# Zebralight SC52 Owner's Thread



## roadkill1109 (Dec 9, 2012)

Hello All!

I would just like to ask among those who got to be the first batch of new SC52 owners how their SC52 is holding up?

Is it good?

Would you recommend it?

It's currently back-ordered at ZL's website, cant imagine it was sold out right way! 

Feedback would be appreciated!

Muchas Gracias!


----------



## pocketlight (Dec 9, 2012)

I got mine two days ago, so far so good, its my new EDC, the output is great for an AA but it does get pretty warm, i really like the new clip


----------



## AVService (Dec 9, 2012)

pocketlight said:


> I got mine two days ago, so far so good, its my new EDC, the output is great for an AA but it does get pretty warm, i really like the new clip



Is the new clip screwed on still or one of the clip on clips?
They always seem to come off on me when I don't want them to.


----------



## pocketlight (Dec 9, 2012)

the new clip is screwed on, thats why i got it. All my other ZLs have the clip issue


----------



## AVService (Dec 9, 2012)

pocketlight said:


> the new clip is screwed on, thats why i got it. All my other ZLs have the clip issue



Great!
Now all I need is the light.


----------



## roadkill1109 (Dec 9, 2012)

Any word when this will be available again?


----------



## CarpentryHero (Dec 9, 2012)

Still waiting for mine, ordered from there site over a month ago. I'm starting to wonder if they where already sold out ?


----------



## Fireclaw18 (Dec 9, 2012)

I'm very pleased with my SC52. It feels great in the hand. Much better than my old SC51. I really like the high output on 14500 and the stiffer, heavily recessed button. Tailcap lockout is definitely not needed with this light. My SC52 also has a very pleasant pure cool white tint without any noticeable green. Similar in tint to my SC80 and much whiter than my SC51. The SC52 is my new EDC.

I'm pleased enough with my SC52, that I plan to buy another at some point in the future. Likely I'll get one with a neutral emitter or possibly an XPG2 to try out one with more throw.


----------



## maxrep12 (Dec 10, 2012)

I expected a phenominal edc light, and the sc52 did not disappoint. I ordered a second unit, but then cancelled that order upon news of the new and improved sc600 MKll. I also want the s6330 or 6330b. 

The only lights that catch my interest these days are from ZebraLight. During Black Friday, I almost bought TM11 at a heavy discount. Almost bought an armytek viking X on sale, and looked at many other lights. Even with Black Friday savings, full priced zebras were the only options that remained for me.


----------



## Pretbek (Dec 10, 2012)

I am an SC52 owner, but not possessor. I paid for it, but have not received it yet. A shipping notification should come my way in the next 2 weeks.


----------



## Lighteous (Dec 10, 2012)

If you like the SC51 you will also like the SC52. I like the SC52 and have no hesitation in recommending it. The body design is different, as can be seen in photo's, and the switch is also different to alleviate accidental turn on's in your pocket. The body design doesn't strike me as better or worse, just different. The switch is much better even though it is stiff in comparison to the switch on the SC51. I really like the battery level checker where you click the switch four times rapidly in succession and, in response, the SC52 returns a specific number of flashes, 1-4, to indicate battery level. One is the lowest and 4 is the highest. The XM-L is very bright and floody. I have mostly used a 14500 in mine. The output on the highest setting is very impressive, but it does get warm in a hurry. The various levels in between the highest and lowest are spaced well. You can easily find the appropriate level for the need you may have. Only the lights with the "infinitely variable" control ring have more levels for your custom needs (which is why I favor them over all others). Yesterday I used my SC52 to provide the light necessary for connecting a number of components to an audio visual system where there was no light, and I have no complaints. 

I was fortunate enough to pre-order my SC52 early. If you haven't ordered one and are thinking about it, or if you are waiting for delivery from the pre-order backlog, it will be worth the wait once it arrives, IMHO.


----------



## Big Sam (Dec 10, 2012)

Lighteous said:


> If you like the SC51 you will also like the SC52. I like the SC52 and have no hesitation in recommending it. The body design is different, as can be seen in photo's, and the switch is also different to alleviate accidental turn on's in your pocket. The body design doesn't strike me as better or worse, just different. The switch is much better even though it is stiff in comparison to the switch on the SC51. I really like the battery level checker where you click the switch four times rapidly in succession and, in response, the SC52 returns a specific number of flashes, 1-4, to indicate battery level. One is the lowest and 4 is the highest. The XM-L is very bright and floody. I have mostly used a 14500 in mine. The output on the highest setting is very impressive, but it does get warm in a hurry. The various levels in between the highest and lowest are spaced well. You can easily find the appropriate level for the need you may have. Only the lights with the "infinitely variable" control ring have more levels for your custom needs (which is why I favor them over all others). Yesterday I used my SC52 to provide the light necessary for connecting a number of components to an audio visual system where there was no light, and I have no complaints.
> 
> I was fortunate enough to pre-order my SC52 early. If you haven't ordered one and are thinking about it, or if you are waiting for delivery from the pre-order backlog, it will be worth the wait once it arrives, IMHO.



I've had mine for about 2 weeks now. The experience has been mostly like Lighteous's above. I ran one Eneloop through it and the rest of the time it's been 14500's (from ZL). While I just love to see that little thing chug up 500 lumens the most used setting is 108 lumens. Lots of light and burn time. It's like carrying a feather compared to the SC600 that's been in my pocket for the last 15 months. I miss the great runtimes with lots of light that the SC600 gives but it's only theoretical since the SC52 is plenty for a single battery. The SC52 had done well for after dark walks, finding stuff in the dark, and even becomes a marker light. 

I have not tried a lithium primary in it yet. Anybody have a report on that?


----------



## ScottFree (Dec 10, 2012)

I've been interested in buying a Zebralight, but have occasionally been put off by the old tales of the reliability of ZL lights in the past but with the new SC52 I'm looking interested. My two benchmarks in bombproofness are my HDS and 47's (Quark 123). How would the SC52 or any of the previous versions compare?.


----------



## Cataract (Dec 10, 2012)

Waiting for my budget to be back in balance and for the neutral edition before ordering. From the specs and what I read, this is the Zebra I was waiting for.
SC600 MKII? Crap! Didn't see that, but I've been expecting it... will have to start eating rice for a while...


----------



## passive101 (Dec 10, 2012)

I received my SC52 today and this light is TINY! (I know the ironic part of using large capital letters for that)

I don't know of ZebraLights past quality issues, but it says it has a 12 month warranty and it looks and feels well built. The light is very little and light and the length of it is even smaller then my last few single 123A lights! Amazing how small and bright these things are getting. 

The battery level w/ the 4 flashes is handy and I get that. I have read the instructions several times, but I don't understand the special settings with 6 presses that doesn't seem to do anything. The regular light settings seem to work goo though. I'm probably not understanding what to do and don't understand what other settings are available that it can remember or use or what order they would go in.


----------



## HighlanderNorth (Dec 10, 2012)

I too am technically a SC52 owner, because I paid for it, but I dont posses it yet. However it is due to be delivered today, but right now its 4:42pm eastern standard time, and my &#%%#* mailman isnt here yet..... Even though its listed as "out for delivery", that can often mean nothing. My mail guy, and USPS in general have a regular habit of either not delivering it the day its listed as out for delivery, or he has even marked items as delivered, then forgotten to actually deliver them. 

But it always amazes me just how late I have to usually wait into the evening for him to finally get here, and its not uncommon for him to not show up til 6:30pm, which is way later than he should be out delivering mail. We must be among his absolute last stops along his route!

If things go right, maybe I'll be posting here in a couple hours telling stories of my new light, but maybe not, and I wont hold my breath!


----------



## Richsvt (Dec 10, 2012)

I got mine a 2 days ago and it works wonderfully. It has a nice hot spot and seems like it may be close to what the advertised output is (as compared to some of my others that are close...) as far as my eye can tell. The only thing I do not like is a slight green tint to it. Other than that, I like the output, size and functionality. I have been carrying it around for the last couple of days to get a feel for the operation. Interface is ok, I just came off the Sunwayman v series with variable tuning ring. I liked that a lot. Still getting used to the side switch. This seems pretty nice otherwise. I think it will be a keeper. Have used both lithiums and eneloops and both seem like they hold up well.


----------



## HighlanderNorth (Dec 10, 2012)

OK.... My mail guy finally got here at 5:25pm. Its now about 5:50 and I've had some time to check out the SC52 with an Eneloop 1.2v battery and a 4.2v 14500 battery as well. On the Eneloop, the SC52 is pretty bright. Whether its 280L or not I dont know but its close. Most of its lower levels seem pretty useful as well. It has a low low. Its lowest low setting is actually lower than my SC600's lowest low setting. 

On a 14500 it is very bright, and if 500L is whats advertised with the 14500, then its pretty close to that. The other lower modes work on the 14500 too, unlike my Jetbeam Pa10 which only works on turbo with a 14500. But I slipped the Eneloop back in the SC52 because thats what I'll be using in that light. If I need a 450+ lumen light, then I'll use the SC600 or another 18650 light which has much better run times and wont get as hot. Besides, I dont hardly every really need that much brightness anyway, and lets face it, 280L is more than I will usually need. 

But to the biggest complaint and issue that has been raised about this light, ie. its tint, mine is almost neutral. There's only a very slight yellowish hue around the outer corona outside the hot spot, but when I compared it to a couple other lights that are more yellow and even one that is greenish, this light then looks completely neutral and white in comparison! You can just barely detect the slight yellow in its corona, but its hot spot is 95% neutral white. 

The size of its beam is what I'd call intermediate. Its hot spot is a good deal smaller in diameter than the Sc600. So it should be somewhere between a flooder and a thrower. 


It is a very small light. Its smaller than I thought it would be, and it feels about 1/3 the weight of the SC600. So overall, its seems like a nice light.


----------



## henry1960 (Dec 10, 2012)

HighlanderNorth said:


> But it always amazes me just how late I have to usually wait into the evening for him to finally get here, We must be among his absolute last stops along his route!





You and i must have the same mail man...LOL
I go through the same my friend... i swear he starts delivering at 1100 am while others start way eariler.
Anyway youll love your new addition SC52 is a great light just like many said on here!!


----------



## passive101 (Dec 10, 2012)

I should report on my tint color. My tint is very close to neutral as well. Very slightly warm and I can distinguish reds very good in the dark


----------



## Pretbek (Dec 10, 2012)

passive101 said:


> I received my SC52 today and this light is TINY! (I know the ironic part of using large capital letters for that)
> 
> I don't know of ZebraLights past quality issues, but it says it has a 12 month warranty and it looks and feels well built. The light is very little and light and the length of it is even smaller then my last few single 123A lights! Amazing how small and bright these things are getting.
> 
> The battery level w/ the 4 flashes is handy and I get that. I have read the instructions several times, *but I don't understand the special settings with 6 presses that doesn't seem to do anything.* The regular light settings seem to work goo though. I'm probably not understanding what to do and don't understand what other settings are available that it can remember or use or what order they would go in.



When you doubleclick when the light is on, the light switches between sub-levels: between H1 and H2, M1 and M2, or L1 and L2.

When you doubleclick 6 times in a row in quick succession, the 7th doubleclick and onward (lots of doubleclicking!) will be rotating through the sub-sublevels: For example on Medium that would be between 12 and 25 Lumen, on Low that would be from 0.01 to 0.06 to 0.34 Lumen and to 0.01 again. 
The sub-sublevel that you leave the light at for about 7 seconds, or leave it at when you turn the light off with a single click, will be your new Level2 setting.


----------



## passive101 (Dec 11, 2012)

Pretbek said:


> When you doubleclick when the light is on, the light switches between sub-levels: between H1 and H2, M1 and M2, or L1 and L2.
> 
> When you doubleclick 6 times in a row in quick succession, the 7th doubleclick and onward (lots of doubleclicking!) will be rotating through the sub-sublevels: For example on Medium that would be between 12 and 25 Lumen, on Low that would be from 0.01 to 0.06 to 0.34 Lumen and to 0.01 again.
> The sub-sublevel that you leave the light at for about 7 seconds, or leave it at when you turn the light off with a single click, will be your new Level2 setting.



Ok this makes more sense to me. Only the sub level can be changed so the regular level 1 always stays the same?


----------



## moozooh (Dec 11, 2012)

Yes. H1, M1, and L1 are always the same, H2, M2, and L2 are programmable.


----------



## Nake (Dec 11, 2012)

This is my first experience with the recessed switch, and I find I like the original swich better. I have to use my thumb's finger nail to operate it. I wonder how long the rubber will hold up to the hardness of a finger nail.

If I try to use my thumb the finger nail catches on the body of the light and prevents the required pressure for turn on.


----------



## bodhran (Dec 11, 2012)

Got home from work this morning and found that I had a new flashlight waiting. The grip rings on the body don't look bad at all in reality. A nice white tint with a centered emitter. Now I just have to wait until dark.


----------



## Fireclaw18 (Dec 11, 2012)

Nake said:


> This is my first experience with the recessed switch, and I find I like the original swich better. I have to use my thumb's finger nail to operate it. I wonder how long the rubber will hold up to the hardness of a finger nail.
> 
> If I try to use my thumb the finger nail catches on the body of the light and prevents the required pressure for turn on.



You must have long finger nails. I haven't had this issue with the recessed switches on my SC80, SC600 or SC52. For me the switch is a huge improvement over the SC51 as it is far less likely to accidentally turn on in the pocket.


----------



## Nake (Dec 11, 2012)

Fireclaw18 said:


> You must have long finger nails. I haven't had this issue with the recessed switches on my SC80, SC600 or SC52. For me the switch is a huge improvement over the SC51 as it is far less likely to accidentally turn on in the pocket.



Yea, I keep my thumb nails a few mm's longer than the rest. Comes in handy for things like recessed buttons on watches and such. Good for picking your nose too. 

After I posted, I tried with my index finger and that works okay.


----------



## passive101 (Dec 11, 2012)

Nake said:


> This is my first experience with the recessed switch, and I find I like the original swich better. I have to use my thumb's finger nail to operate it. I wonder how long the rubber will hold up to the hardness of a finger nail.
> 
> If I try to use my thumb the finger nail catches on the body of the light and prevents the required pressure for turn on.




If only your thumb nail fits into the light, I'm guessing you have much larger hands then I do. Would this light be to small for you to comfortably use in most situations? How would you use it with gloves on? Your usage could be different then mine as well


----------



## Nake (Dec 11, 2012)

passive101 said:


> If only your thumb nail fits into the light, I'm guessing you have much larger hands then I do. Would this light be to small for you to comfortably use in most situations? How would you use it with gloves on?



I got it to work with my thumb if I put my nail on the stainless ring. Works okay with gloves. I think part of my problem was that I was used to the light pressure of the other switches, and wasn't pushing hard enough. Everything is good now.


----------



## tonkem (Dec 11, 2012)

Nake said:


> I got it to work with my thumb if I put my nail on the stainless ring. Works okay with gloves. I think part of my problem was that I was used to the light pressure of the other switches, and wasn't pushing hard enough. Everything is good now.



I use the first finger to depress, with the thumb under the head. that keeps the nail from having to activate it. My thumb must be too large as well, to fit in the well, but I have used the nail to activate many many times, speaking of my SC80 with same switch configuration, with no adverse appearance to the boot.


----------



## roadkill1109 (Dec 11, 2012)

tonkem said:


> I use the first finger to depress, with the thumb under the head. that keeps the nail from having to activate it. My thumb must be too large as well, to fit in the well, but I have used the nail to activate many many times, speaking of my SC80 with same switch configuration, with no adverse appearance to the boot.



not a good idea using your nail to activate it! eventually your nail will damage the rubber and goodbye waterproof light!

May i suggest holding it up in your hand then activate it using your ring finger or pinky as shown below. (Sorry guys, I dont own the SC52 yet, this is my good ol' Lumintop L1A/L1C EDC thrower.)


----------



## chaoss (Dec 11, 2012)

Had mine for a few days now and it is really growing on me.
FINALLY!, i have a light with a TRUE moonlight mode and it's not even on the lowest setting.
This one will see some serious EDC time (sorry McGizmo), no regrets with the purchase and i will buy another when a neutral/warm tint LED is offered.

Oh, and NO problems with it at all.


----------



## roadkill1109 (Dec 11, 2012)

chaoss said:


> Had mine for a few days now and it is really growing on me.
> FINALLY!, i have a light with a TRUE moonlight mode and it's not even on the lowest setting.
> This one will see some serious EDC time (sorry McGizmo), no regrets with the purchase and i will buy another when a neutral/warm tint LED is offered.
> 
> Oh, and NO problems with it at all.



Congrats! Hope to own my first ZL soon! I hope the stocks come in!


----------



## nanucq (Dec 12, 2012)

Just received from Neolumen.eu :twothumbs
It's my third ZL (picture below) and it's always amazing to see how well machinized they are. This SC52 is really a little winner, lot of light with a 14500, lowest low very low (useless ?) and a great beam for an EDC. Emitter is perfectly centered and anodyzing is first class  (even if greener). Knurling can look weird, but it's really very effective, handling is fantastic !!!
Considering it's an XML, tint is great with a creamy hotspot, a yellowish corona and a cold spill. It's not as pure white as my SC80, but it's definitively less greener than my other XML (SC600 and PA40)

A family portrait:





And a poor beamshot test (will do better later):
SC600 (H2 200 lm) / SC80 (H1 220 lm) / SC52 (H2 172 lm)


----------



## energythoughts (Dec 12, 2012)

Does everyone have a small section on their threads that are flattened? or is it just me? Not sure if that is by design to create a little tighter fit for the cap, or if it's just a slip-up in manufacturing.. macro shots below:


----------



## Fireclaw18 (Dec 12, 2012)

energythoughts said:


> Does everyone have a small section on their threads that are flattened? or is it just me? Not sure if that is by design to create a little tighter fit for the cap, or if it's just a slip-up in manufacturing.. macro shots below:



That appears to be a manufacturing defect. I just checked the threads on my SC52 and they are uniform all the way around. They don't have any flattened sections.


----------



## nanucq (Dec 13, 2012)

Fireclaw18 said:


> That appears to be a manufacturing defect. I just checks the threads on my SC52 and they are uniform all the way around. They don't have any flattened sections.


The same for me, uniforms threads, sorry.


----------



## passive101 (Dec 13, 2012)

My threads are regular and not like that as well. I'd just send the pics to ZebraLight and I bet they send you a new one and then you just mail yours back or something. That's a bummer though. I wonder if it would even effect anything though?


----------



## Fireclaw18 (Dec 13, 2012)

passive101 said:


> My threads are regular and not like that as well. I'd just send the pics to ZebraLight and I bet they send you a new one and then you just mail yours back or something. That's a bummer though. I wonder if it would even effect anything though?



It's a defect, but it might be a harmless one. I doubt the flattened area is going to affect the light. If it isn't going to affect the light it's probably not worth the effort to RMA it.


----------



## CVLPA (Dec 13, 2012)

Just got mine delivered to Thailand and could not be happier with it! Running it on 14500s. a little bit suspicous about the lowest low. Can it be seen in the dark of the night even?


----------



## tonkem (Dec 13, 2012)

Anyone comment on runtime on Max? I have a sc80 and notice that the max goes away much quicker than the 123 battery. It will still run on high but max is not an available option very quickly. I use eneloop and eneloop xx. Thanks. I also have a h502 and don't see the issue with max like on the sc80. Could be that the sc80 supports two diff voltage ranges?


----------



## passive101 (Dec 13, 2012)

CVLPA said:


> Just got mine delivered to Thailand and could not be happier with it! Running it on 14500s. a little bit suspicous about the lowest low. Can it be seen in the dark of the night even?



I think it's more used as a marker or something. It could be helpful if actually needing a very long useful tool, but I don't think the .01 is practical for me in most circumstances I'll be in. I do use the lower setting. I think it is .06 lumens.


----------



## Wiggle (Dec 13, 2012)

passive101 said:


> I think it's more used as a marker or something. It could be helpful if actually needing a very long useful tool, but I don't think the .01 is practical for me in most circumstances I'll be in. I do use the lower setting. I think it is .06 lumens.



Yeah I might be tempted to leave that mode on at night to see the light more easily before double clicking into the more useable low level.


----------



## energythoughts (Dec 13, 2012)

CVLPA said:


> Just got mine delivered to Thailand and could not be happier with it! Running it on 14500s. a little bit suspicous about the lowest low. Can it be seen in the dark of the night even?




I've tested the lowest .01 Lm mode... your eyes need to be fully adjusted to zero light for a bit.. even then the effective range isn't more than 2 feet to illuminate the surface of something. Even at 2 feet there isn't much detail of what you are trying to see. For a signaling or marker function the range might be a considerable bit more, but I haven't tested that. The .06 mode is perfect for me. It's much lower and more useful to me vs. the lowest ( .1 ) mode on my SC600.


----------



## CarpentryHero (Dec 13, 2012)

Mine arrived today, love the extra modes. After checking the lowest mode, I like it better than the .1 lumen that if came programmed as low2. 
That's an awesome new feature, I wasn't expecting :thumbsup: now I have some reading to do


----------



## cyclesport (Dec 14, 2012)

Mine arrived today (12% off) from GoingGear. First ZL for me and I'm fairly impressed. Love the UI, although it took me a good 30min to master the selection of the sub-levels. Output is as expected on both 14500's & Eneloops, very good. Beam quality is pretty good with a very slight dark corona between the outer perimeter of the spill and hotspot but nothing too bad. I requested of Andy prior to shp'g to please make sure and pick one for me w/a centered emitter and _*no*_ to *almost no* *green tint* and he happily obliged...the LED is slightly off, but within my tolerable OCD parameters, and the tint is very good *(that kinda slight drab green that passes for almost neutral with U2 binned XM-L's), also easy to live with. Machining and ano is spot on, and less than 48hrs from ordering...to my door, terrific! 

All-in-all I'm very happy...all orders should go this smoothly.:twothumbs


----------



## Cataract (Dec 14, 2012)

CVLPA said:


> Just got mine delivered to Thailand and could not be happier with it! Running it on 14500s. a little bit suspicous about the lowest low. Can it be seen in the dark of the night even?



I use 0.02 lumens for quick equipment inspections in dark rooms and also tried the 0.003 of my Nitecore IFE2; both work nicely to prevent blinding yourself at night (and not wasting unexposed film sitting a few feet away.) I once used the 0.003 lumens to sneak up on my cousin on a trail, but I couldn't move very fast and had to hold the light very low -0.02 lumens work nicely for a leisurely walk in the dark of night, but still a tiny bit bright when waking up for a bathroom call IMO.


----------



## reppans (Dec 14, 2012)

cyclesport said:


> Mine arrived today (12% off) from GoingGear.



LOL.... guess you couldn't wait cyclesport.




cyclesport said:


> I am one of those following this thread to primarily monitor reported flaws/defects from owners since I want to ultimately buy a neutral version when the kinks are worked out and they become available through online dealers.



So does it blow away the Neutron on an Eneloop?


----------



## HighFlyer (Dec 14, 2012)

I just got mine today, the fit and finish is even better than I expected. I love it.


----------



## cyclesport (Dec 14, 2012)

reppans said:


> LOL.... guess you couldn't wait cyclesport.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Had to rub it in, huh?!:laughing: Yep...I drank the Kool-Aid. As I posted, I was waiting for a neutral SC52, but viewing Energythoughts posted video (_and getting an email from GoingGear for 12% off and SC52's in stock_), I realized that ZL's cool U2 binned lights were of the warmer variety, ala: EYE 10, D25C, Crelant V series, etc., etc. So yeah...I caved!

It doesn't however, blow away the Neutron 1A on Eneloops or 14500s. To my eye on a white wall or outside at night (tint and beam differences aside), they seem identical comparing each on max output. I simply can't tell which is brighter. Actually with the Neutron's much cooler T6 tint & narrower spill it almost seems brighter, although cooler tints always seem brighter to me. Someone with a light box would have to make a definitive call.

Both lights max output for 1 X AA lights are astounding.

As I said, this is my first ZL and the small size of the light for a AA, sophistication of the UI and value added stuff like over-discharging protection, automatic step down when battery capacity is low, battery capacity indicator & low battery alert are features too few manufacturers incorporate into their designs. At just over $60 this light is really quite a value.

No buyer's remorse on this one!


----------



## jayb79 (Dec 14, 2012)

Got mine yesterday and it is very nice although it has a slight green tint. I would prefer a whiter tint but not worth returning. The battery level w/ the 4 flashes is a very nice feature.


----------



## HighlanderNorth (Dec 14, 2012)

roadkill1109 said:


> not a good idea using your nail to activate it! eventually your nail will damage the rubber and goodbye waterproof light!
> 
> May i suggest holding it up in your hand then activate it using your ring finger or pinky as shown below. (Sorry guys, I dont own the SC52 yet, this is my good ol' Lumintop L1A/L1C EDC thrower.)





Thats exactly what I was going to post, as I dont like holding ANY light with the thumb forward, which means you will be holding the light down near your waist. Thats the typical way to hold the older flashlights with sliding switches, but I like holding all lights with my thumb at the rear of the light, so that the light is up around or above my shoulder level. I get much better illumination from above like that than when I hold the light with the beam essentially parallel to the ground illuminating the subject from the side. 

The SC52 is a small light, but I have found that I can hold it, my thumb to the rear, and clicking the switch with my pinky finger or my ring finger. Its still short, and I have to make sure my pinky doesnt block the beam, but I have gotten used to it holding it that way. I hold my SC600 the same way, but its longer, so I click it with my ring finger. 

I hold all my lights thumb to the rear, with the light at shoulder level or above, regardless of what type of switch it has.


----------



## dts71 (Dec 15, 2012)

Just got home from the post office with this little gem  And I have to agree - it IS tiny and it IS a keeper!
Usually I never use clips, but I like this one! It would have been a nice feature though if the clip could be swapped for a lanyard ring attachment point.

What I would have expected, was to get a description of the flashlight. All that was included was a generic instruction of how to change levels and program them. 
No information whatsoever about lumens, runtime or any other information that is available on the zebralight site under "Main Features and Specifications".
Have you others received a generic manual or a proper specification as well?


----------



## Fireclaw18 (Dec 15, 2012)

dts71 said:


> Just got home from the post office with this little gem  And I have to agree - it IS tiny and it IS a keeper!
> Usually I never use clips, but I like this one! It would have been a nice feature though if the clip could be swapped for a lanyard ring attachment point.
> 
> What I would have expected, was to get a description of the flashlight. All that was included was a generic instruction of how to change levels and program them.
> ...



Zebralights never come with real manuals. the SC52 is my 4th zebralight, and all of them came with the little 1-page card with basic instructions.


----------



## henry1960 (Dec 15, 2012)

dts71 said:


> Just got home from the post office with this little gem
> 
> 
> What I would have expected, was to get a description of the flashlight. All that was included was a generic instruction of how to change levels and program them.
> ...




Go to there web site and all information, runtimes ect are posted


----------



## Font size (Dec 15, 2012)

​

Now a days real owners manuals. are found on Youtube.​


----------



## jim_r (Dec 15, 2012)

Well, I couldn't resist it anymore. Snagged one from GG last night.


----------



## Streamer (Dec 15, 2012)

Too bad for green tints..maybe neutrals will be forthcoming. Patience...patience.


----------



## cyclesport (Dec 15, 2012)

jim_r said:


> Well, I couldn't resist it anymore. Snagged one from GG last night.



Good timing...it looks like GG sold their entire 30+(?) shipment in just 3 days.


----------



## Font size (Dec 15, 2012)

nanucq said:


> lowest low very low (useless ?)


You just have not been some place dark enough, or given your eyes time to adjust to the darkness. Try it somewheres completely dark. My girlfriend acts like 0.01 Lm is a spot light when her Parents come home.


----------



## AVService (Dec 15, 2012)

Well I did get mine Today after all and it is Sweeeeet!
Somehow it seems a lot smaller in the hand than the SC80 but they are pretty closely sized standing next to each other?

Mine has a nice white tint from what I can tell in Daylight and works fine with AA and 14500 and seems brighter on the 14500.
This little thing is a Beast for how tiny it is. Between this and the 502 I am happy to have the power and flexibility they provide.
My SC600 is the W version and it is a dramatic difference in color but at least my other ZL are white with minimal Green.

Also great service from GG for me too!

Ed


----------



## Pretbek (Dec 15, 2012)

Font size said:


> You just have not been some place dark enough, or given your eyes time to adjust to the darkness. Try it somewheres completely dark. My girlfriend acts like 0.01 Lm is a spot light when her Parents come home.



That's funny. I am looking forward to the low lows with the SC52, which has a hot spot. The flood-only H502d on 0.09 Lm is quite dim, great for very dark settings, I have not used its 0.01 Lm yet. I can imagine that 0.01 Lm will be quite sufficient with the SC52's 12 degree hot spot. Monday, Monday, please hurry up.


----------



## estapants (Dec 15, 2012)

Does the programming erase when the battery is changed?


----------



## AVService (Dec 15, 2012)

estapants said:


> Does the programming erase when the battery is changed?



No


----------



## gbelleh (Dec 17, 2012)

Just got my SC52 today, and recently got a SC51 too. The output is great on a 14500! My tint is a bit yellow (just like my SC600 was). But the main thing I dislike about the SC52 is the pocket clip. The SC51's clip is great, but the wider head of the SC52, along with the machined scallops in the tube, make for an overly tight, pocket shredding clip situation. I managed to bend mine a little to relax its vice grip a bit, but it still tends to drag the fabric past all those little ridges as it's withdrawn from the pocket. Other than the clip (and my yellow tint), this is an awesome light! 

I'm looking forward to the new SC600 too.


----------



## reppans (Dec 17, 2012)

I got mine over the weekend and put it through my DSLR lumen meter comparing it other AA/moonlight lights like the QAAX, D25A clicky, T10, and its own sibling, the H51w. My summary is as follows:

- Fit, finish, and tint all good. Great ZL UI, button safe from accidental activation now. A slight greenish tint but only noticable in side-by-side white wall comparisons.
- Brightest AA light I have, but it doesn't double the competition above as the various listed specs might suggest. Either the ZL specs are overstated on a ThruSevensTac ANSI scale or the competition is understated under the ZebraBuilt ANSI scale. But I figure it is ~ 1/3rd brighter than my QAAX, the closest competitor, on either battery. You'll need equipment to measure that though, I doubt anyone can visually see it given the tint and beam differences.
- Biggest disappointment are all the modes on the low lumen bank (my most often used levels), they're off by mile, even by ZL's own generous lumen scale. The 0.34 moonlight mode is half as bright as my H51w (0.18), a third as bright as the QAAX (0.3) and even dimmer than the ThruNite's firefly (0.09). The low mode (2.7) is just under half as bright as the QAAX (also 2.7). This carries on to the incredible runtime figures that ZL has spec'd - almost triple the QAAX's moonlight and low runtimes. Given these modes are actually about 1/2-1/3rd as bright, the runtimes now make sense and seem ordinary...(although I was highly skeptical from the beginning).
- I have posted more detailed discussion, lumen charts and tint pictures in the other SC52 thread, if anyone is interested.

A great light from Zebralight and one that I will happily include in my EDC rotation, but it doesn't knock any of my other favorite AA/moonlights lights off their pedestals. All things considered, including price, warranty and customer service, the SC52, QAAX, D25A, and T10 all come in on a tie for my own personal use. However, I will not gift or recommend this light to family or friends until ZL comes up with an industry standard warranty. In contrast, I have multiple copies of the other three lights waiting to go for the holidays.


----------



## roadkill1109 (Dec 18, 2012)

reppans said:


> I got mine over the weekend and put it through my DSLR lumen meter comparing it other AA/moonlight lights like the QAAX, D25A clicky, T10, and its own sibling, the H51w. My summary is as follows:
> 
> - Fit, finish, and tint all good. Great ZL UI, button safe from accidental activation now. A slight greenish tint but only noticable in side-by-side white wall comparisons.
> - Brightest AA light I have, but it doesn't double the competition above as the various listed specs might suggest. Either the ZL specs are overstated on a ThruSevensTac ANSI scale or the competition is understated under the ZebraBuilt ANSI scale. But I figure it is ~ 1/3rd brighter than my QAAX, the closest competitor, on either battery. You'll need equipment to measure that though, I doubt anyone can visually see it given the tint and beam differences.
> ...



Well said! Hard to find a light which will rival the QAAX's moonlight and runtime. But a worthy addition to the EDC rotation indeed.


----------



## DavidMB (Dec 18, 2012)

I received mine today. I can't believe how small it is, and bright.. It's much smaller then it looks. Build quality is amazing and it feels good in hand. The UI is solid, full of options and can take a little getting use to. I know it well already, but I wouldn't be surprised if I find something else new. With all the brightness options you can get just about any light level desired, similar to a variable control ring light, but with defined runtimes.


----------



## shelm (Dec 19, 2012)

reppans said:


> I got mine over the weekend and put it through my DSLR lumen meter comparing it other AA/moonlight lights like the QAAX, D25A clicky, T10, and its own sibling, the H51w. My summary is as follows:
> 
> - Fit, finish, and tint all good. Great ZL UI, button safe from accidental activation now. A slight greenish tint but only noticable in side-by-side white wall comparisons.
> - Brightest AA light I have, but it doesn't double the competition above as the various listed specs might suggest. Either the ZL specs are overstated on a ThruSevensTac ANSI scale or the competition is understated under the ZebraBuilt ANSI scale. But I figure it is ~ 1/3rd brighter than my QAAX, the closest competitor, on either battery. You'll need equipment to measure that though, I doubt anyone can visually see it given the tint and beam differences.
> ...



excellent summary, very helpful. thank you very much for the clear assessment and honesty. you have multiple copies of the best AA flashlights on the market and you dont overlook things. i fully trust your posts, measurements and opinion. your posts are much more helpful and for real than any reviewer's review who got sponsored by the manufacturer. i also liked how you differentiate between ThruSevensTac ANSI scale vs. ZebraBuiltCore ANSI scale. From other reviews, e.g. mev's measurements, i also get the impression that Eagletac numbers are understated and Nitecore numbers are overstated. Klarus numbers too. The most accurate and truthful numbers, runtimes and lumens, are imho stated by Fenix. The Fenix ANSI scale is in the middle between the ThruSevensTac ANSI scale and the ZebraBuiltCoreRus ANSI scale, and hits the numbers exactly and honestly. 

the limiting factors in the whole discussion are however our eyes, the subjective perception of 100lm brightness differences, and most of all the beam pattern and tint. it is very difficult to compare the brightness of a greenish CW tint against a creamish NW tint. the greenish might be brighter (lumens) but the NW, since it is whiter, would look brighter (perception).

EDC fans should do it like you, get them all: QAAX, SC52, D25A .. and choose different options: emitter and tint


----------



## reppans (Dec 19, 2012)

Really appreciate the vote of confidence Shelm, thanks. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem worth the effort, people don't seem to want to hear anything but frosting and cake. Going against the grain doesn't make any friends and it starts to feel like Obama at an NRA convention.

The multiple ANSI scale thing is worrisome though - in my mind it can only lead to less transparency and more BS from what are some still very honest companies... but honest at their own detriment. One little squeaking mouse ain't going to do squat in a zoo, and even a zoo is equally squat in comparison to the jungle (buying public). Smoke and mirrors are the way forward.

May need to look into an RMA now, sounds like at least my L1 mode is defective.


----------



## stp (Dec 20, 2012)

reppans said:


> The multiple ANSI scale thing is worrisome though - in my mind it can only lead to less transparency and more BS from what are some still very honest companies... but honest at their own detriment. One little squeaking mouse ain't going to do squat in a zoo, and even a zoo is equally squat in comparison to the jungle (buying public). Smoke and mirrors are the way forward.



There is only one ANSI scale. If ZL overstates their measures more than lets say 5% (to cover differences between leds from the same bin) they are at fault. If Thrunite or 4sevens understates their measures by more than 5% then they are at fault. After somebody will test it with integrated sphere we will know which company is at fault. It's pretty simple.


----------



## DavidMB (Dec 21, 2012)

Is there an AR coating on the outside of the lens?


----------



## Fireclaw18 (Dec 22, 2012)

DavidMB said:


> Is there an AR coating on the outside of the lens?



I'm not sure.

The lens does not have the slight purple tint when viewed from an angle that often identifies AR coatings.


----------



## asval (Dec 22, 2012)

reppans said:


> Really appreciate the vote of confidence Shelm, thanks. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem worth the effort, people don't seem to want to hear anything but frosting and cake. Going against the grain doesn't make any friends and it starts to feel like Obama at an NRA convention.
> 
> The multiple ANSI scale thing is worrisome though - in my mind it can only lead to less transparency and more BS from what are some still very honest companies... but honest at their own detriment. One little squeaking mouse ain't going to do squat in a zoo, and even a zoo is equally squat in comparison to the jungle (buying public). Smoke and mirrors are the way forward.
> 
> May need to look into an RMA now, sounds like at least my L1 mode is defective.



2nd what Shelm said, thanks for your review. I was considering buying it but found some pictures on the mode that I was looking forwards too and it didn't seem to be bright enough at that range.

Left: SC52 AA 0.34 lumens, RIght: EC2 2 lumens






Left: SC52 AA 2.7 lumens, RIght: EC2 2 lumens






Granted that a photograph isn't as good as seeing the light in person, but the fact that there are 2 lights in the same picture helps give you a better comparison. Could anyone tell me if you could read a book or an e-reader comfortably in the .34 lumens setting?


----------



## CVLPA (Dec 22, 2012)

asval said:


> Could anyone tell me if you could read a book or an e-reader comfortably in the .34 lumens setting?


Yes. I use that setting and my eye sight is poor in darkness. And I use a Kindle 3rd gen.


----------



## nanucq (Dec 22, 2012)

> The lens does not have the slight purple tint when viewed from an angle that often identifies AR coatings.


Mine has the "purple coating", it's very light but it's there 

0.34 Lumens are more than enough to read, no problem. And IRL, it's not that greenish tint we can see on your photo.


----------



## LEDburn (Dec 22, 2012)

I was just admiring my new '52 and my girlfriend (who isn't very flashlight literate) commented that she noticed it was a lot "whiter" than my other lights, of which all are neutral or warm. 
I'm not sure if she cared but I asked if she thought it looked slightly green, blue or yellow to which she said she couldn't tell - this was on med and high.

I'm starting to come back around to cooler tints and think that this light around 5000-5500K would be perfect. I know it's a different emitter but I really, really like the tint of my h502d.


----------



## Fireclaw18 (Dec 22, 2012)

nanucq said:


> Mine has the "purple coating", it's very light but it's there



Ah yes. I just checked again shining a light at an angle onto the lens and I can see the slight purple tint. So yes, the SC52 does have a light AR coating.


----------



## Wiggle (Dec 22, 2012)

Just got my SC52 in a little while ago. Very nice light, definitely my brightest light of that size. Output on AA is great and on 14500 li ion it is amazing relative to the size. Liking the ui quite a bit and little features like the battery tester are much appreciated. Beam is quite floody and good for edc. Colour is good, a smidge green on the very lows only, but white at high levels and mids.


----------



## StandardBattery (Dec 22, 2012)

I hope mine is under the tree... only 2+ days to find out... if not... it will be on Santa's second sleigh.


----------



## Streak (Dec 22, 2012)

Shelm and others, many thanks for your honest opinions.
I have owned the SC51 for more than a year now.
I have really tried to EDC a few others but there is nothing in my opinion that comes close to the SC51's UI.
What I dont understand is that of the many major players out there the UI's are all pretty much a variation of a theme ie. clicky, twisty, clicky/twisty or mag. ring.
No other manufacturer has tried to replicate ZL's instant access to low or high at the press of a button. Anybody know why? Patents amongst these manufacturers usually mean nothing and copying is rife.

The turning on in the pocket has been an issue for me from day one but I like the UI so much that I learned to do the tail cap lockout almost automatically.

Although on a high end light like the SC52 one should not have tint issues and the levels should be as advertised I almost prepared to overlook these in favour of the UI specially now that the SC52 has overcome the accidental on issues of the SC51.

I am often up before sunrise to go fishing, SC51 on low to get to the bathroom, tail stand to do the S's and then off to the sea!

I guess we all have our priorities in a light. Until someone else comes up with a UI as good as ZL my EDC is set for the foreseeable future. 

Now when will that SC52 arrive!!


----------



## tonkem (Dec 22, 2012)

Got mine today. Nice light. It is small. Tint is similar to my sc80, very cool white. Similar beams. I will be giving it to my son


----------



## maxrep12 (Dec 22, 2012)

I noticed that Zebralight, GoingGear and TorchDirect are all sold out of the sc52. Who has any stock left?


----------



## shelm (Dec 22, 2012)

maxrep12 said:


> I noticed that Zebralight, GoingGear and TorchDirect are all sold out of the sc52. Who has any stock left?



you're US shopper? then check out DOTcom's of ExpeditionWarehouse, LightJunction


----------



## sspc (Dec 22, 2012)

asval said:


> 2nd what Shelm said, thanks for your review. I was considering buying it but found some pictures on the mode that I was looking forwards too and it didn't seem to be bright enough at that range.
> 
> Left: SC52 AA 0.34 lumens, RIght: EC2 2 lumens
> 
> ...


Don't know if the EC2 low is a good benchmark. Every EC2 I've seen talked about (excluding selfbuilt's review sample) has a low much higher than 2 lumens. My EC2s low definitely isn't 2 lumens...it's somewhere in the 15 lumen range.


----------



## tonkem (Dec 23, 2012)

maxrep12 said:


> I noticed that Zebralight, GoingGear and TorchDirect are all sold out of the sc52. Who has any stock left?



also check the marketplace, Cellguy has around 90 ready to ship, including free ship and free 14500 lithium battery: http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/sh...-SHIP!-What-you-still-want-a-free-14500-DONE!


----------



## Lightman2 (Dec 24, 2012)

So can anyone tell me, who has both SC51 and SC52, if the throw on the SC52 is better or less than the SC51. I had a quick look at a SC600 and I thought the spill on it was great but the throw poor. If the throw on the SC52 is better then I may consider replacing the 51 with the 52.


----------



## LightWalker (Dec 24, 2012)

The SC52 will probably be even more floody than the SC600 because the SC52 has a smaller reflector.


----------



## Cataract (Dec 24, 2012)

dts71 said:


> [...] It would have been a nice feature though if the clip could be swapped for a lanyard ring attachment point.
> [...]



+100 to that! I'm defnitely not a clip fan, but taking off the clip on these reveals a few sharp corners that can do some damage in a pocket.





Font size said:


> ​
> 
> Now a days real owners manuals. are found on Youtube.​




Dude! your table looks exactly like mine minus the 7 layers of ultra-hard crystal varnish 




Font size said:


> You just have not been some place dark enough, or given your eyes time to adjust to the darkness. Try it somewheres completely dark. My girlfriend acts like 0.01 Lm is a spot light when her Parents come home.



+1 I sometimes find 0.02 lumens too bright when waking up at night.


----------



## KeeblerElf (Dec 24, 2012)

I bought an SC52 with a pack of Energizer lithiums as a gift for my brother. Obviously I had to make sure it worked. I was pretty impressed with the light - enough to seriously consider picking one up for myself. (I think Zebralight's UI has spoiled me.) Excellent finish, strong clip, superb beam quality, and impressive brightness in a tiny package. Incidentally, it fits perfectly with its foam inserts in a small Otterbox with the extra batteries. A nice little package for a glove box.


----------



## Philabuster (Dec 24, 2012)

tonkem said:


> also check the marketplace, Cellguy has around 90 ready to ship, including free ship and free 14500 lithium battery: http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/sh...-SHIP!-What-you-still-want-a-free-14500-DONE!



Crap.  I was waiting for the W version to come out, but you talked me into it. Just bought two from Cellguy. :santa:


----------



## Philabuster (Dec 28, 2012)

Philabuster said:


> Crap.  I was waiting for the W version to come out, but you talked me into it. Just bought two from Cellguy. :santa:



Cellguy shipped the lights on the 26th and I got them today (28th). I did not expect the free 14500 battery to be the Zebralight ones. :twothumbs This little light is bad *** with either battery types and the four click battery indicator also functions properly with either cell.:rock:


----------



## LEDburn (Dec 29, 2012)

Glad I didn't wait for the 'w' version 

I posted this in the other thread with the poll too, I asked ZL when the sc52w will be out:

Staff (Administrator)
12/29/2012 1:19:30 AM	We are expecting (finger crossed) to have some neutral white XM-Ls in early Feb. Hopefully we will have all those 'w' lights (H502w, SC52w, S6330w, and SC600w MkII) out by late Feb.

Also very glad I waited for s6330 and didn't buy the CW version. CW sc52 is still good, don't get me wrong, I just seem to prefer NW.

Hmm, off to find money for four new lights in Feb then


----------



## Philabuster (Dec 29, 2012)

Took the SC52 to a friend's house today (lives out in the sticks) along with my SC600w. Stayed until it got dark and started using my SC600w to illuminate the machine we were fixing. I was alternating between the two flashlights. Friend's Dad kept commenting how bright the SC52 (cool tint) appeared everytime I switched it on, but said nothing about the SC600w. 

Yes the SC52 running on an Eneloop was way brighter than his ~60 lumen cool tint light, but the much brighter SC600w did not appear as bright *to him* due to it's warmer tint over the SC52. I noticed a big difference between the lights, but 645 warm lumens still looks brighter *to me* than 280 cool lumens. I love the form factor but I will be ordering a SC52w the moment it comes out as I prefer the warmer tint. 

GF said last night the .01 lumen setting was so low she did not think it was usable at all. I explained to her you need to view it with night adjusted eyes. GF uses the potty during the night so I thought of a perfect way to demonstrate the .01 lumen setting. :naughty: Last night, I turned it on and hung it on the shower railing so the light pointed at the toilet. This morning she was like WTF? Where the hell is that light coming from? She said she did not need any illumination to go pee thank you very much. :scowl: I did get my point across that .01 lumen was indeed visible.


----------



## itsme1234 (Dec 31, 2012)

Got mine for a while, people comments range between "no way I'll pay that money for a light, I can't even smack a bear (or a badger) with it" and "I really really want one, please where can I get it" (from people who don't know the price).

I'm slowly using it both over the smaller and the bigger lights and I feel naked while the 14500 is charging, even if it's noon. The "battery indicator" is really cool, in fact it showed me a problem with a contact in my battery charger (had some moment of WTF when the battery came off the charger with only 3/4 "blinks").

Question: is there some comfortable head mount/strap for such small round torches that has adjustable angle AND the light somewhere above the eyes? It'll probably have to be a 3-strap headmount with some plastic mount on the middle strap that takes the light and can be rotated so you can angle the light up/down.


----------



## LightWalker (Dec 31, 2012)

Philabuster said:


> Took the SC52 to a friend's house today (lives out in the sticks) along with my SC600w. Stayed until it got dark and started using my SC600w to illuminate the machine we were fixing. I was alternating between the two flashlights. Friend's Dad kept commenting how bright the SC52 (cool tint) appeared everytime I switched it on, but said nothing about the SC600w.
> 
> Yes the SC52 running on an Eneloop was way brighter than his ~60 lumen cool tint light, but the much brighter SC600w did not appear as bright *to him* due to it's warmer tint over the SC52. I noticed a big difference between the lights, but 645 warm lumens still looks brighter *to me* than 280 cool lumens. I love the form factor but I will be ordering a SC52w the moment it comes out as I prefer the warmer tint.
> 
> GF said last night the .01 lumen setting was so low she did not think it was usable at all. I explained to her you need to view it with night adjusted eyes. GF uses the potty during the night so I thought of a perfect way to demonstrate the .01 lumen setting. :naughty: Last night, I turned it on and hung it on the shower railing so the light pointed at the toilet. This morning she was like WTF? Where the hell is that light coming from? She said she did not need any illumination to go pee thank you very much. :scowl: I did get my point across that .01 lumen was indeed visible.



That story made me laugh, thanks for sharing.


----------



## lmorrison17 (Dec 31, 2012)

itsme1234 said:


> Got mine for a while, people comments range between "no way I'll pay that money for a light, I can't even smack a bear (or a badger) with it" and "I really really want one, please where can I get it" (from people who don't know the price).
> 
> I'm slowly using it both over the smaller and the bigger lights and I feel naked while the 14500 is charging, even if it's noon. The "battery indicator" is really cool, in fact it showed me a problem with a contact in my battery charger (had some moment of WTF when the battery came off the charger with only 3/4 "blinks").
> 
> Question: is there some comfortable head mount/strap for such small round torches that has adjustable angle AND the light somewhere above the eyes? It'll probably have to be a 3-strap headmount with some plastic mount on the middle strap that takes the light and can be rotated so you can angle the light up/down.



Pretty sure an H501 headband would fit.

But I like the fallowing link idea better even with my H lights.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...raLight-Mods&p=3713092&viewfull=1#post3713092

Can be worn as a headband.


----------



## itsme1234 (Jan 1, 2013)

Unless I miss something completely SC52 isn't angled so it needs a much more complicated mount for what I want.
I'm considering duct taping it to a gopro head mount camera but I would like something similar and standalone.


----------



## Tulip bush (Jan 1, 2013)

Hi all, considering either a sc52 or 600 just wondering if you can recommend who to buy off for the best deal.....from the uk. Thanks


----------



## LEDburn (Jan 1, 2013)

itsme1234 said:


> Unless I miss something completely SC52 isn't angled so it needs a much more complicated mount for what I want.
> I'm considering duct taping it to a gopro head mount camera but I would like something similar and standalone.



I would never use it like that and don't understand how anyone could. Unless you have found some magical headband, the weight will feel uneven and part of the spill will most likely be blocked in some way. 

I tried it in the H502 headband and it was horrible. Dedicated headlamps will still be used for tasks requiring two free hands. 
Seriously, just get a proper headlamp and be done with it. I did the old hack mounted crap for ages, taping torches to safely glasses etc and can safely say the first headlamp I bought was unexpectedly amazing. Never going back to DIY mounts for lights that simply aren't a very good option as a headlamp.


----------



## ScottFree (Jan 1, 2013)

Hopefully my SC52 will arrive on Thursday (dispatch Wednesday) and I can't wait, but I have a small question as this is my first Zebralight. The primary cells I'll run the ZL on will be Energizer Lithium's but is there any difference, large and small between the performance aspects between lithiums and Eneloops in the light?.


----------



## Lighthouse one (Jan 2, 2013)

THe lithium's are slightly brighter-but only at the high Mode 1. I'm very happy with how bight the light is on eneloops...or even cheap 1.5 volt alkaline batteries. This is such a versatile light. I only use the 14500 lion for a bit of showing off for friends...


----------



## Mojer (Jan 2, 2013)

Lighthouse one said:


> THe lithium's are slightly brighter-but only at the high Mode 1. I'm very happy with how bight the light is on eneloops...or even cheap 1.5 volt alkaline batteries. This is such a versatile light. I only use the 14500 lion for a bit of showing off for friends...



Any reason why you only use the 14500's when showing off to friends and not all the time?


----------



## brightasday (Jan 2, 2013)

Anyone have an issue with the parasitic drain being non-negligible? Mine seems to use quite a bit of power when not in use. For example, a new alkaline AA with a voltage of 1.604, after ~48 hours in the SC52 had a voltage of 1.497. I didn't use the SC52 during that time. 14500s also seem to use quite a bit of power.


----------



## henry1960 (Jan 3, 2013)

Mojer said:


> Any reason why you only use the 14500's when showing off to friends and not all the time?




Run Times i would amagine would be the main reason..On a eneloop you get aproximatly 2000 mah, 14500 aw 750mah...Big diffrence in runtimes and the only addvatage is turbo 500lm...I do have the sanyo 840mah which gives 10-15% more runtime approx.
So mainly i use eneloops my self...


----------



## Fireclaw18 (Jan 3, 2013)

henry1960 said:


> Run Times i would amagine would be the main reason..On a eneloop you get aproximatly 2000 mah, 14500 aw 750mah...Big diffrence in runtimes and the only addvatage is turbo 500lm...I do have the sanyo 840mah which gives 10-15% more runtime approx.
> So mainly i use eneloops my self...



My understanding is that to check runtimes at the same brightness you multiply the voltage by the Mah. a 1.5v 2000 Mah eneloop gives slightly less theoretical runtime than a 3.7v 840 Mah Sanyo lithium.


----------



## moozooh (Jan 3, 2013)

Eneloops are 1.2 v, not 1.5 v. So eneloop is 2.4 watt-hours, ZL 14500 is 3.1 watt-hour. A difference of almost 30%.


----------



## Wiggle (Jan 3, 2013)

henry1960 said:


> Run Times i would amagine would be the main reason..On a eneloop you get aproximatly 2000 mah, 14500 aw 750mah...Big diffrence in runtimes and the only addvatage is turbo 500lm...I do have the sanyo 840mah which gives 10-15% more runtime approx.
> So mainly i use eneloops my self...




My own quick runtime tests showed almost identical runtimes between a ZL14500 and a Duraloop on the two highest modes. Li-ion is easier to top off, noticeably lighter and has the 500 lumen burst. Also unlike other lights compatible with AA, you get proper low-battery stepdown, battery checking ability and all low modes with the Li-ion in the SC52. 

On my only other light that I can test identical modes of Li-ion vs NiMH (my Quark AA) the 14500 would win on the high for runtime. It lost on max but not surprising considering that it has 80% more output in this mode, high is the fair comparison since the outputs are matched. This says to me that the ZLs AA circuit is better than most (which I think alot of people already knew). This light would not step-down though as the 14500 depleted, therefore it was full output and a sudden lights out.

Bottomline: ZLs AA performance is awesome but 14500 matches it and provides some perks.


----------



## reppans (Jan 3, 2013)

Wiggle said:


> My own quick runtime tests showed almost identical runtimes between a ZL14500 and a Duraloop on the two highest modes. Li-ion is easier to top off, noticeably lighter and has the 500 lumen burst. Also unlike other lights compatible with AA, you get proper low-battery stepdown, battery checking ability and all low modes with the Li-ion in the SC52.
> 
> On my only other light that I can test identical modes of Li-ion vs NiMH (my Quark AA) the 14500 would win on the high for runtime. It lost on max but not surprising considering that it has 80% more output in this mode, high is the fair comparison since the outputs are matched. This says to me that the ZLs AA circuit is better than most (which I think alot of people already knew). This light would not step-down though as the 14500 depleted, therefore it was full output and a sudden lights out.
> 
> Bottomline: ZLs AA performance is awesome but 14500 matches it and provides some perks.



I've mentioned this in the other thread, but from what I can tell, the SC52's battery meter seems to be geared for ICR Li-ions. It will indicate weak battery and automatically step the light down at ~3.7V resting - which, for a typical ICR is 80-90% depleted, and a good cut-off level. 

The problem is that the light may not work well with a broader range of Li-ions since some ICRs (eg, my Eagletac's) and other Li-ion chemistries (IMR, IFR) may only be half depleted (or still fully charged) at 3.7V when the light starts to automatically step-down... ie, you lose high way too early. 

Still waiting confirmation from other users though, only one other person has indicated his concern with this, but with no testing behind it.

(EDIT... just noticed, your step-down function is not working? ie, so you tripped the battery protection circuit when it went lights out?)

As far as ZL having a better circuit, I don't buy it either...or at least anything near what the difference in manufacturer specs would suggest.

I have the Quark AAX, and Eagletac D25A clicky (which I consider to be the SC52s closest competitors), and both with XML emitters, they are spec'd pretty close to each other on Eneloops. I have tested them with a DSLR lumen meter and have also run random runtime tests on the lower modes and found them to be pretty close to each other and true enough to their manufacturer specs.

Comparing the SC52, first off, the ZL lumen scale is at least 30% off the other two companies (Thrunite too) and Selfbuilt's test of the Quark AA2X, D25 series (Neutron 1A too) confirm this as well - don't know who's too conservative and who's too liberal, but of the 4 moonlight mode/AA companies I collect from, ZL stands alone.

Even considering the 30% scale difference, which is essentially imperceptible to the naked-eye, I was really looking forward to getting two to three times the QAAX runtimes on moonlight and low - the spec'd runtime difference between the manufacturers - on what are, by far, my most often used modes. Instead what I got was a one-half to one-third the measured lumen levels, on what should be the same levels as stated by the manufacturers. So, in terms of lumen-hours, both are equally efficient, with the ET right there as well, with almost the same lumen levels.

Even by ZL's own liberal scale, all my L modes are off by a mile, so perhaps I have a defective unit. That would make my defect rate 2 for 2 within ZL lights and 3 for 25+ for all my purchases. 

It will be interesting to see the SC52 output/runtime graphs when Selfbuilt finishes his review of the light. Too bad he only tests the higher modes, and will not have a QAAX, or D25A clicky in his tests. The Neutron 1A should be though.


----------



## ganzo (Jan 3, 2013)

I just have recieved it today. For me it's an avesome light because it has much wider hotspot than sc50w+. No green tint and a well-centered led is a plus. As far I can see, there is no difference between H1,H2 and H3 modes with Duracell AA.


----------



## violatorjf (Jan 3, 2013)

I'm impressed by the size and output. In the pic below you can see it being dwarfed by my Ontario RAT1 pocket knife and my Streamlight Stylus Pro 2AAA. I enjoy having the really low lows available if necessary. I have my low set on the 0.34lm level right now, which lasts for something like 3wks. Loving it so far...


----------



## Wiggle (Jan 3, 2013)

reppans said:


> I've mentioned this in the other thread, but from what I can tell, the SC52's battery meter seems to be geared for ICR Li-ions. It will indicate weak battery and automatically step the light down at ~3.7V resting - which, for a typical ICR is 80-90% depleted, and a good cut-off level.
> 
> ...
> Still waiting confirmation from other users though, only one other person has indicated his concern with this, but with no testing behind it.



Ah yes, I could see this being an issue for those users. In my use it seems to work fine.



reppans said:


> (EDIT... just noticed, your step-down function is not working? ie, so you tripped the battery protection circuit when it went lights out?)



No no I mean on my only other truly AA/14500 compatible light, the Quark, I had the lights out scenario. ZL SC52 steps me down instead.



reppans said:


> As far as ZL having a better circuit, I don't buy it either...or at least anything near what the difference in manufacturer specs would suggest.



Regardless of how you think the light stacks up to the competition in exact lumen numbers, I meant moreso the light operates efficienctly with AA compared to 14500. As you probably know, AA and 14500 cells have comparable amounts of energy but typically lights are less efficient with AA as a result of the step up from 1.2/1.5V to Vf range (3.0+) being usually more lossy than a step down from 3.7V. I was pointing out that the ZL performed equally well with the NiMH as the 14500 at the same brightness setting (H2 - 172 lumens). To me this is an achievement because compare that to the Quark where you take quite a hit with Eneloop at a matched brightness level (in this case high). This tells me the Zebralight AA boost circuit is a good performer. Selfbuilts previous review of the SC51 along with the output graphs show this high performance is possible.

Regarding the overall lumen values, that'll have to be confirmed. I will trust selfbuilts analysis.


----------



## Wiggle (Jan 3, 2013)

ganzo said:


> I just have recieved it today. For me it's an avesome light because it has much wider hotspot than sc50w+. No green tint and a well-centered led is a plus. As far I can see, there is no difference between H1,H2 and H3 modes with Duracell AA.



You need to use a better battery! Alkaline will sag too much with those higher modes.


----------



## itsme1234 (Jan 3, 2013)

brightasday said:


> Anyone have an issue with the parasitic drain being non-negligible? Mine seems to use quite a bit of power when not in use. For example, a new alkaline AA with a voltage of 1.604, after ~48 hours in the SC52 had a voltage of 1.497. I didn't use the SC52 during that time. 14500s also seem to use quite a bit of power.



When you insert the battery there's a short burst of light and probably some power is used as the light "reboots". But probably this isn't it; I think the way would be to measure directly the current, maybe over a long time (in case it does something extremely sneaky as waking up periodically. An alkaline going to 1.497V means for me nothing, is just too much "in the noise" to be a reliable indication of energy used, it depends on the chemistry, temperature, etc. I have a CR2032 (no other primary cell at hand to test) that drops 3.11->3.07 just by touching both sides with my fingers.


----------



## PocketBeam (Jan 4, 2013)

*Anodizing failing and clip abrasion*

I used to edc H51 in the same pocket as I now carry the SC52. After just two days I noticed the anodizing has scraped off the lower edge next to the button. It is right on the lower edge, it is about half a cm wide, 1/4 inch, and looks like the edge was filed down. I carried the H51 in the same pocket for many months without a problem. I also carry a leatherman juice pro in the same pocket.

I think this happened because the button depression is bigger on the SC52 versus the reflector depression on the H51, which is in the same spot as the button. Also the edge around the button on the SC52 is sharper. It almost feels sharp enough to cut things. 

Once I noticed this, I switched pockets for the SC52, same I have to be delicate with it. After one day, using it three or four times, I notice obvious wear on the top edge of that new pocket. Feeling where the clip screws in, there is a raised ring that goes all around, that area also feels sharp. I bet that raised ring edge is digging in and scrapping away my pocket.

So the anodizing is scraping away, and the pocket clip is scraping away my pocket. Once again I did not have these issues with the H51. And keep in mind they are different, but the button on the SC52 is in the same spot as the reflector on the H51.

Otherwise I love this light. I find the H version is better for sitting down or clipping and aiming the light. But this is crazy bright, and great modes and ui. And for the record, the led is centered, it is slightly green but only if you really look and can see slight color shades. No noticed parasitic drain. (Sent from Android)


----------



## cyclesport (Jan 5, 2013)

*Re: Anodizing failing and clip abrasion*

^

I agree...it's not the most pocket friendly EDC light, as a few pairs of my pants/jeans are starting to show wear. Ano's still intact on mine though?


----------



## Wiggle (Jan 5, 2013)

*Re: Anodizing failing and clip abrasion*



cyclesport said:


> ^
> 
> I agree...it's not the most pocket friendly EDC light, as a few pairs of my pants/jeans are starting to show wear. Ano's still intact on mine though?



Any methods to soften up the clip pinch point a little? I pocket carry it loose for now but like the security of the clip, however I feel like it will shred my pockets.


----------



## cognitivefun (Jan 5, 2013)

*Re: Anodizing failing and clip abrasion*

I do like this light a LOT. I got one for my daughter also. I gave her a lithium AA Ultimate battery as she isn't one to charge things, and that should last awhile the way she'll use it. I drives quite well from that battery. I am using an Eneloop in mine.

One thing I don't really care for is a side switch. The reason is, you have to turn the light around to find the switch when you take it out of your pocket. I kind of prefer the tactical buttons because they're always there


----------



## cyclesport (Jan 5, 2013)

*Re: Anodizing failing and clip abrasion*



Wiggle said:


> Any methods to soften up the clip pinch point a little? I pocket carry it loose for now but like the security of the clip, however I feel like it will shred my pockets.



Other than removing the clip and attempting to bend it a little to ease the contact point(s), which I would personally would be hesitant to do since that would require more finesse than my skill set allows, I'm not sure. IMO I think the unique shape and several sharp points and acute angles of this light also contribute to accelerated clothing wear...in general, still liking the light a _lot_ though!


----------



## Mr460mag (Jan 5, 2013)

itsme1234 said:


> Unless I miss something completely SC52 isn't angled so it needs a much more complicated mount for what I want.
> I'm considering duct taping it to a gopro head mount camera but I would like something similar and standalone.



I use the Fenix headband with a 4sevens mini 123 on the right side. Maybe it will work with the sc52 also. I have no problems with shadows, even if it is side mounted. You get two flashlight mounts with the fenix headband, but I only use one.


----------



## PocketBeam (Jan 5, 2013)

*Re: Anodizing failing and clip abrasion*



cyclesport said:


> Other than removing the clip and attempting to bend it a little to ease the contact point(s), which I would personally would be hesitant to do since that would require more finesse than my skill set allows, I'm not sure. IMO I think the unique shape and several sharp points and acute angles of this light also contribute to accelerated clothing wear...in general, still liking the light a _lot_ though!



I don't think it is the clip itself that causes the pocket abrasion for me. I think it is the sharp angles. I would suggest, and am thinking about, taking off the clip, then file the raised ring the clip mounts on, then reattach the clip. If you file all around it will look like it is supposed to be there. A fingernail file should work. The shiny ring(s) might even make it look better.

Another idea is to add clear nail polish to those sharp edges right where the clip attaches. Or anything else that can protect the pocket from this sharp edges.

Let me know if you come up with anything.


----------



## Fireclaw18 (Jan 5, 2013)

*Re: Anodizing failing and clip abrasion*



PocketBeam said:


> I don't think it is the clip itself that causes the pocket abrasion for me. I think it is the sharp angles. I would suggest, and am thinking about, taking off the clip, then file the raised ring the clip mounts on, then reattach the clip. If you file all around it will look like it is supposed to be there. A fingernail file should work. The shiny ring(s) might even make it look better.
> 
> Another idea is to add clear nail polish to those sharp edges right where the clip attaches. Or anything else that can protect the pocket from this sharp edges.
> 
> Let me know if you come up with anything.



I think the problem is where the head flares back into the battery tube right underneath the the clip. That edge where it flares back is relatively sharp and could cause issues with the unclipping the clip. For future revisions, Zebralight should consider revising that. A little extra rounding of that edge right under the clip should fix the problem.


----------



## cyclesport (Jan 5, 2013)

*Re: Anodizing failing and clip abrasion*



Fireclaw18 said:


> I think the problem is where the head flares back into the battery tube right underneath the the clip. That edge where it flares back is relatively sharp and could cause issues with the unclipping the clip. For future revisions, Zebralight should consider revising that. A little extra rounding of that edge right under the clip should fix the problem.



Yes. Everytime I pull it out of the pocket of a pair of old jeans, there's two or three threads still lodged under clip lol.


----------



## PocketBeam (Jan 5, 2013)

*Re: Anodizing failing and clip abrasion*



Fireclaw18 said:


> I think the problem is where the head flares back into the battery tube right underneath the the clip. That edge where it flares back is relatively sharp and could cause issues with the unclipping the clip. For future revisions, Zebralight should consider revising that. A little extra rounding of that edge right under the clip should fix the problem.



That is the same spot I am talking about. So far all three of my ZebraLights have had sharp edges like this. This one just happens to have the sharp edge right where the clip attaches.


----------



## Lightman2 (Jan 6, 2013)

*Re: Anodizing failing and clip abrasion*

Still trying to find someone who can post a comparison picture showing the SC51 and the SC52 side by side at a distance so I can see which beam I prefer. Can anyone help?


----------



## Flyfisherman (Jan 6, 2013)

*Re: Anodizing failing and clip abrasion*

Just got my sc52 a couple of days ago. This is my first ZL and I'm liking the UI. I do like momentary on on most of my lights, but not having it on this one is no big deal (yet). I like the clip as I like carrying clipped to my pocket rather than within the pocket. I'm not sophisticated enough to know much about different tints, but this one seems nice to me for path walking at night. Nice light I really like it so far. /MK


----------



## CM2010 (Jan 7, 2013)

*Re: Anodizing failing and clip abrasion*

Just got my order in for one, quick question will a AW14500 run fine in this light?


----------



## Zeruel (Jan 7, 2013)

*Re: Anodizing failing and clip abrasion*



CM2010 said:


> Just got my order in for one, quick question will a AW14500 run fine in this light?



If you check out their specs, 14500 runs fine:

"Battery: One 1.5V AA (NiMH, lithium or alkaline) or 3.7V 14500 Li-ion battery.
Features

Automatic stepping down when battery (AA and 14500) capacity is low
Builtin over-discharging protection for 14500 batteries (2.8V cutoff)"


----------



## GunnarGG (Jan 7, 2013)

Fireclaw18 said:


> I think the problem is where the head flares back into the battery tube right underneath the the clip. That edge where it flares back is relatively sharp and could cause issues with the unclipping the clip. For future revisions, Zebralight should consider revising that. A little extra rounding of that edge right under the clip should fix the problem.



It's strange that there is this issue.
I have an sc30 and when that light came out there where talk about the sharp edges on the grooves under clip shredding pockets.
They fixed that on later models by smoothening the area under the clip.
Now they are making a similar mistake.
I have been waiting for a replacement for my sc30 and I want it to run on AA, have good switch, working clip. The sc51 have a working clip (looks like that to me at least) but not so good switch.
Now when they fix the switch the clip functionality gets worse .


----------



## ariep (Jan 7, 2013)

Got mine about two weeks ago. ZL's very slow shipping from China (ordered in mid-November) worked in my favor because I'd originally ordered SC51 before realizing SC52 was available. One week after ordering, it had not shipped yet, so ZL agreed to change to SC52. Very prompt responses to email inquiries. It's my first ZL and I like it a lot. Tiny, seems very high quality, and very useful UI. Very bright for its size, even with primary AAs. I'm no expert, but tint on mine seems pretty white... no green that I've noticed.


----------



## Swede74 (Jan 8, 2013)

Lightman2 said:


> Still trying to find someone who can post a comparison picture showing the SC51 and the SC52 side by side at a distance so I can see which beam I prefer. Can anyone help?



This isn't exactly what you were looking for, but it's something. SC51 to the left, SC52 to the right. Both on M1 (the highest medium)


----------



## PocketBeam (Jan 8, 2013)

*Re: Anodizing failing and clip abrasion*



CM2010 said:


> Just got my order in for one, quick question will a AW14500 run fine in this light?


 I have used two AW 14500 750mah Batteries without problem. All modes work, even the lowest low. I haven't tried a full run down, but I have seen it drop from high to medium when the battery lost charge.

As to the person asking about the beam on the SC51 compared to the SC52, I can compare the H51 to the SC52. What you see in the beamshots posted by Swede74 is what you get. A slightly bigger hotspots and brighter spill. The SC52 is noticeably brighter on eneloops, but on a 14500 for a minute the SC52 is hugely brighter. As for throw, they are similar on eneloops, but the SC52 still beats it because the hot spot is brighter even though it is bigger. Put the 14500 in and there is no contest between the two. As I said the picture posted tells the tell. High looks the same since the SC52 is still brighter. As for tint, my H51 is slightly blueish and the SC52 is slightly greenish. Both are slight enough you may not notice even when looking for it. Hope that helps as a second opinion.


----------



## marinemaster (Jan 8, 2013)

*Re: Anodizing failing and clip abrasion*

Got mine few days back. Is actually towards warm tint, nowhere close to cool white. Not green, not white, slight warm. Is awesome.


----------



## DavidMB (Jan 10, 2013)

*Re: Anodizing failing and clip abrasion*

I love this light, and it's probably the best light I've ever purchased for many reasons, but.. The ridges on the body or the single ridge under the head near the clip is going to shred my pockets if I'm not careful. I do like the feel of ridges, and I can't really even offer a suggestion of what to change that would prevent this from happening. I think that's the only thing I dislike about the light.


----------



## Swede74 (Jan 13, 2013)

*Runtime test AW 14500 750 mAh*

I just did a runtime test on the Zebralight SC52, using a AW 14500 750 mAh. Starting with the cell fully charged, I ran the light for 30 minutes on H2 (108 lumen) Then I ran it for 1x3 minutes on H1 ("Turbo", until automatic stepdown, allowing it to cool off after each stepdown) and repeated the procedure after that. Following the third 30 minutes on H2, it stepped down after 30 seconds on H1, and after that, it stepped down after only 5 seconds. The level it stepped down to, supposedly 280 lumen, still looked significantly brighter than H2 (108 lumen) so no obvious decrease in output, even though the cell is no longer able to provide a high enough sustained current (is that the correct term?) for a full minute at 500 lumen. 

If someone would like me to do a runtime test on the remaining capacity of the cell, and has a suggestion on how to best conduct such a test, I would be happy to oblige. I have a spare cell, so I'm in no particular hurry to recharge the one I used for the test. 



Time (min)Aggregated timeMode (lumen)Voltage (V)0004.243030H2/1084.051+1+133H1/5003.963063H2/1083.871+1+166H1/5003.823096H2/1083.67≈30s↓280 lmH1≈5s↓280 lm≈97m35sH13.57


----------



## drew78 (Jan 14, 2013)

*Re: Runtime test AW 14500 750 mAh*

Just picked up a SC52 this morning from my local dealer. My previous and only ZL experieince prior to the SC52 has been a positive one with an SC80. I was first struck by how small the 52 seemed compared to my 80. So far it checks out perfect, I got all my modes set up and now just waiting for the dark! I will say the Low, Low of 0.06 lumens is SO low, you cant even tell its on during the daytime. Should be interesting! I will be running this on a primary L91.

-Drew


----------



## reppans (Jan 14, 2013)

Swede74 said:


> I just did a runtime test on the Zebralight SC52, using a AW 14500 750 mAh.



I might as well throw in a couple of side-by-side runtime tests I ran on some Eneloop 2000mah. I used a DSLR as an ambient lumen meter, calibrated to a ThruSevenTac lumen scale which I find ~ 30% lower than the ZebraBuilt lumen scale (see note at bottom).

On Max/Turbo, SC52: 
Specs: 280 lms/ 54 mins
Tested: 200>160>40 / 45 mins

Quark AA-XML:
Specs: 140 lms / 48 mins (assumed output 1/2 QP2A-X)
Tested: 160>125>40 / 53 mins

Both lights exhibit the similar drop down performance, ie, starting at 200/160 and then dropping down to 160/125 at around 7-8 minutes mark, and holding that level to the very end where both started dropping off quickly. ZL ~ 30% brighter throughout, 47s ~ 20% more runtime... net net, ZL ~ 10% more efficient.

On High, SC52:
Specs: 108 lms/ 3:00 hrs
Tested: 80>40lms/ 2:28

ET, D25A-XML, NW:
Specs: 75 lms/ 2:30 hrs
Tested: 80>40lms/ 2:20

Note: both lights exhibited similar drop down performance. Solid regulation throughout test, before dropping off quickly at the end. Efficiency equal.


Lumen scale note: Within the Efficient/AA/14500/XML/Sub-Lumen manufacturers, Foursevens, Eagletac and ThruNite appear to operate on a different lumen scale than does Zebralight and Selfbuilt. You can observe this lumen scale difference from Selfbuilt's reviews of the SC51, Quark AA2-X, D25 clicky series, and Thrunite Neutron 1A. Except for the SC51, which SB has measured at spec, all other lights have been measured to be ~ 100 lumens "under-rated". Selfbuilt specifically disclaims his lumen values are "accurate" or official ANSI in any way. He merely states that they are consistent on a relative basis, and with which I fully agree.


----------



## drew78 (Jan 14, 2013)

reppans said:


> I might as well throw in a couple of side-by-side runtime tests I ran on some Eneloop 2000mah. I used a DSLR as an ambient lumen meter, calibrated to a ThruSevenTac lumen scale which I find ~ 30% lower than the ZebraBuilt lumen scale (see note at bottom).
> 
> On Max/Turbo, SC52:
> Specs: 280 lms/ 54 mins
> ...


Help out the dumb guy here...

so are you saying your testing showed that the SC52 was not as bright as ZL claims? I thought all these lights were judged by an ANSI scale so we could get a apples to apples comparison. I'm confused, is the SC52 not giving the lumen output and runtime advertised by ZL? I am confused....
Edited to add the following question:

would testing on a primary L91 battery yield increased performance over the eneloop?


----------



## reppans (Jan 14, 2013)

drew78 said:


> Help out the dumb guy here...
> 
> so are you saying your testing showed that the SC52 was not as bright as ZL claims? I thought all these lights were judged by an ANSI scale so we could get a apples to apples comparison. I'm confused, is the SC52 not giving the lumen output and runtime advertised by ZL? I am confused....
> Edited to add the following question:
> ...



As far as I can tell every manufacturer seems to have their own interpretation of what the ANSI scale is. I guess, by Zebralight's liberal interpretation, they are reporting correct numbers (well, except for the HUGE ?error? on all the L modes). There are other manufacturers that use liberal numbers, like Klarus and Nitecore, but if you ask ZL's competition in the AA/sub-lumen market - 47s, ET, TN - I'm quite certain they would say ZLs numbers are overstated.

Selfbuilt, and your own testing, seem to be the only common ground from which to compare apples to apples. Selfbuilt has adopted a liberal lumen scale, I believe by using a "best fit" line with a group of manufacturers, but as I mentioned above, he disclaims his scale to be ANSI accurate or official. I am also using a "best fit" line, but since most of my lights are from 47s, ET, TN, you might say I'm using the conservative scale that those three competitors have adopted. For one more angle on the conservative vs liberal ANSI scales... here's GoingGear's website with a 2xAA filter: http://goinggear.com/flashlights?compatible_batteries=270, only the highest performancing manufacturers tread ~280+ lms with TWO CELLS.

The important point is that, if want to compare lights on an apples to apples basis, you need to adjust for the conservative/liberal scales used by different manufactures. Without your own light meter, you might as well use Selfbuilt's numbers. So for example, using Selfbuilt's tested numbers (please look up his reviews to verify):

SC51 - spec 200 tested 200 ratio 1.00
Neutron 1A - spec 145 tested 240 ratio 1.66
Quark AA2X - spec 280 tested 400 ratio 1.43
D252A - spec 219 tested 330 ratio 1.51
(note: I use the 2xAA versions for 47s and ET since SB doesn't test the single cell versions, which I consider to be the closest competitors to the SC52)

So lets say there's an average "conservative factor" of around 50%. You can either multiply TN/47/ET numbers by 1.5 to get to the ZebraBuilt scale, or you can divide ZLs numbers by 1.5 to get to a ThruSevensTac scale:

SC51 - 200spec /1.5 ~ 135
H51w - 172spec /1.5 ~ 115 (my H51w meters = to my TN T10, a 115 light)
SC52 - 280spec /1.5 ~ 190 (my DSLR 200 lms measurement is accurate +- 10%)

This is a bit of an oversimplification, and numbers are ballpark.... but I hope it illustrates the issues clearly.

(BTW, ZL states on their website the specs are based on an Eneloop 2000 mah)


----------



## WilsonCQB1911 (Jan 17, 2013)

Just got one myself. My first thoughts are that it is incredibly small. My second are that fit and finish are excellent. It's a neat little package.

I love moonlight modes and this one's lowest moonlight mode is really low. Like the LED barely glows. Is it at all useful? Does anyone use it on the lowest? I haven't had a chance to use it with dark-adjusted eyes.


----------



## roadkill1109 (Jan 17, 2013)

WilsonCQB1911 said:


> Just got one myself. My first thoughts are that it is incredibly small. My second are that fit and finish are excellent. It's a neat little package.
> 
> I love moonlight modes and this one's lowest moonlight mode is really low. Like the LED barely glows. Is it at all useful? Does anyone use it on the lowest? I haven't had a chance to use it with dark-adjusted eyes.



Moonlight is useful when you need to work in total darkness without having to cause any disturbance. I usually use moonlight to check on the kids sleeping or when i have to sneak around in the dark. (like going to pee or get something from the fridge at midnight) 

Not everyone likes moonlight, but the good thing about this light, love it or not, at least its there should you need it. 

Kudos on your SC52! 

You'll love its various modes better when running it with a 14500 as you can see how much light it can put out, yet it can go into moonlight when you need it down really low. But its not for everyone.


----------



## Gregozedobe (Jan 17, 2013)

WilsonCQB1911 said:


> I love moonlight modes and this one's lowest moonlight mode is really low. Like the LED barely glows. Is it at all useful? Does anyone use it on the lowest? I haven't had a chance to use it with dark-adjusted eyes.



I find the lowest Lo setting *0.01 *Lm (3 months) on my recent ZLs is so low it isn't much use for illumination to see anything (for me, anyway), but it does make a good marker glow to let you find the light in pitch black, without draining the battery very much. The other Lo settings are useful for illumination with night adjusted eyes.


----------



## Swede74 (Jan 17, 2013)

Has anyone else noticed a strange behaviour when using the lowest of the low modes (0.01 lm)? 

I almost don't know how to describe it; flickering would not be an accurate word, maybe ”pulsation” comes closer. About 60-80 times per minute, it looks like the light turns off for a fraction of a second, just enough to notice. So it's like the light emits 0.01 lm 90% of the time, and zero lm 10% of the time. If I understand correctly, this is how PWM works, but all levels on the SC52 are current regulated, so something else has to be going on here. (I don't think PWM at 1 Hz would catch on )

The light displays this behaviour regardless of which battery I use. I've tried AW 14500, Trustfire 14500 and GP ReCyko NiMH. 

Any theories on what causes this?


----------



## GunnarGG (Jan 17, 2013)

Swede, no theories but I have a Novatac Storm that behaves similar when I use the lowest settings.
If I ramp up a little bit it gets a solid light.
I don't recall if that light uses pwm though.


----------



## TweakMDS (Jan 17, 2013)

No theories, and mine doesn't do this either. I just popped a 14500 in mine, and all modes behave as expected. With the small addition that the output on 14500 is quite mindblowing


----------



## drew78 (Jan 17, 2013)

Swede74 said:


> Has anyone else noticed a strange behaviour when using the lowest of the low modes (0.01 lm)?
> 
> I almost don't know how to describe it; flickering would not be an accurate word, maybe ”pulsation” comes closer. About 60-80 times per minute, it looks like the light turns off for a fraction of a second, just enough to notice. So it's like the light emits 0.01 lm 90% of the time, and zero lm 10% of the time. If I understand correctly, this is how PWM works, but all levels on the SC52 are current regulated, so something else has to be going on here. (I don't think PWM at 1 Hz would catch on )
> 
> ...



so I just tried this with my SC52. I mean i'm at the computer, the light is in my pocket, and the forum is open...why not...

So I set it down to the lowest, low mode and what do you know. Mine pulses too! I would say that about one quick pulse per second, perhaps just a hair faster. The diode never blacks out, it stays in the lowest low and at each pulse seems tor brighten quickly then pulses down to the orig low, low setting.

I did some more testing and it will flicker sometimes, and then other times I cant get it to flicker. Weird. Not a biggie for me as it is SO low, I have no use for it. I have my L2 set to the next level up from the 0.01lumen setting.


----------



## cyclesport (Jan 17, 2013)

Mine flickers on the 0.01L mode also. Not sure why either but feel there's no reason for concern. Other lights that I have that are capable of fractions of a lumen flicker too when dropped to barely perceptable levels...JetBeam RRT-01, Niteye EYE 10, etc. Perhaps the emitter simply can't stabilize @ such low current levels?


----------



## mgscheue (Jan 17, 2013)

Swede74 said:


> Has anyone else noticed a strange behaviour when using the lowest of the low modes (0.01 lm)?
> 
> I almost don't know how to describe it; flickering would not be an accurate word, maybe ”pulsation” comes closer. About 60-80 times per minute, it looks like the light turns off for a fraction of a second, just enough to notice. So it's like the light emits 0.01 lm 90% of the time, and zero lm 10% of the time. If I understand correctly, this is how PWM works, but all levels on the SC52 are current regulated, so something else has to be going on here. (I don't think PWM at 1 Hz would catch on )
> 
> ...



I just tried it with mine on low (with an AW 14500). I can't say I'm seeing the ~1 Hz pulsation.


----------



## Swede74 (Jan 17, 2013)

Thank you all for replying.

TweakMDS, you have to look really hard (and be geeky enough to enjoy playing with your lights in a dark room) to see it, so maybe it's possible yours does it too?

Drew78's description it better; at first I thought the diode blacked out or at least got dimmer for a very brief moment about once per second, but now I agree, it's on all the time and brightens briefly. That's rather the opposite of how I initially perceived it - hopefully not a sign of too much wear and tear on my brain or my eyes. :laughing:

As Drew78 also said, it's definitely not a biggie. I find the 0.06 lm setting more useful, and I doubt this almost imperceptible phenomenon is a nuisance to those who do use the lowest setting.


----------



## drew78 (Jan 17, 2013)

Juat as a data point, I run my SC52 on a L91 primary only. Still have 4 "blinks" on the batt tester.


----------



## CVLPA (Jan 17, 2013)

Got the pulse at the lowest low as well. Had to sit in a dark room and look in to the reflector to see it. Cannot imagine i would ever notice it if i didn't read about in Swede74's post.


----------



## mgscheue (Jan 17, 2013)

Swede74 said:


> Thank you all for replying.
> 
> TweakMDS, you have to look really hard (and be geeky enough to enjoy playing with your lights in a dark room) to see it, so maybe it's possible yours do it too?



I'll have to try it again, too. It's possible I missed it. I'm definitely sufficiently geeky. My first thought when I read your post was to think "Oh cool, an excuse to play with the SC52."


----------



## bodhran (Jan 17, 2013)

I had been thinking about posting the same comment myself. I don't use mine for long periods but I do use it often and it just keeps going. Still show four flashes. Has anyone done a runtime test with the L91?


----------



## drew78 (Jan 17, 2013)

I too have noticed the really great run time so far. I use the light in relativly short intervals and still have 4 flashes on the battery. Running L91 and am impressed so far!


----------



## PocketBeam (Jan 18, 2013)

As far as the lowest low modes, this is the first time I have seen that no one has said they wished it went lower. I don't use the lowest it will go, but I did try it and I am glad I have the option.

Soon we will have enough efficiency to get 3-4 lumens, and 3 months run time. And still I will want the lower modes... which could give one year run time.

Been pocket carrying for a couple weeks with no accidental turn on's. Still very happy with the light, except the sharp edge next to the pocket clip.


----------



## Wiggle (Jan 18, 2013)

I'm liking the SC52 quite a bit. It's been my EDC choice almost everyday (sometimes Ti Preon 2 wins out due to slimness). My other 14500/AA EDC (the Quark AA-T /w deep clip) I'm sad to say may not see much pocket duty now. The superior low battery behavior with li-ion is a big bonus, not to mention the battery meter, smaller size, higher output across the board. I do miss the Tactical interface a little, momentary was great sometimes but I'm also digging the ZL UI alot too, it's quite effective once you get the feel of it.


----------



## miswas (Jan 18, 2013)

*14500's and high-setting flicker on SC52?*

Hello,

Please do point me to the right post in this thread / elsewhere if this has already been talked about. Thanks! 

My SC52 will run fine on IMR 14500's, save for the highest setting for the light. The light will shine brightly for 3 - 5 seconds, then begin to flicker: doesn't seem to have a consistence Hz, or speed up / slow down, just fluctuates.

I've not let it run for long at all in this flickering mode, and testing the highest setting with primaries shows the flashlight can still go into that mode without flicker. So I don't think I fried the emitter...?

I have protected 14500's coming shortly, so I will also test the highest setting with them.

But has anyone seen this type of flickering running a (IMR/standard) 14500 and highest setting on their SC52?

Thanks in advance!


-Ben


----------



## GunnarGG (Jan 19, 2013)

miswas said:


> Hello,
> 
> Please do point me to the right post in this thread / elsewhere if this has already been talked about. Thanks!
> 
> ...



Hi!

I don't have a SC52 yet so I can't help you, but

Please, don't change the subject line in an ongoing thread.
It get's totally unreadable after a few quots.

This thread is still: *Re: Zebralight SC52 Owner's Thread
*
Edit:
I noticed that you have been a member 3 times aslong as I have but see now that this is your first post.

Welcome to CPF! :wave:


----------



## mgscheue (Jan 19, 2013)

An admittedly rather crude measurement but perhaps of some use for comparison purposes: Doing a ceiling bounce and measuring with a Sekonic incident light meter, I got f/5.6 at 1 S at ISO 100 with my SC52 (EV 5, or about 80 lux) and f/7.1 with my SC600 (EV 5.6, or about 112 lux). My 4Sevens Quark AA^2 Turbo produced f/4 (EV 4, or about 40 lux).


----------



## reppans (Jan 19, 2013)

mgscheue said:


> An admittedly rather crude measurement but perhaps of some use for comparison purposes: Doing a ceiling bounce and measuring with a Sekonic incident light meter, I got f/5.6 at 1 S at ISO 100 with my SC52 (EV 5, or about 80 lux) and f/7.1 with my SC600 (EV 5.6, or about 112 lux). My 4Sevens Quark AA^2 Turbo produced f/4 (EV 4, or about 40 lux).



Nice... I assume the SC52 measurement is with a 14500. If so, I was wondering if you could test it with Eneloops against the Quark AA2 Turbo - not sure which Quark emitter you have, but the SC should easily beat any of them, according to the specs.

Also, if you're interested, PM me for a more accurate and efficient bounce method, and perhaps to compare notes on light meter methodology - you might be able to evaluate any mode of any light with one calibration as I do with a DSLR.


----------



## glockboy (Jan 19, 2013)

*Re: 14500's and high-setting flicker on SC52?*

My SC52 run on highest setting for the light on AW IMR 14500 for 63 seconds, no flickering.
But on no name IMR, it run about 2 seconds.
On Zebralight, Nitecore 14500, it run for 63 seconds, no flickering.
I think you need new battery.




miswas said:


> Hello,
> But has anyone seen this type of flickering running a (IMR/standard) 14500 and highest setting on their SC52
> -Ben


----------



## mgscheue (Jan 19, 2013)

reppans said:


> Nice... I assume the SC52 measurement is with a 14500. If so, I was wondering if you could test it with Eneloops against the Quark AA2 Turbo - not sure which Quark emitter you have, but the SC should easily beat any of them, according to the specs.
> 
> Also, if you're interested, PM me for a more accurate and efficient bounce method, and perhaps to compare notes on light meter methodology - you might be able to evaluate any mode of any light with one calibration as I do with a DSLR.



Yep, that was with an AW 750 mA-h battery in the SC52. Good idea about the Eneloop; I didn't think of that. I just tried it and got f/3.2 (EV 3.4). I also tried my Thrunite T10: also f/3.2. That surprised me. I expected the SC52 to do significantly better than the T10. 

The Quark is an XP-G (R5, I think). 

PM sent; thanks. I'd like to learn more about your testing methodology.

Update: By very carefully ensuring the dome of the Sekonic was pointed straight up at the ceiling, I was able to get f/3.6 out of the SC52 with the Eneloop (1/3 of a stop brighter), but I'm still surprised it doesn't do better against the T10.


----------



## reppans (Jan 19, 2013)

mgscheue said:


> Yep, that was with an AW 750 mA-h battery in the SC52. Good idea about the Eneloop; I didn't think of that. I just tried it and got f/3.2 (EV 3.4). I also tried my Thrunite T10: also f/3.2. That surprised me. I expected the SC52 to do significantly better than the T10.
> 
> The Quark is an XP-G (R5, I think).
> 
> ...



By the spec sheets, the SC52 should be ~ 1.33 stops better than the T10 and ~ 0.33 stops better than the QB2A. However, my own measurements have the SC52 ~ 0.67 stops better than the T10, and about the same as you, ~ 0.33 stops below the QB2A. There are reasons for it, the most significant of which I discuss a several posts back, if you care to read it.

Anyways, I'll PM you back to compare methodology for both an efficient bounce, and also how to measure all your modes and convert them back to lumens. We have at least three of the same lights and I would love to compare results across all modes of each, if you are interested.

Thanks for doing the Eneloop test.

(BTW, if anyone else with a DSLR is interested in using it as an ambient lumen meter, just PM me... it's a piece of cake)


----------



## miswas (Jan 19, 2013)

GunnarGG said:


> Hi!
> 
> I don't have a SC52 yet so I can't help you, but
> 
> ...



Thanks for the SOP for the thread titles, I'll be sure to do maintain them from now on! :thumbs:

And thank you for the welcome to CPF! 


-Ben


----------



## miswas (Jan 19, 2013)

glockboy said:


> My SC52 run on highest setting for the light on AW IMR 14500 for 63 seconds, no flickering.
> But on no name IMR, it run about 2 seconds.
> On Zebralight, Nitecore 14500, it run for 63 seconds, no flickering.
> I think you need new battery.



All good info, thanks!

I'm using an AW IMR 14500, so I may have actually damaged the light! We'll see how the protected AW 14500's do.


-Ben


----------



## lmorrison17 (Jan 19, 2013)

*Re: 14500's and high-setting flicker on SC52?*



miswas said:


> Hello,
> 
> Please do point me to the right post in this thread / elsewhere if this has already been talked about. Thanks!
> 
> ...



This has been talked aboutbut I can't remember if it was in this thread or the other SC52.
Several have had the same experience with the IMR's and atleast 1 fried emitter. IIRC


----------



## cyclesport (Jan 20, 2013)

miswas said:


> All good info, thanks!
> 
> I'm using an AW IMR 14500, so I may have actually damaged the light! We'll see how the protected AW 14500's do.
> 
> ...



Yeah, the SC52 seems to (sometimes) have problems with the high current discharge IMR's produce. The attached thread...

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?344890-Zebralight-SC52-amp-SC52w/page28

...(Darvis Post #825) first documents this issue, and in his later Post #994 after exchanging it, seems to function okay using an IMR. I think it's best to stay w/ICR's or Eneloop's in this light or risk damage.


----------



## bobjane (Jan 22, 2013)

Just got my SC52 and also getting the 14500 battery + high mode flickering that's been mentioned a few times.

Nitecore 14500 charged to 4.2V, the light starts flickering after 3-7 seconds in high mode. The frequency at which it flickers seems to increase with the runtime.

Might have something to do with heat?

Edit: as mentioned by someone else, once the battery is drained to approximately 4.0V, the light no longer flickers.


----------



## GordoJones88 (Jan 22, 2013)

*Re: Ben Can Change The Thread Title To Anything He Wants!!*



miswas said:


> Hello,
> Please do point me to the right post in this thread / elsewhere if this has already been talked about. Thanks!
> -Ben



Ben, is this a computer glitch? Did you join 10 years ago and just make your first post? Wow, that's a lot of lurking!

:thinking:


----------



## Wiggle (Jan 22, 2013)

cyclesport said:


> Yeah, the SC52 seems to (sometimes) have problems with the high current discharge IMR's produce. The attached thread...
> 
> http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?344890-Zebralight-SC52-amp-SC52w/page28
> 
> ...(Darvis Post #825) first documents this issue, and in his later Post #994 after exchanging it, seems to function okay using an IMR. I think it's best to stay w/ICR's or Eneloop's in this light or risk damage.



I don't understand this though, this is a current regulated circuit. IMRs do not just shove extra current into a circuit when not called to do so. I could see it being the case in the case of a direct drive light but I can't see how it would be an issue here. Theoretically you should be able to connect an ideal 4.2V power supply with zero output impedance, infinite current pushing ability and the circuit should still work.


----------



## eloreno (Jan 22, 2013)

*Re: 14500's and high-setting flicker on SC52?*



miswas said:


> Hello,
> 
> Please do point me to the right post in this thread / elsewhere if this has already been talked about. Thanks!
> 
> ...




Mine will flicker on the high 500 lumen mode using either of my 2 zebralight 14500 batteries. After about 10 seconds, give or take it will start to flicker until the battery drops in charge to ~ 4 volts.
It will also flicker on the high 500 lumen mode using any of the 6 trustfire blue 14500 batteries. 

I contacted zebralight about it, and they said they would send me 1 replacement battery. 
The battery was to be sent out last monday, though I've not received it. 

It is obvious to me that it's not the battery and there is something wrong with the flashlight.


----------



## Fireclaw18 (Jan 22, 2013)

*Re: 14500's and high-setting flicker on SC52?*

My first SC52 flickers on a freshly charged 14500 AW IMR cell, but does not flicker on either of my Zebralight brand 14500s. My second SC52 works perfectly with no flickering on IMR cells and Zebralight 14500s.


----------



## Badbeams3 (Jan 22, 2013)

*Re: 14500's and high-setting flicker on SC52?*

Wondering if the first run group has a problem.


----------



## cyclesport (Jan 22, 2013)

Wiggle said:


> I don't understand this though, this is a current regulated circuit. IMRs do not just shove extra current into a circuit when not called to do so. I could see it being the case in the case of a direct drive light but I can't see how it would be an issue here. Theoretically you should be able to connect an ideal 4.2V power supply with zero output impedance, infinite current pushing ability and the circuit should still work.



I tend to agree w/you, but it does seem a few have had issues w/IMR's and seems also some (ICR's?) were right out of the charger at over 4v when used before dropping to a nominal state, so perhaps that too contributes to this flicker issue? Or perhaps there are simply a few w/bad driver electronics?

EDIT: FWIW mine was a "first batch" light from Going Gear, and although I don't use IMR's in the AA format I did try both 14500 protected & unprotected ICR's hot off the charger to see if that might induce flickering and my light functioned normally on all modes.


----------



## Thujone (Jan 22, 2013)

Not to add any more confusion to the ceiling bounce 'tests'... But I would like to add that I believe the size of the hotspot has a huge impact on the amount of light that is reflected back for these types of tests. The larger the hotspot the larger the area for absorption by the matte ceiling. Which is a quite unfair comparison for a wide hotspot light such as the SC52. Just my .02


----------



## shelm (Jan 22, 2013)

Thujone said:


> Not to add any more confusion to the ceiling bounce 'tests'... But I would like to add that I believe the size of the hotspot has a huge impact on the amount of light that is reflected back for these types of tests. The larger the hotspot the larger the area for absorption by the matte ceiling. Which is a quite unfair comparison for a wide hotspot light such as the SC52. Just my .02



spill angle, narrow beam, wide beam, they all influence a ceiling bounce reading. therefore it is advisable to match the spill diameter projection on the ceiling.


----------



## henry1960 (Jan 22, 2013)

*Re: 14500's and high-setting flicker on SC52?*



Badbeams3 said:


> Wondering if the first run group has a problem.



I have bought four of the SC52`s two of which i gave as gifts but anyway none of the four had any issues with flickery. And i use eneloops,AW14500,Zebra light 14500,Orbtronic 14500 and Energizer rechargables...


----------



## reppans (Jan 22, 2013)

shelm said:


> spill angle, narrow beam, wide beam, they all influence a ceiling bounce reading. therefore it is advisable to match the spill diameter projection on the ceiling.



Exactly... (BTW, the D25A XML one person used is even floodier than the SC52)

I've also found that closing all the bounce distances greatly helps with the consistency and accuracy across flooders and throwers alike, including allowing you to accurately measure sub-lumen modes (to say 0.10 lms). If you're using instrumentation (light meters/DSLRs) to measure, try bouncing between two walls in a narrow hallway... CLICKY

Also, it seems people are only measuring the Max. mode vs another light. If you care to learn how to measure ANY mode, of ANY light, PM me and I'll let you know how - it's easy and just requires a one-off calibration. Note: I only know how to do this with a DSLR, since I don't own a light meter. I'm pretty sure the method can translate over, but someone would have to walk me though what options are available on a light meter.


----------



## Wiggle (Jan 23, 2013)

*Re: 14500's and high-setting flicker on SC52?*



henry1960 said:


> I have bought four of the SC52`s two of which i gave as gifts but anyway none of the four had any issues with flickery. And i use eneloops,AW14500,Zebra light 14500,Orbtronic 14500 and Energizer rechargables...



Yes I can also confirm no flicker here. Tested with Duraloop, L91, and ZL 14500. My light was one of the pre-orders.


----------



## Fireclaw18 (Jan 23, 2013)

reppans said:


> Exactly... (BTW, the D25A XML one person used is even floodier than the SC52)



Yes, my D25a XMLs are floodier than the SC52. Not surprising since the SC52 has a larger reflector.

However, my D25a XPG2 has a brighter tighter hotspot than than my SC52.


----------



## PocketBeam (Jan 24, 2013)

*Re: 14500's and high-setting flicker on SC52?*

My SC52 was ordered in Jan, so maybe second batch? Anyway, no flickering with protected AW's, and no flickering with old no name green cells. Although the green cells drop brightness after a few seconds. No flicker at 500 lumens... I have seen a "flicker" at the lowest low, 0.01 lumens. Flicker is not the right word, kind of a wobble in brightness, and very hard to notice. Maybe a wobble every few seconds.


----------



## oronocova (Jan 24, 2013)

*Re: 14500's and high-setting flicker on SC52?*

I have had mine a few days. Bought it from another member on the market place, he had bought it as a Christmas gift. I have not noticed a flicker, though I haven't ran a whole L91 through it yet. I am waiting on some protected cells to show up. Not going to try the IMR since the report of one having trouble. The output with a L91 is pretty admirable. Love the .01 mode. Much much better than the SC51 IMO, just hope the first run doesn't turn out a bunch of duds!


----------



## LEDburn (Jan 24, 2013)

*Re: 14500's and high-setting flicker on SC52?*

I have had no issues with flickering (I do have the pulse on the lowest low) before last night and even then I believe it was battery related what I experienced.

Anyway, I have been using the light with AW 14500 cells exclusively except for a few times when they were charging where I would use an eneloop. 
When this happens I am always within a minute of the charger, waiting for 4.2V of goodness, and usually only use low or medium.

Last night I was doing just that: li-ion on charge; eneloop in light. I decided to go outside and compare H1 and H2 as I haven't done that with NiMH since I got it. Turned on the light and switched between the two high modes only to notice a barely perceivable difference between the two (I had 172L set as H2) so decided to program it for 108L and see how that went. That's when it started to go funny and flicker.
I turned it off and it would only come back on at low, and would not go between sub levels.
The state of charge I am unsure of but it would have been a month max between charging it and leaving it on my desk. The battery was definitely not used for something else as everything I have used uses li-ion. Eneloops are for my H502d and that hasn't been used in over two months as I haven't been working.

I took the battery out and chucked it straight in the MC900 which said the battery was at 1.36V when it started charging (not the initial reading as that can be over 1.5V) and took under an hour at 800mA which confused me even more.
I don't have a meter for reading voltage or current smaller than a whole number so it would read 1V if I had tested it.

I did a runtime test on 172L with the AW and just got perfect step down to medium, no flickering.
I guess that is the main thing throwing me off: why it didn't step down to medium when it clearly had enough juice for a short blast on high.


----------



## nanucq (Jan 25, 2013)

*Re: 14500's and high-setting flicker on SC52?*

No flickering, no issues at all on my early december SC52......just happyness 
Powered by AW 14500.


----------



## ganzo (Jan 25, 2013)

*Re: 14500's and high-setting flicker on SC52?*

Also have some effect of some brightness change at 0.01 L every second which is very difficult to notice. Not a problem at all for me. Dropped it once when it was working - nothing happened to it. My conclusion - it is very robust and an effective flashlight.


----------



## TeaQue (Jan 30, 2013)

*So is the Zebralight SC52 the brightest single cell AA light available now?*

How much dimmer is the light on a AA vs 14500? I may have to pick one of these up!


----------



## bansuri (Jan 30, 2013)

*Re: So is the Zebralight SC52 the brightest single cell AA light available now?*

Brightest or not it has a great set of features, physical and circuit design is the direct result of ZL responding to customer feedback, and will soon be available with neutral and daylight tints. (4000 & 5000k). 
Selfbuilt has posted a review in the Reviews section that addresses the brightness issue.


----------



## Wiggle (Jan 31, 2013)

*Re: So is the Zebralight SC52 the brightest single cell AA light available now?*



TeaQue said:


> How much dimmer is the light on a AA vs 14500? I may have to pick one of these up!



With 14500 you get a 500 lumen turbo before the stepdown to 280 after one minute. With the AA you get 280. One thing to consider as well is that the 14500 on max runs flatter than the AA on the 280 setting I believe according to selfbuilts graphs. The AA runs perfectly flat in all other modes though.


----------



## spc smith (Jan 31, 2013)

*Re: So is the Zebralight SC52 the brightest single cell AA light available now?*

I took the leap of faith and jumped on this one. I LOVE THE ZEBRALIGHT SC52 NOW!!!!! This little TORCH... is AMAZING with either battery types both AA and 14500. Im traditionallya single cell 18650 carry kind of a guy specific to my EDC lights. I now EDC this zebralight sc52.:twothumbs


----------



## Bill S. (Feb 4, 2013)

*Re: So is the Zebralight SC52 the brightest single cell AA light available now?*

Got mine today. Nice light, works perfectly. Unfortunately I also have the green tint. My SC51 is whiter. IMO, not a big bang over the SC51 other than the switch--a much needed improvement. I like it but I don't think it will replace my D25C Clicky. The battery checker is a nice feature. Overall I prefer the SC51 design, except for that switch...sorry if I offend. I guess I was overly excited about this one. Other than the nice switch, meh.


----------



## lampeDépêche (Feb 4, 2013)

*Re: So is the Zebralight SC52 the brightest single cell AA light available now?*

Just noticed this evening that the Quark Prism will fit onto the end of the SC52 for headlamp use.

It's not an ideal fit, because it only slides on about 3mm, but it's enough to keep it on.

I might not use it for a night-time hike where it could fall off and get lost, but for reading in bed it will be fine.


----------



## WilsonCQB1911 (Feb 4, 2013)

*Re: So is the Zebralight SC52 the brightest single cell AA light available now?*

Is the battery meter working well for people? I'm using alkalines right now because its all I have and the meter goes either four flashes or one. It'll go four flashes for the longest time and then all of a sudden one when it can no longer support the highest mode and has to drop down. Maybe the meter works better with other battery types but not alkalines?


----------



## Swede74 (Feb 5, 2013)

WilsonCQB1911 said:


> Is the battery meter working well for people? I'm using alkalines right now because its all I have and the meter goes either four flashes or one. It'll go four flashes for the longest time and then all of a sudden one when it can no longer support the highest mode and has to drop down. Maybe the meter works better with other battery types but not alkalines?



That's similar to how the battery meter on my H502 behaves when I'm using NiMH. I think it works better when you use Li-Ion (only in SC52). I haven't had my SC52 for long, but as far as I can tell, it doesn't suddenly drop from 4 to 1 flashes; I get 3 flashes now and I think my cell is at about 75% of it's capacity.


----------



## Wiggle (Feb 5, 2013)

It worked pretty well for me on both NiMH and Li-ion, lights were set to H1 the whole time, the table entry for mode is used to represent points where I could see the light was not meeting full output. My method was to run the light for 7.5 minute increments and let the cell then recover for 30 seconds before taking the indicator.


----------



## Swede74 (Feb 5, 2013)

Wiggle said:


> It worked pretty well for me on both NiMH and Li-ion, lights were set to H1 the whole time, the table entry for mode is used to represent points where I could see the light was not meeting full output. My method was to run the light for 7.5 minute increments and let the cell then recover for 30 seconds before taking the indicator.



I am conducting a similar test and getting the weirdest results! I'll have the table up soon.


GP ReCyko NiMH LSD AASC52H502TimeBlinksVoltageBlinksVoltage30 s recovery3-5 min recovery30 s recovery3-5 min recovery04n/an/a4n/an/a7.54n/an/a3n/an/a153n/an/a3n/an/a22.54 [sic]41.28132 [sic]1.2853033n/a11n/a37.51111
 
I don't understand this at all. On the SC52, after 15 minutes on H1, I get three blinks, but after 22.5 minutes, I get four! And on the H502, after 22.5 minutes, if I allow the cell to recover 30 seconds, I get three blinks, but after a few minutes of additional recovery, I only get two blinks. Can the temperature of the cells when the battery meter is engaged affect the result?

I'm going to have to repeat the test and see if I get the same results. I'll try to be more thorough and measure the voltage with my DMM after each 7.5 min period.


----------



## crazyk4952 (Feb 5, 2013)

*Re: So is the Zebralight SC52 the brightest single cell AA light available now?*



WilsonCQB1911 said:


> Is the battery meter working well for people? I'm using alkalines right now because its all I have and the meter goes either four flashes or one. It'll go four flashes for the longest time and then all of a sudden one when it can no longer support the highest mode and has to drop down. Maybe the meter works better with other battery types but not alkalines?



Mine will go to 1 flash after a few minutes on H1 using an eneloop. I've sent it to Zebralight to take a look at it.


----------



## QSL (Feb 5, 2013)

I've had mine about 2 weeks now. Not a bad light. Nice small compact. The throw isn't there but its a very usable beam pattern for close to close-medium range. I prefer more throw. 

Working sweep for a winter rally this past weekend compared it to a buddies quark AA2, his quark had more throw, and seemed like a bit more brightness, granted that's from a 2 AA light, of much larger size. 

I just can't get used to the side clicky. Its not bad, its just not for me. This was my first zebra light, and I wanted to try one out. I use my light overhand purely out of habit, and as a backup weapon light. This is cumbersome with a side clicky, tho the beam pattern is superior for this use. If it had a tail clicky I'd be in love. 

Mine will be for sale later this afternoon in the market place. I think I want to go to a quark, until zebra light comes out with a tail clicky. I figure I'll sell it now before it gets any scratches or dings. 

Bill


----------



## crazyk4952 (Feb 5, 2013)

QSL said:


> The throw isn't there but its a very usable beam pattern for close to close-medium range. I prefer more throw.



I agree 100%. This is a great light for using around the house, but it does not work well for me as an EDC. It does not seem to be effective past about 15 feet!


----------



## Swede74 (Feb 5, 2013)

GP ReCyko NiMH LSD AASC52H502TimeBlinksVoltageBlinksVoltage30 s recovery*3 min recovery*30 s recovery3 min recovery0441.46441.457.5441.29331.2915441.29331.2922.5341.28231.2830221.27331.2737.523n/a11n/a45111.21111.19

* I started the battery meter on the H502 first, roughly 10 seconds later on the SC52. 

This time I used two different GP ReCyko cells, but they are all from the same 4-pack and should have been through about the same number of cycles. 

I forgot to measure the voltage at 37.5 min :hairpull: 

I don't know what, if any, conclusions can be drawn from this layman's test. Perhaps that four flashes means that you have plenty of juice left in the H502, but not necessarily in the SC52, and one flash means that it's time to recharge.

For me personally, battery indicators on flashlights (unless of such quality that you really can rely on them) are 'bells and whistles' rather than useful features, so I would be just as happy without them.

They are fun to play with though...


----------



## QSL (Feb 5, 2013)

Swede74 said:


> For me personally, battery indicators on flashlights (unless of such quality that you really can rely on them) are 'bells and whistles' rather than useful features, so I would be just as happy without them.


Agreed. I have a quality charger, and if I've used the light during the day whether for 5 minutes, or 30 I swap batteries. I always start the night before I go to bed with fresh batteries. 


Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


----------



## DavidMB (Feb 5, 2013)

It seems that when using Li-ion's the battery meter goes from 4 - 3 - 2 and 1. I've noticed that using eneloops, I'll get 4 flashes with a new battery then soon after without a whole lot of use I'll get 2 or 1 flash. I was at first thinking that the eneloops were running down faster. I'm starting to think now that maybe my battery is not running down faster but it's just more accurate at reading Lithium batteries.


----------



## dts71 (Feb 7, 2013)

I have a similar exprience - yesterday I tested my SC52 with a battery that had barely been used and got one flash. My zts battery tester mbt-1 rated it in a 80% charge state. I think it's simply hard to make a meter that regardless of battery type reports correctly.



DavidMB said:


> It seems that when using Li-ion's the battery meter goes from 4 - 3 - 2 and 1. I've noticed that using eneloops, I'll get 4 flashes with a new battery then soon after without a whole lot of use I'll get 2 or 1 flash. I was at first thinking that the eneloops were running down faster. I'm starting to think now that maybe my battery is not running down faster but it's just more accurate at reading Lithium batteries.


----------



## Wiggle (Feb 7, 2013)

Swede74 said:


> GP ReCyko NiMH LSD AASC52H502TimeBlinksVoltageBlinksVoltage30 s recovery*3 min recovery*30 s recovery3 min recovery0441.46441.457.5441.29331.2915441.29331.2922.5341.28231.2830221.27331.2737.523n/a11n/a45111.21111.19
> 
> * I started the battery meter on the H502 first, roughly 10 seconds later on the SC52.
> 
> ...



Your 30 second recovery column looks pretty close to mine did. It's not perfect but to me it's at least close enough for a rough guess at the state of the battery. I really love the idea of battery gauges on lights, especially ones that regulate well and thus don't provide many hints of impending low battery. Its one of the reasons I chose a PA40 as my car light. That battery meter is also not perfect but it's at least consistent.


----------



## Michael S (Feb 8, 2013)

I ordered and received the sc52 this past week (shipped to and from Texas). 

I read about some of the sc52 emitters being slightly off-center in other posts. It looks like the one I got is slightly off center, but I don't plan on trying to return/exchange the light. I thought I would post some pictures anyway (below). The beam profile (hot spot and spill) looks symmetric, so in my opinion the slight off center amount doesn't compromise the light. 

Also, I can confirm that the sc52 will turn on with a AAA eneloop cell. And I've noticed that after moderate use with my aa rechargables (sony cycle energy 2100mAh – those came with a charger that I bought recently), the sc52's battery indicator will flash 1 or 2 times even if significant charge remains. Then if I initiate the battery indicator a while later 30mins or 1hour, it will flash 3 or 4 times. I don't really know what to conclude from that observation.

Pictures:

The emitter appears slightly off center (shifted more towards the side of the pcb with the white squares). The last picture in my post is more convincing because it looks like I might have taken this picture slightly off center (oh well):
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b335/doncahpurr/emitter_zpsf128dc9f.jpg

The off centered-ness is more apparent if I use an aspheric lens to focus the emitter onto the wall:
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b335/doncahpurr/method_zps803b5c3f.jpg

The image of the emitter is closer to the top left of the beam pattern:
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b335/doncahpurr/focusedbeam_zps6e83c213.jpg


Your images are too large and have been replaced with links Please resize and repost.
See Rule #3 If you post an image in your post, please downsize the image to no larger than 800 x 800 pixels. - Thanks Norm


----------



## stp (Feb 8, 2013)

Guys to understand some problems with battery monitor you have to understand battery chemistries.
-Ni-mhs have very flat voltage discharge curve. It's practically impossible to tell from the voltage the remaining capacity of Ni-mh. All the battery testers and monitors can only more or less only guess.
-Alkalines and Ni-mhs drop voltage under load. It will rise back if you give it some rest.
-Battery monitor with ni-mh is more a toy than a tool. Even the best chargers on the market like MAHA can't tell you the remaining capacity without discharging the ni-mh.
-If you want to have the most precise reading you should use the 14500 li-ion.


----------



## shelm (Feb 8, 2013)

stp said:


> It's practically impossible to tell from the voltage the remaining capacity of


that's why i like nitecore's battery indicator. the flashes encode the voltage: * * * - * * * * * * * * = means 3.8V
so the user of 2200mAh's vs 3400mAh's must know by himself how much ..


----------



## bansuri (Feb 8, 2013)

It seems like just reporting the voltage can give the best info across the wide range of batteries this light accepts. 
I've been carrying my old Liteflux LF-2 and MJP Extreme III and use the voltage indicator to get a rough idea of battery condition. 
At this point I'm hoping that by the time they release the other tints they will have fixed some of these little issues as they've done in the past.


----------



## ieslei (Feb 8, 2013)

I just got mine from the postman! Yupi!!! I cant wait to test it in thecountryside! My sc52(nice to say) doesnt flicker at all but the led is slightly off center, like a very tiny bit.  

Cheers!!


----------



## sanbarry (Feb 8, 2013)

Been using ZebraLight SC52 for about two weeks. Bought it from Torch Direct, running a Costco 1900 mAh blue Eneloop.


This is my first ZebraLight, and so far I really like it.


Upgraded from a Leatherman LGX 200 (Flashlight Fenix L1T v2) as a new EDC. Bought it mostly for walking the dog at night on the sidewalk in a suburban environment.


I found the scalloped ridges make the flashlight easy to hold, the tint to be a slightly warm, the beam smooth, and the flashlight easy to carry in my pocket.


I use my thumb pad to operate the switch. The switch has never accidentally turned on.


The UI took about an hour of practice to get used to, as I was accustomed to a clicky. The Fenix only had two modes, so the SC52 seems to have a wealth of modes.


I really like the battery capacity indicator feature. No more leaving the house with a run down battery.


I would definitely purchase the SC52 again, and am looking forward to the 3-AA model.


----------



## scaramanga (Feb 9, 2013)

Had mine for about a month now. My fave edc light so far! I don't need to list the reasons why since we all know what makes the SC52 so great. Instead, here's a pic along with its big brother SC600w V2. 







definitely a keeper, these two.


----------



## PoliceScannerMan (Feb 9, 2013)

I recieved one of these yesterday, very nice little light. Will definetly get pocket time. Love the low lows!


----------



## spc smith (Feb 9, 2013)

I use a Eagletac 1X 14500 battery. The battery indicator on mine has worked perfect at least to me in determining how much is left. The low low 00.36 lumen setting works with a completely dead battery, very impressively for more than 5 hrs on my SC52. This I consider to be my new EDC and SURVIVALIST light. Its incredibly small and packs quite a punch with regular aa's or lithium source aa's.


----------



## xevious (Feb 9, 2013)

I'm thinking of getting one of these, although I'm torn between this and the HC31 [_edit: H31C_] (forward beam at tail stand). It's encouraging to see selfbuilt list it as one of his favorites.


----------



## PocketBeam (Feb 10, 2013)

xevious said:


> I'm thinking of getting one of these, although I'm torn between this and the HC31 (forward beam at tail stand). It's encouraging to see selfbuilt list it as one of his favorites.



You mean the H31C? I love the Zebralight headlamp capable lights. I have the H51, and for hands free use it can't be beat. I can pocket carry it, and using the clip I can clip it on my shirt and angle the beam so I get light where I want it. Or I can put it down, laying on its side, then I can rotate the clip to get the beam at the angle I want. I highly recommend that everyone get a H version Zebralight. Even without the headband it is still highly usable hands free.

With that said I do have the SC52. With a 14500 battery this thing rocks, 500 lumens for a minute then 280. Very easy to pocket carry, no accidental turning on yet. Feels nice in hand. Right now I edc it instead of the H51, just because the brightness is so much brighter. But there have been times I wish it had a side beam with a rotatable clip. Hope that helps.


----------



## lampeDépêche (Feb 11, 2013)

spc smith said:


> I use a Eagletac 1X 14500 battery.... The low low 00.36 lumen setting works with a completely dead battery, very impressively for more than 5 hrs on my SC52....



Hmmm--isn't there a chance that you might accidentally by-pass the light's built-in low-voltage cut-off, and over-drain your 14500, leading to permanent damage to the battery?

I'm not sure if that's a real danger, but I'd watch out for it, or see whether some of the more knowledgable electronics-wizards around here chime in.

Other than that: agreed--it's an awesome light, and I too like the low lows!


----------



## henry1960 (Feb 11, 2013)

lampeDépêche said:


> Hmmm--isn't there a chance that you might accidentally by-pass the light's built-in low-voltage cut-off, and over-drain your 14500, leading to permanent damage to the battery?
> 
> I'm not sure if that's a real danger, but I'd watch out for it, or see whether some of the more knowledgable electronics-wizards around here chime in.
> 
> Other than that: agreed--it's an awesome light, and I too like the low lows!



A protected battery will shut down at cutoff..No need to worry abought damaging your battery...I think he was talking abought a alkaline battery.
But a good protected 14500 battery (AW, Sanyo ) ect they will cut off at abought 2.5 volts.


----------



## lightliker (Feb 13, 2013)

Big Sam said:


> I've had mine for about 2 weeks now. The experience has been mostly like Lighteous's above. I ran one Eneloop through it and the rest of the time it's been 14500's (from ZL). While I just love to see that little thing chug up 500 lumens the most used setting is 108 lumens. Lots of light and burn time. It's like carrying a feather compared to the SC600 that's been in my pocket for the last 15 months. I miss the great runtimes with lots of light that the SC600 gives but it's only theoretical since the SC52 is plenty for a single battery. The SC52 had done well for after dark walks, finding stuff in the dark, and even becomes a marker light.
> 
> I have not tried a lithium primary in it yet. Anybody have a report on that?


That's why I baught a S20 Olight because of the use of one 18650 or twoCR123's AND its compactness (much lighter and especially thinner than the SC600).
The SC600mkII however will be one of the lights I will order in the direct future, it's still awesome (and heavy)


----------



## Phry (Feb 16, 2013)

Hi all,

Like most of you on this thread, I have and love the SC52! I was wondering about the lowest low setting though. I have mine programmed to come on at the second lowest, which is usable at very close range.

What do you guys use the lowest setting for? What _could _it be used for?

Locating the light itself is about the only thing I can think of.


----------



## PocketBeam (Feb 18, 2013)

Phry said:


> What do you guys use the lowest setting for? What _could _it be used for?
> 
> Locating the light itself is about the only thing I can think of.



I tried using the lowest low for night time location. It was just too dim to see. But my room is dark not pitch black. So I don't use the lowest low. But I am happy it is there. This way I know I don't need a lower low. I would rather have the option and not use it then vice versa.

Btw, It seems that the lows are actually lower then the lumens Zebralight stated. Which is why the runtimes might seem higher then the other top manufacturers.


----------



## neutralwhite (Feb 18, 2013)

is the sc52w available anywhere yet?.
is it awaiting arrival like the sc600w?. lol.

would it make sense carrying both the sc52w, and the sc600wMkII together?. the sc52w in my shirt pocket?.

thanks,


----------



## Binomial (Mar 31, 2013)

Hi all,

Two days ago I received a Zebralight SC52. First of all this flashlight is fantastic. I had ordered this light on the website of Zebralight. Thus it is likely a recently produced flashlight. I have a few questions about operation of the SC52.

On low level I only have two sublevels instead of three. According to the Zebralight website low is L1 2.7 lm or L2 0.34 lm / 0.06 lm /0.01 lm. But low on my flashlight using a 14500 battery is something like L1 2 lm or L2 0.2 lm / 0.01 lm. Has Zebralight changed the low levels? Are more people having a SC52 with only two sublevels on low?

I am curious how people configured their intensity levels. I like the L2, M2 and H2 levels to show up first and then by dubble clicking go to L1, M1 and H1. For L2 I selected the brightest option. For M2 and H2 the lowest levels (12 lm and 108 lm). However I am doubting between setting H2 to 108 lm or 172 lm. The 172 lumen fits better between the other intensities. But the 108 lm, although close to 50 lm, seems more practical. What are your thoughts on smart configuration?

Does anybody know how type numbering works? Does the 5 in SC52 refer to battery length? What does SC stand for?

Thanks!


----------



## PocketBeam (Apr 1, 2013)

Well, you can't change L1. So when you do the six clicks correctly, you should be able to switch between three levels, L2, L3, and L4. I just tried it again to verify, and I am using a 14500. It is a little tricky to get into, so I select low then keep clicking rapidly until I notice the brightness levels change pattern. Like a click click, very slight pause, then repeat while watching the light output.

My guess is the numbering has to do with size, ie the 5 in 14500. Or for the SC600, the 6 in 18650. And I think SC is single cell. If so what is the s is S6330 mean? H is headlamp, although they just 90 degree bend flashlights.


----------



## reppans (Apr 1, 2013)

Binomial said:


> On low level I only have two sublevels instead of three. According to the Zebralight website low is L1 2.7 lm or L2 0.34 lm / 0.06 lm /0.01 lm. But low on my flashlight using a 14500 battery is something like L1 2 lm or L2 0.2 lm / 0.01 lm. Has Zebralight changed the low levels? Are more people having a SC52 with only two sublevels on low?



Mine has the three sub-levels available, but I found all the L modes way off ZLs spec. I meter them to be: L1 ~ 1.5 lm on NiMh but interestingly 1 lm on 14500, and L2 ~ 0.08 lms (on the 0.34 level.... the others are too low for my meter). The specs suggest twice as bright as my H51w (0.18 lm), but my metered output is less than half my H51w, and even lower than my ThruNite's firefly mode. Disappointed me since the 0.3 and 3 lm modes on my other lights have turned out to be personal favorites that I use most of the time. The lower outputs, however, do explain how the SC52 gets 2-3x longer runtimes than competitor lights with the same lumen levels. Then again, perhaps I just have a defective sample.


----------



## diesel79 (Apr 2, 2013)

Does anyone know if this will fit in one of those fenix headbands? I'd like to be able to use it as headlamp a well.


----------



## PocketBeam (Apr 2, 2013)

diesel79 said:


> Does anyone know if this will fit in one of those fenix headbands? I'd like to be able to use it as headlamp a well.



I know it fits the Zebralight headband. You have to remove the screwed on clip, and it is tight. So not something you want to do a lot. Another option is to remove the clip, then use the clip from the H51. Then the clip can be reversed and used with a baseball cap.

If you don't have the light, it might be worth finding out how long until the H52 comes out. I still love the design of my H51, just wish it was brighter, could handle 14500, and had a battery guage. But keep the rotating clip as I can use it on the flashlights side and use the clip position to aim the beam.


----------



## diesel79 (Apr 2, 2013)

Yes,I might have to wait until the h52 comes about. I don't need it until the fall for hunting season.


----------



## PocketBeam (Apr 2, 2013)

Oh, just remembered another option. Some clip the loops on the Zebralight head band, then they just clip the light to the silicone holder. I think I saw it on the Zebralight mods thread. So clipping it to a headband may work.

I have the SC52, but I like the H51 so much I may get the H52. Hmmm


----------



## EndlessFields (Apr 2, 2013)

Just received my SC52 yesterday. This is my first Zebralight and all I can say is, I think I'm in love. I like everything about this light so far. The machining is fantastic, the interface is the best I've ever used, and it has a really great moonlight mode, and even a sub-moonlight mode (starlight? Need to think of a good name for that). As I stated above this is my first Zebralight, but based off my experience so far it won't be my last.


----------



## PocketBeam (Apr 2, 2013)

I think once you have experienced the UI, and all the levels, and the brightness, it is hard to ever get another brand. But I think until you try it, it is hard to appreciate the UI.

Congratulations. Have you tried a 14500 in it? If not then you are in for a bright surprise. 500 lumens worth.


----------



## EndlessFields (Apr 3, 2013)

PocketBeam said:


> I think once you have experienced the UI, and all the levels, and the brightness, it is hard to ever get another brand. But I think until you try it, it is hard to appreciate the UI.
> 
> Congratulations. Have you tried a 14500 in it? If not then you are in for a bright surprise. 500 lumens worth.



I have not ventured into the world of rechargeable lithium ion batteries. This may be an excuse to do so.


----------



## PocketBeam (Apr 3, 2013)

The Xtar WP2 is a good budget charger that handles 14500 and 18650. Just remember to put the physical switch in the right position. It controls the charge rate. AW, Panasonic, Orbtronic, and some flashlight brands like Eagletec, Zebralight, make some good batteries. Pay attention to the capacity as some are 750 and other 850. Also stay away from no name batteries or xxxxFire, other than Surefire. Oh, and make sure the batteries are protected. (Lots more info in the battery and charger threads...)


----------



## EndlessFields (Apr 3, 2013)

PocketBeam said:


> The Xtar WP2 is a good budget charger that handles 14500 and 18650. Just remember to put the physical switch in the right position. It controls the charge rate. AW, Panasonic, Orbtronic, and some flashlight brands like Eagletec, Zebralight, make some good batteries. Pay attention to the capacity as some are 750 and other 850. Also stay away from no name batteries or xxxxFire, other than Surefire. Oh, and make sure the batteries are protected. (Lots more info in the battery and charger threads...)



It's something I've only just begun to look into. Didn't want to jump in until I was very informed and knew what I was getting into. How does having a 14500 in the SC52 effect runtimes. You say some are 850mAh. This is less than half what my Eneloops hold. Is the advantage of li-ion purely in the output power while sacrificing runtime? Or is there something else I'm not factoring in like efficiency at 3.7V vs 1.2V?


----------



## crazyk4952 (Apr 3, 2013)

EndlessFields said:


> It's something I've only just begun to look into. Didn't want to jump in until I was very informed and knew what I was getting into. How does having a 14500 in the SC52 effect runtimes. You say some are 850mAh. This is less than half what my Eneloops hold. Is the advantage of li-ion purely in the output power while sacrificing runtime? Or is there something else I'm not factoring in like efficiency at 3.7V vs 1.2V?



When comparing the energy capacity of batteries with different chemistries, you need to find the number of Watt-Hours that each battery can hold. It can be calculated like this:

Watt Hours = Amp Hours * Volts

So for a *2000mA eneloop* has a capacity of:

2.0AH * 1.2V = *2.4 Watt Hours*

A 850mAH *14500 battery* has a capacity of:

0.850A * 3.7V =* 3.145 Watt Hours
*
So the 14500 battery has about 24% more energy than an eneloop. However, the 14500 will also operate brighter (for the 1st minute) on the H1 setting, so you may actually get less _runtime_ from a 14500 battery if you use the H1 level a lot!


----------



## markr6 (Apr 3, 2013)

crazyk4952 said:


> When comparing the energy capacity of batteries with different chemistries, you need to find the number of Watt-Hours that each battery can hold. It can be calculated like this:
> 
> Watt Hours = Amp Hours * Volts
> 
> ...



+1 great refresher for me, thanks! Those low Li-Ion numbers scare me away sometimes when in fact they shouldn't. But honestly, I just need some more AA lights to use up a bunch of neglected Eneloops.


----------



## crazyk4952 (Apr 3, 2013)

markr6 said:


> +1 great refresher for me, thanks! Those low Li-Ion numbers scare me away sometimes when in fact they shouldn't. But honestly, I just need some more AA lights to use up a bunch of neglected Eneloops.



I have lots of eneloops that I have had for several years, too. One thing to keep in mind about li-ion batteries is that they affected by age more than eneloops are. If you leave an eneloop on the shelf for 3 years, it will be close to its original capacity (maybe after a refresh cycle). But, a Li-Ion left on the shelf for 3 years will not have close to the same capacity as it had when it was new.


----------



## EndlessFields (Apr 3, 2013)

crazyk4952 said:


> When comparing the energy capacity of batteries with different chemistries, you need to find the number of Watt-Hours that each battery can hold. It can be calculated like this:
> 
> Watt Hours = Amp Hours * Volts
> 
> ...



This is perfect! Thank you, I figured there was some knowledge I was lacking. This is great info.


----------



## knife_SICKness (Apr 3, 2013)

Does anybody know where I could pick up a couple of these? The ZL websight says "Back Order"

I want to give them as gifts and would need them within a month or so. 

Thanks


----------



## shelm (Apr 4, 2013)

knife_SICKness said:


> a couple



knifecenterDOTcom, brightguyDOTcom, lapolicegearDOTcom, lightjunctionDOTcom


----------



## mayo (Apr 4, 2013)

Just needed a place to sing the praises of this light. Best light for me ever. Big zebrafan now. I still love how people still want to look at the front when turning it on. I try to stop them but it's usually too late. Ouch! Retina burn on 14500. So I've gotten to the point where I turn it on then had it to them.


----------



## knife_SICKness (Apr 4, 2013)

shelm said:


> knifecenterDOTcom, brightguyDOTcom, lapolicegearDOTcom, lightjunctionDOTcom




Thanks for the info! 

Just to update it for anyone else looking for an SC52:


knifecenter-OOS, brightguyDOTcom-9 in stock(make that 7 now), lapolicegearDOTcom-no answer, lightjunction-OOS


----------



## PocketBeam (Apr 4, 2013)

mayo said:


> Just needed a place to sing the praises of this light. Best light for me ever. Big zebrafan now. I still love how people still want to look at the front when turning it on. I try to stop them but it's usually too late. Ouch! Retina burn on 14500. So I've gotten to the point where I turn it on then had it to them.



lol I turn it on before I give it to my wife. She doesn't like the 500 lumens as it is too bright even bouncing off walls. So I turn it on in medium or a secondary high mode.


----------



## shelm (Apr 4, 2013)

knife_SICKness said:


> Thanks for the info!
> 
> Just to update it for anyone else looking for an SC52:
> 
> ...




Thanks for the updated info!!


----------



## jcw122 (Apr 4, 2013)

E-mailed Zebralights last night recommending that they increase their warranty term to 10 years...hey every bit helps? I'd get a SC52w (if it was available) in a heartbeat if they had a better warranty term.


----------



## EndlessFields (Apr 4, 2013)

jcw122 said:


> E-mailed Zebralights last night recommending that they increase their warranty term to 10 years...hey every bit helps? I'd get a SC52w (if it was available) in a heartbeat if they had a better warranty term.



I can't say I've ever based a purchase off of the warranty term alone when so many people recommend something. If I know nothing about a product sure. I agree with you however that a company should stand behind their product. Hope Zebralight listens.


----------



## crazyk4952 (Apr 4, 2013)

jcw122 said:


> E-mailed Zebralights last night recommending that they increase their warranty term to 10 years...hey every bit helps? I'd get a SC52w (if it was available) in a heartbeat if they had a better warranty term.



Well I am not sure that the length of the warranty is the only thing to pay attention to. I bought an SC52 when they first were available. It was having issues, so I contacted Zebralight for an RMA. I shipped back my light (at my expense) and had to wait *6 weeks* for a replacement! 

Don't get me wrong, I love my SC52 (now), but I will think twice before spending more money with Zebralight.


----------



## EndlessFields (Apr 4, 2013)

crazyk4952 said:


> Well I am not sure that the length of the warranty is the only thing to pay attention to. I bought an SC52 when they first were available. It was having issues, so I contacted Zebralight for an RMA. I shipped back my light (at my expense) and had to wait *6 weeks* for a replacement!
> 
> Don't get me wrong, I love my SC52 (now), but I will think twice before spending more money with Zebralight.



I believe I read somewhere that Zebralight is setting up a repair facility here in the states. I could be wrong about that though, thought I read it somewhere.


----------



## reppans (Apr 4, 2013)

EndlessFields said:


> ...I agree with you however that a company should stand behind their product. Hope Zebralight listens.



+1.... This is what gets me the most about ZL - I just don't have the confidence in a light when the manufacturer doesn't seem to either. I still buy them occasionally (have the SC52 and H51w), and they do make a very good product but between the short warranty, and questionable customer service, I could never gift or recommend them to friends and family like I do Foursevens lights, and that results in 10x more volume than my own purchases. 

We'll see if their new Texas facility changes things but I'll wait to hear more from the sidelines. 

One other thing that makes skin crawl is their exaggerated spec claims - twice now I've been taught a lesson (and different ones!) claiming output, runtimes, and efficiency equivalent to the best 3v lights (1xCR123 or 2xAA) - I test with a light meter and stopwatch and find otherwise.


----------



## mayo (Apr 4, 2013)

Well I did it. First drop.:fail: 3 to 4 feet down to concrete. Very slight mark near the bezel on the anno. But........It works fine!:thumbsup:


----------



## PocketBeam (Apr 4, 2013)

I know Selfbuilt tested the SC52 and said


> Like with the Zebralight lumen output specs, the ANSI FL-1 runtimes seem fairly consistent with my testing as well.
> ...
> 
> I'm also glad to see that Zebralight appears to be quite accurate in their specs – including ANSI FL-1 output and runtime measures, according to my testing (see post #2 for an additional discussion of lumen estimation).




I trust Selfbuilt and he doesn't see a problem. Were your runtimes significantly different? Maybe some units have an issue?


----------



## reppans (Apr 5, 2013)

I completely trust Selfbuilt's reviews for RELATIVE comparisons between lights, but his numbers do not constitute ANSI - you can read his "best fit" methodology on his website. Within the 3v class (1xCR123 and 2xAA) you will pretty much find all manufacturers topping out at ~ 280 lumen specs (pre XM-L2) - see how the SC52 compares to them. If you want to believe all those other manufacturers are being overly conservative because Selfbuilt says so..... that's your choice.


----------



## holylight (Apr 5, 2013)

Bro you in hot zone lol. Not very cool to say all these in zebralight topic thread. Peace.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle (Apr 5, 2013)

New ZL SC52 owner here! This will be my 2nd ZL (it's on the way now) with the SC51W being my first. It was my favorite light but I didn't realize it until AFTER I traded it for a EagleTac D25A Nichia 219. Anyways, CANNOT wait to get my hands on the smaller and more powerful (and better looking IMO) SC52!


----------



## wings400 (Apr 5, 2013)

I just love my SC52. From the lights that I own (SC80, Preon 2, Baton S20 and S10, i3S) the SC52 gets the most pocket time and is the best all around edc and genereal purpose light.


----------



## Brasso (Apr 5, 2013)

Love my Zebra's. Use my SC80c and H51fw all the time. I love the tint, even if it's not the most efficient. If they would put a Nichia 219 in the SC52 I'd buy it is a second. Until then, I'm perfectly happy with the output and tint on the SC80c.


----------



## Overclocker (Apr 5, 2013)

sorry nevermind, pls delete


----------



## Wiggle (Apr 5, 2013)

reppans said:


> I completely trust Selfbuilt's reviews for RELATIVE comparisons between lights, but his numbers do not constitute ANSI - you can read his "best fit" methodology on his website. Within the 3v class (1xCR123 and 2xAA) you will pretty much find all manufacturers topping out at ~ 280 lumen specs (pre XM-L2) - see how the SC52 compares to them. If you want to believe all those other manufacturers are being overly conservative because Selfbuilt says so..... that's your choice.





Holylight said:


> Bro you in hot zone lol. Not very cool to say all these in zebralight topic thread. Peace.



This has already been discussed at length I'll summarize so we don't have to get into it again too much:

reppans has a homemade light meter setup. It's probably not perfect but certainly good for spotting relative differences between lights and he's found some discrepancies between the output of Fenix lights, Eagletac lights and ZL lights, with the ZL generally coming up somewhat short of expectations. This could be a case of sample variance to an extent, or as reppans suggests, a difference between how these manufacturer's rate their lights.

selfbuilt has his own scale based on best fit, reppans is skeptical of his scale. Selfbuilt found the output generally in line with ZL specs (though the low-end modes are actually a bit lower than they are rated, top-end was quite close).

My advice: compare to any lights you like using selfbuilt's graphs, enjoy your SC52.


----------



## PocketBeam (Apr 5, 2013)

I have read Selfbuilts review many times. I think it is worth linking to again in case people missed it. I think he did a great job, and I am impressed by how well the light does.http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...00)-Review-RUNTIMES-BEAMSHOTS-VIDEO-and-more!


----------



## reppans (Apr 5, 2013)

Wiggle said:


> This has already been discussed at length I'll summarize so we don't have to get into it again too much:
> 
> reppans has a homemade light meter setup. It's probably not perfect but certainly good for spotting relative differences between lights and he's found some discrepancies between the output of Fenix lights, Eagletac lights and ZL lights, with the ZL generally coming up somewhat short of expectations. This could be a case of sample variance to an extent, or as reppans suggests, a difference between how these manufacturer's rate their lights.
> 
> ...



Hmmm, thanks for trying to summarize Wiggle, but I'm not sure it was pitched quite right sounding like I found X and Selfbuilt found Y - I think we find the same things.... just from different points of view (scales?). But I agree with comparing using Selfbuilt's graphs and tables.

There are four major players in the bright/efficient/sub-lumen/1xAA niche, which I collect in, and if we look at Selfbuilt's tests (I include the next closest light if SB hasn't tested), these lights are Spec'd At / Selfbuilt Tested At: 

D25C - 277/450
QAA2X - 280/420
Neutron 1A - 145/240
SC52 - 280/290 

I own and have tested the 1xAA lights from each manufacture and I agree with Selfbuilt's relative lumen ratios above. The difference in our point of view is merely that he believes ZL specs are correct and you should multiple the ET, 47, and TN specs by ~ 1.5 to get to the true lumen numbers, and I believe the other three manufacturer's specs are correct and you should divide ZL by ~ 1.5 to get to the true lumen numbers. Relatively, we are in agreement.

Course then, the question is who's conservative and who's exaggerating. You just need to overlay Selfbuilt's SC52's output/runtime graph on Selfbuilt's 3v class charts (CR123 & AA2) where there's a number of 280 lumen spec'd lights from different manufacturers... then make your own decisions. 

There's more to it than just this lumen scale thing, but I've obviously well overstepped my bounds (again) and will try and bite my tongue to let you good folks continue your discussion.... it is a great light, equally efficient with the best of them, and little bit brighter.

Peace folks.


----------



## PocketBeam (Apr 5, 2013)

Well, since we don't know for sure who is exaggerating or conservative, I don't care. I think you summed up the bottom line, "it is a great light, equally efficient with the best of them, and little bit brighter."

Btw, the lights you listed are not comparable as they use different batteries. I know you were comparing lumen claims, but just wanted to point that out.


----------



## reppans (Apr 6, 2013)

PocketBeam said:


> Btw, the lights you listed are not comparable as they use different batteries..



277lms for 0.9 hrs is not comparable to 280lms for 0.9 hrs because of the different batteries used? Actually you can compare mode-by-mode against both the ET and 47 lights.


----------



## Overclocker (Apr 6, 2013)

> D25C - 277/450
> QAA2X - 280/420
> Neutron 1A - 145/240
> SC52 - 280/290




qaa2x at 400 before stepdown is actually realistic

but i agree neutron 1a at 240 (eneloop), and d25c at 450 (cr123) are a bit suspicious


----------



## xevious (Apr 6, 2013)

I've read a number of CPF threads over the years talking about perceived brightness levels, and how there are a number of factors that go into really seeing "useful" differences in light output. From what people say, it sounds like many manufacturers tend to exaggerate the lumens output for their lights, at varying degrees. It doesn't seem to be a big problem, though. If a light has many good qualities about it (materials, construction, fitment, form factor, design appeal, interface), does a few lumens lower than spec become a deal breaker?

I want a light to produce usable output, with a good clean beam pattern and fairly neutral tint (or slightly warm). If that can be packed in a respectful form factor for the battery size, with high quality construction, useful interface, and durable materials, all for a reasonable price, then I'm sold. I plan to buy the SC-52w once it's out. It will be my first ZL, so I'm looking forward to see how much the favoritism is warranted.


----------



## reppans (Apr 6, 2013)

xevious said:


> .... does a few lumens lower than spec become a deal breaker?



I knew I couldn't bite my tongue long enough.... so shoot me ;-)

I'll just use a couple of examples, since they happen to triangulate with Selfbuilt's findings and we can all agree that his numbers are as consistent as we are going to get:

- The D25A Clicky XML (pre XM-L2) has a spec'd high of 75 lms and 2.5 hrs and I've run it side-by-side with the SC52 on its 108 lms mode since both test the same by my light meter (108lms/1.5 - roughly Selfbuilt's conservatism factor derived above - equals ~ 72 lms on ET's scale). Both lights hit ~ 50% output on Eneloops at 2:30, same as Selfbuilt found for the SC52. However, if you compare the efficiency claims between the two - 108lms x3hrs = 324 lms-hrs vs 75x2.5=187.5. The ZL appears to be ~ 75% more efficient.

- The Quark AAX moonlight mode would be spec'd at 0.3 lms for about a week runtime while the SC52 is spec'd at the same lumens for 3 weeks, or ~ 3x more efficient. However, both Selfbuilt and I have found the 0.34 lms to be closer to 1/3 of it's claimed output (what Wiggle referred to as "a bit lower than they are rated"). 

On average, I find the SC52's lumen-hrs (efficiency) claims to be in a ballpark of ~ 2x the equivalent Foursevens and Eagletac 1xAA/XML.... so if 2x differentials constitutes "a few lumens" then perhaps I am just being too picky. While I do agree with most everything xevious has said, if you consider that 90% or so of the marketplace has never even heard of CPF or Selfbuilt, and not knowing any better, can only compare manufacturer spec sheets, who wouldn't choose the significantly (IMHO) higher manufacturer specs? I did exactly that... and was taught a lesson.

Don't get me wrong folks... I do believe that the SC52 is currently THE BEST 
1xAA out there - I know of no other light in this niche that is brighter, more efficient, with a better UI, or "nicer" build quality (note I won't say "better" for durability concerns, JIMHO). It's just that I happen to highly value a company that stands behind its products with both warranty and customer service, and with INTEGRITY behind its marketing claims. So depending upon how you personally value each of these attributes, you will rank the light wherever you rank it.

I'll try again to get off the soapbox, but I admittedly do rant here hoping that ZL reads these posts and that perhaps a few others might try and persuade/pressure ZL into doing the right things for us all (as opposed to condoning their actions). My issues are all just corporate policy things that they can instantly fix.... if they wanted to. And if they did, I'd happily be one of their biggest supporters. Once again, as a huge bright/efficient/sub-lumen/low-lumen/1xAA junkie, I would love to see manufacturer's in this niche succeed.


----------



## PocketBeam (Apr 6, 2013)

I think you stated the important part, and the true reason I bought it, no other AA light is brighter, has a better UI, or is as efficient.

I know lumens can be hard to calculate, no one seems perfect. But runtimes should be right, as anyone can calculate. But even Eagletac messed those up and over stated the runtimes on medium.

Here is a quote from selfbuilts review of three Eagletacs, including the D25A2.



> All that being said, there seems to be something a little off in Eagletac ANSI FL-1 numbers. Runtimes specs seem fairly accurate at the Hi/Turbo levels, but seem overly optimistic looking by the Med levels (note that I don't test lower levels). The reason for this become apparent when you look at my estimated lumen output values – they typically all exceed Eagletac's published specs by a noticeable amount.



So please add Eagletac to your soapbox, or also give Zebralight a break.


----------



## Erik1213 (Apr 6, 2013)

Received mine today. I love it! The tint is great and the output is unreal with a 14500. The only thing I noticed is that the lowest low is unusably low. I thought the s6330 low was really low but this is crazy.


----------



## DavidMB (Apr 6, 2013)

Every time there is a thread about Zebralight--and it seems to be surrounding the sc52--it turns into an inquisition about the company's integrity. If you think Zebralight is misleading its customers on specs, despite the extensive testing that has been done, that's fine. However, I don't think the owners thread is the place to do it.

Since you feel so strongly, maybe it would be best if you started a separate thread and have this dialogue there, rather than disrupting the existing discussion. I believe these matters are not appropriate for a general owners discussion thread.

Selfbuilt has a review of this light and is an authority in these matters. I think if you want to use an existing thread, it would be more appropriate to have this discussion there. Personally, I don’t think you are bringing up anything that won’t be refuted or deemed inconsequential, I just don’t think this is the place to find that out.


----------



## PocketBeam (Apr 6, 2013)

Erik1213 said:


> Received mine today. I love it! The tint is great and the output is unreal with a 14500. The only thing I noticed is that the lowest low is unusably low. I thought the s6330 low was really low but this is crazy.


Is this your first Zebralight? What do you think of the UI? Still getting used to it?


----------



## Erik1213 (Apr 6, 2013)

PocketBeam said:


> Is this your first Zebralight? What do you think of the UI? Still getting used to it?



This is my fourth Zebralight. This is my first Zebralight with a lowlow that is too low. The SC600w was my first and the lowest low was decent but a bit bright. The SC51w was my second and the lowlow was a little lower than the lowlow on the SC600w but still a bit bright. The S6330 was my third and the lowest low on that light was PERFECT. Very dim but bright enough to barely light a room with dark adjusted eyes so I could find my way to the light and grab it in the night and use it for late night trips for water/bathroom. The SC52, however, has a low that is too low. Even with dark adjusted eyes, I can just barely use it to see my way to the bathroom. Aiming is impossible with that much light. The next step up is perfect. I will leave it programmed there.

As usual, I keep selling lights and buying Zebralights because of the UI. It's certainly not because of the tint. The cool whites are always a bit green and the neutral whites are always a bit too yellow. I still like them both. It's the efficiency, build quality and UI that I buy them for.


----------



## crazyk4952 (Apr 7, 2013)

Erik1213 said:


> Received mine today. I love it! The tint is great and the output is unreal with a 14500. The only thing I noticed is that the lowest low is unusably low. I thought the s6330 low was really low but this is crazy.



You just have not been in a sufficiently dark place! I used the lowest low in a movie theater when I needed to look in my bag for something. It was perfect for that. I could see what I was doing and no one else could see the light.

If I had been using a higher level (even just the next step up), then the light from the flashlight would have been noticeable by the people near me.


----------



## Mr Floppy (Apr 7, 2013)

reppans said:


> you should multiple the ET, 47, and TN specs by ~ 1.5 to get to the true lumen numbers, and I believe the other three manufacturer's specs are correct and you should divide ZL by ~ 1.5 to get to the true lumen numbers



You can't say approximate (~) 1.5 and then TRUE in the same sentence. Also 1.5? Based on what? A purely linear correlation? 



selfbuilt said:


> Still, this means that you cannot simply multiply my readings by a specific number to get a really good lumen estimate (i.e. the classic â€œy = mx + bâ€� linear relationship with a slope and y-intercept wouldn't hold here).



Selfbuilt correlated his lightbox to 4 sevens, Fenix and Novatac along with 3 other members who have calibrated integrating sphere with 150 data points and 40 lights and his lightbox produces a CURVE. Well two curves in away as he separates lower relative output and higher relative output and from this he gets an ESTIMATED lumen calculation. I don't see this 1.5 conversion factor anywhere as his lumens are ESTIMATED base on a reading from his lightbox (based on Quickbeams lightbox).


----------



## Erik1213 (Apr 7, 2013)

crazyk4952 said:


> You just have not been in a sufficiently dark place! I used the lowest low in a movie theater when I needed to look in my bag for something. It was perfect for that. I could see what I was doing and no one else could see the light.
> 
> If I had been using a higher level (even just the next step up), then the light from the flashlight would have been noticeable by the people near me.



I can assure you that my trip to the bathroom in the middle of the night was more than ideal. My eyes had been adjusted to the dark for several hours (sleeping) and the light lit up enough to see with the hotspot but even that was too dim to use for "aiming". Maybe looking at something very close, like your popcorn bag, would be great but over a couple of feet, it's too dim. Next level up is good to go.


----------



## rpm00 (Apr 7, 2013)

I just got my first ZL! The SC52CW. I can't believe how tiny it is! All those macro shots I've been looking at in the forums make it seem huge! I'm super-impressed so far though. The body is really solid and finish is nice. Maybe too nice for EDC. I think I might keep this one in my night table. I haven't figured out how to get all the modes to work yet. But I did manage to impress my wife with the 4-click battery level check.


----------



## greeny1 (Apr 8, 2013)

I got my second one (first one was Dead on arrival) on 6th. Having been using the H502 for a couple of weeks I was suprised how much bigger it is. Of course when compaired fo most other lights it is tiny (if a bit lumpy). I thought the clip design was great but I had only had it clipped to my jeans front pocket for 1/2 a day when I bent it at right angles as it caught on a wicker chair as I stood up, I do seem to have managed to repair it but I think I will have to rethink my carrying options.


----------



## grimace (Apr 8, 2013)

I have been using mine almost daily for a few months now, and it's by far the best light in my collection. It's a little too floody and it is still tricky to get the timing right to turn it on in low mode, but otherwise its perfect. A real game-changer for AA lights. While I will probably never get rid of my CR123 lights, they are not a necessity anymore.


----------



## PocketBeam (Apr 9, 2013)

rpm00, did you figure out the modes? If you can get into high, medium, low, and once in those you can double click to get the secondary high, medium, and low, then you have it figured out. Most people don't need to get into the six click custom secondary setting. If you want to try, I suggest you just keep double clicking until you notice the light levels are different than when you first started.


----------



## Oztorchfreak (Apr 9, 2013)

*What a great little (and I mean "LITTLE") EDC light!*

I love it.

This will be my new EDC now unless some nasty bugs or issues pop up.

This is one great feature packed, versatile and refined EDC in quite a tiny package.

I am still waiting for my SC600 MKII 900 lumen (XM-L U3) to be delivered to replace my older SC600.

The SC52 is not a 500 lumen light but a 280 lumen light with a* "TURBO"* or* "BURST"* mode of *500 lumens* *for 1 minute *which will be really handy to for my use.

It will not leave me in the dark without warning, as I can see it step-down in light output to warn me that a battery change is due.

I like the SC600 series but the SC52 will definitely be used as my main EDC from now on.

*YEAH RIGHT*, until something even more marvellous comes out as usual!



*CHEERS*


----------



## Oztorchfreak (Apr 10, 2013)

*Hi Guys.*


My SC52 flashes every 22 seconds when the AA Imedion NIMH LSD battery that I am using in it falls below the 1.06V mark whilst the light is switched off.

The SC52 is advertised as flashing every 80 seconds as taken from the Zebralight website.


*"Low battery alert when the light is switched Off with AA batteries (LED flashes every 80 seconds if the battery voltage is below 1.06V)."*


*http://www.zebralight.com/SC52-AA-Flashlight-Cool-White_p_100.html*


I don't mind it either way as it is only a very low lumen flash.

22 seconds vs 80 seconds.

i think the shorter flash intervals are better as it gets my attention better.

Has anyone else noticed what the low battery indication intervals are?

The low battery indicator when the light is switched off and the battery level indicator that is activated by four quick button presses work really well and would be handy on any flashlight IMHO.

I wish a lot of my other lights had this feature.
*
What a great light this is!!!*




*CHEERS*


----------



## Erik1213 (Apr 10, 2013)

I killed a duraloop on mine yesterday and the flashes were every 14 seconds. Then I killed a bad nicd that I haven't recycled yet and it flashes every eight seconds.


----------



## Mr460mag (Apr 10, 2013)

My SC52 flashes every eight seconds on empty eneloop.


----------



## PocketBeam (Apr 10, 2013)

Has anyone tried a low alkaline battery? I wondee how long it can flash, considuring it is flashing faster.


----------



## Swede74 (Apr 10, 2013)

PocketBeam said:


> Has anyone tried a low alkaline battery? I wondee how long it can flash, considuring it is flashing faster.



I have tried all nearly dead alkalines I have managed to lay my hands on, as well as GP ReCyko Gen2 NiMH, "Duraloops" and some old Gen1 NiMH cells in bad condition in both my SC52 and my H502 and none of these have set off the low voltage indicator in either light. I wonder what I'm doing wrong, since it seems unlikely that I got two defective units that work flawlessly in every other regard.


----------



## PocketBeam (Apr 11, 2013)

Swede74 said:


> I have tried all nearly dead alkalines I have managed to lay my hands on, as well as GP ReCyko Gen2 NiMH, "Duraloops" and some old Gen1 NiMH cells in bad condition in both my SC52 and my H502 and none of these have set off the low voltage indicator in either light. I wonder what I'm doing wrong, since it seems unlikely that I got two defective units that work flawlessly in every other regard.



Do you know the voltage on those cells? What does the built in battery guage show/flash? I wonder if it might be how well it makes contact with the battery. Maybe good contact equals no flashes, but bad contact with low battery equals flashes.


----------



## ThirstyTurtle (Apr 11, 2013)

New owner here, I've had my SC52 for a few days now and already used it pretty heavily, here are some comments:

1) I was worried coming from a SC51W that the 52 would be too "cool" but I actually quite like the tint, no where near blue, as I expected. 
2) Although extremely similar in overall size to the 51 this thing feels and looks substantially smaller. Awesome! 
3) The button is so recessed that, although I don't see it EVER accidentally activating in a pocket, it's actually too hard to press in my opinion (a combination of being further recessed and having to be pressed harder than the 51's button). 
4) As part of "3" above, the heat fins seem much sharper than the 51 and when I hold it like a pencil and activate the button with my thumb they fins feel like they're cutting my middle finger. 
5) The output on 1xAA is finally enough for me, this is the first 1xAA light I've had that I don't feel like I HAVE to run it on 14500 to get the output I want/need. That being said, the output on 14500 is amazing  

That's it for now, really enjoying this light and it's my last stop for a while after trying to find the perfect EDC for me (tried SC51W, ET D25A Nichia 219, and SWM V10R XM-L) but this one has the best UI, former factor, appearance, and beam pattern in my opinion. Although obviously the Nichia 219 had a better tint!


----------



## Swede74 (Apr 11, 2013)

PocketBeam said:


> Do you know the voltage on those cells? What does the built in battery guage show/flash? I wonder if it might be how well it makes contact with the battery. Maybe good contact equals no flashes, but bad contact with low battery equals flashes.



It's been a while since I tried the low voltage indicator with several batteries but I think most of them were below 1V. I just tested with an alkaline with a voltage of 960 mV. The built-in battery gauge flashes one time. The high levels are gone of course, and M1 is only slightly brighter than L1. No sign of a low voltage warning when the light is turned off. 

I'm currently depleting a Duraloop, and when it has reached ~1V I will try that too and update my post.

The Duraloop's voltage is now 980 mV and I am embarrassed: The light does indeed flash every ~10 seconds, but so faintly that you have to look more or less into the front of the light to see it (or be in a dark room, I suppose). Most likely the low voltage indicators have worked on both my SC52 and H502 all along, but I expected them to flash brightly, like the battery gauge, so I never noticed...


----------



## PocketBeam (Apr 11, 2013)

ThirstyTurtle, #3, My H51 came on in my pocket several times. So far my SC52 has not accidentally turned on. So yes the button is firm. But it seems to do the job. #4, Yes I noted the same sharp edges, also around the button, and where the clip mounts. I filed the ones down around the clip. The other two I don't really notice any more.

Swede74, thanks for the update. I also thought the flashes would be brighter.

I read the website, it doesn't say it flashes once every 80 seconds, it says it flashes every 80 seconds. Now I assume they mean once every 80 seconds. But maybe they mean it flashes a bunch of times, then pauses for about 80 seconds. Has anyone wat he'd long enough to see if there is a pause that lasts over a minute every so often?


----------



## b-gin (Apr 13, 2013)

PocketBeam said:


> I know it fits the Zebralight headband. You have to remove the screwed on clip, and it is tight. So not something you want to do a lot. Another option is to remove the clip, then use the clip from the H51. Then the clip can be reversed and used with a baseball cap
> QUOTE]
> Exactly what I did


----------



## PocketBeam (Apr 14, 2013)

Glad that helped. Did you use the H51 clip with a cap or use the headband?


----------



## b-gin (Apr 17, 2013)

PocketBeam said:


> Glad that helped. Did you use the H51 clip with a cap or use the headband?



I use the H51 with headband and GITD mount, but prefer to wear it around my neck.


----------



## KITROBASKIN (Apr 18, 2013)

Thanks to all of you for providing input on what is an excellent flashlight. If I could say, no edges on my unit were too sharp. I got it yesterday from Illumination Supply in less than a week so it is new and maybe the sharpness issue is no longer. Thanks Very Much goes to Selfbuilt for the fine video review. you showed us how to access the strobe, something the directions with the flashlight did not make completely clear. If there is one element that is not ideal in this torch, it is the subjective opinion on my part that, as others have stated, the low settings have a somewhat yellow, maybe even green cast compared with other lights. It is by no means a deal breaker for me. It is the only thing that is not perfect to my taste. The higher beams are beautiful. Thanks again.


----------



## Binomial (Apr 24, 2013)

Dear all,

It was not clear to me how Zebralight numbers their models. I have asked them to explain What SC52 stands for. Below was a response of Zebralight.

SC stands for "Side Click", 5 is AA battery, 2 is for third generation, after the SC50 and SC51.


----------



## janko.hrasko (Apr 24, 2013)

love mine  let's hope that the led could be replaced with xml2 3c, then it would be even more awesome!


----------



## GunnarGG (Apr 24, 2013)

janko.hrasko said:


> love mine  let's hope that the led could be replaced with xml2 3c, then it would be even more awesome!



Glad you like it!

Isn't that pretty close to what the SC52w is supposed to be?
Xml2 and IIRC 4400K (maybe 4c?)

I'm waiting for this one to come out.
Sticking with my old sc30 in the meantime

Edit: Link
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...52-amp-SC52w&p=4187734&viewfull=1#post4187734


----------



## PocketBeam (Apr 24, 2013)

Binomial said:


> Dear all,
> 
> It was not clear to me how Zebralight numbers their models. I have asked them to explain What SC52 stands for. Below was a response of Zebralight.
> 
> SC stands for "Side Click", 5 is AA battery, 2 is for third generation, after the SC50 and SC51.



Then what does "S" stand for?

I have the SC600 mk II as well. I think the SC52 is neater. It is smaller, more pocket friendly, and can wow people with 500 lumens. Plus you can use regular AAs if you need to. Don't get me wrong, the SC600 mk II is a great light too. It has a higher High mode, and the runtimes are amazing, but not the same wow from a little package. btw, I am pocket carrying both right now.


----------



## Binomial (May 22, 2013)

Dear all,

Last couple of weeks my SC52 with the 14500 ZL584 840mAh battery of ZebraLight is empty within a few days. I did not loosen the tail cap when not using the light. But by only using the side switch the battery should be fine for at least six months. Has someone else the same problem? The first time I had the 14500 in the SC52 everything worked fine.

Thanks for any comments.


----------



## shelm (May 22, 2013)

Binomial said:


> Last couple of weeks my SC52 with the 14500 ZL584 840mAh battery of ZebraLight is empty within a few days.



it's designed to be like that, sorry, see t=_12m5s_:


----------



## itsme1234 (May 22, 2013)

Sadly I can confirm that. 0.122 mA on LiIon.
Still, that's about 10% per month, still usable. SC52 is the first light I'm taking on 2 weeks trips without spares and without charger. Of course I can still use normal AAs but never needed.

NiMh eats about 0.022 mA, combined with higher mAh capacity it'll do much better.


----------



## Wiggle (May 23, 2013)

.122 mA should not be draining a 14500 in a couple days:
0.122mA * 24 hours = 2.9 mAh

2.9mAh/800 mAh= 0.36%. 

The light should only be draining about .35% (one third of one percent) of it's battery capacity per day. It would take almost 5 months to use even half of the cells energy.

Binomial, 
Your light may be faulty.


----------



## Binomial (May 24, 2013)

Thanks for all comments. It is exactly as I thought. The 14500 should be fine for at least six months. The 0.122 mA is not a problem at all.

But, I did measure the drain today. It is not 0.122 mA but 4 mA in my SC52! That explains why the battery is empty after a few days. 800 mAh / (4 mA * 24 h) = 8. The battery drains in only eight days. I thought is was even shorter. Maybe that is because of the higher temperature when carrying the SC52 in a pocket.

I will contact Zebralight. Do I have to sent the SC52 all the way to china or is there an alternative solution?


----------



## DavidMB (May 24, 2013)

That's right, it's not designed to be like that. I'm not sure why anyone would say that is normal. A replacement or repair will fix that issue.


----------



## shelm (May 24, 2013)

Binomial said:


> Thanks for all comments. It is exactly as I thought. The 14500 should be fine for at least six months. The 0.122 mA is not a problem at all.
> 
> But, I did measure the drain today. It is not 0.122 mA but 4 mA in my SC52! That explains why the battery is empty after a few days. 800 mAh / (4 mA * 24 h) = 8. The battery drains in only eight days. I thought is was even shorter. Maybe that is because of the higher temperature when carrying the SC52 in a pocket.



Actually there is an interesting circuit behavior with all SC52's and *Eneloops*, do the following to reproduce it:



stop using the light, unscrew the tailcap, and take out the cell 
*wait for 3 minutes* 
reinsert 1x Eneloop AA into the battery compartment 
measure the standby current drain with your DMM; the DMM reading will be ~*60-100mA*
put the DMM aside and "lock-in" the tailcap. the LED will produce a short *pre-flash* and after this 'automatic activation' the drain is the usual 0.020mA: you can unscrew the tailcap and do the tailcap current measurement, the DMM will read ~0.020mA.

It's not a bug. Just very interesting.


----------



## bansuri (May 26, 2013)

shelm said:


> Actually there is an interesting circuit behavior with all SC52's and *Eneloops*, do the following to reproduce it:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I verified this but noticed something else: when drawing higher current the light will not operate, however, if you lift a test lead momentarily and replace it the light will flash AND turn on when the button is pressed with the DMM in the circuit.
The light does not act like this if you merely remove the battery for 3 minutes and try to turn it on. The driver must recognize whatever effect the DMM has on the negative battery path.
I have had other lights that didn't like having a DMM connected like this.


----------



## Ch3mical (Jun 14, 2013)

Hi all, this is my first post and i am sorry because i have to ask for help before even introduce myself....:shakehead

I bought a zebralight SC52 a few months ago, i used it 3 or 4 times without problems until now. I just turned on and start behaving weird. Its cycling between the modes non stop. Clicking or holding the button doesn´t do anything...removing or changing the batteries doesnt´ do anything either.


is this is normal? or my zebra has a problem? 

is there a reset or something like that??

i dont speak english very well so i hope you understandme.

thanks!


----------



## moldyoldy (Jun 14, 2013)

Ch3mical said:


> Hi all, this is my first post and i am sorry because i have to ask for help before even introduce myself....:shakehead
> 
> I bought a zebralight SC52 a few months ago, i used it 3 or 4 times without problems until now. I just turned on and start behaving weird. Its cycling between the modes non stop. Clicking or holding the button doesn´t do anything...removing or changing the batteries doesnt´ do anything either.
> 
> ...



Electronic switches are susceptible to static discharges which sometimes can be "cured" by leaving the light unpowered for a few hours.

In other words, try removing the cell and leave the light sit for a few hours, even overnight.


----------



## Fireclaw18 (Jun 14, 2013)

moldyoldy said:


> Electronic switches are susceptible to static discharges which sometimes can be "cured" by leaving the light unpowered for a few hours.
> 
> In other words, try removing the cell and leave the light sit for a few hours, even overnight.



If that doesn't fix it, you almost certainly have a defective light and will need to return it for warranty repair.


----------



## Ch3mical (Jun 14, 2013)

moldyoldy said:


> Electronic switches are susceptible to static discharges which sometimes can be "cured" by leaving the light unpowered for a few hours.
> 
> In other words, try removing the cell and leave the light sit for a few hours, even overnight.



Thanks man! I will try that! 

Enviado desde mi GT-I9100 usando Tapatalk 2


----------



## Ch3mical (Jun 14, 2013)

Fireclaw18 said:


> If that doesn't fix it, you almost certainly have a defective light and will need to return it for warranty repair.



That's gonna be a problem for me because I'm from South America. I bought the zebra via Amazon.... 

Enviado desde mi GT-I9100 usando Tapatalk 2


----------



## Toons (Jun 14, 2013)

Make sure the battery compartment cap is secure. I have had the same behavior with a SC51 and tightening it up cured the problem. Good luck


----------



## Ch3mical (Jun 15, 2013)

friends...i think my zebra is defective...and theres nothing i can do about it...i just feel like i just throw 70 dollars to the toilet....the flashlight was barely used...

it is my first light...dont know if im feeling sad...or mad.....dissapointed..

i made a video with the problem

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/36973844/zebraSC52%20malfunction.mp4


----------



## shelm (Jun 15, 2013)

Ch3mical said:


> i made a video with the problem
> 
> https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/36973844/zebraSC52 malfunction.mp4



you sound very sad, i can hear you sniffing in the clip oo:


----------



## Erik1213 (Jun 15, 2013)

Looks like your button is stuck. Either internally or the tiny solder points for the button leads are stuck. Why is there nothing you can do with it? They come with a warranty.


----------



## Ch3mical (Jun 15, 2013)

shelm said:


> you sound very sad, i can hear you sniffing in the clip oo:



lol, i was inlove of my zebra man...


----------



## Ch3mical (Jun 15, 2013)

Erik1213 said:


> Looks like your button is stuck. Either internally or the tiny solder points for the button leads are stuck. Why is there nothing you can do with it? They come with a warranty.



im from south america erik... i will have to spend money again to send the light to repair...the light per se was expensive for me...


----------



## Bumble (Jun 16, 2013)

well i recieved my sc52 package (it came with a zebralight li-ion 14500) for $59. overall im very impressed with the light. some of the edges of the flashlight body do seem a little sharp though.it may become my new "out of work" EDC soon


----------



## moldyoldy (Jun 16, 2013)

one last check: when the cell was removed for "a while", did you also press and hold the power button a few times?


----------



## Ch3mical (Jun 16, 2013)

moldyoldy said:


> one last check: when the cell was removed for "a while", did you also press and hold the power button a few times?



No man, I just clicked once and then started to cycle again... May I ask why this question? 


Enviado desde mi GT-I9100 usando Tapatalk 2


----------



## DavidMB (Jun 16, 2013)

Ch3mical, it's defective. Looks like the switch. Contact Zebralight, I'm sure they will repair or replace it. 

I am sorry to hear it, it sucks when that happens. Hope the shipping isn't too expensive.


----------



## Erik1213 (Jun 17, 2013)

If you're not going to send it back... Pop the lens retaining ring off and remove the reflector. I bet a bit of swarf is bridging the contacts for the switch on the main board.


----------



## moldyoldy (Jun 17, 2013)

Ch3mical said:


> No man, I just clicked once and then started to cycle again... May I ask why this question?
> 
> 
> Enviado desde mi GT-I9100 usando Tapatalk 2



If the problem is that the internal capacitors (on the IC gates) have acquired an improper charge, removing any power cell first, then pressing and holding the power switch down will provide an alternate discharge path for the caps rather than letting the charge slowly bleed off over a day or so. The key is that all power has to be removed from the case. You might still need to wait a few hours anyway. YMMV!

eg: HP found this out the hard way when a lot of HP41s were being returned to Corvallis as defective, yet when the packages were opened, the HP41 functioned correctly. Corvallis OR is relatively humid and any static charge problems are relatively minimal.


----------



## Ch3mical (Jun 18, 2013)

hi all again...thanks everyone for your input....i just want to let you know that my zebra its magically working fine again...i dont know how long will last...but i think its better than nothing...right?:shrug:

thanks again!!


----------



## Derek Dean (Jun 18, 2013)

Ch3mical, I'm glad to hear your light is feeling better . In case you haven't done it, it's generally a good idea to clean all the electrical contact points on a new light. Although it's new, sometimes things can get hectic at a factory, so I always clean my new lights, and if I ever have problems, the first thing I do is clean all the electrical contact points.

This includes not only the tail spring and battery contact in the head (and both ends of the battery), but also the end of the main battery tube and where it contacts in the bottom of the tail cap, and the area in the tail cap where the end of the main battery tube makes contact. 

I like to use a good quality electrical contact cleaner, available at most electronics stores, but in a pinch you can use 70% isopropyl alcohol and a Q-tip (being careful to not leave any lint behind). Don't spray or let the cleaner drip into the head, instead, apply it to the Q-tip and use that to swab the contact in the head, holding the head UP so that any drips will come down away from the electronics. 

You're issue probably wasn't related to needing to clean those areas, but it never hurts to keep the electrical pathway clean. Good luck with your new light, and by the way, welcome to CPF!


----------



## marcis (Jun 18, 2013)

Has anyone received shipping notice yet ???? H502w shipped early.. was really hoping this would too. I ordered mine, but no notice yet.


----------



## Al Thumbs (Jun 18, 2013)

marcis said:


> Has anyone received shipping notice yet ???? H502w shipped early.. was really hoping this would too. I ordered mine, but no notice yet.



Please remain calm. Expect the flashlight to ship late, and you won't be disappointed.

AT
preordered


----------



## Ch3mical (Jun 19, 2013)

Sad news... It stop working again... Thanks Mr. Derek for the tips I just did that and nothing happen. 

Returning the light to China will cost 49usd vía ems mail. 

So... The way to go is to start searching for another light... 

If you have any recommendations for a light like the sc52 in terms of size, power and batteries please let me know via pm since this is a Zebralight thread. 

Thanks again! 



Enviado desde mi GT-I9100 usando Tapatalk 2


----------



## hatman (Jun 19, 2013)

Ch3mical said:


> Sad news... It stop working again... Thanks Mr. Derek for the tips I just did that and nothing happen.
> 
> Returning the light to China will cost 49usd vía ems mail.
> 
> ...



That stinks -- so sorry for your loss!


----------



## RIX TUX (Jun 20, 2013)

Ch3mical said:


> Sad news... It stop working again... Thanks Mr. Derek for the tips I just did that and nothing happen.
> 
> Returning the light to China will cost 49usd vía ems mail.
> 
> ...


----------



## PoliceScannerMan (Jun 20, 2013)

Order placed for a SC52w.


----------



## AVService (Jun 20, 2013)

Ch3mical said:


> Sad news... It stop working again... Thanks Mr. Derek for the tips I just did that and nothing happen.
> 
> Returning the light to China will cost 49usd vía ems mail.
> 
> ...



I can not imagine that an Amazon purchase like yours will be a bust like this?
Have you called Amazon?
Also I would think your CC company would help getting this done,it should not be on you this early in.


----------



## jkid1911 (Jun 21, 2013)

Ch3mical said:


> Hi all, this is my first post and i am sorry because i have to ask for help before even introduce myself....:shakehead
> 
> I bought a zebralight SC52 a few months ago, i used it 3 or 4 times without problems until now. I just turned on and start behaving weird. Its cycling between the modes non stop. Clicking or holding the button doesn´t do anything...removing or changing the batteries doesnt´ do anything either.
> 
> is this is normal? or my zebra has a problem? is there a reset or something like that?





AVService said:


> I can not imagine that an Amazon purchase like yours will be a bust like this?
> Have you called Amazon?
> Also I would think your CC company would help getting this done,it should not be on you this early in.



I agree. If you contact Amazon and explain that your light was received defective right from when you opened the package. Either Amazon or the supplier should provide you with a free shipping label for it to be returned to the seller and to be replaced with a new one, not have yours repaired. The repair under warranty should only be used if your light was working and then stopped. Since it didn't work properly right out of the box, it should be replaced by the seller, not Zebralight. If you push the issue, you will get another light. Good Luck..!


----------



## sticktodrum (Jun 21, 2013)

Well, he did say he got the light a few months ago. Amazon's return policy is 30 days.


----------



## jkid1911 (Jun 21, 2013)

sticktodrum said:


> Well, he did say he got the light a few months ago. Amazon's return policy is 30 days.



Oh, sorry I didn't catch that...thanks. Oh well.


----------



## Ch3mical (Jun 21, 2013)

jkid1911 said:


> Oh, sorry I didn't catch that...thanks. Oh well.



Yes buddy. It was working fine and then after a few months start behaving wrong. 

The good news are that I manage to send the light to China for 10usd. Zebralight told me that the typical turn around is eight weeks so the countdown has started! 

Thanks again to everybody.

See ya!


Enviado desde mi GT-I9100 usando Tapatalk 2


----------



## KITROBASKIN (Jun 21, 2013)

We are all wishing you well, and watching to see Zebralight's integrity remain intact. Countdown indeed.


----------



## RIX TUX (Jun 24, 2013)

I dont know if this has answered yet but........If you use a 14500 batt in the sc52 do you lose the 280 lumens setting?


----------



## ganzo (Jun 24, 2013)

Nope.


----------



## reppans (Jun 24, 2013)

RIX TUX said:


> I dont know if this has answered yet but........If you use a 14500 batt in the sc52 do you lose the 280 lumens setting?



You lose it for 60 secs.... until the light steps down.


----------



## RIX TUX (Jun 24, 2013)

THANKS^^.........it would be nice to be able to access it directly


----------



## cyclesport (Jun 24, 2013)

RIX TUX said:


> THANKS^^.........it would be nice to be able to access it directly



Actually you almost can...simply set the SC52's default Hi setting on H2 and max will be 172. Then if you need all 500 lumens while in H2, a quick double-click will get you there. The drop-down to 280 and the SC52's H2 of 172 are almost indistinguishable to the eye.


----------



## KITROBASKIN (Jun 24, 2013)

From my perspective, there is no downside to using a 14500 battery, the extra punch, even if it is not long lasting is nice to have. It is easy to step down by choice. It is suggested to use a quality battery and go out with a freshly charged cell if you plan on using the bright settings quite a bit. Does the eneloop have more capacity? If it does, I don't care. That extra blast, is a blast coming from such a small unit. This is coming from someone who uses the Nitecore tm26 as well.


----------



## Ch3mical (Jun 24, 2013)

KITROBASKIN said:


> We are all wishing you well, and watching to see Zebralight's integrity remain intact. Countdown indeed.



Thanks! I will let you know the news about it..

Enviado desde mi GT-I9100 usando Tapatalk 2


----------



## Lightman2 (Jul 26, 2013)

Cannot wait, after much research and deliberation I finally ordered my SC52 from illuminationgear.com. Really looking forward to it. Love my SC51 my now edc but this is going into the car and the 52 will take its place.


----------



## Wiggle (Jul 29, 2013)

Most people have probably figured out this by now but I think it is safe to say the SC52 is not prone to pocket activation. I've had the light over 6 months, pocket carried loose nearly every day and haven't had a single pocket activation.


----------



## KITROBASKIN (Jul 29, 2013)

Wiggle said:


> Most people have probably figured out this by now but I think it is safe to say the SC52 is not prone to pocket activation. I've had the light over 6 months, pocket carried loose nearly every day and haven't had a single pocket activation.




Same here. No problems with accidental activation.


----------



## crazyk4952 (Jul 29, 2013)

Wiggle said:


> Most people have probably figured out this by now but I think it is safe to say the SC52 is not prone to pocket activation. I've had the light over 6 months, pocket carried loose nearly every day and haven't had a single pocket activation.



I've had mine accidentally activate in my pocket on two occasions. This was pretty annoying since the battery was then dead when I needed to use it.


----------



## Wiggle (Jul 29, 2013)

Interesting. You'd figure an accidental switch would turn onto high mode, did you not feel the heat in your pocket?


----------



## crazyk4952 (Jul 29, 2013)

Wiggle said:


> Interesting. You'd figure an accidental switch would turn onto high mode, did you not feel the heat in your pocket?



The first time I noticed my pocket getting hot. But, it was still on long enough th drain the battery to the point where it would not activate on hi mode when I needed to use it. The second time, I noticed it was on in low mode in my pocket. I am not sure how this happened!


----------



## Lightman2 (Aug 6, 2013)

Well, finally got my SC52. I think it might take me a little time before I would like to make comments. Some here may think I am mad but I actually liked the easy press switch of the SC51 despite having a few accidental activations. The fact that I could turn on the 51 in any hand position I desired made it very user friendly albeit an issue for others. The stiffer and recessed switch on the 52 will no doubt keep from pocket turn on but will require better finger placement and stronger press to get the light on. The 52 seems to provide more light overall but I am not sure if that light reaches further out into the distance than the 51. A little thicker in the head than the SC51 but a little shorter too. The head grooves do not appear to sharp to cause me any concern.


----------



## shelm (Aug 6, 2013)

Lightman2 said:


> The head grooves do not appear to sharp to cause me any concern.


they are bevelled on later production versions, the initial runs had sharp ones.


----------



## JKolmo (Aug 6, 2013)

crazyk4952 said:


> The second time, I noticed it was on in low mode in my pocket. I am not sure how this happened!



The same has happened to my SC600w twice. Actually I don't think it's a case of pocket activation, rather on these occasions I probably didn't turn it off with a fast enough click prior to dropping it into the pocket, instead I suspect I changed mode from high to low by a slow click and simply didn't notice it was on low when I dropped it. I now double check it's off before dropping it into the pocket and it has never happened since. Could be the culprit in your case too.


----------



## MattSPL (Aug 9, 2013)

I just received my SC52 from E2 Field Gear.

Great little light and powerful too running on a 14500.
I ordered the cool white version and got a really nice cool white tint


----------



## Lightman2 (Aug 9, 2013)

Found out last night that my 52 offers three sub levels on the lowest setting but this is certainly not in the manual sheet? When I double click 6 times to get into the sub programing mode I then double click and when I do this three times I get three levels of light for the lowest setting, so in total four levels of which the main one is set so three choices for sub level low. Interesting.


----------



## shelm (Aug 9, 2013)

Lightman2 said:


> Found out last night that my 52 offers three sub levels on the lowest setting but this is certainly not in the manual sheet? When I double click 6 times to get into the sub programing mode I then double click and when I do this three times I get three levels of light for the lowest setting, so in total four levels of which the main one is set so three choices for sub level low. Interesting.



Low: L1 *2.7 *Lm (4 days) or L2 *0.34* Lm (3 weeks) / *0.06 *Lm (2 months) / *0.01 *Lm (3 months)


----------



## Siegetank (Aug 9, 2013)

How much did you pick it up for at illuminationgear?


----------



## Lightman2 (Aug 9, 2013)

Thanks Shelm, you are correct



shelm said:


> Low: L1 *2.7 *Lm (4 days) or L2 *0.34* Lm (3 weeks) / *0.06 *Lm (2 months) / *0.01 *Lm (3 months)


----------



## Lightman2 (Aug 10, 2013)

So on the lowest low setting 0.01 I note that it pulses like a small heart beat frequency about 1 beat per second. I am unsure if anyone else has that with their light but I would be interested to know. Maybe it is so low that the LED is almost stalling.


----------



## GunnarGG (Aug 10, 2013)

Lightman2 said:


> So on the lowest low setting 0.01 I note that it pulses like a small heart beat frequency about 1 beat per second. I am unsure if anyone else has that with their light but I would be interested to know. Maybe it is so low that the LED is almost stalling.



It is reported by some owners, in this or the other SC52 thread.
My SC52w does not pulse / flicker in any mode.

Edit: I just came to think about that my NovaTac Storm was like this when I programmed it to lowest and maybe second lowest level.


----------



## JD20 (Aug 14, 2013)

Just put a 14500 in my SC52 and all I can say is WOW! Huge difference in output.

Think I'll be looking for more AA/14500 lights.


----------



## roadkill1109 (Aug 14, 2013)

JD20 said:


> Just put a 14500 in my SC52 and all I can say is WOW! Huge difference in output.
> 
> Think I'll be looking for more AA/14500 lights.



Try the Olight S15 Baton, the Jetbeam PA10, the Quark AA, and the Nitecore EA1, Sunwayman V11A, and Thrunite 1A, Lumintop 1A, Dereelight Javelin with C2H body and extender, please help me out if i missed a few.


----------



## Trevilux (Aug 14, 2013)

I like to use 14500/AA with my Sunwayman C15A and Xtar wk41 (both have low voltage warning).


----------



## markr6 (Aug 14, 2013)

Lightman2 said:


> So on the lowest low setting 0.01 I note that it pulses like a small heart beat frequency about 1 beat per second. I am unsure if anyone else has that with their light but I would be interested to know. Maybe it is so low that the LED is almost stalling.



No pulsing on mine, but man is that low LOW!


----------



## cxg231 (Aug 14, 2013)

Nothing constructive to add - just that my SC52 is arriving today and I'm pretty excited!


----------



## MattSPL (Aug 14, 2013)

cxg231 said:


> Nothing constructive to add - just that my SC52 is arriving today and I'm pretty excited!



Let us know what you think of the SC52. 
I'm actually looking forward to winter so I get to use mine everyday walking the dogs


----------



## bull_paqqy (Aug 15, 2013)

Great light for the size. It has become my new edc light.


----------



## itsme1234 (Aug 15, 2013)

The light is still great and the "go to" light for everything (have it since December).

Anyone knows of a red filter that would fit?


----------



## creyc (Aug 15, 2013)

I posted about it in that other big SC52 thread, but since this is the owners thread..

My SC52w died the day I got it, actually the moment I put a li-ion battery in it. It was an AW 14500 IMR cell that had worked fine in my H502w headlight. (actually where the cell came from that day) To be safe I'm no longer using IMR's in my Zebralights, I'm not the first person to report issues with IMR cells and Zebralight products.

Otherwise a pretty decent light.


----------



## stevenkelby (Aug 15, 2013)

creyc said:


> I'm not the first person to report issues with IMR cells and Zebralight products.



As far as I can tell, you're the second  And I'm not convinced it was the IMRs fault either. If only you had tried it on a normal lipo first.


----------



## creyc (Aug 15, 2013)

stevenkelby said:


> As far as I can tell, you're the second  And I'm not convinced it was the IMRs fault either. If only you had tried it on a normal lipo first.



Indeed it doesn't seem convincing the IMR/(LMR) would have caused that light to go  considering it's the same voltage as an ICR and works in my other ZebraLights, but the other report I've seen also involved an IMR cell, and Zebralight customer service stated that IMR cells are unsupported by ZebraLight..soo I'm not really sure what to make of that other than they seem like a bad idea to run in a ZL product.


----------



## stevenkelby (Aug 15, 2013)

Good points.

I'd love to know why ZL don't support IMR.

Some good theories here but nothing definitive IMO:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?367615-Why-would-an-IMR-fry-a-light&highlight=

I'm happy with my SC52w,green tint and all


----------



## cxg231 (Aug 15, 2013)

MattSPL said:


> Let us know what you think of the SC52.



Thanks for asking! I just got mine last night, but my initial impressions are that the SC52 is well built. The reflector has a great combination of throw and spill IMO. Access to the three main modes is brilliant, love the tap for high and hold for low, couldn't be easier. Still working on figuring out the programming and intermediate levels. Not super intuitive. I read where some people think the switch is too recessed and too stiff, I must say it's pretty much perfect for me - not too much or too little resistance.

My gripes are all minor and mostly cosmetic. Not a huge fan of the green finish but the light will live either in my pocket or in the dark so that's not a big deal. Also not a fan of the shiny pocket clip. I think I'll take it off and paint it black, oh - and the clip is VERY stiff as has been mentioned many times. The LED also has a slight greenish tint - enough that it is noticeable but not enough to bother me.

In conclusion, pretty happy with the SC52 as far as first impressions go - we'll see how she holds up!:thumbsup:


----------



## KITROBASKIN (Aug 15, 2013)

Good to hear your comments cxg231.
You will get a feel for the levels after a while. If you haven't already, consider checking out a video of the torch to get a better understanding of how to set up the levels the way you want. Seems like no matter what the situation, the sc52 always has the right light level, quickly accessed. A great light.


----------



## viperxp (Aug 15, 2013)

Got the SC52W for a couple of days before sending it back to Zebralight. Really liked the size, the feel and the UI. The clickie at first felt stiff, but got used to it really fast.
I just didn't get the steel bezel. It should protect the flashlight when it falls, as steel supposed to withstand falls better then aluminum, but in SC52 (and SC52W) it does not go as wide as the flashlight (just look at the flashlight pictures and you will understand me) so it doesn't function as I think it should. At Sunwayman, Convoy, and all other flashlights with a steel bezel it also serves that purpose.


----------



## markr6 (Aug 15, 2013)

viperxp said:


> Got the SC52W for a couple of days before sending it back to Zebralight. Really liked the size, the feel and the UI. The clickie at first felt stiff, but got used to it really fast.
> I just didn't get the steel bezel. It should protect the flashlight when it falls, as steel supposed to withstand falls better then aluminum, but in SC52 (and SC52W) it does not go as wide as the flashlight (just look at the flashlight pictures and you will understand me) so it doesn't function as I think it should. At Sunwayman, Convoy, and all other flashlights with a steel bezel it also serves that purpose.



Yeah I thought about this recently since I often cover the lens with my finger to get into medium mode so I'm not blinded (double clicking, going thru high...and I dont like waiting so long to go thru low). Anyway, while doing this I obviously noticed the lack of a recessed lens. That could cause problems if it hits the ground just right or another object. As for the bezel, I believe it's just press fitted to hold the lens. I'm guessing they skipped recessing the lens to keep the light as short as possible?


----------



## viperxp (Aug 15, 2013)

> As for the bezel, I believe it's just press fitted to hold the lens. I'm guessing they skipped recessing the lens to keep the light as short as possible?


This sounds just right, but I personally would like it to be a millimeter longer but withstand falls more gracefully.
Just hope it will be light enough and fall not often to see many sighs of wear.


----------



## MattSPL (Aug 15, 2013)

cxg231 said:


> Thanks for asking! I just got mine last night, but my initial impressions are that the SC52 is well built. The reflector has a great combination of throw and spill IMO. Access to the three main modes is brilliant, love the tap for high and hold for low, couldn't be easier. Still working on figuring out the programming and intermediate levels. Not super intuitive. I read where some people think the switch is too recessed and too stiff, I must say it's pretty much perfect for me - not too much or too little resistance.
> 
> My gripes are all minor and mostly cosmetic. Not a huge fan of the green finish but the light will live either in my pocket or in the dark so that's not a big deal. Also not a fan of the shiny pocket clip. I think I'll take it off and paint it black, oh - and the clip is VERY stiff as has been mentioned many times. The LED also has a slight greenish tint - enough that it is noticeable but not enough to bother me.
> 
> In conclusion, pretty happy with the SC52 as far as first impressions go - we'll see how she holds up!:thumbsup:



Good to hear you like it :thumbsup:


----------



## chaparral (Aug 15, 2013)

^ mine is tied with a Sunwayman V10 for EDC. I did drop it on concrete from about 4 feet/1.3m several months ago, it did land bezel first and the aluminum body does have the nicks to show for it but functioning has been utterly flawless before and after. If there wasn't so much variety out there for me to play with I'd buy another in a heartbeat.


----------



## itsme1234 (Aug 15, 2013)

I don't have any dent on it and I have it since the first preorders went out. I worry more that it would damage some floor tiles if it falls on them "just right". Funny thing just as I was writing this there was some commotion about some insects getting in the house. Long story short the SC52 got dropped, albeit only on the carpet.
I'm sure you CAN break any light but as a completely personal note I have to say that since I joined CPF (on 3/03/03...) and got into "real" lights each and every fight was won by flashlights. Like torch vs. palm pilot, torch vs. phone, torch vs. human, torch vs. floor tile.


----------



## viperxp (Aug 16, 2013)

itsme1234 said:


> I don't have any dent on it and I have it since the first preorders went out. I worry more that it would damage some floor tiles if it falls on them "just right". Funny thing just as I was writing this there was some commotion about some insects getting in the house. Long story short the SC52 got dropped, albeit only on the carpet.
> I'm sure you CAN break any light but as a completely personal note I have to say that since I joined CPF (on 3/03/03...) and got into "real" lights each and every fight was won by flashlights. Like torch vs. palm pilot, torch vs. phone, torch vs. human, torch vs. floor tile.



Well, last "fight" between my "real" light , Nitecore EC25 Cobra and the floor did not end well for the Nitecore. The head still has signs of the fall, which if stainless steel bezel would be used would have not appeared. Actually that's the reason why I will try to make sure that all my future flashlights will have the stainless steel bezel. Just hope that the one on SC52 is better than it looks like.


----------



## itsme1234 (Aug 16, 2013)

I see you rotate your lights and sell/gift them so yes that might suck. However, for other people "character marks" are actually welcome (not to go to the other extreme and beat your light to see how much it can take, that happens too here...).


----------



## oeL (Aug 18, 2013)

stevenkelby said:


> I'd love to know why ZL don't support IMR.
> 
> Some good theories here but nothing definitive IMO:
> 
> http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?367615-Why-would-an-IMR-fry-a-light&highlight=



According to http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/CommonSmallcomparator.php the initial voltage of an AW IMR cell at 1,5 A is about 0,15 V higher compared to an IC protected LiCo cell. In addition - and that's really strange - the SC52 draws a higher current with the higher voltage (1,62 A for an Efest IMR vs 1,52 A for an Keeppower LiCo). I don't know what kind of regulation Zebralight is using here, but with a "perfect" constant current regulation it should be the other way round. Because p = u * i.
A pity, I like the IMRs for their safer chemistry, especially in EDCs.


----------



## MattSPL (Aug 18, 2013)

oeL said:


> According to http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/CommonSmallcomparator.php the initial voltage of an AW IMR cell at 1,5 A is about 0,15 V higher compared to an IC protected LiCo cell. In addition - and that's really strange - the SC52 draws a higher current with the higher voltage (1,62 A for an Efest IMR vs 1,52 A for an Keeppower LiCo). I don't know what kind of regulation Zebralight is using here, but with a "perfect" constant current regulation it should be the other way round. Because p = u * i.
> A pity, I like the IMRs for their safer chemistry, especially in EDCs.



I briefly tried an Efest IMR in my SC52. It worked perfectly on all modes, but I haven't tested further in fear of damaging the light. Saying that, if the light is designed to take 4.2v, there shouldn't be an issue. I've ran XM-L's direct drive off 18650 IMR's, so i can't see a 14500 IMR frying the emitter, unless something else in the circuit is at fault. 
Also, I've only heard of 1 or 2 IMR related incidents, so it was either bad luck, or nobody else has risked trying IMR's.


----------



## shelm (Aug 18, 2013)

MattSPL said:


> so i can't see a 14500 IMR frying the emitter,



not the emitter gets fried. the electonics does.


----------



## MattSPL (Aug 18, 2013)

shelm said:


> not the emitter gets fried. the electonics does.



Ok, makes more sense. It was reported as a 'fried emitter', so I thought that was strange.

Anybody else tried IMR's in their SC52?


----------



## stevenkelby (Aug 18, 2013)

oeL said:


> According to http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/CommonSmallcomparator.php the initial voltage of an AW IMR cell at 1,5 A is about 0,15 V higher compared to an IC protected LiCo cell. In addition - and that's really strange - the SC52 draws a higher current with the higher voltage (1,62 A for an Efest IMR vs 1,52 A for an Keeppower LiCo). I don't know what kind of regulation Zebralight is using here, but with a "perfect" constant current regulation it should be the other way round. Because p = u * i.
> A pity, I like the IMRs for their safer chemistry, especially in EDCs.



Best answer yet, makes sense as the extra .15 volts under load is surprisingly high.

Actually it's .2v with AW 750 vs AW IMR 600

http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/CommonSmallcomparator.php


----------



## creyc (Aug 18, 2013)

shelm said:


> not the emitter gets fried. the electonics does.



Correct, it was the electronics. Here's how it functioned immediately after trying the IMR cell, and it then did this on any battery type:
http://youtu.be/Mo87wYSJlhg


----------



## Wiggle (Aug 19, 2013)

Yeah has to be the circuit. XM-L2 is regularly driven at much higher currents, and an emitter shouldn't instantly fail like that even if overdriven relative to the heatsinking available.


----------



## Ch3mical (Aug 22, 2013)

KITROBASKIN said:


> We are all wishing you well, and watching to see Zebralight's integrity remain intact. Countdown indeed.



Hi all! It's me again. Today I received an email from zebralight. They received my sc52 and they are sending back to me in two weeks... 

Can't wait to have the sc52 on my hands again!



Enviado desde mi GT-I9100 usando Tapatalk 4


----------



## KITROBASKIN (Aug 22, 2013)

Ch3mical said:


> Hi all! It's me again. Today I received an email from zebralight. They received my sc52 and they are sending back to me in two weeks...
> 
> Can't wait to have the sc52 on my hands again!
> 
> ...



Good News. Let's hear what happens next.


----------



## roadkill1109 (Aug 23, 2013)

So what is a good 14500 cell to use in the SC52?


----------



## stevenkelby (Aug 23, 2013)

I use AW protected 750 cells.


----------



## creyc (Aug 23, 2013)

roadkill1109 said:


> So what is a good 14500 cell to use in the SC52?



And don't forget ZL makes their own cells too, in case you're concerned with fitment and compatibility!


----------



## oeL (Aug 23, 2013)

roadkill1109 said:


> So what is a good 14500 cell to use in the SC52?


I have tested both Enerpower and Keeppower; they are a bit long, but they do fit. Since they share the base cell Sanyo UR14500P (with nominal 840mAh) they should have quite similar characteristics.
See http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/CommonSmallcomparator.php

Because the ZLs shut down at a defined low voltage we should be able to use the Sanyo base cells safely, this would give us the longest runtime at a low price. But the protected ones give us an additional step of safety - for the theoretical possible case that something fails and causes an short circuit, for example.


----------



## hurld (Aug 31, 2013)

Well if finally broke down and ordered the Sc52. I just hope I'm not let down because my Nitecore Ea1 on 14500 is pretty bright for a small EDC. Does anyone own both that has done a comparison? I realize the Nitecore will have more throw, but how about overall brightness?


----------



## RIX TUX (Aug 31, 2013)

hurld said:


> Well if finally broke down and ordered the Sc52. I just hope I'm not let down because my Nitecore Ea1 on 14500 is pretty bright for a small EDC. Does anyone own both that has done a comparison? I realize the Nitecore will have more throw, but how about overall brightness?


I have both.......more throw on the ea1, but both are bright, sc52 has more flood but still gets out there.
I favor the zl because the feel in your pocket and hand - smoother finish - and the UI is better for me.
But the ea1 is little cheaper


----------



## RIX TUX (Aug 31, 2013)

I think the sc52 is has more lumens and the ea1 may be the best thrower in this class.


----------



## hurld (Sep 5, 2013)

Went ahead and ordered the Sc52 hope it lives up to all the hype and I'm not let down ;-)


----------



## mikekoz (Sep 5, 2013)

I ordered one of these and just got it yesterday. My only other Zebralight is a SC80 and I am pretty happy with it. The SC52 is pretty much like what I expected except the size! I did not realize this light was so small. For some reason I thought it would be thinner but a tad bit longer than the SC80. The beam and the UI are great, and I am happy with its output, but it is a bit too small. It will take some getting used to!


----------



## MojaveMoon07 (Sep 5, 2013)

*SC52c ? SC52d ?*

Between now and when the SC52 was launched, the SC52 only just a few weeks ago became available in another version the SC52w. Furthermore, on Zebralight's google-roadmap for future releases, the floody headlamp version of the SC52 is debuting as an H52Fw -- no H52F, H52Fc, or H52Fd.

Is Zebralight not going to release a '*c*' or '*d*' version of the SC52, or is the explanation simply that they're preoccupied with opening that new plant in Texas such that it's a bad time right now to release these other versions ?


----------



## MojaveMoon07 (Sep 5, 2013)

*Re: SC52c ? SC52d ?*

If Zebralight reads this thread, what do you all think of the idea of if Zebralight were to make the changes to any future versions and revisions of the SC52/H52/H52F that they recently made to one of the other models. When I go for walks at night, I like to have a flashlight with me that has (easy access to) strobe mode when I'm crossing an intersection.



> http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...tle-tweak-to-make-Zebra-UI-infinitely-better!
> 
> i like to believe that zebralight is still reading our posts here at CPF. this was my comment back in [...]
> 
> ...


----------



## Streamer (Sep 5, 2013)

hurld said:


> Went ahead and ordered the Sc52 hope it lives up to all the hype and I'm not let down ;-)



Got my first zebra an sc52 just last week. It's a great light EXCEPT for the GREEN tinted emitter. That and the medium programming was defective. Sent it back. I can understand the defective Mode but... Until they source & clean up their LED's I don't want any.

How about the horror storiy I read where someone needed a part or repair and ZL tells them " they don't repair lights out of warranty and parts are not available"? Man, what a bad FIRST expeience I had with my first ZL.


----------



## js82 (Sep 6, 2013)

I had my sc52w exchanged for another one cuz it was too green and ended up with an even greener LED. The 2nd one has gone back for a refund. They really need to pick less green tints even if it means lower bins.


----------



## Sarlix (Sep 6, 2013)

I got my first SC52 this week, and mine is also green tinted. It's not a huge deal to me as the light exceeds my expectations in every other way. I had previously owned an H51 & SC51w - both of which were sold as they weren't too suitable. Happy that the SC52 ticks all the boxes. 

Regarding green tints - I have noticed in the past with lights I've owned with green tints, actually get less green the more you use them. This may sound crazy, but I'm pretty sure others on CPF have commented about this too.


----------



## stevenkelby (Sep 6, 2013)

I don't think that's true. Until I see some measurements or objective data, I put that down to people just getting used to it. Could be wrong though 

Mine would have 100 hours on it now, I've been using as a room light, and it might be less green than when I got it, but I don't know for sure.


----------



## Etsu (Sep 6, 2013)

Streamer said:


> How about the horror storiy I read where someone needed a part or repair and ZL tells them " they don't repair lights out of warranty and parts are not available"? Man, what a bad FIRST expeience I had with my first ZL.



To be fair, that's the case with most consumer electronics nowadays. When my cellphone battery died, I couldn't even find a replacement battery! (One more reason why I hate LiIon batteries.) The answer is just to buy another phone.

When your phone/tablet/microwave/TV/PVR/modem/blender/toaster/radio dies, you don't expect to find parts and repair it out of warranty. Sure, it would be great if a flashlight company did do repairs outside of warranty, but I wouldn't expect them to.


----------



## markr6 (Sep 6, 2013)

Sarlix said:


> Regarding green tints - I have noticed in the past with lights I've owned with green tints, actually get less green the more you use them. This may sound crazy, but I'm pretty sure others on CPF have commented about this too.



Out of desperation to "degreen" my SC52w, I killed a few alakalines pretty quick  I didn't notice any change. I'm "used" to it now since it's just a great light. And I stopped comparing or using another light within a few minutes after so I wouldn't realize how green it is.


----------



## Streamer (Sep 6, 2013)

Etsu said:


> Sure, it would be great if a flashlight company did do repairs outside of warranty, but I wouldn't expect them to.



There are many flashlight companies that do repairs outside of warranty. You merely package it up and send it in and they fix it for a FEE. What I read about a forum members experience was he contacted Zebralight to repair his out of warranty light and they told him they did not repair out of warranty items. BUT they offered to sell him a new one. Someone please tell me this is not so. Tell me the poster was lieing.


----------



## KITROBASKIN (Sep 6, 2013)

mikekoz said:


> I ordered one of these and just got it yesterday... it is a bit too small. It will take some getting used to!



I just wanted to briefly mention that the smallness of the SC52 works out really well for many. In my case, I use a NiteIze headstrap so it can easily be used "hands free" as well as being much more secure, holding it in the hand. Does that make it more bulky? Yes but it is not a whole lot heavier and also adds the capability of its great illumination without having to hold it. Something I use ALL the time. Yet it feels good (secure) in the hand as well. I do slightly modify the headstrap by stitching the band (folded over) near the bezel. This places the bezel a little farther forward while on the head and makes it quicker to deploy when pulling it out


----------



## hurld (Sep 6, 2013)

Well I received yes sc52 today, been running it on a 14500 love the beam and modes. No green tint here, glad I didn't buy the "w". Putting it up against my EA1 it is slightly brighter with way less throw. Overall the little I've played with it the UI is awesome, I programmed strobe as H2 just wished it flashed faster


----------



## Etsu (Sep 6, 2013)

Streamer said:


> What I read about a forum members experience was he contacted Zebralight to repair his out of warranty light and they told him they did not repair out of warranty items. BUT they offered to sell him a new one. Someone please tell me this is not so. Tell me the poster was lieing.



Again, I don't see the issue. If this is true, it's no different than most other consumer electronics companies. The sad truth is that we live in a disposable society today. It's cheaper to buy a new gadget, than have it repaired.


----------



## mikekoz (Sep 6, 2013)

Etsu said:


> Again, I don't see the issue. If this is true, it's no different than most other consumer electronics companies. The sad truth is that we live in a disposable society today. It's cheaper to buy a new gadget, than have it repaired.




That is true and I would bet that was case with this persons flashlight. It would have cost more to fix it then getting a new one. As repair costs rise every year, more and more things become disposable.


----------



## Streamer (Sep 6, 2013)

mikekoz said:


> That is true and I would bet that was case with this persons flashlight. It would have cost more to fix it then getting a new one. As repair costs rise every year, more and more things become disposable.



It was just over a year old. The issue is "ZL won't fix em period". Poor CS & Support IMO.


----------



## stevenkelby (Sep 6, 2013)

I'm ok with that too, won't stop me buying more ZLs. I wouldn't expect most companies to fix most goods out of warranty, period.


----------



## EZO (Sep 6, 2013)

Sarlix said:


> Regarding green tints - I have noticed in the past with lights I've owned with green tints, actually get less green the more you use them. This may sound crazy, but I'm pretty sure others on CPF have commented about this too.



YES! I've had the same experience. At first I was wondering if I was imagining things or just getting more accustomed to the greenish hue of the SC52w but just last night I thought, "damn, I swear this tint is looking more neutral to me!" I was planning to post about my experience so it is gratifying to see someone else mention the same thing. Perhaps this emitter needs a break-in period?


----------



## RIX TUX (Sep 6, 2013)

EZO said:


> YES! I've had the same experience. At first I was wondering if I was imagining things or just getting more accustomed to the greenish hue of the SC52w but just last night I thought, "damn, I swear this tint is looking more neutral to me!" I was planning to post about my experience so it is gratifying to see someone else mention the same thing. Perhaps this emitter needs a break-in period?


Dont know but that is something to look forward to


----------



## Sarlix (Sep 7, 2013)

EZO said:


> YES! I've had the same experience. At first I was wondering if I was imagining things or just getting more accustomed to the greenish hue of the SC52w but just last night I thought, "damn, I swear this tint is looking more neutral to me!" I was planning to post about my experience so it is gratifying to see someone else mention the same thing. Perhaps this emitter needs a break-in period?



I like your break-in period theory. I only got my SC52 this week and it already seems somewhat less green than it did. I know there will be many sceptics out there, but the diminishing green-tint phenomenon (DGTP for short) needs more recognition!

:tinfoil:


----------



## RedForest UK (Sep 7, 2013)

Streamer said:


> There are many flashlight companies that do repairs outside of warranty. You merely package it up and send it in and they fix it for a FEE. What I read about a forum members experience was he contacted Zebralight to repair his out of warranty light and they told him they did not repair out of warranty items. BUT they offered to sell him a new one. Someone please tell me this is not so. Tell me the poster was lieing.



They fixed an out of warranty H501w for me for no charge, but that was over a year ago now.

I don't think the 'DGTP' is real tbh, if anything mine _seems_ more green now. But I think it's all relative to what it's being compared to and what light you have acclimatised to most recently.


----------



## burntoshine (Sep 7, 2013)

When I first got my light, I put a piece of heat shrink tubing on the clip and heated it to snugness; still holding up well...










I got the idea from another CPF member who did the same thing to their clip on a Nitecore D10 or EX10 a few years back.

I think a black clip goes better with the light. It matches the button and goes well with the anodizing. Zebralights would look great with all black hardware (bezel, clip & screws, metal around button), in my opinion.


----------



## hurld (Sep 10, 2013)

Well I'm loving my new Sc52, but needed a holster. I bought a sheet of kydex from a buddy who makes gun holsters, fired up my heatgun, put on some gloves, and made myself a custom kydex holster. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out as it was my first time working with kydex. It has great retention so it's not falling out and I can put the light in it backwards and clip it to my hat as a head light. What ya think........


----------



## MattSPL (Sep 10, 2013)

That's impressive


----------



## hurld (Sep 10, 2013)

MattSPL said:


> That's impressive



Thanks, something that small is pretty difficult. It took me about an hour to get it to where I was happy with it. The hardest part is getting the retention just right ;-)


----------



## KITROBASKIN (Sep 10, 2013)

Great to see the kydex holster for the sc52. Home created items like that deserve much respect, but only if they work the way the owner wants. Hats off to you!


----------



## markr6 (Sep 12, 2013)

After using my SC52w for about a month now, I have to say I'm not very impressed with it on the 14500. The runtime is clearly shorter, even when not using 500lm H1 mode.

Besides, it also starts acting strange when I do try using turbo when the battery is weaker. With 2 flashes, turbo still functions fine. But when I double click to get into H2, it does that, but then goes into the the next lower H2 with another double click INSTEAD of back up to 500lm H1. At this point it is now stuck in the two lower H2 modes with any additional double clicks. If I turn it off then back on or cycle by holding switch down, the 500lm mode is back, and does not step down - telling me this is not a low voltage issue.

Does that make sense with the 14500? Or am I missing something?


----------



## roadkill1109 (Sep 12, 2013)

markr6 said:


> After using my SC52w for about a month now, I have to say I'm not very impressed with it on the 14500. The runtime is clearly shorter, even when not using 500lm H1 mode.
> 
> Besides, it also starts acting strange when I do try using turbo when the battery is weaker. With 2 flashes, turbo still functions fine. But when I double click to get into H2, it does that, but then goes into the the next lower H2 with another double click INSTEAD of back up to 500lm H1. At this point it is now stuck in the two lower H2 modes with any additional double clicks. If I turn it off then back on or cycle by holding switch down, the 500lm mode is back, and does not step down - telling me this is not a low voltage issue.
> 
> Does that make sense with the 14500? Or am I missing something?





Sounds like a battery problem. I use a 14500 cell as well, when I have bad cells the sc52 will detect and step down the light even if the battery is newly charged. Try replacing the cell with a brand new cell and this issuw will go away. Try using a protected 14500 cell based on the Sanyo cell.


----------



## hurld (Sep 12, 2013)

roadkill1109 said:


> Sounds like a battery problem. I use a 14500 cell as well, when I have bad cells the sc52 will detect and step down the light even if the battery is newly charged. Try replacing the cell with a brand new cell and this issuw will go away. Try using a protected 14500 cell based on the Sanyo cell.



Definitely sounds like a battery problem. I run AW 14500's with no problems down with 2 flashes on battery check.


----------



## markr6 (Sep 12, 2013)

I'm using a fairly new Zebralight 14500. Probably only charged a few times, never below 3.7v if I recall. I'll check the voltage when I get home tonight; all I know right now is that it's at 2 flashes. I'm not really seeing the benefit of 14500 over the Eneloop so I may just call it quits.


----------



## RedForest UK (Sep 12, 2013)

markr6 said:


> After using my SC52w for about a month now, I have to say I'm not very impressed with it on the 14500. The runtime is clearly shorter, even when not using 500lm H1 mode.
> 
> Besides, it also starts acting strange when I do try using turbo when the battery is weaker. With 2 flashes, turbo still functions fine. But when I double click to get into H2, it does that, but then goes into the the next lower H2 with another double click INSTEAD of back up to 500lm H1. At this point it is now stuck in the two lower H2 modes with any additional double clicks. If I turn it off then back on or cycle by holding switch down, the 500lm mode is back, and does not step down - telling me this is not a low voltage issue.
> 
> Does that make sense with the 14500? Or am I missing something?



It isn't going into the next lower H2, it's dropping down to M1 mode and then cycling at the medium level. When you try to put it back to H1 the high current load drops it down below the low voltage stepdown instantly and behaves accordingly. Mine does the same.

If you turn it off and on or cycle through low then the voltage does recover a tiny bit and it will make it back into H1, but I would bet only for a few seconds.


----------



## creyc (Sep 12, 2013)

markr6 said:


> I'm using a fairly new Zebralight 14500. Probably only charged a few times, never below 3.7v if I recall. I'll check the voltage when I get home tonight; all I know right now is that it's at 2 flashes. I'm not really seeing the benefit of 14500 over the Eneloop so I may just call it quits.



The total energy capacity is roughly similar between an Eneloop and a 14500, so keep in mind if you're experiencing the benefits of increased output intensity, your runtime must logically go down. If the brightness is sufficient I always prefer the NiMH cells.


----------



## roadkill1109 (Sep 12, 2013)

markr6 said:


> I'm using a fairly new Zebralight 14500. Probably only charged a few times, never below 3.7v if I recall. I'll check the voltage when I get home tonight; all I know right now is that it's at 2 flashes. I'm not really seeing the benefit of 14500 over the Eneloop so I may just call it quits.



even if the voltage is 4.25v, if the sc52 can detect the cell can't handle the load, it drops the 500 lumen output. Believe me, i have dozens of 14500 cells and the cheap-o and defective ones cant hit max on this light, it will step down to the 200+ range, almost right away.

do change your 14500 cell or send it back for replacement, you might have a defective one.


----------



## burntoshine (Sep 12, 2013)

hurld said:


> Definitely sounds like a battery problem. I run AW 14500's with no problems down with 2 flashes on battery check.



Same here. AW. No problems. The ones I just got say "+ Power" on them; what does that mean?

I was recommended AW batteries and the Pila charger when I was first getting into Li-ions and have had zero problems.

Aren't Li-ions supposed to be able to handle cold and hot temperatures better than NiMH? I thought I heard or read that somewhere.


----------



## Sky Light (Sep 12, 2013)

I just got a Zebralight SC52 and was testing the run time on M1 with a regular alkaline. After about 2+ hours, the light start blinking (pulsing) rapidly and sometimes unevenly (not the strobe). I changed levels/turned it off, and the light returned normally, only to start doing that again a bit later. It happened about 5 times during the 7 or so hours I ran it. Toward the end, it kicked into a lower mode and there was no more flickering. Anyone else experience this?
I love the light but an wondering if I have a defective unit?


----------



## AmperSand (Sep 12, 2013)

markr6 said:


> I'm using a fairly new Zebralight 14500. Probably only charged a few times, never below 3.7v if I recall. I'll check the voltage when I get home tonight; all I know right now is that it's at 2 flashes. I'm not really seeing the benefit of 14500 over the Eneloop so I may just call it quits.



I had this behaviour with mine too.
Take the tailcap off and clean the contact area below the threads (the only bit of exposed aluminium right at the end of the light) and make sure the tailcap is really tight up against it. I say this because I felt the tailcap was on tight using keeppower 14500's, but even a fraction of a turn more made the difference.
Mine used to show only 2 flashes, clean as described above and tighten really well and would go back to 4.
Also would drop to m1 from h1 within a few seconds.
After cleaning would maintain h1 as per normal. 
Also I like to use deoxit gold on contact surface and spring.
Not sure if it's the problem here. But worth trying.


----------



## RiCu (Sep 13, 2013)

Hi. Paid for my '52 last night at Flashaholics, can't wait to receive it. Chose it entirely based on recommendations on this forum.

My first "real" flashlight, been using various LED Lensers and Maglites for years, but always found their output underwhelming.


----------



## roadkill1109 (Sep 13, 2013)

RiCu said:


> Hi. Paid for my '52 last night at Flashaholics, can't wait to receive it. Chose it entirely based on recommendations on this forum.
> 
> My first "real" flashlight, been using various LED Lensers and Maglites for years, but always found their output underwhelming.



Congrats! You have purchased a great light. Worth every penny. When you are more at ease with the light and wish to get blown away, get a protected 14500 cell and you will be more blown away! 

Be careful about lurking this forum, you'll end up buying more lights!  hahaha... im currently on 3 dozen and still buying! haha...


----------



## markr6 (Sep 13, 2013)

RedForest UK said:


> It isn't going into the next lower H2, it's dropping down to M1 mode and then cycling at the medium level. When you try to put it back to H1 the high current load drops it down below the low voltage stepdown instantly and behaves accordingly. Mine does the same.
> 
> If you turn it off and on or cycle through low then the voltage does recover a tiny bit and it will make it back into H1, but I would bet only for a few seconds.



YUP! Tried this last night and that's right. I guess my eyes couldn't tell it was in the M-modes. Luckily no problem at all with my battery, as expected.

Thanks!


----------



## RiCu (Sep 14, 2013)

Mine came through today. I can't believe how small it is!

Looking forward to a night time dog walk to give it a go - think I already want more lumens...


----------



## MattSPL (Sep 14, 2013)

RiCu said:


> Mine came through today. I can't believe how small it is!
> 
> Looking forward to a night time dog walk to give it a go - think I already want more lumens...



Are you using a 14500?


----------



## RiCu (Sep 14, 2013)

No, Energizer Alkaline.

Need to read up the dos and don'ts about 14500s before taking that plunge....


----------



## MattSPL (Sep 14, 2013)

RiCu said:


> No, Energizer Alkaline.
> 
> Need to read up the dos and don'ts about 14500s before taking that plunge....



Yeah have a good read, but if you want more lumens from the sc52, 14500's are the way to go. REALLY bright on a 14500


----------



## roadkill1109 (Sep 18, 2013)

MattSPL said:


> Yeah have a good read, but if you want more lumens from the sc52, 14500's are the way to go. REALLY bright on a 14500



yup, 500 lumens! tough act to follow! the closest light to this is the PA10 from Jetbeam at 650 lumens.


----------



## Wiggle (Sep 18, 2013)

Just wanna speak to the durability of this light. I've used it as an EDC almost everyday from Christmas (about 9 months) and it still looks effectively brand new. I can only see two tiny dents in the annodizing, and both are on sharp edges that are generally more prone to damage. This light is showing less wear than any EDC I've ever used. I also think the Green colour is good because even if you do scratch it, it shows alot less than with a traditional black light.


----------



## roadkill1109 (Sep 18, 2013)

Wiggle said:


> Just wanna speak to the durability of this light. I've used it as an EDC almost everyday from Christmas (about 9 months) and it still looks effectively brand new. I can only see two tiny dents in the annodizing, and both are on sharp edges that are generally more prone to damage. This light is showing less wear than any EDC I've ever used. I also think the Green colour is good because even if you do scratch it, it shows alot less than with a traditional black light.


 thanks for the share, so you haven't had any problems with the light? Me I use it daily as a night light, then EDC it during the day.


----------



## mhpreston (Sep 18, 2013)

I'm happy with mine and will change over batts when I can (alkaline at present). I did read another thread where water ingress was causing concern. I haven't tested mine but now believe it should be OK in the rain but avoid immersing it completely.


----------



## stevenkelby (Sep 18, 2013)

I've used it for 100+ hours day and night, never had a problem and it's a tough light, minimal chips form dropping etc.

Edit, I don't get it wet, wouldn't trust the bezel to be watertight.


----------



## roadkill1109 (Sep 19, 2013)

mhpreston said:


> I'm happy with mine and will change over batts when I can (alkaline at present). I did read another thread where water ingress was causing concern. I haven't tested mine but now believe it should be OK in the rain but avoid immersing it completely.


 Yeah, you'll love it more with a 14500. You may also want to use an eneloop to be safe in case those alkalines leak. Energizer Lithium would be fine too. At any rate, I've gone to the beach / swimming with mine, so far no issues, not like the other brand (which I will not mention here) where mist started to show underneath the glass.


----------



## roadkill1109 (Sep 19, 2013)

stevenkelby said:


> I've used it for 100+ hours day and night, never had a problem and it's a tough light, minimal chips form dropping etc.
> 
> Edit, I don't get it wet, wouldn't trust the bezel to be watertight.


 Yeah, if water can be avoided, by all means, but I can assure the people here that mine survived a swim at the beach. My initial worry was the clip or screw rusting. hopefully it's really SS.


----------



## itsme1234 (Sep 19, 2013)

I bent the clip twice since december just by wearing it hanging on the inside in jeans pocket. Pity because I really liked it thet way and now I keep it just in my man purse. Otherwise no problems.


----------



## roadkill1109 (Sep 19, 2013)

itsme1234 said:


> I bent the clip twice since december just by wearing it hanging on the inside in jeans pocket. Pity because I really liked it thet way and now I keep it just in my man purse. Otherwise no problems.


 You could order a replacement clip if that's a bother.


----------



## roadkill1109 (Sep 19, 2013)

I've been so impressed about the SC52 that I am trying to decide whether to buy another one to keep or get the SC600 MkII? Any advise?


----------



## KITROBASKIN (Sep 19, 2013)

Did a brief chat with illumination supply this afternoon. Maybe October for pre order on the SC62. I'm holding out til then.


----------



## itsme1234 (Sep 20, 2013)

roadkill1109 said:


> You could order a replacement clip if that's a bother.



Are they available for sale (can't find them) or they just send you one as courtesy?


----------



## reppans (Sep 20, 2013)

Roadkill,

Now that you have the SC52 (and I know you have a bunch of Quarks...and QAAX, I believe) could you compare the 0.3 and 3 lumen modes of both lights which are supposed to be of the same lumen specs? I'm trying to determine if my SC52 is defective, here's what mine looks like:

clicky

(although it would explain how ZL gets 2-3x the runtime of the QAAX)


----------



## creyc (Sep 20, 2013)

So..I'm not sure if I even qualify as an SC52 owner anymore. I hardly remember what the darn thing even looks like! 

Yet oddly I'm tempted to order another one just to cure the itch until the replacement gets back! Addicted? haha



The life of my SC52w:


----------



## roadkill1109 (Sep 21, 2013)

KITROBASKIN said:


> Did a brief chat with illumination supply this afternoon. Maybe October for pre order on the SC62. I'm holding out til then.



got any specs?


----------



## roadkill1109 (Sep 21, 2013)

itsme1234 said:


> Are they available for sale (can't find them) or they just send you one as courtesy?



contact support directly.


----------



## roadkill1109 (Sep 21, 2013)

reppans said:


> Roadkill,
> 
> Now that you have the SC52 (and I know you have a bunch of Quarks...and QAAX, I believe) could you compare the 0.3 and 3 lumen modes of both lights which are supposed to be of the same lumen specs? I'm trying to determine if my SC52 is defective, here's what mine looks like:
> 
> ...



ZL's lower. I will upload some pics to show this soon.


----------



## KITROBASKIN (Sep 21, 2013)

roadkill1109 said:


> got any specs?



i did not ask for specs, just hoping they heard something recently. I read on another thread that Illumination Supply is trying to get firm dates from Zebralight for the new models. Those members who keep up with ZL stuff have no reason to expect anything, anytime soon. We get 'em when we get 'em.

I was out last night with my son in the mixed forest of the central mountains in New Mexico and I have to say that the Nitecore TM 26 is the way to go for this country. The SC52 is great for being so small and light but really lacks runtime for the bright settings. Hence my willingness to consider a SC62 in a pleasing tint.

one analogy that has probably already been used in this forum would be the individual who is licensed to carry and realizes a small and light handgun meets the criteria for daily carry but when the flag goes up, a rifle or shotgun is clearly the way to go. As bright as the SC52 is on burst, one can see SO much more with the 3500 lumen/ 1700 lumen Nitecore. In a bear/coyote/mountain lion/psycho situation, that's big (obviously). By the way, the 1700 lumen setting works almost as well as the 3500 turbo, and lasts longer.

so if the SC52 is a compact 9mm pistol, I'm thinking I may want a .45 with spare mags (SC62 Zebralight) for every night carry. During the day, I carry a (now discontinued) Photon ReX on a Metolious compact carabiner, that gets used a lot more than one would think. 

Regarding specs for the SC62:
On one of the sc62 threads a member from Romania or Georgia (?), named Evegeni or something had some credible sounding information that he used to speculate the intensity of a Luxeon T driven sc62. Like any higher CRI torch, the output is not as bright when you look at the numbers, but comparing it in real time, it is good enough if you value decent color rendering.

On a side note:
in an effort to keep some back up 18650's vital, I keep them stored at about 3.8 volts but use them every few months or so in a "classic" Surefire U2. Taking it out last night for navigating, I compared the tint with the TM26, SC52 and an almost as old Olight T25 ( I still love my old Olight T15, beautiful neutral cast, tight hotspot with wide, faint spill). The Surefire seemed to have the most realistic look with the greens and browns of the forest but the SC52 made the colors pop almost as interestingly as the TM26. The T25 has the dingy green thing going on too but is OK for the forest as well. The Surefire on a white wall has a hint of magenta/rose to it, with a slight dim area in the center of the hot spot, but is cherished none the less.


----------



## RIX TUX (Sep 21, 2013)

zl is the worst about new lights coming out when you first hear about one.
Could be 1-2 years.


----------



## StorminMatt (Sep 25, 2013)

This may be a little out in left field. But has anyone ever thought your SC52 is a pot pipe? When I pulled mine out the other day, a friend of mine actually looked at it with a rather surprised look and told me that he didn't know I smoked.


----------



## Mr Floppy (Sep 26, 2013)

StorminMatt said:


> When I pulled mine out the other day, a friend of mine actually looked at it with a rather surprised look and told me that he didn't know I smoked.



You could still light it up ...


----------



## StorminMatt (Sep 26, 2013)

Mr Floppy said:


> You could still light it up ...



You sure can! And if someone else needs a light, you've got them covered, too.


----------



## b30nepi (Nov 15, 2013)

I just received my first Zebralight today. Mine is the SC52w. Everything is nicely done on it. It does not appear to have any overly green or yellow tint. I lubed the threads and O-ring. The light passed a very quick cup of water test as well which I was nervous to try. The only slight problem I had was inserting an Eagletac 14500. It is very tight and would surely get a little stuck (using a standard AA eneloop was not a problem and fit perfectly. I took the sticker label off of the Eagletac battery and it was still a tight fit. I then wrapped some sandpaper around a small marker/pen and rubbed down the inside of the battery tube. Everything seems to fit much better now withought getting stuck. I don't fault the light on this small issue, it is possibly a size difference with the Eagletac 14500 battery. Overall it is not something I would worry about. I have read other 14500 batteries fit fine. I am pleased with this light so far. Now off to go play around with it some more.


----------



## Wiggle (Nov 15, 2013)

creyc said:


> The total energy capacity is roughly similar between an Eneloop and a 14500, so keep in mind if you're experiencing the benefits of increased output intensity, your runtime must logically go down. If the brightness is sufficient I always prefer the NiMH cells.



I always choose the 14500, it has several benefits IMO:

1) 500 lumen burst
2) Easy to apply a top off charge (especially helpful on an EDC)
3) Noticeably lighter (especially since the SC52 itself is not much bigger than the cell)
4) Flatter output on H1 (AA tends to continually taper on H1, Li-ion holds regulation much better)


----------



## blackFFM (Nov 16, 2013)

b30nepi said:


> The only slight problem I had was inserting an Eagletac 14500. It is very tight and would surely get a little stuck (using a standard AA eneloop was not a problem and fit perfectly.




FYI I use an Eagletac 14500 and it fits just fine. There is still plenty of wiggle room.


----------



## d.weglarz13 (Nov 16, 2013)

Ok, well got mine yesterday. Today I tried an Eagletac 14500, and too tight. So, off came the sticker!.......Still very tight, but got it in. I just had to try the 14500.....But, nothing happened. Did not even turn on. So, after some worrying and slamming my fists together panicking as I tried to remove it, finally out it came. Put an eneloop back in, works fine. It was only 6 bucks, but I will not be using that cell anymore. I will wait until I get the ZL 14500 that I ordered. So, yea. 

dave


----------



## RIX TUX (Nov 16, 2013)

A battery that may pack more punch is the energizer lithium primary ? Anybody tried one ?


----------



## d.weglarz13 (Nov 16, 2013)

Just noticed my clip on my brand new light is able to move back and forth. But, its not aligned perfect. When i push it over to where it should be straight, its just needs to go another hair to be straight. So, im guessing the holes are not perfect in the light or the clip. Should I tighten the screws? they are small, so I don't want to strip them. But the clip can rock back and forth a little, and thats annoying. Any advice appreciated.

edit: I think im gonna get another one though, because this thing is just outright perfect! I need a back up just in case, and i don't think i can live with just one of these lights....! 
dave


----------



## PoliceScannerMan (Nov 16, 2013)

Just be careful and use the right size Phillips.


----------



## d.weglarz13 (Nov 16, 2013)

Okay, stupid me. I used a #1 phillips, and when i loosened it, it went perfectly straight. I can't put this stinkin' light down!!!


dave


----------



## sam7 (Nov 20, 2013)

*Re: SC52F / SC52Fw*

Wait, what? What is the difference with the SC52F / SC52Fw, other than being slightly less bright? Are these new? http://www.zebralight.com/SC52F-AA-Floody-Flashlight-Cool-White_p_133.html **Edit: Frosted glass?


----------



## cyclesport (Nov 20, 2013)

*Re: SC52F / SC52Fw*



sam7 said:


> Wait, what? What is the difference with the SC52F / SC52Fw, other than being slightly less bright? Are these new? http://www.zebralight.com/SC52F-AA-Floody-Flashlight-Cool-White_p_133.html **Edit: Frosted glass?



Interesting...I wasn't aware these were available till I saw your post sam. These are apparently newly released versions of the SC52 w/frosted glass in cool and neutral tints, utilizing XM-L emitters (*instead of the newer XM-L2's?...perhaps an effort to better control tint variation?) Also output is listed slightly lower due to the diffusion of the glass. I see on ZL's site that these are shown as available for purchase, yet are not shown on their comparison spreadsheet. Perhaps others on this board know more...


----------



## moozooh (Nov 20, 2013)

*Re: SC52F / SC52Fw*

Tints should improve with frosted lenses regardless, simply because there's no AR coating needed and all luma/chroma shifts between hotspot, corona, and spill are more or less uniformly blended into one.


----------



## Swede74 (Nov 20, 2013)

*Re: SC52F / SC52Fw*

Hmm...I think the SC52 with the XML is floody enough for most purposes - with several low levels to choose from and the orange peel reflector smoothing out the beam, I have never experienced any problems with glare or an annoyingly bright hotspot when using the light for close-up work. I'm a big fan of Zebralight, but I can't help thinking that launching the SC52F and SC52Fw is a compensation for the postponement of the SC32 and their 3*AA model rather than an active effort to widen their selection. I'd much rather see a slightly larger single AA light with a screw-on bezel, and that they offered clear, frosted and coloured replacement lenses.


----------



## markr6 (Nov 20, 2013)

*Re: SC52F / SC52Fw*

Wow, for someone like me that prefers floodier lights, the SC52 is already enough. I think it's perfect as is, but if anything, I think the SC52 could use more throw.


----------



## funkychateau (Nov 20, 2013)

passive101 said:


> I received my SC52 today and this light is TINY! (I know the ironic part of using large capital letters for that)
> 
> I don't know of ZebraLights past quality issues, but it says it has a 12 month warranty and it looks and feels well built. The light is very little and light and the length of it is even smaller then my last few single 123A lights! Amazing how small and bright these things are getting.
> 
> The battery level w/ the 4 flashes is handy and I get that. I have read the instructions several times, but I don't understand the special settings with 6 presses that doesn't seem to do anything. The regular light settings seem to work goo though. I'm probably not understanding what to do and don't understand what other settings are available that it can remember or use or what order they would go in.



The first couple of tries, I also was confused by the "6-click" programming on my SC600-II. Then I figured out that the light MUST already be in secondary (H2, M2, or L2) mode for the programming to activate. After that, six clicks allows you to program the secondary level (from a menu of two or three choices) for whichever of the three modes (H, M, or L) you are working in. 

Once in programming mode, you double-click to cycle between the secondary choices, then single-click to turn the light off and memorize once the choice is made. There also seems to be a "bug" in the programming, in that you sometimes have to double-click several times before the light will be cycling through all available options.


----------



## CrazyM (Nov 20, 2013)

I originally thought the 6-click programming was buggy as well, but upon further investigation it is 6 'double-clicks'. If you do that it goes into programming everytime and it doesnt matter if you are in the primary or secondary modes.

Zebralight got it right. It does what the instructions say, everytime (for me anyway).


----------



## stevenkelby (Nov 21, 2013)

To get into programming I don't bother counting or double clicking, I just click a lot! Eventually (after 6 double clicks, if I do count) the light starts cycling through 3 different levels instead of just 2 different levels. Easy.


----------



## sam7 (Nov 21, 2013)

stevenkelby said:


> To get into programming I don't bother counting or double clicking, I just click a lot! Eventually (after 6 double clicks, if I do count) the light starts cycling through 3 different levels instead of just 2 different levels. Easy.


 Nice tip, thanks.


----------



## funkychateau (Nov 21, 2013)

CrazyM said:


> I originally thought the 6-click programming was buggy as well, but upon further investigation it is 6 'double-clicks'. If you do that it goes into programming everytime and it doesnt matter if you are in the primary or secondary modes.
> 
> Zebralight got it right. It does what the instructions say, everytime (for me anyway).



So it is essentially 12 clicks before the sequencing starts? That would explain the need to do 3 extra double-clicks


----------



## DaFABRICATA (Nov 21, 2013)

I suppose this picture would be good reference for anyone wanting to know what the driver inside of the SC52 looks like.

Since Zebralight uses press fit rings to seal their lights, making it extremely difficult to open, I chucked up the sacrificial lamb in the mill vise and removed the aluminum from around the driver and in the process saved all the components for a custom build using the SC52 UI. Since the SC52 uses a momentary switch to turn On/Off/switch modes, I figured it'd be a good candidate of a PD style switch. 

Anyway, heres the driver:


----------



## PoliceScannerMan (Nov 21, 2013)

Wow, I hope you post a thread once the build is done. Nice!


----------



## DaFABRICATA (Nov 21, 2013)

PoliceScannerMan said:


> Wow, I hope you post a thread once the build is done. Nice!




Check the "Homemade & Modified" section...http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...ht-SC52-PD-my-first-complete-flashlight-build


----------



## d.weglarz13 (Nov 21, 2013)

Anyone remember what the factory levels were set at for low,med,high and l2,m2,h2? Ive been playing with this thing so much I forgot what the factory had it set at. Thanks


----------



## Wiggle (Nov 23, 2013)

I believe they were all set to the highest available.


----------



## d.weglarz13 (Nov 23, 2013)

Oh ok. Thank you

I still can't believe how low this light can go. .01 lumens is just nuts. I find myself using the .34 and .06 the most.


Edit: can anyone confirm that this light has NO reverse polarity protection? I don't want to make a mistake putting a new battery in the light in the dark. And these ZL14500s are hard to tell by touch which side is positive and negative. So just want to make sure. Thanks


----------



## MojaveMoon07 (Dec 1, 2013)

I took delivery of an SC52F that I purchased directly from Zebralight. After evaluating it indoors and outdoors and after comparing it with several of our cool white flashlights, I'm certain this SC52F has a green tint on all levels of brightness. The problem with this green tint goes beyond aesthetics.; the green tint interferes with my ability to understand the details of what I am looking at and would therefore be unsuitable for indoor or outdoor use for the person for whom I purchased it.

But I do not know what the best course is for resolving this through Zebralight.

I see that Zebralight is using an XM-L2 Cool White in their H52F in contrast to the XM-L Cool White in their SC52F.

- Should I ask Zebralight for permission to exchange the SC52F for an H52F ?

- If I ask Zebralight to exchange the SC52F for another SC52F, is it possible to request that someone at Zebralight check the replacement SC52F in order to be 100% certain it does not have the same or worse green tint ?

- I am seeing posts from those very pleased with the XM-L2 Neutral White being used in the H52w _(it's also being used in the H52Fw)_. While I would prefer a cool white for the family member for whom I purchased the SC52F, should I ask to exchange it for an H52Fw if there is too much risk of receiving a green-tinted SC52F or H52F ?


----------



## KITROBASKIN (Dec 1, 2013)

Maybe you need a light with a high CRI? What is it that you are doing that the green tint is messing you up?

After 6 months trying to live with a green tinted SC52 XML, my elderly mother asked for a more powerful flashlight. Sent her the sc62 with lithium primary AA inside. Brightest torch she has ever had. Has not said anything about the tint...

That allowed me to order an H600w L2 from Illumination Supply, gave them my CPF username and asked to put the EagTac 18650 I also ordered, in it and check the tint. Fingers crossed. Mostly good reports about the L2 neutrals from what I have seen, but the cool white? Some good comments with the L2 cool white as you have probably read (SC600 L2)

if you really want to stick with ZebraLight, get an L2. Or wait (maybe a very long time) to see what the SC62d will be like. It will have a Luxeon T, higher Color Rendering Index rating of 85, compared to 75 for the neutral L2, and 65 for the cool white. You say you want cool white though....

Can someone else with more knowledge help this person?


----------



## marinemaster (Dec 1, 2013)

I always ordered cool white from ZL and they are all white (not cool). They say cool white but really they are pretty much spot on white (not cool). 
Also what happens in time, these LED's are driven pretty hard so I have noticed a color poop over time to a more neutral tint. 

My old SF U2 Ultra with Seoul LED that WAS cool white.


----------



## MojaveMoon07 (Dec 1, 2013)

Thank you both for your replies.

I had not read any of the H600 thread prior to your post because my family only uses AA and AAA based flashlights. But I searched the current H600 thread for any instances of "cool white" and read the posts wherein, as you pointed out, the members could not observe any green in their XML2. Thank you for the heads up about this. Maybe I should mention this aspect of their XML2 to Zebralight when asking them if it is reasonable to ask to exchange the SC52F for an H52F.

On the other hand when marinemaster posted that all his Zebralight cool white units have all been white without any off tint, then maybe I have a good chance of receiving a proper tint if I exchange this SC52F for another like unit. Prior to his post but after I had bought the SC52F, I found a post wherein someone compared her SC52 with her other Zebralights, and I was concerned about whether the blue tint of her SC52 was typical or a-typical _(link)_

If I set the brightness to one where I safely look directly at the lens without hurting my eyes like 0.3 lm, I can see a green crown around the led. I wondered if the green is in the hotspot and corona or just in the corona.

"_Maybe you need a light with a high CRI? What is it that you are doing that the green tint is messing you up?_"

I have shown neutral white and neutral white-ish tints to a family member. She recognizes the difference in tint between cool white and n.w. but needs the extra brightness from cool white.

As far as what about the green tint that is messing me up ... The green tint is a less severe version of the tint of the DA3 pictured in this thread _(link)_. I have good vision, but the green tinted SC52F messes up my perception of colors which in turn messes up a little bit my feeling of balance and depth perception indoors and outdoors. Our other cool white flashlights even the ones with a cold cool white tint don't have a green tint and don't give me this disoriented feeling. I hope what I am saying makes sense; it's hard to describe it better than that. To put it another way, the green tint makes everything look foreign/other world-ly.

I understand the sense of your suggestion to what for the d-version. But I hope the beam pattern of the frosted lens will be useful enough to a family member that, if Zebralight can exchange this for unit without the green tint, maybe something is better than nothing.

"_Also what happens in time, these LED's are driven pretty hard so I have noticed a color poop over time to a more neutral tint._"

Thank you for mentioning this. I've come across this before from members, and this passed through my mind while evaluating the SC52F. But I wondered how long my family would have to put up with the green tint until if and when the color shift occurs on our unit.


----------



## KITROBASKIN (Dec 1, 2013)

Yeah the other reason I went to the H600w was for more runtime. If you want bright, that 14500 or worse, alkaline AA won't last a whole long time. But maybe you don't need bright for sustained events. Your family member needs bright? 1000 lumens (any of the newer 18650 ZL's) on neutral white is bright, hopefully without green, yellow, or rose.

I respect what you are saying about the effect of the green tint; me too to a certain degree. I was using my old Olight in the house because the sc52 was so dreary inside, keeping the ZL for the field-longer distances. As you probably know, ZL has a 30 day return pledge. Exercise it.

Different people see colors differently. The tint on my (cool white) Nitecore TM26 is OK (bit of green cast on lower settings). As far as the green tint diminishing on the SC52; did not happen with me.

Funny about marinemaster saying his SureFire U2 was cool white. I got a U2 when they came out (A01815) and although it is a pleasant beam, with a pure white hotspot (slight, small fade in the very middle) it definitely has a rose, fuchsia, magenta cast, on the outer edge of the spill. My old Olight T15 (Cree Q5?) is the purest white torch owned but the old Olight T25 is green. 

Good Luck


----------



## MojaveMoon07 (Dec 2, 2013)

Thank you for all that you pointed out in your reply to me






Regarding "_bright_", I need to clarify. When I have shown this family member first a cool white tint of some other brand followed by a neutral white(-ish) tint of comparable lumens and comparable hot spot size, her eyes could see the cool white better than the other. I'm fumbling for words; that's about how I can think of to put it.


----------



## dlong0609 (Dec 4, 2013)

Based on the glowing reports in this thread and elsewhere in the CPF, I purchased a ZL SC52W which arrived today. It functions normally on a L91. When I insert a Titanium Innovations primary 14500, the light will almost immediately reset to the L position after a brief flash on what I believe to be H. I don't use rechargable 14500's, but I believe the full charge voltage would be higher than the 3.07V measured on my primary. Do I have a defective light or is there something in the UI that I don't understand. And yes, I am waiting for a response from Bright Guy.


----------



## funkychateau (Dec 4, 2013)

marinemaster said:


> I have noticed a color poop over time to a more neutral tint.



That would be a shift toward the brown end of the spectrum?


----------



## cyclesport (Dec 4, 2013)

dlong0609 said:


> Based on the glowing reports in this thread and elsewhere in the CPF, I purchased a ZL SC52W which arrived today. It functions normally on a L91. When I insert a Titanium Innovations primary 14500, the light will almost immediately reset to the L position after a brief flash on what I believe to be H. I don't use rechargable 14500's, but I believe the full charge voltage would be higher than the 3.07V measured on my primary. Do I have a defective light or is there something in the UI that I don't understand. And yes, I am waiting for a response from Bright Guy.


The brief flash, IMO is normal. I have two SC52's (one cool/one neutral) and the new H52w and they all exhibit this flash and default to low during battery changes, most of the time...although I use Li-ion's 95% of the time.


----------



## reppans (Dec 4, 2013)

dlong0609 said:


> Based on the glowing reports in this thread and elsewhere in the CPF, I purchased a ZL SC52W which arrived today. It functions normally on a L91. When I insert a Titanium Innovations primary 14500, the light will almost immediately reset to the L position after a brief flash on what I believe to be H. I don't use rechargable 14500's, but I believe the full charge voltage would be higher than the 3.07V measured on my primary. Do I have a defective light or is there something in the UI that I don't understand. And yes, I am waiting for a response from Bright Guy.



This light won't support CRAAs/14505s, and also IFR cells, due to the battery meter - it's designed for higher voltage ICR cells and so will read CRAAs/IFRs as dead ICRs and automatically step you down to medium. Like automatic transmissions, some user flexibility and control will always be lost when things are made idiot proof. 

You'll need either infinitely variable magnetic ring lights, or Quarks, to fully support the CRAA/14505 cell.


----------



## dlong0609 (Dec 4, 2013)

Thanks reppans...you may be correct regarding the primary 14500's in the SC52. They do seem to work fine in my D25A clicky and MDC AA.


----------



## reppans (Dec 4, 2013)

I have the 2012 D25A clicky and it loses some of the lower modes on higher voltages - I understand the 2013s retains distinct modes, but they will all shift up a bit - that's considered partial support. I also have (had) the MDC AA (0.6/5/125 version) and it didn't get any brighter on a CRAA so there was no point in using it. I understand the earlier version (25/100??) went direct drive (no lower modes) on higher voltage cells.


----------



## GunnarGG (Dec 5, 2013)

*Sv: Zebralight SC52 Owner's Thread*



dlong0609 said:


> Based on the glowing reports in this thread and elsewhere in the CPF, I purchased a ZL SC52W which arrived today. It functions normally on a L91. When I insert a Titanium Innovations primary 14500, the light will almost immediately reset to the L position after a brief flash on what I believe to be H. I don't use rechargable 14500's, but I believe the full charge voltage would be higher than the 3.07V measured on my primary. Do I have a defective light or is there something in the UI that I don't understand. And yes, I am waiting for a response from Bright Guy.



Maybe the light thinks that your primary lithium battery is an almost empty li-ion and therefor steps down.

Edit: I missad a whole page on tapatalk where this already have been discussed. Sorry.

Skickat från min GT-I9100 via Tapatalk 2


----------



## lightliker (Dec 5, 2013)

*Re: Sv: Zebralight SC52 Owner's Thread*

A week ago I pulled the plunge, mailed Zebralight that I really dislike greenish lights (like my Olight Baton10 and a bit lesser, my BatonS20) and were assured that they would hand pick an as white as possible SC52, great! They advised me to chose a cool white version because this BIN has less risk of getting a greeny.I hope the customs in The Netherlands won't delay my package too much in order to receive this beauty before Christmas. I also ordered 4 14500 L-Ions at CNQualitygoods.com and hope they arrive at the same time as the light.I can't wait till this new EDC light arrivés!!:devil:


----------



## noboneshotdog (Dec 5, 2013)

*Re: Sv: Zebralight SC52 Owner's Thread*

How soon do you think they will come out w the PID version of this light? It looks like every new light they have come out w is now PID. Bet it will be no time before this light is retired like they did to the SC600 and well all be updating our lights within a year. I'm looking forward to it, but do feel though I'm being stringed on a bit.:huh:


----------



## Etsu (Dec 6, 2013)

*Re: Sv: Zebralight SC52 Owner's Thread*

Would PID thermal regulation make much of a difference on a SC52? If you're running it on a 14500 cell, maybe. But on a NiMH cell or an alkaline, it can only go up to 280 lumens anyway, so PID wouldn't be much use. I've always though of the SC52 as a light designed to be run on regular cells, and the SC600 as being the light beast that runs on lithium. So PID makes sense on the SC600, but not so much on the SC52.


----------



## markr6 (Dec 6, 2013)

*Re: Sv: Zebralight SC52 Owner's Thread*

Yeah 500lm on the SC52 drains the battery so fast, it wouldn't be worth it IMO.


----------



## noboneshotdog (Dec 6, 2013)

*Re: Sv: Zebralight SC52 Owner's Thread*

Looks like there even putting PID in there up coming CR123 lights though so I thought they may do the same w this.....maybe not????


----------



## markr6 (Dec 16, 2013)

*Re: Sv: Zebralight SC52 Owner's Thread*

Does anyone wish the SC52 had a different clip? I just noticed my new H52w has a nice deep pocket carry clip and that slight different is HUGE in terms of comfort. There's almost nothing sticking out of the top pocket so it doesn't poke you in the waist/hip when you sit down. Unfortunatley, I plan on using it with the headband only. But it got me thinking why ZL didn't use a different style clip. Still happy with my SC52w though.


----------



## holygeez03 (Jan 29, 2014)

*Re: Sv: Zebralight SC52 Owner's Thread*

Yes *markr6*, a deep-carry pocket clip is a very desirable feature for me as well... one of the major reasons I EDC my H52Fw over my SC52w... I personally hate the screw-on clip of the SC52 since it has the protruding screws and creates a sharp edge where it attaches... but others prefer the security.


----------



## Etsu (Jan 29, 2014)

*Re: Sv: Zebralight SC52 Owner's Thread*



holygeez03 said:


> Yes *markr6*, a deep-carry pocket clip is a very desirable feature for me as well... one of the major reasons I EDC my H52Fw over my SC52w... I personally hate the screw-on clip of the SC52 since it has the protruding screws and creates a sharp edge where it attaches... but others prefer the security.



The Quarks design uses a secure clip without screws. ZL could do something similar, though maybe it's more expensive than screws.


----------



## holygeez03 (Jan 30, 2014)

*Re: Sv: Zebralight SC52 Owner's Thread*

Agreed Etsu... I carry a Quark AA Tactical Neutral (using 14500) with a "deep carry" clip quite often... I'm amazed that I still use such an old light, but a good tint, good output, and comfortable carry option has given it a lot of life... Now that the SC52w competes with the overall output and offers a better UI when I need multi-modes, I would prefer to carry it more, but it's just not comfortable in work slacks due to the clip design.


----------



## reppans (Jan 30, 2014)

I think the Quark clips look like sh1t... but they are functionally the best I've use too. 

Reversible, spring steel flexible enough to use on a thick brimmed baseball caps (headlamp), no risk of stripping tiny screw heads/threads, and best part is that they're field repairable. Every so often I snag my flashlight clip on a seat belt or something and over bend them - the Quarks can easily be bent back without any tools.


----------



## markr6 (Jan 31, 2014)

I have my SC52w at work today and noticed a spare AAA alkaline in my drawer. I figured I would kill it just for fun! It's been running on "high" for the past 3 hours. Obviously, by now it has stepped down to one of the low modes. Still useable in the dark. No data or anything scientific to report here, but pretty amazing! Interested to see how long it will go.


----------



## EZO (Jan 31, 2014)

markr6 said:


> I have my SC52w at work today and noticed an AAA alkaline in my drawer. I figured I would kill it just for fun! It's been running on "high" for the past 3 hours. Obviously, by now it has stepped down to one of the low modes. Still useable in the dark. No data or anything scientific to report here, but pretty amazing! Interested to see how long it will go.



Don't hold your breath, it may surprise you!


----------



## markr6 (Jan 31, 2014)

EZO said:


> Don't hold your breath, it may surprise you!



Good thing I didn't! It outlasted me, still going solid on low...I'm outta here! I figured the initial high mode would have killed the battery too much for the low mode to last very long.


----------



## Etsu (Jan 31, 2014)

markr6 said:


> Good thing I didn't! It outlasted me, still going solid on low...I'm outta here! I figured the initial high mode would have killed the battery too much for the low mode to last very long.



High may suck 95% of the energy out of the battery, but that still leaves a lot of energy to keep a low mode going for awhile. I've noticed that all my lights that are moonlight-capable can go a very long time after they no longer function on high. They just get dimmer and dimmer until the voltage or current drops too low to operate. Since a ZL has a very, very low moonlight mode, that might be a long time.

I've noticed that turning a light on needs more voltage or current than it does to run them once they're already on. So, leave the light on for as long as it will stay lit, if you want to squeeze every last bit of energy you can out of a battery.


----------



## steveg270 (Aug 16, 2014)

I don't own a SC52 myself but will get one shortly. I did recently purchase one for my son in law who did not own a EDC or a good light at home either. I decided it was time to get him "involved" I did a lot of research and decided that this light would be small enough for him to "break in with" but more importantly it needed to have enough cool features and output to impress him. Well my thoughts were right on. I gave him the light for his birthday and he took to it like a fish to water. He thinks it's "cool" Anyway he showed it off to my other son in law (also no EDC ) and so now I just ordered one for him as well to give to him on his upcoming birthday. I know I have one convert and my guess is I will have two before long. This light is pretty amazing.... of course I played with it a bit before i gave it to him LOL This will be my next purchase for myself as well. PS I went with the sc52W I like the neutral light over a cool white. Plus I read the F version is a greenish tint.


----------



## Oztorchfreak (Aug 16, 2014)

steveg270 said:


> I don't own a SC52 myself but will get one shortly. I did recently purchase one for my son in law who did not own a EDC or a good light at home either. I decided it was time to get him "involved" I did a lot of research and decided that this light would be small enough for him to "break in with" but more importantly it needed to have enough cool features and output to impress him. Well my thoughts were right on. I gave him the light for his birthday and he took to it like a fish to water. He thinks it's "cool" Anyway he showed it off to my other son in law (also no EDC ) and so now I just ordered one for him as well to give to him on his upcoming birthday. I know I have one convert and my guess is I will have two before long. This light is pretty amazing.... of course I played with it a bit before i gave it to him LOL This will be my next purchase for myself as well. PS I went with the sc52W I like the neutral light over a cool white. Plus I read the F version is a greenish tint.





Are you running a Li-Ion battery like a 14500?

If you use AA batteries they are safer for young or new users.

I have had the SC52 since it first came out and it has not missed a beat and I run my one on a 14500 Li-Ion battery to give me more brightness but less runtime.

I carry spare 14500 batteries in my bag anyway so runtime is not a big deal.

I bought the updated SC52 L2 (XM-L2 LED) recently and it is a bit brighter with some changes to how it operates.

I also have the SC600 MKII (XM-L2 LED) and it is a lot brighter and I have had no problems with any of them.

The SC52 L2 is my EDC light nowadays.

Once you get used to the Zebralight user interface it is a breeze to work with as you have many levels to pick from.


*
CHEERS*


----------



## markr6 (Aug 16, 2014)

You'll love the SC52w steveg! The green tint just depends on the emitter provided by Cree, so it's hit or miss. Some are great...I finally got a really nice one on my 52w. I think the f version would be too floody anyway; the sc52w is already plenty floody IMO with the huge hotspot


Sent from my iPhone using Candlepowerforums


----------



## twin63 (Aug 16, 2014)

I picked up an SC52w L2 a couple of weeks ago. It's my first ZL. So far, I like it. It seems to be well constructed and I don't find the UI overly complicated. I think it will get it's share of pocket time.


----------



## Derek Dean (Aug 16, 2014)

twin63, welcome to the forum. The SC52w is a great little light. I hope you enjoy your "first" ZL :devil:.


----------



## twin63 (Aug 17, 2014)

Derek Dean said:


> twin63, welcome to the forum. The SC52w is a great little light. I hope you enjoy your "first" ZL :devil:.


Thanks! My only concern with the light, at first, was the pocket clip. It's a very tight fit, so I was concerned about pocket wear (and having to use 2 hands to remove the light from the pocket). However, after wearing shorts with loose pockets, I'm glad it's tight. The light was actually pushing up and out of my pocket when I sat down. No concerns losing the light with this clip!


----------



## steveg270 (Aug 17, 2014)

Oztorchfreak said:


> Are you running a Li-Ion battery like a 14500?
> 
> If you use AA batteries they are safer for young or new users.
> 
> ...



I set him up on standard AA. I think the light had plenty of power on AA. If he really gets into caring it maybe I will introduce him to the higher power cells but for now I feel he is well off on AA. Thanks for your updates on your lights. take care


----------



## steveg270 (Aug 17, 2014)

markr6 said:


> You'll love the SC52w steveg! The green tint just depends on the emitter provided by Cree, so it's hit or miss. Some are great...I finally got a really nice one on my 52w. I think the f version would be too floody anyway; the sc52w is already plenty floody IMO with the huge hotspot
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Candlepowerforums



I am going to give my second son in law his SC52w next week on his birthday then both my son in laws will own one. HopefullyI will be ordering one for myself as well shortly. I would do it today if I didn't have so many other expenses at the moment. I really love that light. Thanks


----------



## bmo (Aug 18, 2014)

New member here. I was previously EDC'ing an older streamlight protac 1L but I wanted to move on to something that used rechargeable AA's (eneloops in particular). Hadn't done any research on flashlights in a few years and was pleasantly surprised to see that LED tech and AA lights had come a long way. 

After lots of reading here and watching a number of videos I discovered Zebralight and the SC52w. I originally wanted a tailswitch light just because that's what I was used to, but the specs on the Zebralight were too impressive to ignore. 280lm on a single AA? Wow. At any rate, took a chance and bought a SC52w. 

I have to admit I was confused by the UI after reading about it, but in practice it's very intuitive and effective. One of my other requirements for a new EDC light was that it had to be able to turn on in high or turn on in low. The SC52 makes this extremely easy. Then there's the neutral tint. I wasn't 100% sure I'd like the neutral tint without having tried one first, but everything I'd read about it said it was awesome. It really is. Then the size of the light is one of the more impressive aspects. This thing is tiny!

At any rate, having been so impressed with my SC52w and having fallen in love with the Zebralight UI, I already have the SC62w on order to give my Fenix PD35 some competition in the 1x18650 battery class. Can't wait to get it.


----------



## Derek Dean (Aug 18, 2014)

Howdy bmo, and welcome to the forum!
I guess beauty is the eye of the beholder, but I think my new little SC52w is cute as a button. Even so, I to have an SC62w on order. They're kind of like potato chips, one is never enough. Have fun.


----------



## Rod911 (Aug 18, 2014)

I have switched to using 14500 with my SC52w. I found that the highest output with AAs was a bit lacking for me and sometimes, I needed a bit more. I bought a pair of Trustfire and unprotected Sanyo 14500s. So far so good. I was a tad bit worried that the Trusfires won't fit but they fit fine and power the light up on high ok as well. I will be keeping that one AA in those 4*AA cases as back-up.

I don't seem to have any sort of flickering problems has documented by Selfbuilt's review on his SC52. However, I do now see how "green" the tint is on this thing. When comparing it with a C8 I built that has an XP-G2 R5 5A2, the tint in the SC52w's neutral is green. I really didn't notice it before though until I made the comparison shots on the ceiling.


----------



## edwardparker (Aug 19, 2014)

*Zebralight SC52w Review*


When the SC52 came out and its specs were released, there was a peal of cathedral bells. That was the death knell of the CR123a EDC light. There is no real reason to opt for the more expensive CR123a cells anymore, this from an avowed CR123a-only guy, less than two years ago. The performance gap was closing then and now it is almost gone. Sure the S10 Baton from Olight and the F1 from LED Lenser still hit higher highs than the SC52w, but the reality is the difference between them in terms of real world performance is almost meaningless and certainly not enough to justify the increased expense.

Part of this has to do with how the eye perceives increases in lumens. Here is a very useful chart on perceived brightness. Running a NiHM rechargeable, the SC52W pumps out 280 ANSI lumens, while the S10 hits 320. There is very little perceptible difference between the two. Similarly, the 280 lumens compared to the F1's 400 lumens is also almost imperceptible. To get a real bump at this lumens count you need to jump into the 600s. But this is not the end of the story. In my daily life, I have found that I rarely need more than 200 lumens for a task. Punched up the end of my driveway at night to figure out what that bump was needs around 100-150 lumens, 200 on a stormy day. Before the SC52 that level of performance on a single AA cell light was unheard of absent a rechargeable cell. Now, on a primary AA, you can get around 280 lumens. That's plenty and now competitive with most CR123a lights. Eye physiology, brain processing, and practical use means that you probably won't need something more than what the SC52 puts out and that means, in turn, that you can go back to buying regular batteries (though I find it helpful to have many different format lights in an emergency). 


design


----------



## Bullzeyebill (Aug 19, 2014)

Signature removed. Looks like spam.

Bill


----------



## LuxCupitor (Aug 19, 2014)

I just received mine today. I'm highly impressed with this light. UI is not as confusing as it seems on paper. Great light for any amount of money let alone how inexpensive it is.


----------



## reppans (Aug 19, 2014)

edwardparker said:


> *Zebralight SC52w Review*
> 
> 
> When the SC52 came out and its specs were released, there was a peal of cathedral bells. That was the death knell of the CR123a EDC light. There is no real reason to opt for the more expensive CR123a cells anymore...



Sounds like you really bought into ZLs marketing hype/exaggerations. ZL likes to pitch its 1xNiMh specs squarely in the 3v class (1xCRAA, 2xAA). All you need to do is overlay Selfbuilt's SC52 output/runtime graphs against his 3v class lights and you'll see it's not really competitive - you can even use the L91 lithium primary graph which has about the same energy as 1xCR123 or 2xEneloop.

Not to take anything away from the SC52, on average, it's performs a little better than most 1xAAs, but IMHO, if you think the gap to CR123 lights is immaterial, then certain so is it's gap from other 1xAAs. 

Anyways, there's a new kid on the block that blows away the SC52 on an Eneloop - such is progress .


----------



## stevenkelby (Aug 19, 2014)

reppans said:


> there's a new kid on the block that blows away the SC52 on an Eneloop



What is it?


----------



## cyclesport (Aug 19, 2014)

stevenkelby said:


> What is it?



I'm guessing he's referring to the new 2014 Thrunite Neutron 2A.


----------



## Dr.444 (Aug 19, 2014)

My SC52W L2 have like 1 sec delay before it goes off from any mode , is this normal ??


----------



## cyclesport (Aug 19, 2014)

Dr.444 said:


> My SC52W L2 have like 1 sec delay before it goes off from any mode , is this normal ??



Less than a second...but there is a slight delay being an electronic switch. It's normal.


----------



## WalkIntoTheLight (Aug 19, 2014)

Dr.444 said:


> My SC52W L2 have like 1 sec delay before it goes off from any mode , is this normal ??



Yes, it has to decide whether you're about to do a double-press to change modes, or if you're just doing a single press to turn off the light. So there's about a half-second delay before the light decides it's just a single click and turns off the light.


----------



## Dr.444 (Aug 20, 2014)

cyclesport said:


> Less than a second...but there is a slight delay being an electronic switch. It's normal.





WalkIntoTheLight said:


> Yes, it has to decide whether you're about to do a double-press to change modes, or if you're just doing a single press to turn off the light. So there's about a half-second delay before the light decides it's just a single click and turns off the light.



Thanks guys


----------



## SkinnyCow (Aug 20, 2014)

edwardparker said:


> *Zebralight SC52w Review*
> 
> 
> When the SC52 came out and its specs were released, there was a peal of cathedral bells. That was the death knell of the CR123a EDC light. There is no real reason to opt for the more expensive CR123a cells anymore, this from an avowed CR123a-only guy, less than two years ago. The performance gap was closing then and now it is almost gone. Sure the S10 Baton from Olight and the F1 from LED Lenser still hit higher highs than the SC52w, but the reality is the difference between them in terms of real world performance is almost meaningless and certainly not enough to justify the increased expense.
> design



The Armytek Partner A1/A2 (XM-L2 version) both output constant 330 lumens on AA batteries. If you put in 14500, it'll output 700 lumens. These lights are even floodier than Zebralight and can throw over 90m. I have both Armytek and Zebralight sc52wl2 and find them both great. The only cons on Armytek for me is it can't tail stand and no moonlight mode. Other than that, it's the best AA light out there.


----------



## stevenkelby (Aug 20, 2014)

cyclesport said:


> I'm guessing he's referring to the new 2014 Thrunite Neutron 2A.




Thanks


----------



## mihail (Aug 22, 2014)

My SC52w L2 arrived yesterday. I got a great NW tint. No green or orange at all ... just beautiful. It is better than my E03 NW which was my favourite till now. The UI works perfectly. Anyway, when I insert the battery (14500 or eneloop) and screw the tailcap it has a short flash. I think it occurs when the battery tube touches the contact area of the tailcap. What do you think about this?


----------



## WalkIntoTheLight (Aug 23, 2014)

mihail said:


> My SC52w L2 arrived yesterday. I got a great NW tint. No green or orange at all ... just beautiful. It is better than my E03 NW which was my favourite till now. The UI works perfectly. Anyway, when I insert the battery (14500 or eneloop) and screw the tailcap it has a short flash. I think it occurs when the battery tube touches the contact area of the tailcap. What do you think about this?



Normal. Both my old SC52 and new SC52w-L2 do that.


----------



## mihail (Aug 24, 2014)

Thanks for the answer. I have just realized that it works with flat top 14500. I have some unused unprotected 14500 IMR and I put one in the light to see what happens. Seems that those U-shaped contacts at the head are raised enough to touch the positive pole of the cell. And with IMR cells it is even brighter on H1(or so it seems to me).


----------



## markr6 (Aug 24, 2014)

14500 on the charger, again. I feel like that's all I do


----------



## chorlton (Aug 25, 2014)

I've had my sc52w for almost a year now and it covers all my lighting needs. At the time there was no other choice to compare on one aa for output/runtime. I like the warm, yellow tint as it gives good colour rendition. Obviously due to its size it is quite floody so great for close up work and area illumination. I carry it as back up while out walking, my main light being my SR52vn :devil:


----------



## chorlton (Aug 25, 2014)

Not to mention the low low, runtime measured in months on a single aa!! If I were marooned on a desert island this would be my flashlight choice :thumbsup:


----------



## WalkIntoTheLight (Aug 26, 2014)

chorlton said:


> Not to mention the low low, runtime measured in months on a single aa!! If I were marooned on a desert island this would be my flashlight choice :thumbsup:



It's not really months, that's an exaggeration by Zebralight, at least for a rechargeable battery. You'd get longer from a lithium-ion primary.

Based on my current measurements for the moonlight modes, on a 2000 mAh battery you should get the following:

Low 2a : 5.2 mA (16 days)
Low 2b : 2.4 mA (34 days)
Low 2c : 2.0 mA (41 days)

Considering the brightness difference between the 2 lowest modes, it's surprising they use almost the same current.


----------



## reppans (Aug 26, 2014)

chorlton said:


> Not to mention the low low, runtime measured in months on a single aa!! If I were marooned on a desert island this would be my flashlight choice :thumbsup:



Yup without question, the SC52 does have the best sub-lumen efficiency "specs" in the 1xAA class, and I'm pretty sure in the 3v (CR123, 2xAA) class as well .



WalkIntoTheLight said:


> It's not really months, that's an exaggeration by Zebralight, at least for a rechargeable battery. You'd get longer from a lithium-ion primary.
> 
> Based on my current measurements for the moonlight modes, on a 2000 mAh battery you should get the following:
> 
> ...



Shouldn't be a surprise - we were both on the same side of another "discussion" on efficiency and how some of these circuits tend to use more power than the LED itself at increasingly dimmer sub-lumen levels. My side-by-side efficiency test of "bright" 0.2+ lumen moonlight modes (Malkoff, Peak, Quarks, D25s, SC52) on 1xAAAAs does dove-tail with your ~2 week tailcap current estimates on L2a, though. 

But runtime exaggeration is only half of it - the SC52s sub-lumen output is so far off spec (by many multiples), that despite it actually running the longest on L2a (92 hrs) in my test, it came in dead last in terms of efficiency (lm-hrs, or lumens x hours). HERE'S what the SC52s 0.34/0.06/0.01 modes look like next to the 0.09 lm TN T10 and 0.02 lm L3 L10 "firefly" modes (the latter also off spec by multiples).


----------



## markr6 (Aug 26, 2014)

If I was running this for 3 months, and it actually died after 1 month...I think the number one question on my mind would be _why the hell have I been running and watching this flashlight for 30 days!?!

_I know. Joking aside, we want the numbers to be as truthful as possible. I get it


----------



## WalkIntoTheLight (Aug 26, 2014)

reppans said:


> But runtime exaggeration is only half of it - the SC52s sub-lumen output is so far off spec (by many multiples), that despite it actually running the longest on L2a (92 hrs) in my test, it came in dead last in terms of efficiency (lm-hrs, or lumens x hours).



Yes, the Zebralight sub-lumen claims are extremely exaggerated in terms of brightness, and also exaggerated in terms of run time (though not as badly as they exaggerate brightness). They also seem to exaggerate the brightness of their high modes, though not by as much. Interestingly, I think their medium mode claims are pretty accurate, both in brightness and run time. I'm not sure why they don't also exaggerate them.


----------



## chorlton (Aug 26, 2014)

I've had this light for 12 months now and 12 months ago it couldn't be beaten by any stock light for longest run time or lumens output on standard AA cells.....based on SB's reviews


----------



## SubLGT (Aug 26, 2014)

Received my SC52w today, no green tint on mine. I had to return the first one I got because it had some excess gray epoxy inside that interfered with battery fit. I'm guessing the gray epoxy is used for potting the circuit components? But brightguy.com quickly sent me a replacement, so it all ended well.

I know some people like the clip, but IMO it is too tight and gets hung up on the lip of my jean pockets during removal. Other than that, this flashlight is great!


----------



## mihail (Aug 27, 2014)

SubLGT said:


> I know some people like the clip, but IMO it is too tight and gets hung up on the lip of my jean pockets during removal. Other than that, this flashlight is great!



The clip is really way too tight, thick and stiff. This is why I have ordered this . I hope it will fit.


----------



## lightmyfire13 (Aug 27, 2014)

It fits but its curved so wont sit flat against the zebra .....had my sc52 for a while then tried one of these clips .....lost it a few weeks after installing. .....


----------



## mihail (Aug 27, 2014)

lightmyfire13 said:


> It fits but its curved so wont sit flat against the zebra .....had my sc52 for a while then tried one of these clips .....lost it a few weeks after installing. .....



I can see that the holes are on a curved surface but I think I'll be able to flatten it somehow. Do you mean that the whole clip is curved in such a manner that it is useless (i.e. no pressure between the clip and the head of the flashlight)? From your post it seems that this was the reason you lost the flashlight ...


----------



## lightmyfire13 (Aug 27, 2014)

The ti clip is springier so doesn't hold nearly as tight as the zl


----------



## markr6 (Aug 27, 2014)

What's the problem with a tight clip...on any light? All you need to do is bend it ever so slightly until you're happy with the grip. My SC52w was way too tight so I pulled up on it a bit and now it's perfect. Slightly raised off of the body, but tight enough to hang onto jeans or thin dress pant pockets. And I can push it onto the pocket without even thinking about it.

Same with my PD32UEs which were rediculously tight.


----------



## reppans (Aug 27, 2014)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> Yes, the Zebralight sub-lumen claims are extremely exaggerated in terms of brightness, and also exaggerated in terms of run time (though not as badly as they exaggerate brightness). They also seem to exaggerate the brightness of their high modes, though not by as much. Interestingly, I think their medium mode claims are pretty accurate, both in brightness and run time. I'm not sure why they don't also exaggerate them.



JMHO, but I find all their M and H output specs consistently off (~25%?). For example, THIS independent review (green & beige lines; measured on a Fenix lumen scale) compares the SC52's 108lm/3hr mode to the D25A's 75lm/2.5hrs mode - they have virtually the same output/runtime graphs . So, ZL's 108 lms is about equal to 98 lms on Fenix scale; and 79 lumens on an ET scale. BTW, Selfbuilt rates this mode about 120 lms and the 50% SB>ET scale difference is consistent with his review of the other D25 models.

I do believe ET is bit too conservative, but it's a close match to rest of my AA/sub-lumen collection (Quarks, Malkoffs, and earlier generation ThruNite's), and also ti-force - the only CPF reviewer that actually claims ANSI lumen accuracy and uses laboratory-tested calibration lights.

Agree on M mode runtimes though.... on the two tests I ran, I thought ZL was actually conservative and you don't even have to utilize the ANSI 10% rule like SB did (unusually) for this light . 



chorlton said:


> I've had this light for 12 months now and 12 months ago it couldn't be beaten by any stock light for longest run time or lumens output on standard AA cells.....based on SB's reviews



Selfbuilt doesn't test all lights, and certainly doesn't test the lower modes. But I don't want to take anything away from the SC52 - the light is excellent (size, UI, features) and except for all the sub-lumen modes, it's output and efficiency is either as good, or a little better, than any other AA I've seen or tested (well at least until the new TN is delivered). I just have an issue with the company's marketing integrity when many other manufacturers seem to be trying to do the right thing. 

Personally, I prefer having a lot better warranty and customer service, than a little better output and efficiency....course, YMMV.


----------



## travkaman (Aug 29, 2014)

Just got mine SC52w-L2(my first quality led light) and seems like I won a tint lottery, but might lost in LED lottery. There is something on my LED(Cree XM-L2) two darker spots one is tiny near right contact lead another irregularly shaped closer to bottom left corner. They only visible in lowest modes and hard to pick up on camera but I attached the image where I encircled the darker spots with white circles for better visibility. 
Can anyone tell me if this defect pure aesthetic or might affect LED lifetime and worth sending it for replacement(possibly losing good tint)?


----------



## mekquake (Aug 29, 2014)

.....


----------



## travkaman (Aug 29, 2014)

mekquake said:


> chill mate , these are bond wires  , absolutely nothing to worry about



Sorry for confusing with my bad explanation(ESL) but, no , Im not talking about bond wires to which I mistakenly referenced as "connecting leads" in original post. I know those two symmetric black spots at the top of the LED are bond wires. The defects Im talking about are harder to see, they are transparent, irregular in shape, randomly positioned and whole symmetric chess board like pattern on the LED die makes them even harder to see.
One spot located between right bond wire and LED center.
Second larger spot but more transparent located between bottom left corner and center of LED.
Both spots encircled by 1pixel thin white circle in MS paint


----------



## WalkIntoTheLight (Aug 29, 2014)

If you have to magnify it that big and it's still hard to see, I don't think there's a serious issue.


----------



## Overclocker (Aug 30, 2014)

solder balls, nothing to worry about


----------



## stevenkelby (Aug 30, 2014)

Ahhh, solder balls!


----------



## travkaman (Aug 30, 2014)

solder balls, hmm, do you mean some balls bit larger in volume then others spread differently in irregular shapes rather than dots during soldering process?

I assumed its some impurities in phosphorous or silicon. Are these Cree LEDs made up of matrix of smaller LEDs, maybe some burned out?


----------



## agent8698 (Sep 26, 2014)

I don't post here much, I stop by every 3 years or so. I plan on ordering the Zebralight SC52W from E2 Field Gear using a coupon "commentary" (or does anybody have other recommendations?). My question is about the battery: I was going to add a Zebralight 14500 battery from that site, but it said "Sorry but this item is currently unavailable". So I looked at some of the other batteries on that site, for example, one called KeepPower, but it says: "*KP Branded 14500 batteries do not fit the Zebralight SC52/W/F/Fw". So it looks like I will have to go elsewhere to get a 14500 rechargeable battery. I have an UltraFire charger model WF-139: it came with my EagleTac T20C2 4 years ago (that's about my interval between buying new lights) and has a been a good charger: I have only used it to charge a single EagleTac 18650, which it does well. It can also charge 14500 batteries, according to the label on the bottom, so I think I'm okay with that charger. Right?

My question is, *where should I go to get rechargeable 14500 batteries, and how will I know, before ordering, that a particular 14500 fits the Zebralight SC52W, and which particular 14500 rechargeables are recommended?* I skimmed some of the many battery threads here, and I am overwhelmed by the complexity: button-top, non-button-top, IMR or something else, different capacity ratings, different dimensions, etc. Thank you.


----------



## stevenkelby (Sep 26, 2014)

I use an AW 14500 in mine and it's a perfect fit, a trusted, reliable battery. Buy here:


http://www.lighthound.com/AW-14500-Protected-Rechargeable-Lithium-Battery_p_96.html

Or here:

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?230876-AW-s-LiIon-Batteries-Sales-Thread-*Part-12*

Your charger is fine


----------



## Valpo Hawkeye (Sep 26, 2014)

I second the AW 14500 vote. That's what I use in my SC52w, as well.


----------



## steveg270 (Oct 3, 2014)

Well I gave son in law #2 his SC52 a couple of weeks ago and he is getting into the idea of carrying it and now both boys are set. So basically I couldn't resist getting one for myself and so I did. I have it now 3-4 days and I really really love this baby. Getting used to the interface was very simple. It is a real beautiful light. I would imagine there are nicer lights out there from some of you custom guys but at $64 this SC52 is incredable. I give it the highest marks.


----------



## burntoshine (Nov 6, 2014)

I am attempting to try the nitecore Ti clip for my '52, but banggood will not give it to me. I ordered it on October 5th and have yet to receive it. I just sent them an email, so we will see what they have to say. No tracking number. No package.

Does anyone know where else I can get that clip? Banggood be no good.

EDIT: Did anyone else have to wait more than a month for their clip?

EDIT: Banggood said it could still be on its way, so I will wait some more...


----------



## dts71 (Nov 11, 2014)

They say within 25 business days - 5 weeks.
6 weeks delivery time is not unexpected when ordering from China though.
You have to add tracking if you want it "*Air Parcel Register*" is ~$2 extra.

Good luck!


----------



## burntoshine (Nov 11, 2014)

Okay, thanks!

I've ordered plenty of times from China and all of my shipments have been 2-3 weeks; at least according to my memory. I will adjust my expectations accordingly.


----------



## kenshin (Jun 27, 2015)

hi !! been using my sc52 for a few days now with eneloop, no problems so far with that battery. but when I put a LS 14500 (brand new) the light comes on h1 for a second and then step down to medium. any one has this happens before ??


----------



## reppans (Jun 27, 2015)

kenshin said:


> hi !! been using my sc52 for a few days now with eneloop, no problems so far with that battery. but when I put a LS 14500 (brand new) the light comes on h1 for a second and then step down to medium. any one has this happens before ??



If your talking about a Saft lithium-thionyl chloride 3.6V primary cell (Radio Hack clearance sale perhaps ), it's a highly specialized cell designed for low draw applications - it is only rated for 50ma continuous draw (say ~10 lms Max). Don't use this cell in flashlights unless you're a low lumen/runtime/night vision junkie (like me ). 

If you're looking for a high power "AA" primary cell, try the Titanium Innovations CRAA/14505 cell - is a lithium manganese dioxide cell, the chemistry same as CR123s. However, it too will not work properly in an SC52 due to the Li-ion protection - the light will recognize it as dying Li-ion and again step down to Med.


----------



## kenshin (Jun 27, 2015)

reppans said:


> If your talking about a Saft lithium-thionyl chloride 3.6V primary cell (Radio Hack clearance sale perhaps ), it's a highly specialized cell designed for low draw applications - it is only rated for 50ma continuous draw (say ~10 lms Max). Don't use this cell in flashlights unless you're a low lumen/runtime/night vision junkie (like me ).
> 
> If you're looking for a high power "AA" primary cell, try the Titanium Innovations CRAA/14505 cell - is a lithium manganese dioxide cell, the chemistry same as CR123s. However, it too will not work properly in an SC52 due to the Li-ion protection - the light will recognize it as dying Li-ion and again step down to Med.



:-( i bought 2 saft LS 14500 on a Batteryplus store hopping to get the 500 lumens for my sc52, no lock so far, I will try the energizer lithium as the company state in a instruction manual that they provide apart from the standard instruction manual. until now I haven't been able to program the light apart from the low mode in bought the sc52 and the sc62. apart from that really liking this lights. will post some pictures later to compare the tint in a tn12 2014nw and the sc62w, there's a lot of difference in the tint of both lights.


----------



## Brett H (Jan 28, 2016)

Hopefully this is the right place to request some help. I purchased a ZL SC52w L2 in Oct. I tried the light out with an alkaline battery and it went through the modes fine. Now, I tried a fresh Eneloop as well as an alkaline and the light will not turn on. However, if I put a 14500 cell in it, the light turns on a lower level as soon as I close the tailcap (before I even depress the switch). If I hold the switch down, it appears to go through the L-M-H although there is very little difference in brightness. Can anyone offer any suggestions?


----------



## jmwking (Jan 28, 2016)

Brett H said:


> Hopefully this is the right place to request some help. I purchased a ZL SC52w L2 in Oct. I tried the light out with an alkaline battery and it went through the modes fine. Now, I tried a fresh Eneloop as well as an alkaline and the light will not turn on. However, if I put a 14500 cell in it, the light turns on a lower level as soon as I close the tailcap (before I even depress the switch). If I hold the switch down, it appears to go through the L-M-H although there is very little difference in brightness. Can anyone offer any suggestions?



I have that one as my EDC. Love it!

They offer good, albeit slow, warranty service. Contact them...

(I had my old SC32 fixed recently.)

-jk


----------



## Brett H (Jan 28, 2016)

jmwking said:


> I have that one as my EDC. Love it!
> 
> They offer good, albeit slow, warranty service. Contact them...
> 
> ...



I was afraid of that. I had hoped it was something simple.


----------



## swan (Jan 29, 2016)

Brett H said:


> Hopefully this is the right place to request some help. I purchased a ZL SC52w L2 in Oct. I tried the light out with an alkaline battery and it went through the modes fine. Now, I tried a fresh Eneloop as well as an alkaline and the light will not turn on. However, if I put a 14500 cell in it, the light turns on a lower level as soon as I close the tailcap (before I even depress the switch). If I hold the switch down, it appears to go through the L-M-H although there is very little difference in brightness. Can anyone offer any suggestions?



Sounds like the alkaline battery wrecked your light-warranty time.


----------



## moozooh (Jan 29, 2016)

Brett H said:


> Hopefully this is the right place to request some help. I purchased a ZL SC52w L2 in Oct. I tried the light out with an alkaline battery and it went through the modes fine. Now, I tried a fresh Eneloop as well as an alkaline and the light will not turn on. However, if I put a 14500 cell in it, the light turns on a lower level as soon as I close the tailcap (before I even depress the switch). If I hold the switch down, it appears to go through the L-M-H although there is very little difference in brightness. Can anyone offer any suggestions?



Have you tried all the usual stuff?


Ensure that both the battery tube, the tailcap, and the battery itself come in full contact with each other, without gaps, rattle, or whatnot.
Ensure that the contact surfaces (all 6 of them) are free from dirt, lube, debris, etc., especially the tube-tailcap interface. Wipe them with a drop of alcohol or kerosene if necessary.
See if the light works with other eneloops/14500s, assuming you have any more of them to test.
See if the problematic eneloops/14500s are good and work with any other lights.


----------



## SubLGT (Jan 29, 2016)

Brett H said:


> Hopefully this is the right place to request some help. I purchased a ZL SC52w L2 in Oct. I tried the light out with an alkaline battery and it went through the modes fine. Now, I tried a fresh Eneloop as well as an alkaline and the light will not turn on. However, if I put a 14500 cell in it, the light turns on a lower level as soon as I close the tailcap (before I even depress the switch). If I hold the switch down, it appears to go through the L-M-H although there is very little difference in brightness. Can anyone offer any suggestions?



I had similar symptoms after accidentally inserting a battery backwards and damaging the circuit.


----------



## moozooh (Jan 29, 2016)

SubLGT said:


> I had similar symptoms after accidentally inserting a battery backwards and damaging the circuit.



I thought ZL lights had reverse polarity protection?.. Is that no longer the case?


----------



## Brett H (Jan 30, 2016)

moozooh said:


> Have you tried all the usual stuff?
> 
> 
> Ensure that both the battery tube, the tailcap, and the battery itself come in full contact with each other, without gaps, rattle, or whatnot.
> ...



Yep, definitely appreciate your suggestions, but unfortunately, I have checked all of these. Unfortunately, it appears I am going to have to send it back to ZL. The only negative in doing this is the extended wait to get the light back (they state 6-8 weeks).


----------



## Brett H (Jan 30, 2016)

moozooh said:


> I thought ZL lights had reverse polarity protection?.. Is that no longer the case?



I had thought the same, but I cant' find reverse polarity protection stated anywhere on ZL site.


----------



## snowlover91 (Jan 30, 2016)

Brett H said:


> I had thought the same, but I cant' find reverse polarity protection stated anywhere on ZL site.



The SC52 doesn't appear to have it but the SC5 and other newer lights do.


----------



## geokite (Jan 30, 2016)

The only AA powered lights available that have reverse polarity protection are the SC5 series. Gotta be careful. 

Steve


----------



## tops2 (Jan 30, 2016)

Not having reverse polarity was one minor reason I went for the SC5w instead. While it should be fine for me, I was worried if someone in the family was checking out the light and accidentally put the battery reversed...


----------



## Wrecked (May 26, 2016)

I have an SC52 L2 that when I click it on it flashes once that goes out. Batteries are fresh (L91) and everything looks OK. Any thoughts on what could cause this?


----------



## roadkill1109 (Feb 17, 2017)

Did you try with another battery? Sometimes the battery might be the issue.


----------



## roadkill1109 (Feb 17, 2017)

SC52 owners! It's been several years now, how fair your SC52's?


----------



## Random Dan (Feb 17, 2017)

I still carry my SC52w daily. I've tried other lights, but nothing compares.


----------



## roger-roger (Feb 17, 2017)

roadkill1109 said:


> SC52 owners! It's been several years now, how fair your SC52's?




Mine is less than a year old. Recently started using a 14500, and its increased the SC52's utility with noticeably higher intensity in H1 mode.


----------



## Swedpat (Feb 17, 2017)

I like my SC52W and SC52d. Only serious drawback is that they sometimes easy slip out of my fingers: the striped pattern should be along the body instead of across it. Or maybe even better the traditional knurling of SC5.


----------



## roger-roger (Feb 17, 2017)

Swedpat said:


> I like my SC52W and SC52d. *Only serious drawback is that they sometimes easy slip out of my fingers: the striped pattern* should be along the body instead of across it. Or maybe even better the traditional knurling of SC5.




True that but I love its aesthetics as an architectural homage, to the flutes characteristic of the Doric Column.


----------



## AVService (Feb 17, 2017)

Carried one in pocket every day since they were released and I can not turn up anything to replace it yet.
And not for lack of trying!


----------



## gilson65 (Feb 18, 2017)

After reading all the positive comments on the zebralight i finally got hold of a sc52w L2. It has exceeded all my expectations brilliant ui and tint.


----------



## Southernlight (Feb 20, 2017)

My SC52W L2 is always on the kitchen cupboard and the #1 goto light.
Even my wife loves this light to use. Something about the button placement position.
Its just a great size and operation and my sample has a good tint.


----------



## roadkill1109 (Feb 20, 2017)

Nice to see mostly positive feedback about our light! 

With regards to easily slipping out of the hand, you could tie a lanyard around the pocket clip so you can grab it in case it falls out. 

This light is the only light that took over my favorite old EDC, which was the Four Sevens Quark AA Tactical with 14500 and AA body.


----------



## BmetFerg11 (Feb 21, 2017)

If anyone ever asks for flashlight suggestions and wants to get something nicer I always point them towards the SC52.


----------



## jkid1911 (Feb 28, 2017)

IMHO the best flashlight for the money or for more for that matter, hands down!


----------



## marinemaster (Mar 16, 2017)

Using mine a lot since the time change last weekend in US, is still dark in the early morning.


----------



## roadkill1109 (Mar 17, 2017)

Sigh, my SC52's switch is failing. It is getting very hard to press to activate the light. Is there a quick fix for this or should I RMA this back to Zebralight?


----------



## aginthelaw (Mar 17, 2017)

It was a quick turn around (less than 2 weeks) to fix mine.


----------



## Grizzman (Mar 17, 2017)

According to my order history, I bought mine in June of 2013. It's still working fine, though I don't use it often.


----------



## jkid1911 (Oct 31, 2019)

Time to resurrect this thread with a quick update.....

I've had an SC51 for years and virtually every iteration of the SC52. I still have my original 51 as well as multiple 52's that live in my various bags as backup lights. The 51 was given to my son who still uses it as his EDC and I'm carrying my 52W every day in either pocket or bag. None of my Zebralights have ever missed a beat!


----------



## Climb14er (Oct 31, 2019)

The SC 52... along with the SC 62, remain my two primary EDC lights. With the 52, I run 14500's and Eneloops as backups. Especially like the moonlight function as it's bright enough for minimal light I need in some uses. The high and medium modes are ideal for most of the applications I'm involved with. Only when I know I'm going to places where I think I would need the bright intensity of the 62, do I leave the 52 at home. Especially with wearing a suit at night, the 52 is ideal as it's so small. BOTH are great lights and are still running like new.


----------



## Repsol600rr (Oct 31, 2019)

I have 2. A 52d and 52w. Both have been carried and used countless times. I still love them both. Both have different but equally great tints and beams. Both are tremendously useful and are still in the rotation for edc (trying out and liking a thrunite t1 recently). They still hold a very special place in my collection and still lights I can turn to after all these years and just know they'll do what I want. I use them with 14500s. Timeless lights.


----------



## ChrisGarrett (Nov 1, 2019)

I recently got a minty used 52cw and I’m carrying it solely, while taking care of Pops here in L.A..

It’s working quite well.

Chris


----------



## Derek Dean (Nov 1, 2019)

I never quite found a place for the 52w in my EDC rotation (my 62w just has so much more run time), but it's found an excellent spot in my bug-out-bag, fitted with a lithium primary cell. I like knowing I can always find AA batteries ANYWHERE.


----------



## jkid1911 (Nov 1, 2019)

Derek Dean said:


> I never quite found a place for the 52w in my EDC rotation (my 62w just has so much more run time), but it's found an excellent spot in my bug-out-bag, fitted with a lithium primary cell. I like knowing I can always find AA batteries ANYWHERE.


This is a great point, having owned a 62 myself I can understand but the slightly larger size and cell requirement made me revert back to the 52. I've found that the 52's output and versatility suit me better.

Hard not to love them all...


----------



## Repsol600rr (Nov 1, 2019)

I also have a 62w, 62d, and 64w hi. I initially got into 6x series for exactly that. Way more briteness and runtime in a package not much larger. What could be wrong with that? And nothing was for several months as the 62w took the edc role. Then one day I helped my friend change the rear bumper on his truck and spent quite a lot of time mouth holding the 62w. It was on an h setting for essentially the entire time we were working which was way more than needed really. When we got done my mouth hurt a lot and the battery was still 3/4 full. I thought to myself at that point that for my edc needs on a day to day basis that the 62w really is overkill. So I put the 52w or 52d back in my pocket and enjoyed the lower weight and smaller size knowing full well they really were capable of handling any normal edc task that came along. Barring something crazy more runtime and briteness are just a short distsnce away the vast majority of the time.


----------



## Mr. LED (Nov 2, 2019)

Derek Dean said:


> I never quite found a place for the 52w in my EDC rotation (my 62w just has so much more run time), but it's found an excellent spot in my bug-out-bag, fitted with a lithium primary cell. I like knowing I can always find AA batteries ANYWHERE.



That’s exactly my line of thinking!


----------



## Random Dan (Nov 2, 2019)

I quite like taking the SC52w and H52w duo for backpacking trips. It is nice to have redundancy but carrying two 18650 lights is more than I need.


----------



## elzilcho (Nov 6, 2019)

Does anyone have a picture of the SC52/SC53 next to a BOSS 35? I'm curious how the sizes compare. I don't like the idea of adding a AA light since nothing else uses that size but I do like the 4500K tint of the SC64 HI. Hopefully the 4500K of the SC53w is similar.


----------



## archimedes (Nov 6, 2019)

elzilcho said:


> Does anyone have a picture of the SC52/SC53 next to a BOSS 35? I'm curious how the sizes compare. I don't like the idea of adding a AA light since nothing else uses that size but I do like the 4500K tint of the SC64 HI. Hopefully the 4500K of the SC53w is similar.



Sure ...







They are remarkably similar overall, with the ZL SC53w only a little thinner (and less symmetrical)

The XP-L2 (EasyWhite 4500K 80+CRI 3-step-tint) in mine is excellent. Not "incandescent" warm, but more of a "Manila folder" buff color.


----------



## elzilcho (Nov 6, 2019)

Thank you, archimedes! That picture is super helpful. The 1" tail diameter of the BOSS makes it pretty prominent sticking out of a pocket. Do you find the ZL's narrower tail makes it more comfortable to carry than the BOSS, even though they're close to the same length? Or is the difference even noticeable?


----------



## archimedes (Nov 6, 2019)

elzilcho said:


> Thank you, archimedes! That picture is super helpful. The 1" tail diameter of the BOSS makes it pretty prominent sticking out of a pocket. Do you find the ZL's narrower tail makes it more comfortable to carry than the BOSS, even though they're close to the same length? Or is the difference even noticeable?



I actually find the BOSS 35 to carry more compactly than the ZL probably because its head and tail are similar in size and shape, and of course, it is much more powerful as well.

The advantage of the ZL SC53w is the convenience of using AA for power. In terms of actual volume and weight, it is certainly less, though.

The even larger BOSS 70, in contrast, is still plenty compact but affords a more secure grip than either of those other two smaller torches.


----------



## elzilcho (Nov 7, 2019)

I appreciate your perspective on how the ZL carries in real-world use. Will probably hold off on purchasing one for now.


----------



## flatline (Nov 11, 2019)

Is the SC53c the most current Zebralight AA model? Or the SC5?

I've had a SC51 for several years and I love it, but I can't carry it because it turns on in my pocket. Now that everybody is assuring me that Zebralight has addressed that issue in current models, I'm in for an AA.

--flatline


----------



## Mr. LED (Nov 11, 2019)

Yes they’re both the current models with AA batteries. The recessed switch is very difficult to accidentally switch on, never happened to me in more than 3 years and I’m using Zebralights daily.


----------



## flatline (Nov 11, 2019)

How are the SC53 and SC5 models different from each other?


----------



## ChrisGarrett (Nov 11, 2019)

flatline said:


> How are the SC53 and SC5 models different from each other?



The ZL SC5 was designed for one battery/cell and one battery/cell only: the Sanyo/Panasonic Eneloop Pro high cap NiMH battery.

Chris


----------



## treek13 (Nov 12, 2019)

SC5 works great with regular Eneloop cells too. SC53 is smaller & has a lower max output.


----------



## WalkIntoTheLight (Nov 17, 2019)

I have a couple of SC52's and an SC5w. All great AA lights. I like that the SC52 can take either AA or 14500 lithium-ion.

While I use my SC64w HI as an EDC more often, I still sometimes opt for the smaller SC52 or SC52w. If I don't need high output, it's good enough, and it's smaller.

One thing I haven't found much use for as an EDC is the SC5w. Too thick for EDC. It's almost as big as one of my SC600's, and I much prefer those for outdoors. The SC5 does make for a good bedside light, though. Because it's so thick, it tail-stands really easily on almost anything.


----------



## kreisl (Oct 8, 2020)

Today i modded my SC52 L2-nw. I added mechanical reverse polarity protection! It was easy/fast to source the plastic material and cut out the ring ("donut"), add some double-sided adhesive tape and install it. 

Pic is worth a thousands words:





I made the outer ring diameter as wide as an AA/14500 battery, i.e. 14mm:





The thickness of the plastic alone is almost *1.2mm*, so not super thin tbh. That's because the SC52 driver disc does have a protruding (+)contact (solder point). So the plastic should be thicker (higher) than that solder point. The white double-sided adhesive tape adds to the height of the spacer for a total of about ~1.45mm (the yellow foil has a thickness of 0.10mm and isn't part of the installation, the white tape is 0.15mm thick, does the maths add up? lol):





Before the installation. Here you can see the central raised "solder point":





After the installation (mod). You can still see the central raised "solder point", of course, but the surrounding plastic is higher:





I've tested it. The spacer works. Perfect mechanical reverse polarity protection! I should have done the mod a long time ago .. tbh i haven't been using this light at all. It's a cherry-picked unit with supernice rose NW tint and just a collection piece. Also the original lack of reverse polarity protection had worried me, a reason why i didn't want to use it more often. Maybe the use of double-sided adhesive tape (carpet tape) was not the very best idea, because in Turbo mode the heat could mess up the adhesive with an unpredictable long-term result. Adhesives also age. Well, fingers crossed!
Today i actually mis-installed a battery on the *Olight Smini Ti* and almost ruined the electronics (so i thought)! It's indeed the reason why i did this Zebralight mod today. lol

:thumbsup:

EDIT: Heck, while we're at it, i also examined the MRPP (mechanical reverse polarity protection) of *Olight S1A* stainless steel. Down inside the body tube one can see a plastic(?) spacer, similar to my modded SC52, surrounding the raised solder point contact. According to my difficult measurements, the clearance is about 0.4mm. In practice, that should be sufficient. But given that an Eneloop nub has a height of 1.6mm, the 0.4mm is not plenty imho. So i cut out spacers of varying thicknesses (0.30, 0.35, 0.60) and combined them to learn about the max possible spacer to add:





Here the S1A SS, original, unmodded. Deep down the body tube there is a black donut. It covers/protects the electronic components on the driver disc and should(?) also serve as MRPP, i guess. The untrained eye might think that the donut is a lathed stainless steel wall (similar to SC52 construction) lol but I doht see circular/concentric machining marks, so the donut is prolly just a spacer made out of hard plastic which got dropped down onto the driver:






From my tests i learned that adding a spacer of 1.00mm (2×0.35 + 0.30) was too much but 0.95mm (0.60 +1×0.35) was still okay. I decided to install just 1 spacer of 0.60mm thickness, made out of clear plastic, and this time not employ any adhesives! For my plastic spacer to stay in place, it had to be a press fit (or friction fit). By carefully trimming the diameter with a Stanley knife i managed to cut the spacer diameter to perfect fitment. Once installed, it's very much permanent. So i had to know for sure that adding 0.60mm to the system would work:






And yes, it works. As mentioned, i could even add another 0.30 or 0.35mm paperboard spacer to the system and the light would still work! That goes to show that the original clearance is very little. Through my mod, the S1A SS has now a generous clearance of 1.00mm (instead of 0.4mm), if i reverse-installed the battery.


----------



## Owen (Oct 14, 2020)

Funny to see this old thread from 2012 on page 1.
I'm still carrying a SC52w as an EDC light, and using a H52Fw as a backpacking light, having found no reason to replace either.
Holding up? They both work as new, except that the SC52w has recently developed a habit of periodically(maybe 1-2x per week?) requiring the tailcap to be loosened a fraction of a turn to break battery contact, then retightened, for the light to work.
I never even use H1 on either light, so have avoided the temptation to buy the 18650 versions.
Guess I'll just buy a SC53w if it ever stops working...


----------



## chillinn (Oct 14, 2020)

Surprisingly, until very recently, weeks, Zebralight had the SC52F L2 on sale on their site. It was only just discontinued, telling me it sold out and parts to make it are no longer available.


----------



## WalkIntoTheLight (Oct 15, 2020)

I didn't realize the SC52's don't have reverse-polarity protection. Where did you learn that? Dunno if I've ever stuck a battery in the wrong way, but over the years I'd be surprised if I haven't. Doesn't seem to have done any damage, though.

When I use a lithium-ion 14500, I'm a little more careful in how I insert cells in my lights. Pretty sure I've never stuck one in backwards. Is the problem just with 14500's, or NiMH too?


----------



## kreisl (Oct 15, 2020)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> Where did you learn that?


1. No ZL webpage, documentation, manual, ad, service mail, etc officially claims that SC52 does have it. No user/owner/reviewer claims such a thing either.
2. Users on the www claimed that they ruined the light by reverse insertion, contacted ZL for help and got help, which points to an indirect admission of the fact.
3. Iirc there were several threads and discussions on the topique. One can google the term < sc52 reverse polarity > and find relevant instances, maybe even in this thread.

I love the cherry-picked SC52w L2 and S1A SS in my collection, both are equally *top-efficient* AA lights which also support 14500, and now are also modded to physical reverse polarity protection noice. Another great light in this class is the Eagtac D25A Ti (nowadays titled D3A Ti), also for AA/14500; a timeless classique in the Eagtac catalog.


----------



## ChrisGarrett (Oct 15, 2020)

kreisl said:


> 1. No ZL webpage, documentation, manual, ad, service mail, etc officially claims that SC52 does have it. No user/owner/reviewer claims such a thing either.
> 2. Users on the www claimed that they ruined the light by reverse insertion, contacted ZL for help and got help, which points to an indirect admission of the fact.
> 3. Iirc there were several threads and discussions on the topique. One can google the term < sc52 reverse polarity > and find relevant instances, maybe even in this thread.
> 
> I love the cherry-picked SC52w L2 and S1A SS in my collection, both are equally *top-efficient* AA lights which also support 14500, and now are also modded to physical reverse polarity protection noice. Another great light in this class is the Eagtac D25A Ti (nowadays titled D3A Ti), also for AA/14500; a timeless classique in the Eagtac catalog.



I cannot run a flat top Sanyo UR14500P in my 2-3 year old SC52 CW and I can, thankfully, run my really long EVVA (protected Sanyo 840mAh) cell, so my particular example tends to show that it does have RPP.

Chris


----------



## kreisl (Oct 16, 2020)

ChrisGarrett said:


> a flat top Sanyo UR14500P


that's a popular cell and prolly the most often implemented cell in a third-party 14500 quality battery product. I used the original UR14500P red wrapped cell in my sc52w l2 too, but can't remember with or without magnet nub. now it's too late to retest because i installed the thick(!) plastic insulating spacer "permanently". so now, the UR14500P doesn't produce light in *my *modded sc52w l2, unless i add some magnet nub.

If you believe that *your *unit has RPP, then it should be safe for you @Chris to insert 14500 reversely to test it, whaddaya think?
:devil:


----------



## WalkIntoTheLight (Oct 16, 2020)

I just looked at my SC52w-L2, and my SC52 (original cool-white with the basic XM-L). They both appear to have raised rings around the positive contact. So, I think they have RPP. I don't have any flat-top cells to check, though. Not sure I want to try a reversed cell to check. But, I may give it a try with a cell that is mostly discharged. Anyway, it looks safe on both my SC52 variants.


----------



## kreisl (Oct 16, 2020)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> They both appear to have raised rings around the positive contact.


I did post a photo. Looking down the tube, my eyes tell me that the raised part is the black center with the electrical contact, not the surrounding rings. The "rings around the positive contact" are lathed aluminum walls, stemming from the unibody design. Obviously the circular wall (looking like a donut) must have a center hole for the electrical contact to peek through, or protrude (as my eyes see it). Then ZL filled in some black potting for water tightness.

In such an assembly, whether the black center area with the positive contact is *really *raised or not, could be determined with calipers, as i did with the HM61R thank you.

Needless to agree, by installing a *1.20mm* plastic spacer we err on the side of caution. :nana:


----------



## WalkIntoTheLight (Oct 16, 2020)

Well, I measured the center of the "donut" on mine to be about 1mm recessed, compared to the outer ring. I'm not sure if the contact protrudes higher than that 1mm. Maybe... maybe not.


----------



## ChrisGarrett (Oct 16, 2020)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> Well, I measured the center of the "donut" on mine to be about 1mm recessed, compared to the outer ring. I'm not sure if the contact protrudes higher than that 1mm. Maybe... maybe not.



The issue is, is that IMO, the SC52 needs a cell/battery with a button top.

Chris


----------



## WalkIntoTheLight (Oct 16, 2020)

ChrisGarrett said:


> The issue is, is that IMO, the SC52 needs a cell/battery with a button top.
> 
> Chris



Yes, it certainly seems to be designed that way. But kreisl seems to be saying that it's not recessed enough, and that RPP isn't there. If that's the case, then flat tops should work. I don't have any to try, though.


----------



## kreisl (Oct 16, 2020)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> then flat tops should work


yes, in _my _theory, flat tops should work. (but i really cannot test my Sanyo14500, as mentioned)
but as _Chris _tested the Sanyo14500 resulting in no light, i might be wrong with much of the things ive said. and i would blame my eyes. haha
it's been years since i used 14500 in my sc52wl2, i must have tried TrustfireFlames (has flattop) and Sanyo (has flattop). I also remember having used magnets in 14500 lights but can't remember which lights. Maybe it was some sc52. i can't remember.

i am trying to call Zebralight for a quick clarification but i can't find their phone number. Let's get an official word from them.




AstroTurf said:


> have always run mine with flat top 14500s


Cha!!

:twothumbs


----------



## AstroTurf (Oct 16, 2020)

have always run mine with flat top 14500s


----------



## chillinn (Oct 16, 2020)

This mystery keeps getting stranger and stranger, and down the rabbit hole we go. I hope Zebralight can solve this for us definitively.


----------



## AstroTurf (Oct 16, 2020)

they did... years ago:

https://web.archive.org/web/2013112...-Battery-ship-to-US-customers-only_p_101.html

this is what i use in mine:

14500 SANYO-PANASONIC 3.7V 840mAh Li-ion Rechargeable Battery Cell UR14500P Flat Top


----------



## chillinn (Oct 16, 2020)

That solves that aspect. But is the positive contact on SC52 supposed to provide reverse polarity protection? And does it?


----------



## this_is_nascar (Oct 17, 2020)

My solution has been to always pay attention and insert the battery property. I exercise this caution on all my devices that use a battery.


Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk


----------



## kreisl (Oct 17, 2020)

chillinn said:


> That solves that aspect. But is the positive contact on SC52 supposed to provide reverse polarity protection? And does it?


Zebralight hasn't responded yet. 

Meanwhile we could continue our discussion. This battery:






Hopefully we can agree that:

this is the perfect reference battery for SC52-series lights. i had this battery too and i can definitely remember that i didn't have to use a magnet or alike. the light got sold in this product combo on various places (cpf, tlf, www, ebay, retailers, etc) because the combo worked and was a perfect match. actually i can remember having sold this combo too to a forum fliend. no magnet was needed
the top area is pretty flat, and relatively wide (compared to an Eneloop nub). the contact hardly protrudes. maybe by 0.3mm relative to the green shoulder. this battery is clearly to be called a "flat-top battery". anyway, it's just name calling
_if_ the sc52 driver disc's electrical (+)contact was recessed by 1.0mm, then the 0.3mm battery top protrusion would not reach that (+)contact unless etc.
if the light had physical RPP, a flat-top battery should not work unless etc.
my modded sc52 has physical RPP. consequently, this flat-top battery doesn't work in it q.e.d.


----------



## WalkIntoTheLight (Oct 17, 2020)

kreisl said:


> this battery is clearly to be called a "flat-top battery".



I'd call that battery a button-top cell, not a flat-top.


----------



## chillinn (Oct 17, 2020)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> kreisl said:
> 
> 
> > Hopefully we can agree that:…
> ...




How is this thing even _legal?_ It's like a flat button top, but not. What standard does it comply with? If is isn't either/or, and isn't both or something else, just what can it be??


----------



## WalkIntoTheLight (Oct 17, 2020)

chillinn said:


> How is this thing even _legal?_ It's like a flat button top, but not. What standard does it comply with? If is isn't either/or, and isn't both or something else, just what can it be??



Well, it's probably not legal. At least in a strict regulated sense. Free cell lithium-ion batteries are kind of a grey area. Standard flat-tops are definitely not approved for sale to consumers, from all the major manufacturers. I doubt they approve of it any more, if a rewrapper slaps a button on it.


----------



## kreisl (Oct 20, 2020)

kreisl said:


> Today i modded my SC52 L2-nw. I added mechanical reverse polarity protection! It was easy/fast to source the plastic material and cut out the ring ("donut"), add some double-sided adhesive tape and install it.


Let's revisit the mod, shall we? Zebralight got back to me but i am not sure (yet) if i can give a verbatim quote. Basically they told me that the light does *not *have _electronic _RPP and that, depending on the assembly (day/guy/luck/unluck?), the metal(+)contact could protrude, resulting in the light also *not *having _physical _RPP, which is the case with _*my *_production unit. I am guessing that this assembly eventuality is likely de reason why the light is not advertised as having _physical _RPP. 

*On my unit* ymmv, the metal(+)contact is raised/elevated/protruding. After having installed the thick blue spacer (1.35mm thickness!), i got a clearance of 0.66mm, which was plenty. The difference of 0.69mm was proof to me that that contact was raised indeed. But i want to produce facts, for others to refer/compare. So today i made a lil tool out of a nail with which i managed to uninstall the blue spacer:





The double-sided adhesive tape stuck more firmly on the aluminum than on the plastic and it was h*ll to scratch/peel it off with the tool. I also had to use Q-tips with acetone to loosen some remaining adhesive residues. I will never:scowl: use any kind of tape again _inside _a flashlight!





My Sanyo14500 cell has a Ø6.8mm wide top, protruding by 0.10-0.19mm (relative to the red shoulder), hard to measure exactly, what's your measurement? In any case, for argument's sake the "flat top" be minimally "protruding" and not flat and also not recessed. Okay. Fact: it works perfectly in my unmodded original sc52w l2 unit, no magnet needed. And this fact should make you wonder:thinking:. _If_ the light had physical RPP, then _why _would a ~0.10mm protrusion be sufficient to make electrical contact? The clearance would have to be 0.09mm or less; that does not sound safe to me! At least this situation is reason for suspicion and *warrants *examination imho, so let's check and try to measure the actual clearance, if there is any:





My Trustfire Flames 14500 has a pretty wide and flat top too, yet not as wide and as flat as Sanyo. The Eneloop AA has a very pronounced button top. I wanted to install a new thinner plastic spacer and without adhesives or tape. I found red plastic material of 0.65-0.68mm thickness. Perfect thickness to provide enough clearance and still be thin enough so that i wouldn't need magnets with my 14500 batteries?






Here the most important picture, a schematic of *my *unit (and *yours *might be alike, beware!):





As you can read from the schematic, on my unit the metal(+)contact protrudes by 0.5mm relative to the aluminum wall/shoulder/donut/ring ( 53.4 - 52.9 = 0.5mm ). It explains why all 14500's batteries make "positive contact" lol in my unmodded unit. But it also means that my unmodded unit does not have physical RPP. If, after the mod, i want at least 0.10mm clearance, then i must install an insulating spacer (donut/ring) of at least 0.60mm thickness. The cut out red spacer fulfills this requirement:





With the installed red spacer now I am measuring a clearance of ~0.2mm, which is sounds sufficiently safe imho. Actually it must be slightly over 0.2mm :thumbsup:, because the Sanyo14500 doesn't work anymore. Good. That's fine with me. 

Summary:


unmodded original SC52w L2 kreisl unit: Eneloop works, Trustfire Flames 14500 works, Sanyo14500 works. In theory the unit could still have 0.09mm (or less) clearance, but my measurements prove that in reality there is no clearance, on my unit, but a protrusion of 0.5mm ouch. Clearly, there is no physical RPP, on my unit. Ymmv.
SC52w L2 w/ taped 1.35mm blue spacer assembly: Ubersafe physical RPP. Eneloop works. 14500's don't work unless installed with magnet nub.
SC52w L2 w/ press-fitted 0.7mm red spacer: Eneloop works, Trustfire Flames 14500 works. Sanyo14500 doesn't work unless installed with magnet nub; this proves that the physical RPP works and that the clearance has to be over 0.2mm.
That's it, my completed mod for *my *particular production unit of the SC52w L2. I am happy, i am done. 

*Now the conclusion for your SC52w L2. *


If *you *insert an original Sanyo14500 cell (the red battery as pictured) and it doesn't work, then it could mean that your particular production unit was assembled leaving an intentional clearance of slightly over 0.20mm (_and if that is so, it should mean that your unit has physical RPP, congrats_). And if you don't have a Sanyo14500 cell for testing, then you should try to take similar measurements as seen in the above schematic in order to determine if your metal(+)contact is protruding/raised/elevated. If it is, then i'd recommend an insulating spacer mod as shown.
If *you *insert an original Sanyo14500 cell (the red battery as pictured) and it does work, then it *could *mean that *either ALT1 *your particular production unit was assembled leaving an unintentional(!) clearance of between 0.01mm and 0.09mm (_and if that is so, it should mean that your unit has physical RPP, barely so_) *or ALT2* that the metal(+)contact is protruding (_thus your unit not having physical RPP, beware_). Imho ALT2 is more likely/realistic, but who knows for sure? So you should try to take similar measurements as seen in the above schematic in order to determine if your metal(+)contact is protruding/raised/elevated. If it is, then i'd recommend an insulating spacer mod as shown.


----------



## chillinn (Oct 20, 2020)

That is a very pretty Eneloop, and an excellent post, kreisl, and the beauty of your pioneering industry is that your method might just work with any Zebralight that is lacking RPP, and I will assume so.


----------



## kreisl (Oct 21, 2020)

Thank you @chillinn , that's very kind of you to say! :wave:

Assuming that quoting from the internal Zebralight messaging thread maybe okay since the information is interesting, relevant, and important to the public, here is what was asked and answered:


customer vs. ZL Staff said:


> cus > "1) does the SC52w L2 have electronic RPP? (electrical)"
> zls > "1) no electrical RPP"
> cus > "2) does the SC52w L2 have mechanical RPP? (physical)"
> zls > "2) Yes. However some (+) contacts and/or the board may protrude more than specified during assembly."
> ...



The bottom line is, unless/until you have not checked/verified/confirmed that your particular production unit does not have a protruding (+)contact, you cannot be certain that your unit does not have the "unintentional" mechanical RPP. :duh2: :thinking:


----------



## SYZYGY (Oct 21, 2020)

RPP is a good thing, but how often have you put in a battery the wrong way? i don't think i _ever_ have.


----------



## this_is_nascar (Oct 21, 2020)

SYZYGY said:


> RPP is a good thing, but how often have you put in a battery the wrong way? i don't think i _ever_ have.


That's what I'm thinking and wanted to say, without coming off as disrespectful. This is probably the this biggest "over engineering" for an avoidable issue that I've ever seen.

In my almost 60-years on this planet, I've never ever inserted a battery incorrectly, in any device, never.

If you're really into this stuff, then great, I applaud your efforts. Your level of detail in your post tells me that you're a cautious person, that probably checks and double checks things before you proceed, so you're probably not the target individual for what you're attempting to accomplish with this.

Ar any rate, have at it, good luck and congratulations.


Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk


----------



## Climb14er (Oct 21, 2020)

My SC52cw is one of the finest lights I've ever used. It runs well on 14500 Sanyos, Eneloops, Duracells, Energizer Lithium, and any other AA Alkaline I throw in it. The ideal survival, travel and EDC.


----------



## Owen (Oct 21, 2020)

I think I've spent more time messing around with my SC52w since seeing this thread the other day than I had in the last 6 or 7 years put together. I programmed the brightness levels for H2/M2/L2 back then, and never touched them again. I'd never even tried the battery indicator before. Now I've cleaned all the contacts, used it on my job, changed L2 and H2 to better suit my current uses, and even played with the strobe mode a little. It's kinda like having a new flashlight.
Aside from mine having a bit of a dingy tint that's less pleasing than my H52Fw and Malkoff neutrals in side-by-side comparison, there's just nothing to complain about. Still a great little light:thumbsup:


----------



## kreisl (Oct 21, 2020)

this_is_nascar said:


> that probably checks and double checks things before you proceed, so you're probably not the target individual for what you're attempting to accomplish with this


hmmm.. isn't the opposite the case?:thinking:

my last week's frenzy where i started adding insulating spacers to Smini, H1 Nova, HM61R, SC52wl2, and S1A was triggered by my Smini wrong battery insertion incident. yes i try to check before inserting batteries but accidents happen when you're in a hurry, stressed out or tired (mind is absent), lighting isn't there, feel lazy in the moment, have poor vision, etc.

I also had my late neighbor's SC52cw in mind. He respected his tools and their limitations. A smart old hobbyist, passionate about electronics, repairs, clocks, watches, radios, motorbikes, deceased a few weeks ago RIP. I had told him that the light didn't have RPP of any kind (and he was shook), so he knew and respected. Whenever i visited him, i saw the light (in top condition) lying around elsewhere. He used and cherished the gift, as he told me back. Now his relatives wouldn't know that such a top quality light could be easily damaged by wrong insertion of his Eneloop AA. It is not obvious to every ma and mom how to install an AA battery correctly. If i had an unmodded SC52, i wouldn't lend it to any Mrs Ingnoramus and trust that she would get my instructions right, every time she had to exchange the battery.

Having physical RPP gives me piece of mind. No more trust needed, no more fear in my accidental mistakes or other's.

Anyone who double checks doesn't need this mod. Apparently i am not the one who double checks. I am the lazy kresil. Don't want to double check, don't want to worry about correctness of insertion, wanna be mindless when handling or lending the SC52 hehe.


----------



## WalkIntoTheLight (Oct 21, 2020)

Owen said:


> Aside from mine having a bit of a dingy tint that's less pleasing than my H52Fw and Malkoff neutrals in side-by-side comparison, there's just nothing to complain about. Still a great little light:thumbsup:



Yeah, I think the SC52w was my first neutral-white LED light (or close to it), which I bought over 6 years ago. The tint looked great back then, but in comparison to the neutral white tints today, it definitely seems a little "low CRI" and slightly greenish. Still a great light, though. I'm still using mine.


----------



## kreisl (Oct 21, 2020)

WalkIntoTheLight said:


> and slightly greenish.


back then i was fortunate to get my hands on various units of the sc52wl2, from US sellers, DE sellers, NL sellers. most of the units tended towards the greenish side of an XM-L2 nw, true. I sold them away. i kept the unit which had a peculiar tint performance .. looking rosy. not greenish, not purplish, not blueish, not yellowish, not orangish, not warmish, not neutral.

so mine is a cherry-picked unit with a rare tint seen on the sc52wl2. Definitely a keeper, would never sell it. Too rare that even double the original price couldn't make up for it. (i am also very pleased with Olight Smini Ti NW tint which isn't rosy but literally neutral)


----------

