LE. I'm really happy with this light!


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## likethevegetable (Mar 8, 2019)

I think the odds of losing the lottery are very low: of the 6 Zebra's I've handled, only 1 lost. Just a fluke.. I hope lol


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## Mr. LED (Mar 8, 2019)

Here are some beamshots comparing SC64w, SC64w HI and SC600w Mk IV HI. The house is 120 meters away (360 feet). Shot with an iPhone but locked exposure and focus for the 3 pictures.


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## NPL (Mar 8, 2019)

Sc64w hi and sc600w hi look surprisingly similar!


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## likethevegetable (Mar 12, 2019)

https://ru.nkon.nl has a bunch of ZL's in stock - including the SC64w HI and SC64c LE for a great price (especially for Canadians).


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## Tachead (Mar 12, 2019)

likethevegetable said:


> https://ru.nkon.nl has a bunch of ZL's in stock - including the SC64w HI and SC64c LE for a great price (especially for Canadians).


Seems like pretty much the same price(maybe $5Can cheaper with shipping?). Is the shipping faster then from ZL or?


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## likethevegetable (Mar 12, 2019)

It's actually 23+ CAD cheaper, I paid 4 euro shipping from NKON for 68 total = 103 CAD (note the SC64c LE is 2 euro less expensive), the same price from ZL with shipping is 94 USD = 126 CAD. Plus, if you have to return (like I did), return shipping is about the same cost from Canada Post, and if you have to pay for shipping the second time around it's cheaper.

Takes about the same time from ZL direct, about 10 days, but less tracking info.


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## Tachead (Mar 12, 2019)

likethevegetable said:


> It's actually 23+ CAD cheaper, I paid 4 euro shipping from NKON for 68 total = 103 CAD (note the SC64c LE is 2 euro less expensive), the same price from ZL with shipping is 94 USD = 126 CAD. Plus, if you have to return (like I did), return shipping is about the same cost from Canada Post, and if you have to pay for shipping the second time around it's cheaper.
> 
> Takes about the same time from ZL direct, about 10 days, but less tracking info.


But, there is a free shipping option direct from ZL. When I run the numbers with the free shipping option it is only about $5 cheaper.

Either way, good to know there is another option for us Canadians. I have dealt with Nkon before too and they were great. What I would really like to see is ZL start shipping direct from Irving for us Canadian neibours.


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## likethevegetable (Mar 12, 2019)

They don't offer free shipping for Canadians at all though... their website is misleading. Maybe I should have specified - great deal IF you're Canadian.


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## WalkIntoTheLight (Mar 12, 2019)

Yeah, IIRC, it's about $15 or $16 for their cheapest shipping option to Canada.

When I asked Zebralight why they didn't offer free shipping, they responded with something about Canadians ripping them off and Canada Post doesn't allow for signatures with free shipping. So, they had to go with EMS to get a signature for delivery proof.


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## likethevegetable (Mar 12, 2019)

Hah.. Canada Post is ridiculous. It's cheaper to send something to the Netherlands than it is to ship from Winnipeg to Toronto.


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## Mr. LED (Mar 12, 2019)

Actually every post in every country is deemed ridiculous by its citizens, because all of them are bad. Today I sent a flashlight from Germany to Brazil, cost was 16 Euro. Last week I sent one from Germany to Portugal, which is in EU, cost was 17.99.

Sent another from my town in Germany to Hamburg last week, was supposed to arrive next day, took 6 days, was rerouted a few times due to mistakes in handling. Lost a SC32 last year sending from my town to another, just vanished. The stories go on and on...


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## JimIslander (Mar 21, 2019)

Mr. LED said:


> Actually every post in every country is deemed ridiculous by its citizens, because all of them are bad. Today I sent a flashlight from Germany to Brazil, cost was 16 Euro. Last week I sent one from Germany to Portugal, which is in EU, cost was 17.99.
> 
> Sent another from my town in Germany to Hamburg last week, was supposed to arrive next day, took 6 days, was rerouted a few times due to mistakes in handling. Lost a SC32 last year sending from my town to another, just vanished. The stories go on and on...



Thankfully not every country. US Postal service is awesomely reliable and the cost is reasonable. There are exceptions, but the vast majority of packages get delivered in a few days or less and can cost less than $10 for virtually all flashlights. For example, a 2-Day Priority padded envelope is $8 and includes some insurance and delivery confirmation.


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## JimIslander (Mar 21, 2019)

Oh! Just received word that the SC64w HI I ordered on 2/19 shipped today.


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## likethevegetable (Mar 21, 2019)

Right on! Let us know what you think.

FWIW NKON received my returned HI with the weird switch, and agreed that it felt very off and sent it back to ZL for repair.


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## likethevegetable (Apr 9, 2019)

Well, I received my second SC64w HI and have to say that I was disappointed in that one as well due to poor anodizing – not the color, but overall feel and quality of it. Sent it back and got refunded.

As you can see, there’s a noticeable variation in the color near the tail-cap. the lighter side feels like the ano is thin and the finish is non-uniform, dry and almost chalky feeling, as if it was eaten away by a chemical. It doesn’t feel like the polished stone that the other seven or so ZL’s I’ve handled do. There are also some spots scattered throughout the body that almost resemble pitting you’d find on a rusted metal.

It’s too bad; I really loved the tint on this light and it would have made for a good walking in the woods light or portable bike light in the summer... But I decided I won’t give it a third shot. I can just use my current herd more often as they cover all of my needs anyway. No harm in waiting for the SC65’s to come out. I’ve been messing around with some LEE filters on my Plus to try to satiate my desire for a good tint.

Interesting aside, it looks like the logo and model engravement isn’t laser etched, but laser engraved, right down to the bare aluminum. Looks pretty cool, but I do prefer the subtlety of the etching on my Plus.

Here’s a collection of photos: https://imgur.com/a/Bw2x4Pa 

The ano color and quality difference between my darkest Zebra (H53c) and this SC64w HI is night and day.

This image highlights my issue (look near the tailcap):


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## Mr. LED (Apr 10, 2019)

Too bad. QC should have spotted this easily. What’s happening Zebralight?


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## MKayze (Jun 1, 2019)

Mr. LED said:


> Here are some beamshots comparing SC64w, SC64w HI and SC600w Mk IV HI. The house is 120 meters away (360 feet). Shot with an iPhone but locked exposure and focus for the 3 pictures.



Can you reupload the photos?


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## Skaaphaas (Jun 2, 2019)

MKayze said:


> Can you reupload the photos?


Please. I would also really like to see as I’m thinking this will be my first ZL.


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## Mr. LED (Jun 8, 2019)

Reposting by request:

House is 120 meters away, focus/exposure locked for all pictures.


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