# H502 with 80 degree beam



## davidt1 (Jul 6, 2012)

Just out of curiosity:

If there is an H502 model with an 80 degree beam, would you buy the one with the 80 degree beam or the 120 degree beam?

I would buy the 80 degree beam for these reasons:

1. 260lm concentrated in an 80 degree beam would be very bright, I imagine bright enough to be as throwy as my H51w if not more. 

2. The beam spread is still large enough for up-close tasks and run time would be very long.

3. I think an H502 with and 80 degree beam would be a two-in-one light combining both the H51 and the H501 into one light.


Please give a reason for your choice and if you own the H501. Thanks.

I am wondering if Zebralight's decision to make the 120 degree beam H502 a marketing or technical one. If it was a marketing decision, where did they get their data from since the H501 is a hugely popular light?


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## psychbeat (Jul 6, 2012)

I like my h501w - seems close to perfect.
Id like a similar 80deg optic but made to work with XML or Nichia 219
Id love one in a small H60 style 18650 body too- not big n chunky like H600.


my bike light has 2 bare xpg for almost 180deg beam & I feel like most of it is wasted.
luckily it has a spot in addition to the bare emitters.


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## MichaelW (Jul 6, 2012)

How would they reduce the beam angle? They would have to pull the LED back into the body, but I think that space has been used for the AA cell.
So is an 80 degree beam even feasible?


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## psychbeat (Jul 6, 2012)

they could use a more focused lens/optic most likely without changing the body id bet,
very doubtful it will happen


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## gunga (Jul 6, 2012)

I have an H50B (90 degree beam), so I prefer that for general purpose use.


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## spinkid (Jul 6, 2012)

I have the current model and although its nice, I too would prefer an 80 degree beam. Too many of my activities both work and recreational seem to benefit from an 80 degree beam. They both obviously have their place, but for most of my uses I would take an 80 over 120.


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## Beacon of Light (Jul 7, 2012)

I wish they'd just update the H31/H51 drivers with the lower output for longer runtimes. Also the additional modes the H502 has. I like the H502 but I seem to use my H31 more.


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## tygger (Jul 9, 2012)

80% for sure. I own a H502d and still prefer the 80% spread of my H501w.


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## kwak (Jul 10, 2012)

I have both the H502d and H502 and don't really understand the problem.

Sure the H501w has a 120° beam BUT it's only 80 lumens, the H502 is 260 lumens.
So although in theory the beam is more focused on the H501w in practice the H502 puts more light on at any distance in a 80° beam.

So the reality is you get a extra 40° AND it's brighter everywhere than the H501w.


Plus if your priority is a bright 80° light then you have the H600


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## davidt1 (Jul 10, 2012)

kwak said:


> I have both the H502d and H502 and don't really understand the problem.
> 
> Sure the H501w has a 120° beam BUT it's only 80 lumens, the H502 is 260 lumens.
> So although in theory the beam is more focused on the H501w in practice the H502 puts more light on at any distance in a 80° beam.
> ...




The poll is not about H502 vs H501. 

The point of the poll is to see which beam spread, 80 degree or 120 degree people prefer in the H502. If Zebralight chose or were able to put all that 260lm in a smaller 80 degree beam, then the H502 with an 80 degree beam would be a better choice for those of us who want an H502 with an 80 degree beam.

The H600 is a completely different light with different battery, size, and beam profile.


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## kwak (Jul 10, 2012)

davidt1 said:


> The poll is not about H502 vs H501.
> 
> The point of the poll is to see which beam spread, 80 degree or 120 degree people prefer in the H502. If Zebralight chose or were able to put all that 260lm in a smaller 80 degree beam, then the H502 with an 80 degree beam would be a better choice for those of us who want an H502 with an 80 degree beam.
> 
> The H600 is a completely different light with different battery, size, and beam profile.





davidt1 said:


> Just out of curiosity:
> Please give a reason for your choice and if you own the H501. Thanks.



So i did :twothumbs 

Problem is unless you have a H502 and a H501w side by side the theory is a LOT more dramatic than in practice.
20° either side of the beam on a torch that is powerful enough to light up a hiking path 20m away is not even noticeable.

Even with close work, i'm able to light up my Kindle in a fantastic and constant glow on low with the torch only a few cm from the device.


Not sure how many that voted own a H502 but i can tell you that in my opinion at least the beam spread is fantastic and really works well with the power of the light.

If it was only 80lm then i could see the point of having a narrower more focused beam, but in my experience with the H502 from reading in bed at night to out hiking and around the camp the beam spread is fantastic as is.

I am curious though.
Of those that voted for a 80° beam are there any that own and have used a H502 extensively? 
If so i would be grateful if you could please point out a situation where a narrower beam would have been more useful?


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## davidt1 (Jul 10, 2012)

kwak said:


> So i did :twothumbs
> 
> Problem is unless you have a H502 and a H501w side by side the theory is a LOT more dramatic than in practice.
> 20° either side of the beam on a torch that is powerful enough to light up a hiking path 20m away is not even noticeable.
> ...



You are arguing just for the sake of arguing. This poll is not about the H501 and the 80lm. Now you are questioning the people who voted for the 80 degree beam. If you read all the posts, you would see that those who responded own the H502.


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## kwak (Jul 10, 2012)

David, you requested in your first post that we give our reasoning, that's exactly what i have done.

I am not interested in arguing.
I gave my reasoning and made what i thought was a polite, reasonable and on topic request, nothing more.


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## psychbeat (Jul 10, 2012)

I think the point is - would you rather have the 40extra degrees of beam
culminated into a more intense 80 deg of pure flood by the optic. 
Similar to the H501 only brighter.


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## varuscelli (Jul 10, 2012)

Personally, I don't think this question should be looked at as being about H502 with 120 degree vs 80 degree beam. The H502 is a 120 degree lamp. I see the question being whether ZebraLight should release something like an H503 (or whatever the designation) as a more powerful version of the H501 that represents something in between what the H501 was and what the H502 is. 

The H502 with its 120 degree beam has a legitimate place in terms of ZebraLight versatility. I do not agree that it would be better to have released a more powerful 80 degree lamp and not a 120 degree lamp. What's desirable is to have both (H502 and H503 (or whatever a more powerful H501 would be designated)) -- not an either/or situation of the H502 with either 120 degrees or 80 degrees.


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## kwak (Jul 10, 2012)

psychbeat said:


> I think the point is - would you rather have the 40extra degrees of beam
> culminated into a more intense 80 deg of pure flood by the optic.
> Similar to the H501 only brighter.



On the internet and on forums it's easy to get caught up in the figures, but for me using my H502's for everything from night hiking, fixing the car and even reading my Kindle at night i have not had nor found 1 instance where i wished for a narrower more focused beam.

As i say hiking at night you can easily see everything 20m in front of you. if i'm mountain biking them obvious i'll need more of a thrower as i'm reaching higher speeds, but if it's a thrower you want then there is no no other light of this size that throws better that i've come across.


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## psychbeat (Jul 10, 2012)

I'm glad u like it as is 
Def a step ahead of the 501 in a lot of areas. 

I think some of us would've preferred a more concentrated beam but still without a hotspot ie. H501


Some like it as is - which is why there's a poll @the top. 

Flashaholics like to nitpic & debate. 
I think all of this obsession to detail drives innovation. 

I'm curious if anyone has done 1m Lux test between the 501&502 ?


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## YoSeKi (Jul 10, 2012)

Without a reflector, throw is going to be the same whether the beam is 80 degrees or 120 degrees. All you would have with a 80 degree beam is just a narrower beam.


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## moozooh (Jul 10, 2012)

The H502 has its niche that it suits perfectly, aside from the green fringe reports. I don't think there are any other 120˚ headlamps out there, let alone using a single most common cell in the world. There's H51—and its future upgrades, I suppose—for the narrower beam. If anything, H51 was already an upgrade of H501 as it combined similar runtimes with more and brighter modes and other features H501 never had. You should rather consider waiting for H52 as the "true" H501 successor and let the H50x line live a life of its own.

As for the next light in the H50x line, I'm dreaming of something like a 105˚ 4700–5300K beam with some matte silver reflector surface (think 3M Scotchlite), rather than white/green GitD, for lesser sidespill absorption. While the 120˚ flood is a great idea, and is more useful than 80˚ imo, I rarely use headlamps in situations where I actually need _all_ of those extra forty degrees.



YoSeKi said:


> Without a reflector, throw is going to be the same whether the beam is 80 degrees or 120 degrees. All you would have with a 80 degree beam is just a narrower beam.


Factual, but mislead. 100 lumen OTF spread over 80 degrees will put more lux on the lit surface than 100 lumen OTF spread over 120 degrees. (We're not counting the scenarios where you just block out the extra spill.) Since the amount of lumen a LED can put out at a given current is very limited and can't be enhanced using optics, you generally want your lux "spent" on exactly the surfaces you want to see clearly, rather than spread everywhere evenly.


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## YoSeKi (Jul 10, 2012)

moozooh said:


> Factual, but mislead. 100 lumen OTF spread over 80 degrees will put more lux on the lit surface than 100 lumen OTF spread over 120 degrees. (We're not counting the scenarios where you just block out the extra spill.) Since the amount of lumen a LED can put out at a given current is very limited and can't be enhanced using optics, you generally want your lux "spent" on exactly the surfaces you want to see clearly, rather than spread everywhere evenly.



You could probably measure a small difference if you used a light meter, but it would not be enough to make a practical difference to the eye. 

When I compare a H501 (96 lumens OTF, 80 degrees) with a bare Rebel 100 driven at 350mA (about 100 emitter lumens, 120 degrees FWHM) I perceive no difference in throw.



moozooh said:


> I don't think there are any other 120˚ headlamps out there, let alone using a single most common cell in the world.



Spark SD52. 120 degrees. AA batteries.


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## moozooh (Jul 10, 2012)

Oh yeah, that one. It was one of the two alternative options I considered before finally settling on the H502d, but the lower per-cell efficiency, higher price, inability to easily clip it to a pocket, and the need for battery matching in cannibalistic usage scenarios, all tipped the scales towards ZL. Since I don't really need the highest brightness settings on either light and don't plan on getting secondary 14500s, the Spark had no redeeming points left for me. They say its NW LED tint/bin is really well chosen, though. (And it's 115˚, isn't it?  )


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## varuscelli (Jul 10, 2012)

YoSeKi said:


> Spark SD52. 120 degrees. AA batteries.





moozooh said:


> Oh yeah, that one. It was one of the two alternative options I considered before finally settling on the H502d, but the lower per-cell efficiency, higher price, inability to easily clip it to a pocket, and the need for battery matching in cannibalistic usage scenarios, all tipped the scales towards ZL. Since I don't really need the highest brightness settings on either light and don't plan on getting secondary 14500s, the Spark had no redeeming points left for me. They say its NW LED tint/bin is really well chosen, though. (And it's 115˚, isn't it?  )



I think the SD52 is significantly heavier/bulkier than the H502...correct? Roughly 2x the weight of the H502? 

I'm not discounting the comparative beam spread, though! Good point, YoSeKi. 

Sorry for the digression.


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## kwak (Jul 10, 2012)

psychbeat said:


> I'm glad u like it as is
> Def a step ahead of the 501 in a lot of areas.
> 
> I think some of us would've preferred a more concentrated beam but still without a hotspot ie. H501
> ...



After the SC600 fiasco i did say that i would never buy another Zerbralight again, but poor customer service and beta testing aside i think that they are at the forefront of torch design and they just seem to keep bringing out torches that do exactly what i want.

My posts are more aimed towards curiosity than trying to be argumentative, with other lights i own i have read other owners reports and agree with 90% of them.
Even the 10% i don't agree with i can see exactly where they are coming from.

With the H502 after using the light extensively over the past few weeks the complaints/wishes just seem to be alien to me.


I do accept that the light is far from perfect, i'm REALLY not a fan of the ZL UI and there is a dark spot in the centre of the beam that's JUST noticeable in some situations.


But i would be very grateful if someone could point out a situation where they were using the H502 and felt a 80° beam would have been better than the 120° beam spread please?


As i say, please do not think of my post as argumentative, in all honesty that is not my intention, i just am very very curious.


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## Photonrunner (Jul 10, 2012)

kwak said:


> After the SC600 fiasco i did say that i would never buy another Zerbralight again, but poor customer service and beta testing aside i think that they are at the forefront of torch design and they just seem to keep bringing out torches that do exactly what i want.
> 
> My posts are more aimed towards curiosity than trying to be argumentative, with other lights i own i have read other owners reports and agree with 90% of them.
> Even the 10% i don't agree with i can see exactly where they are coming from.
> ...



For Running the throw of an 80 beam is far superior.


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## psychbeat (Jul 10, 2012)

For almost anything having that extra light colminated into the 80deg seems better to me. 

It would allow u to use a lower mode to achieve the same amount of illumination. 

I have an H501w and a full flood ~180degree headlamp and wish my full flood HL had an optic like the 501.


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## YoSeKi (Jul 10, 2012)

Photonrunner said:


> For Running the throw of an 80 beam is far superior.



Do you say this from experience or from theory?



psychbeat said:


> I have an H501w and a full flood ~180degree headlamp and wish my full flood HL had an optic like the 501.



What emitter do you have in your 180 degree headlamp?


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## Photonrunner (Jul 10, 2012)

YoSeKi said:


> Do you say this from experience or from theory?



I've got thousands of miles of experience. I'm a high mileage marathon runner who runs many miles night time after work. 501 rocks just wish it was brighter and had a bit better head band.


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## psychbeat (Jul 10, 2012)

YoSeKi said:


> Do you say this from experience or from theory?
> 
> 
> 
> What emitter do you have in your 180 degree headlamp?



It has 2 hiCRI XPG each run @1.4a on hi. 
They are behind a rather thick Lexan lens of which u actually get light directly
out the edges it's a crazy wide angle.


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## kwak (Jul 10, 2012)

Photonrunner said:


> For Running the throw of an 80 beam is far superior.





psychbeat said:


> For almost anything having that extra light colminated into the 80deg seems better to me.
> 
> It would allow u to use a lower mode to achieve the same amount of illumination.
> 
> I have an H501w and a full flood ~180degree headlamp and wish my full flood HL had an optic like the 501.



Sorry, but i have to repeat myself again.

Having had a H501w and a H502d side my side outdoors on a very rocky footpath i can categorically state that this 40° narrower spread that is being discussed is barely noticeable in the real world.

Sat behind a computer screen 40° less spread sounds a lot in theory, in practice though with the torch being a few meters away from the path the difference is barely noticeable.


I can understand that in theory it seems like it could be a deciding factor, but in practice it makes no real difference at all.


My H501w is in my toolbox otherwise i'd snap some pics to prove it, as soon as i'm back to work i'll do a beam comparison.
I'd bet large sums of money that you'd be VERY surprised.


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## YoSeKi (Jul 10, 2012)

Photonrunner said:


> 501 rocks just wish it was brighter and had a bit better head band.



Do you have a H502 too?



psychbeat said:


> It has 2 hiCRI XPG each run @1.4a on hi.



Are you comparing the H501w's throw and the 2 XPG's throw at the same output?


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## psychbeat (Jul 10, 2012)

YoSeKi said:


> Are you comparing the H501w's throw and the 2 XPG's throw at the same output?



no - the H501w is a single XR-E with an 80deg optic
and my bare XP-G both activate simultaneously (as well as the XM-L which is in a SMO reflector)
and only have 2 modes so there's no way to fairly compare them...

but I can say that a large amount of the flood from the XP-Gs in my bike helmet light is wasted
and would perform better behind an optic of some kind.


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## Photonrunner (Jul 10, 2012)

YoSeKi said:


> Do you have a H502 too?



No I haven't bought it due to the lower intensity of the 120 deg beam. I need something to see things further out there, not extra peripheral vision.


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## sinthemau (Jul 13, 2012)

I quote 100% *davidt1* in first post.

I have a 502.
Also I have a 501w > I like it a lot but too low power and/runtime
And from a few days also a H600w > the best! If only it would be a little littler....and same interface of 502.

I definitely would buy a new 502 with 80 (or 90) degrees, surely WARM.:twothumbs


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## theshoelacebandit (Jul 14, 2012)

My ideal all-purpose light would be an H502 with with a beam similar to the H51.I have been a fan of zebralight for some time now. As a result many of the people I know have purchased several of there lights. All that I have talked to have said they would most definitely buy the before mentioned light. While we believe a full flood has its place, an 80 deg spill spot like the H51 is a lot more functional for all around use. I spent 9 years in the US Marines and I wish I had a Zebralight during that time. They are fare superior in function to most if the lights we used. In my opinion an h502 with a 80 deg spill spot or an h51 with an xml would be the king of all flashlights.I most likely will be left waiting for the "H52" to be released. I've been I contact with zebralight and they told me that they "didn't have any plans in the near future to make such a light."


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## Bolster (Jul 14, 2012)

I chose 120 degrees, because the additional degrees really makes night work pleasant. More peripheral vision, less moving the head to aim. 

That said, if there were an 80 I'd buy one of those, too! But maybe a 60 would be an even better choice for a bit more throw. I believe the Saint uses a 60 degree beam.


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## thaugen (Jul 14, 2012)

I chose 80, but now that I have been using my H502d for a few days I am becoming a fan of the 120.


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## peterharvey73 (Jul 14, 2012)

Both the 80 degree and the 120 degree spill beams are good.
Both are good, but in different ways; 80 for more flood-throw, and 120 for more pure flood.
Zebralight should make both versions available for sale, just like Spark offers for sale both the SD6 flooder, and the ST6 flood-thrower...


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## varuscelli (Jul 14, 2012)

I still think that if ZebraLight releases something with an 80 degree beam and more output than the H501, it won't be the H502. It would (or will, if they do it) have a different model number. The concept of making a lamp with such different specs and still calling it the H502 seems silly. (Again, it seems more logical that it would be the H503 or whatever new designation ZebraLight assigns.) Maybe this is nitpicking the thread on my part, but given the thread title and direction...well, I'm just commenting.


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## eh4 (Jul 20, 2012)

Somebody with an H502 should cut a precise "doughnut" out of black construction paper, or out of gorilla tape for a permanent/reversible mod. The outside dimension matching the inside of the bezel of course, with the centered inside hole's diameter requiring estimation, trial and error, mock it up w/ paper and finish w/ nice tape.
Looking at my H51 I'm guessing that a piece of thin walled brass tube of about 9mm diameter would be sharpened easily with sand paper to make a punch for the center hole... Looks like around 80-90 degree exposure would result.


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## Philonous (Jul 20, 2012)

Full disclosure; I have never used a ZL HL with an 80 degree beam.


However, based on my initial experiences with the H502,, I like the 120 degree beam. It's just like, well... seeing. Almost all of your field of vision is lit up. The barest edges escape the light, but FOV pretty much equals what is illuminated. Personally, I wouldn't narrow it to 80 degrees.


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## varuscelli (Jul 21, 2012)

Philonous said:


> Full disclosure; I have never used a ZL HL with and 80 degree beam.



Don't worry. On the flip side, I think there are a number of people who voted in the poll who haven't used the H502 with 120 degree beam, either. A certain percentage of the discussion and voting seems to be based on speculation and having used one or the other but not both. :shrug:


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## ulfheonar (Jul 21, 2012)

I dont own zebra yet but i wanted to buy h502w for its high xml output and good driver runtime . but ive been thinking since , I dont that much 120 degrees , would rather like to have 80-90 and have some more throw (still flood ) I think im now going with h31fw , the f model to not have that hot spot , dont care to have less throw than h31w , at least it will have more than h502 , modes and runtimes are good too . , so yes I wish there will be a model with xml + aa/cr123 + reflector + 80-90 degrees . the good thing is there is a model for everyone, just not all updated/ upgraded lol .


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## Bolster (Jul 21, 2012)

I've been switching off between H501w and H502c at work (recently, several weeks of contracting work which finishes up around 9pm outside) and I'll have to give the award to the H502c for my work. The H501w is very good, and if it were all I owned I'd be happy. But the H502c edges it out due to:
(1) the larger beam pattern, which is very useful when doing handwork with tools; and 
(2) the better variety of midlevel modes, which allow me to dial in max illumination based on time till quit. 
(3) overall less adjustment needed. Less fiddling with aim. 
Honorable mention goes to: 
(4) being able to test the battery before starting the job. 
(5) beam being wide enough that two of us can work cooperatively in it. 

Don't get me wrong, I love the H501w, but the H502 is now my preferred headlamp for work. As always, use dictates design. If I were using a headlamp for walking at night I'd not choose the H502. 

There are lots of "night walkers" on this forum which explains the skewing of preference toward a narrower more throwy beam, which servers hikers better. 

But let's not raise a campaign to modify the H502 away from its wide angle glory; it's very useful for its specific purpose. If the H502 is "too wide" for you, try an H51f which has a 90 degree beam and a "directional" flood.


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## RedForest UK (Jul 22, 2012)

Bolster said:


> There are lots of "night walkers" on this forum which explains the skewing of preference toward a narrower more throwy beam, which servers hikers better.




Good point, I think you've got something there.


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## peterharvey73 (Jul 22, 2012)

We should say that the narrow and throwy beams are good for night walking etc.
While the wide and floody beams are good for close up work etc...


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## south_aussie_hiker (Jul 26, 2012)

For those who can't see past why you would want the H502 in an 80 degree, given that the H502 is plenty bright enough anyway... I want an 80 degree beam because my work involves close proximity to others, and a 120 degree beam is going to shine in their eyes.

I want the brightness of the H502.
I want the efficiency of the H502.
I want the UI and 13 modes of the H502.

But I want the beam narrower so I'm not blinding people sitting across from me, or colleagues when working at night. 80 degrees is just manageable without blinding others.


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## f22shift (Jul 26, 2012)

i have used an h501 80 deg and a spark sd6 120 something or ruther. the reason for a smaller degree beam is to see farther making it more versatile. yes the output as a whole is bigger but you are lighting up objects very close to you.
imagine holding a white picture frame and shining a flashlight through it. you can have a 500lumen flood or a 10lumen narrow beam. which can you see through? it's a bit of an exaggeration but to make a point. i think over 80 deg is overkill and actually lower what you can potentially see farther by lighting up what is nearer. and 80 deg at close range is still nice and floody for close tasks. 120 is fine for only close tasks imo. 80 is good for close and walking/hiking.


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## davidt1 (Jul 26, 2012)

I am glad CPF has not become like an Amazon fan club review where the most glowing review of a product is given the most votes by the herd and anyone who dares to say anything bad about said product is shot down. CPF is better than that, as it should be.


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## Bolster (Jul 26, 2012)

davidt1 said:


> I am glad CPF has not become like an Amazon fan club review where the most glowing review of a product is given the most votes by the herd and anyone who dares to say anything bad about said product is shot down. CPF is better than that, as it should be.


. 

The "bad" part about the H502 is NOT its beam spread, which is excellent for certain purposes. The reason I don't hop on board the campaign against the H502's 120 degree beam, is that I have different uses for the light than others, and the extra beam width is excellent for me. I'm perfectly willing to criticize ZL for: water ingress, lack of screw-in bezel, galacial repair times, underwhelming communication. 

What's getting old, for me, is that headlamps at CPF must be forever judged on the basis of "night hiking," or "all around use," and this determines whether they're "good" or "bad." Excuse me for being in the minority, but some of us have other uses for headlamps than hiking at night, or needing a jack-of-all-trades headlamp. I remain confused why people buy the all-flood H502, then castigate it for lacking sufficient throw. Imagine a photographer buying an extreme wide-angle lens, then complaining he can't zoom in on details with it. "It's completely worthless for taking portraits or telephoto shots," he says. 

If there were no H51 or H51f available, I'd consider it a valid criticism. But when you have a comprehensive lineup of beam spreads from ZL, I find the animosity directed at this very useful, very wide H502 incomprehensible.

Call me a fanboi if you will. What I'm fan of is a 120 beam, whether it's from ZL or Spark, these wide beams are exceedingly useful for production and work. I'm happy all you night-hikers have so many choices for your needs. We working stiffs who need wide floods have fewer choices. But it seems there's a campaign afoot, to influence ZL to narrow the beam of the H502, and if you narrowers win, then widers like me, lose.

So why not allow a specialty headlamp to exist for those of us who need it, rather than hector it out of existence. A little tolerance, please.


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## gunga (Jul 26, 2012)

Well said bolster. While I voted for 80 degree, I think an alternate model with 80 degree beam would be a good companion piece rather than replacement. That way people can have both (or a screw in lense for more throw)


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## TooNice (Jul 26, 2012)

@Bolster: Sorry for the OT-ness, but since you have used both a 'w' and 'c' version of a Zebralight, do you have an opinion on what might be favoured amongst "night walkers"?


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## yowzer (Jul 29, 2012)

I have the original H50, which is something like 120 degrees. Compared to the 501, the 50 is better at lighting up a whole room if I set down it somewhere, but as a headlamp, the narrower beam of the 501 is much more useful, even for close up things like reading in my tent at night. This is the only reason why I'm holding off on a 502d... Now, if they make a 51Fd...


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## markr6 (Aug 5, 2012)

Bolster said:


> The "bad" part about the H502 is NOT its beam spread, which is excellent for certain purposes.



True. I was a bit disappointed at first since I was stubborn and wanted it to be an all-purpose lamp for hiking and closeup tasks while camping. I finally eased up and accepted the fact that each light has it's uses. It's great to have both (H51 and H502). Just yesterday I had to replace my kitchen faucet...I HATE doing this on a sink already installed in such a tight space. In this case, my H502 was the perfect choice lighting up the entire undersink area. Of course, my LD10 tailstanding in the corner would have been just fine. And then later I was detailing my Jeep and ran into the night. Again, a perfect use for the H502 and another reason why I decided not to sell it.


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## eh4 (Aug 5, 2012)

Has anyone tried a doughnut shaped piece of tape or opaque paper over the lens yet? -To see if the 80-90 deg version is better... For their purposes.
If I had an H502 that's what I'd do, first with paper and then with black gorilla tape if I liked the result.
My guess is that a 9mm thin walled brass tube would make a nice punch (maybe with a little judicious sanding of the cutting edge) to approximate a hole for 80-90 degree flood.

If I'm not mistaken the 501 wasted the same light that would be wasted by the doughnut hole tape mod of the H502.

Personally I can hardly wait to get an H502c, I'll probably trick it out with a magnet, a hook, and some kind of grippy/clampy accessory to make it even more of a portable lamp/work light, money being the limiting factor of course. 
However, in the mean time my H51Fc is excellent for the 90 degree lighting tasks, better than pure flood in my opinion for general purpose because it gives a good "floody" while still sending most of the light in the direction that my head is pointing.


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