# Zebralight reliability (the poll)



## vtunderground

I've noticed a lot of talk about problems encountered with Zebralight headlamps. I suspect that there's a silent majority of users who have had good luck with their Zebralights, but you wouldn't know it from the posts on here!

So, for those who own a Zebralight (or several)... who has had a Zebralight stop working, or stop working reliably? And just as importantly, who has used a Zebralight with no issues at all?

I'm curious because a pure flood light would be great for caving & exploring abandoned mines... but I have to be able to trust each of my lights with my life.


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## Snow

Two Zebralights, two failures here. One an H30 and one an H501w.


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## Launch Mini

Just got the 30. Wife has used it for night reading.
Only a very minor thing, that when you go to cycle to a higher level, it seems to get stuck on low & it flickers a couple times before it moves up.
Not all the time, but occassionally.


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## PayBack

3 lights, 33% failure rate so far.


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## Yucca Patrol

I have actually had TWO fail on me. The first was my H60 that took on water while caving but I "fixed" it myself. The second was my H50 that just went dead one day.

Zebralight replaced the H50 but I haven't gotten around to sending my H60 in. I'm just going to wait for it to fail again before I do anything. I think I was able to better seal the button area than they did at the factory.

Despite these two problem lights, I still think they are great lights


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## Woods Walker

The clicky on my H501w acted funky one night but seemed to clear itself up and have used it more than a few times on the trail after that. The H50 made it though it's first winter last year and that is saying alot. The H501-Q5 never had any issues but only used it in the field maybe 12 times however got tons of use around the house. No water problems with the H501w or H50 but they were exposed to mostly rain, sleet and snow. I don't dunk my head under the water with a headlamp on so never got around to a dunk test. Next time I fail at a stream crossing if using the ZL will report back but guessing with luck this could be a ways off.


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## matrixshaman

Six Zebralights which because of a project I'm doing I use a lot and rely on. Two total failures - dead for no reason with only a little use. Two H30's with the battery change problem and some other intermittent annoyances. One fairly good H50 and one so far perfect H501. These are great lights when they work right but I personally have probably had some of the worst luck with them of anyone I've seen on CPF. Zebralight has offered solutions but it usually involves sending back to China and I have not had the time so I have been disappointed in the failure rate and problems. If they had a U.S. based service or warranty place I'd probably be more likely to buy more and get the ones I have fixed.


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## yowzer

My H50's gotten a lot of use, and aside from a few dings from being dropped onto rocks and concrete, still looks and acts like the day I got it. Never had an issue. I've had a 501 for less than a week, so too soon to tell with that model...


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## kwarwick

Two H60w failures, the original and then the replacement sent by Zebralight also died. I have H50-Q5 that's never given me an ounce of trouble though. Zebralight has been very responsive, so although the failures are disappointing and inconvenient they took good care of me both times.

Karl


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## mdf

I've been using my H60w every day for a month without any problems.
I had to shorten the tailcap spring to fit the AW 2200 battery.


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## Vernon

I've have an H50-Q5 that's never given me any problems at all. However, I did have an H-60 that crapped out after about 10 minutes of use, so I sent it back to China only to get another one three weeks later that did the exact same thing. I've stopped buying Zebralights since that experience...just not worth the chance of frustration.


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## EngrPaul

I've lightly used a H30, H60w, and H501w. 

So far, no problems, still have the last two, sold the first one.


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## TooManyGizmos

From what I've read , since they came out , I don't consider them reliable .

Therefore , I have not bought one .

Good Poll , curious about the replies .

.


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## one2tim

got a h30 and h60w with no issues


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## lebox97

just an FYI - USA customers get Zebralight warranty repair/replacement performed outside of Dallas Texas. In my experience the turnaround has been 1-2 weeks (door-to-door) - contact your dealer or ZL for RMA # and address.

If you return it to place of purchase for repair/replacement instead - it has to be sent back to China... (us dealers are low on the totem pole ) = round trip to dealer plus round trip to China makes for much slower turnaround.

:wave:




matrixshaman said:


> ... If they had a U.S. based service or warranty place I'd probably be more likely to buy more and get the ones I have fixed.


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## DimeRazorback

I recently got as H60W... no issues yet, but I don't need to use it very often other then around the house.

I don't have very much confidence in it however, just doesn't feel _"solid"_ to me...


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## davidt1

I have dropped my H501 about 5 times. Each time it was dropped the impact was strong enough to detach the super-glued magnet at the tail cap. The light still works just fine. I use it several times a day everyday -- often for hours at a time. It's my main light. It's my "if you can only have one light" light. I can't wait to get their new AA flashlight to complement the H501.

Edit: I voted "No failure" because I own the light and can prove it, but I don't trust this kind of poll.


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## Luminesce

I have an assortment of lights to choose from but my H501 is without a doubt my most used light. As I type this it's in my shirt pocket, just a habit as I keep late hours. I've always kept a flashlight nearby for as far back as I can recall but none were so easy to keep on my person. While the L1D is usually my EDC when I know I'm going to be somewhere that may require a brighter light with a hotspot, generally the 501 is the goto light and has been in use every day, numerous times a day for months without fail.

I would consider any flashlight failing due to being dropped as par for the course, all things considered. Only a few lights are truly designed to handle concrete no matter what the manufacturer may say. But as much as I use my H501 each and every day it's holding up well under those conditions, haven't dropped it yet.

The small nature of these lights and the miniature circuits and high amperage involved lend themselves to potential problems. O-rings and switches that fail are another matter. Perhaps listing the type of failure that occurred would be helpful in determining a bit more about the manufacturer's ability to produce a solid performer or not.

It would also be interesting to see how many people have had problems with early generation designs of "any" light and then find that subsequent models function much better, last longer as the bugs are worked out.


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## DonShock

I've had three Zebras so far. Never had a problem with the H50. The H30 seems to be chugging along just fine, although it gets used infrequently because it was modded to a red Cree for use with a telescope. I use an H60 daily at work. This one did have a problem and failed after about a week and a half. Sent it back to China for repair and have been using it ever since.


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## tedh

H501, H501w, both working fine. Moderate use. 

Ted


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## koubilaihan

I have an H-30 I edc it for the last month, and haven' t encountered any problems with it. 
Also, my mother-in-law's camera wouldn't start because of a drained battery, I replaced the battery with my Zebra's fresh one and put the drained one on the Zebra.
It has been working for the past week even on high without a problem, on the "dead" battery!


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## veleno

I've had a H50 (sold) and I still use a H30.

The H50 worked perfectly, the H30 shuts off when I slightly hit the tailcap (the force must be perpendicular to the bottom of the tailcap).

My H30 also makes a loud buzzing noise on the high level.


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## Fottach

I own H50-Q5 for year and a half and it never failed me. 
501W came last month and so far works flawlessly.


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## Yucca Patrol

Although I have had failures, I still reach for my zebralights more often than any other light as I use them to read in bed most every night. It is only their use in caves that I worry about, but I bring plenty of other lights with me so a failure would not be a problem.


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## dilbert

No issues with my H50, H501, or H501W


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## mudman cj

I have an H30 and an H60W and I gave my dad an H50. So far they all keep working. Mine have had light use, but my dad's H50 has been used a lot. I had to clean the contacts for him when it started to act up, but that is not something I consider to be an issue.


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## Owen

2 x H30
1 x H60
0 x problems
10+ x the use of all my other lights combined.

It's disappointing to hear of so many people having failures, but I love these things.


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## Egsise

H50 Q5 for 8 months, no problems.


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## one2tim

DimeRazorback said:


> I recently got as H60W... no issues yet, but I don't need to use it very often other then around the house.
> 
> I don't have very much confidence in it however, just doesn't feel _"solid"_ to me...



sitting with a h60w here and wondering what you mean, i think it feels very well designed. The switch feels perfect, tailcap/body also. I think its designed to be light, not heavy and bulky.


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## Ares999

H501w in heavy use since 5 months, 4-5 hours runtime during every night shift... and i have a lot of them:shakehead.
Without any problems, i have ordered a H60 to get extended runtime and more output.


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## Illum

I never hear of H50s failing...and I never figured out why are they short lived on the websites.

the H30 on the other hand started with all sorts of issues

my H50 runs fine:twothumbs


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## CathastrophiX

2xH30 used one year, no problems at all.
1xH60 used one year, some problems in the beginning before I shortened the tailcap spring (The first version works best with unprotected batteries, the new version has a longer batterytube). 
Now it has a crack in the lens, Zebralight has offered free repair. 

I think these are fantastic headlamps, lightweight, well regulated, good UI, excellent beam and anodizing quality and a company thats stands behind their product. Me and my family use them almost every day.
I really look forward to their flashlight series!


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## Lite_me

I have an H50 and a 501. I'm not hard on them at all as they only get round the house use most of the time. But it is frequent use for sure. I've not had any issues with them.


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## Inspgad

2 x H501W backup/emergency use (last used this past Sunday to put on
tire chains at night worked like a champ).


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## JBorneu

I have one Zebralight H50. AFAIK, most problems with Zebralights started when they switched from the twisty to the clicky switches. The twisty switches were reliable, waterproof and had no parasitic current drain. Yes, you need two hands to change modes, but how often do you need to change modes while you cannot use both hands? Alpinism? Pick the correct mode when your hands are free (before the steep ascent / descent). Caving? Same thing. Working around the house? Never.

I voted for "reliable", but that only counts for the twisty's. I won't buy the clicly Zebralights. When I need a new / additional headlamp, it's not going to be a Zebralight clicky.


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## Egsise

Good point.
I am going to buy another H50 Q5 tonite, unused and dirty cheap because previous owner does not like floody headlamps.


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## davidt1

JBorneu said:


> I have one Zebralight H50. AFAIK, most problems with Zebralights started when they switched from the twisty to the clicky switches. The twisty switches were reliable, waterproof and had no parasitic current drain. Yes, you need two hands to change modes, but how often do you need to change modes while you cannot use both hands? Alpinism? Pick the correct mode when your hands are free (before the steep ascent / descent). Caving? Same thing. Working around the house? Never.
> 
> I voted for "reliable", but that only counts for the twisty's. I won't buy the clicly Zebralights. When I need a new / additional headlamp, it's not going to be a Zebralight clicky.



The clicky ZL lights are waterproof. That's my H501 going through a 2-hour waterproofing test.






Do you own a clicky ZL light?

I am asking because if you don't like/like something it should be based on actual experience, not on what a few people spread around.


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## matrixshaman

lebox97 said:


> just an FYI - USA customers get Zebralight warranty repair/replacement performed outside of Dallas Texas. In my experience the turnaround has been 1-2 weeks (door-to-door) - contact your dealer or ZL for RMA # and address.
> 
> If you return it to place of purchase for repair/replacement instead - it has to be sent back to China... (us dealers are low on the totem pole ) = round trip to dealer plus round trip to China makes for much slower turnaround.
> 
> :wave:



Thanks - I had heard something along that line before but didn't know it was firmly in place that warranty was out of Texas. I really like the concept of the Zebralights. Unfortunately if the poll here is any indication of real failure rates it's looking close to 25% which is too much IMO.


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## TRITON

I have edc my h30 for months now, use it as night light and plenty of other times walking around with it clipped to my shirt at night. Never had a problem with it. Thinking of getting the h501 as well, just because AA's are easier to find.


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## RGB_LED

Three Zebralights here: H50-Q5, H30 and an H501. No failures with any of them. Once, my H30 did not turn on when I replaced the battery but turned on the second time I pressed the button - I cleaned the +ve contact and re-lubed the threads and it's been fine since. Btw, I waited to purchase my H30 after hearing about the initial problems. No issues whatsoever with my H50 and the H501 is new so I haven't put it through any sort of abuse. Yet. I'll keep an eye out to see if that changes.

Unless I do experience a failure, the H50 and H30 are my primary camping, night-time trailhead setup light during mtb rides, back-up / utility light for night-time road rides and also my light around the house for those late-night bathroom trips, they have been stuffed into backpacks, crammed into hydration packs and put into numerous jackets, jerseys and pairs of pants without missing a beat. 

I'm really surprised at hearing about the failures... but, then again, there's also the somewhat, silent number of users of another certain well-known brand of light who have had many issues as well. 

Has anyone done any polls to see what the percentage failures are for other lights? From the poll, it looks like at least a 16% failure rate - seems quite high but how does this compare to other lights? is there a manufacturning lottery... similar to the LED tint lottery?


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## Egsise

Why there is the third option, to confuse people?
To make this poll useless?


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## uplite

I voted "no trouble" for my H501w, but I do have two comments:

*Low voltage quirks* -- When nimh cell voltage drops, the light gets flickery (like low frequency pwm) on high. That's a good reminder before the power runs out. BUT when I try to put it on medium or low to conserve the remaining power, it turns off and won't come back on until I give it a new battery.  This is a minor gripe, since I always have a spare battery.

*Waterproofing* -- I don't use my 501 in wet conditions, but if I did, I would put a tiny ring of glue or silicone sealant around the edge of the switch boot to ensure it is waterproof. Switches are the weak point on any light. Seal it yourself, or get a twisty model.

Overall I love my ZL. Impeccable design, good features, great accessories. If it had a slightly better driver, and an optional zipka-style head cord, it would be _perfect_. 

-Jeff


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## Cataract

My H50 hasn't failed as per se, but I find the batteries don't last nearly half as long as they should. I've changed the batteries twice a week in it while camping this summer, as I didn't change a single battery in all my other lights, which got used much more and on much higher settings. And I didn't use it that much, because for 1 it attracts bugs wayyy too much and the lack of throw doesn't suit the kind of trail I like to hike (steep with tons of rocks and roots sticking out).


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## Zendude

My H501 is holding up well. Used it in the rain when I visited family in Hawaii with no problems. 

Too bad the prices are going up. I try to recommend these lights to friends but when they see the 60-70 dollar price they give me that :sick2: look.


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## Yucca Patrol

davidt1 said:


> The clicky ZL lights are waterproof. That's my H501 going through a 2-hour waterproofing test.


*
The H501 may have a better designed switch but here is my H60 that wasn't able to withstand cleaning in the sink*






and another CPF member with the same problem


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## davidt1

The person I was responding to does not own a clicky ZL light, yet made it sound like all ZL clicky lights are bad. I just hate it when people who don't even have first hand experience of something talk like they are experts on the subject. 

About your defective light, Out of many lights made, there will be some defective ones. No high-volume manufacturer is immune from this.


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## Yucca Patrol

david, I haven't heard of any waterproofing problems with the H501, only the H60 to my knowledge.


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## RGB_LED

davidt1 said:


> The person I was responding to does not own a clicky ZL light, yet made it sound like all ZL clicky lights are bad. I just hate it when people who don't even have first hand experience of something talk like they are experts on the subject.


I agree with you David, I would also like to hear first-hand experiences only. Afterall, the poll does indicate, "*I've* had a Zebralight fail on me." and not, "*I know of* a Zebralight that failed".



davidt1 said:


> About your defective light, Out of many lights made, there will be some defective ones. No high-volume manufacturer is immune from this.


True. It would, however, be disturbing if the percentage of defects was very high... it's now 15.32% of those who responded but, what's considered to be reasonable vs. unreasonable?


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## applevision

My H501 has been rock solid.

I agree that this kind of poll is not scientific and could be incredibly off.

At the same time, we represent a chunk of knowledgeable users and there really does seem to be a fairly high number of problems with certain of these lights... 

Similar to the Xbox 360 Red Ring of Death (RROD), everyone kept saying that it was an "artifact" of the polling but when you hear of people getting 2 and 3 bad ones in a row, it makes you suspicious. Of course, turns out that the RROD is/was a VERY real problem and is estimated at > 25% of the initial Xbox 360s which is way out of line for such an item.  It's cost Micro$oft lots of money too.

My sense it that we can't say anything for sure either way _for sure_, but there are some lights that get a lot of discussion here for issues and that probably means something. 

I am such a huge fan of Zebralight--there is just something wonderful about the form and function--but it's important that they get these babies in top condition given the activities people use them for like caving, etc.


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## JBorneu

davidt1 said:


> The person I was responding to does not own a clicky ZL light, yet made it sound like all ZL clicky lights are bad. I just hate it when people who don't even have first hand experience of something talk like they are experts on the subject.



I never said they are all bad, I said they seem to be less reliable from what I read here on CPF, and I made it perfectly clear at the beginning of my post that I only own one H50 (the twisty model). In the poll, I voted "reliable" because the one I have has been reliable.

I stand by my point that the Zebralights with clicky switches are a lot less reliable than the twisty models as the clickies have a lot more reported issues here on CPF than the twisties. If, in your opinion, I cannot speak about anything I have not experienced first-hand, half of the - often very informative and correct - advice given here on CPF is useless by your standards, because most users very often repeat information they have gathered during their time here on CPF without that being from first-hand experience. That's the point of forums like these with reviews and shared user experiences.

If somebody is looking for a reliable headlamp, I will not point him to any of the current line of clicky Zebralights, because they have a lot of reported issues. Off course, my standards for something being "reliable" may be above yours, but in my opinion, the introduction of the clicky switch made the Zebralights a lot less reliable for a minor improvement in user comfort.


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## uplite

I take every comment or poll on this forum, whether good or bad, with a huge grain of salt, because -- let's face it -- this forum exists mostly for vendors to sell their flashlights and compete with other flashlight vendors.

The simple fact is that the Zebralights are the ONLY headlamps in their class: single cell, high-power LED, regulated, aspherical lens for pure flood, ultralight.

This is a sweet combination for a headlamp, and no one else does it. That's why I bought a ZL. 

According to this poll so far, 20% of ZL owners here (15% failure respondents vs 60% no-problem respondents) have had a problem with their ZL. If I was one of the unlucky ones, I would still buy another ZL, because the odds say it would be fine. And again, no one else makes a light like this.

-Jeff


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## ryan162

yea the falure rate is kinda high so far, but im sure it will go down to the 15% range when it settles. either way i didnt have the money for two H60's like i wanted so i got two UF clones


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## Snow

uplite said:


> I take every comment or poll on this forum, whether good or bad, with a huge grain of salt, because -- let's face it -- this forum exists mostly for vendors to sell their flashlights and compete with other flashlight vendors.
> 
> *The simple fact is that the Zebralights are the ONLY headlamps in their class: single cell, high-power LED, regulated, aspherical lens for pure flood, ultralight.*
> 
> *This is a sweet combination for a headlamp, and no one else does it. That's why I bought a ZL. *
> 
> According to this poll so far, 20% of ZL owners here (15% failure respondents vs 60% no-problem respondents) have had a problem with their ZL. If I was one of the unlucky ones, I would still buy another ZL, because the odds say it would be fine. And again, no one else makes a light like this.
> 
> -Jeff


 
This is why after two failures, I will continue to use my Zebralights. The combination of features is unique to this light. The form factor is pure genius. The beam, anodization, warm tint, everything about the light rocks. 

For what it's worth, I failed to mention that my replacement H30 has had lots of duty and no issues. I am hoping my replacement H501w will be the same.


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## slappomatt

well I don't own but but at close to 20% failure rate and being very expensive for what they are I will certainly steer clear. Its a shame as a pure flood sounds nice.


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## MerkurMan

I've been using my H60w for about 6 months now, mainly for working on the car/around the house/work, and have recently started to EDC it. Never dunked it, but it's been through a few rain showers without incident.

The only complaint I have (and it's minor) is that occasionally it'll turn itself back on about a second or two after I turn it off. Other than that, it's been rock solid. And last weekend, I got around 5 hours out of an UltraFire rose/pink 2600mah cell while on high, and not moving around/no airflow. Rock solid. My favourite light out of the bunch.

Just ordered an H501w tonight. Hopefully it'll be rotated in to EDC duty to shed some bulk, if it turns out to be half as good as my H60w. :twothumbs


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## bernards

Feedback appears to indicate particular models don't fare as well as others. For a more accurate picture, maybe there should be model numbers in the fail boxes.

I had a 501, gave it away and bought a 501w. Both works perfectly.


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## Lightning143

After 28 years in airline maintenance, starting out with an old "tin can" on the hip with 4 D's powering a metal light on a strap with a toggle switch on top, going to the Petzl/Black Diamond climbing/camping headlights, then to the gray/black plastic multi LED lights that liked to snap off, I got an H50 when it came out. I haven't looked back or needed another since.​I've tossed it into the tool box, dropped or shifted tools onto it, dropped it off ladders and still haven't had a problem with it. When it won't go into high I grab a new AA from the chem crib and I'm back in business.
Pretty much everything I need to see is in arms length and it gives a great flood with concentration on what I'm working on. I get looks and comments from the other guys, (what's a zebra?) until I stick my head up in a bay next to them and flood their lights out. In a well lit hangar on day shift, I need a bright light when I use my light adjusted eyes under a wing or in a wheel well or a compartment without direct light and it gives me all I need. 
Oh, and no problems with it so far.


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## uplite

slappomatt said:


> well I don't own but but at close to 20% failure rate and being very expensive for what they are I will certainly steer clear. Its a shame as a pure flood sounds nice.


If the specs meet your needs, get one. Absolute worst case, you send it back for warranty replacement.

Bear in mind, you can't judge a light's reliability purely by comments on this forum. Plenty of shills and anti-shills here. If you hang around for a bit, you can suss out who is real and who is not amongst the old-timers, but there are always some low-post-count guys who may or may not be real. Same with any other commercial forum.

Also, the Zebralight is one of the few serious tool lights on this forum. People USE it. So it gets more criticism than the many lights here that people just collect, put on a shelf, maybe fire up a few times a month or year.

ymmv.

-Jeff

p.s. I have absolutely no business interest on this forum, and no connection to any flashlight vendor here except as a customer. Chalk me up as one of the real guys.


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## Egsise

slappomatt said:


> well I don't own but but at close to 20% failure rate and being very expensive for what they are I will certainly steer clear. Its a shame as a pure flood sounds nice.


Expensive, it depends...

My car is worth about 3000$, power steering and a CD/MP3 player, no other bells or whistles, it's worth has dropped only about 2000$ in 9 years.
House rent is 500$/month
My main computer costed 1000$, 2 laptops and 3 old computers doesnt even count cause they are 3-5 years old, even though they all are in use.
BW laserjet printer 700$
Radio transceivers 500$
Guns 700$

I do not drink or smoke(anymore)

I eat at restaurant very rarely, i just hate to see 100$ turn in to a pile of s*** in 24 hours, and thats a feature not faulty...

I've spent *only 250$* in Fenix, Zebralight and 4Sevens flashlights and rechargeables+chargers that i use daily.

It all depends what you think is important, to someone else its a car with a big engine, the other wants to eat at restaurant every friday evening.


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## drmaxx

I own the older 50 and the 501 - both worked flawlessly so far.


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## JB5

I got my H501 in april and have used it a whole bunch and have yet to encounter a problem with it. Its a great light.


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## PhantomPhoton

Unfortunately I've had my only Zebralight fail. My H60W appeared to be okay when I first put in a cell and fired it up but the next day when I took it out for a walk it wouldn't even light up. Checked cells and shorted the tailcap to ensure it wasn't a connection problem. Had to send it back. 

My issue with the H60 is that they made the tolerances too tight. Most quality protected cells which end up being around 67mm just won't fit. I suspect, though I have no hard evidence that the reason my H60 failed is that the AW cell I used in it was simply too long and putting it in and tightening it down simply broke whatever is deep down at the positive contact.
:sigh:


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## big vin

I have a H60W, and it is the light i use the most. Beats my triple P7 mag on usability. I have it for about a half year now and truely love it! No problems at all...


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## big vin

I find the body a bit too short for 18650's too, forgot to mention it...


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## vtunderground

bernards said:


> For a more accurate picture, maybe there should be model numbers in the fail boxes.



Here we go... I figured up the failures / non-failures from everyone's comments, sorted by model #.

H30: failure rate = 36%

H50: failure rate = 5%

H501: failure rate = 4%

H60: failure rate = 50%

unspecified model failure rate = 25%

for a total failure rate of 23% (just from the posts, not the votes in the poll of course).

As of right now, the poll results show a 25% reported failure rate.


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## compasillo

Got 1 H30, 1 H50, 2 H501 months ago.
No problem on none of them.

BTW, I don't understand why the third item of this poll and what has to do with democracy and/or the topic


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## Owen

This poll is completely meaningless in terms of establishing any kind of failure rate. Most people who own a Zebralight will never see it. 
Besides, if I got a Zebralight yesterday, and it was DOA, and I voted "yes, I've had a failure", there would be no mention of my three perfect ones. 
By the same token, if all three of mine had failed, they would only count as one failure. 
It's obvious that the incidence of failure, whatever it may actually be, is way to freaking high, regardless, but let's not try to make this into something it isn't.


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## ryan162

I think it’s still a valid poll since most people only own 1 headlight. quite a few here do own multiple lights but certainly not the majority of the 100 people that have reported in. 

the thing I’m finding most interesting is that people are generally ok with the failure rate and will be repeat buyers. Let’s be frank here...Zebra light is a Chinese light sold at nice websites for a healthy price with the H60 being the highest markup (H30 is really a decent value). Now if this same light were offered for $20 from a cheap website the reception to these failures would be the old "you get what you pay for". The lights would likely then be dismissed as junk. 

The fact is they are not the only ones producing this type of light ATT. there are copies already...they are also Chinese...they are sold at the upper end of the price range where these failure rates are common/expected. 

don’t get me wrong they are wonderful lights and if money was no object id have two H60's coming in the mail with the great warranty and customer service they are entitled to. But right now I’m happy I was too cheap to spring for the originals


----------



## davidt1

Owen said:


> This poll is completely meaningless in terms of establishing any kind of failure rate. Most people who own a Zebralight will never see it.
> Besides, if I got a Zebralight yesterday, and it was DOA, and I voted "yes, I've had a failure", there would be no mention of my three perfect ones.
> By the same token, if all three of mine had failed, they would only count as one failure.
> It's obvious that the incidence of failure, whatever it may actually be, is way to freaking high, regardless, but let's not try to make this into something it isn't.



My concern with poll like these is anyone can vote including shills and haters. I think only verified owners of Zebralight products should be allowed to vote. The worst thing is there always are some poor saps who do not have first-hand experience and who can't or do not think for themselves who believe easily.


----------



## RGB_LED

davidt1 said:


> My concern with poll like these is anyone can vote including shills and haters. I think only verified owners of Zebralight products should be allowed to vote.


davidt1, while I completely agree with you, that would be virtually impossible to verify. To uplite's point, we just simply have to take polls with a grain of salt since there is always some skewing of the results based more on opinion rather than fact.



uplite said:


> The simple fact is that the *Zebralights are the ONLY headlamps in their class: single cell, high-power LED, regulated, aspherical lens for pure flood, ultralight.*-Jeff


110% agreed!

At the end of the day, if the retailer you purchased the light from is responsive, then any defective light should be replaced without any major hassles. If that is the case, then I wouldn't have a problem with failures either. As I mentioned, there are other well-known lights that have had failures, yet, with good client service, you still see people purchasing those lights.


----------



## MerkurMan

I should've kept my distance from this thread! I packed my H60w in my inside jacket pocket today, like I do every day. Used it a couple of times at work. Come home, and pull it out to use it, and....nothing! No flicker, hum, buzz, no signs of life at all. Never should have bragged about its reliability. Or maybe it's jealous that I ordered one of its little brothers last night. :thinking:

It seems that cell pressure on the driver board is affecting it. If I pull off the tailcap and short the battery to the tube, it works. If I push down on the cell, it turns off. I could probably help the situation by trimming the tailcap spring, but I don't want to perform any irreversible mods like that. Currently, I have a brass spacer ring sitting in the tailcap to lessen pressure on the spring, and it seems to work, but it leaves the o-ring exposed. :sigh:

I guess it's off to ZL for repair/replacement. Kind of worried about the 1 year warranty now...


----------



## Luminesce

MerkurMan said:


> :...It seems that cell pressure on the driver board is affecting it. If I pull off the tailcap and short the battery to the tube, it works. If I push down on the cell, it turns off. I could probably help the situation by trimming the tailcap spring, but I don't want to perform any irreversible mods like that. Currently, I have a brass spacer ring sitting in the tailcap to lessen pressure on the spring, and it seems to work, but it leaves the o-ring exposed. :sigh:
> 
> I guess it's off to ZL for repair/replacement...



While you're at it, ask ZL about purchasing a replacement tailcap for the light. I got one for my H501 so I could experiment with it and come up with a way to connect a split ring or lanyard on to it. This would give you a spare tailcap and spring, you can compare the two tailcaps in use. Hopefully ZL solves the problem for you by simply giving you a new light.

One guess is that the pill assembly may not have seated properly and sits too low in the tube, if that's possible. Or the tailcap may be the issue. The outside milling of my replacment tailcap is slightly different from the original, the internal specs seem to be the same, it functions just fine with either cap in place. And make sure you go through the Texas facility, faster response or so I'm told.


----------



## Bimmerboy

uplite said:


> I take every comment or poll on this forum, whether good or bad, with a huge grain of salt, because -- *let's face it -- this forum exists mostly for vendors to sell their flashlights and compete with other flashlight vendors.*


Odd statement. Not sure how this conclusion was arrived at, but it's completely incorrect.

This forum exists mostly for flashaholics to enjoy their hobby. Vendors selling their wares here is a natural consequence of the site's popularity, and the hobbyist's demand for cutting edge product. But if one cares to research the history of this place, one will find that the goose came before the golden egg.

As an aside, something I've observed throughout my experiences... When people preface an idea with "let's face it", they're usually wrong.


----------



## Zendude

davidt1 said:


> My concern with poll like these is anyone can vote including shills and haters. I think only verified owners of Zebralight products should be allowed to vote. The worst thing is there always are some poor saps who do not have first-hand experience and who can't or do not think for themselves who believe easily.




I don't think its fair or nice to refer to people as saps when they draw conclusions based on what they read on CPF. If they base their opinion on one instance I would agree with you but you seem to have an "If it hasn't happened to you then shut up." attitude. A lot of people come here specifically to find out if a product is crap or not *before *they get "first-hand experience" with it. If you read enough first hand accounts(good and bad); I think you can form a valid opinion one way or another without it actually happening to you.

I have been following ZL since the H50 came out. I don't remember reading any posts about lights leaking until the clicky models came out. I thought there might be a design/manufacturing problem so I started a thread to voice my concern. Does that make me one of the gullible saps you are refering to?

Tossing out the poll #s and going on the posts here(and other threads) of respectable CPFers, I'd say ZL has had more than its share of problems(even though I have had no problems with my own). Guess I am a sap.


----------



## davidt1

Apologies to those offended!


----------



## Flying Turtle

I got H50's for my son and I when they first came out. Both had problems. One had a chipped lens and the other only one level. The replacements have been fine. I would not hesitate getting another.

Geoff


----------



## fa__

I use one of my zebra every day, between 30mn and 2 hours

H60
H501
H50
H30

Never had any problem, but most of my use is indoor (night reading)

The one I take most often if H501 (reading) , H50 (reading, for my wife), H30 for general house work ; H60 stays in my backpack but works every time I need it 

I like theim a lot :thumbsup:


----------



## DM51

Bimmerboy said:


> This forum exists mostly for flashaholics to enjoy their hobby. Vendors selling their wares here is a natural consequence of the site's popularity, and the hobbyist's demand for cutting edge product.


That's an extremely good and concise summary of what CPF is about.


davidt1 said:


> anyone can vote including shills and haters


If you come across one of those, please let me know and I will attend to him...


----------



## Swedpat

Three Zebralights. Now failure yet.

Regards, Patric


----------



## Gregozedobe

I've had my H501 for about a month now, probably run it for 25-30 hrs. Absolutely reliable, and is a great little headlamp for close work. I haven't tried it for waterproofness, but that wasn't a requirement for me.

I prefer the UI to that of most of my other flashlights.

I get a random single flash very occassionally when replacing a battery or (sometimes) when switching it off, but it has always worked exactly as requested.

It does the low frequency flashing thing when the battery is getting down, but will switch to Low or Medium brightness without any trouble.

If the new Zebralight flashlights are as good (reliability and performance and small size) as my H501 and have a floody beam I will almost certainly buy one (or more  ) when they finally come out.


----------



## Speedball

Mine is between 2-3 years old and has never failed.

Will one of the newer models running on alkaline batteries be brighter than mine?


----------



## Zendude

davidt1 said:


> Apologies to those offended!




:grouphug:


----------



## layzieyez

H30. I use mine to skateboard at night (mostly). One year of use and still running great. Last night, ordered the H60. Between my dereelights that I use when I need something with more distance, my zebralight is the most used light in my collection of 20+ lights.


----------



## leukos

Owen said:


> This poll is completely meaningless in terms of establishing any kind of failure rate. Most people who own a Zebralight will never see it.
> Besides, if I got a Zebralight yesterday, and it was DOA, and I voted "yes, I've had a failure", there would be no mention of my three perfect ones.
> By the same token, if all three of mine had failed, they would only count as one failure.
> It's obvious that the incidence of failure, whatever it may actually be, is way to freaking high, regardless, but let's not try to make this into something it isn't.


 
+1 This poll is not sophisticated enough to determine any type of statistic.


----------



## paulr

I've had an H50-Q5 for a while, haven't used it very hard or heavily, but no failures so far. It does have the known flakiness of the occasional bright pulse when you activate low mode, etc. Hmm, maybe it has a tiny bit of flicker sometimes, that some de-oxit is likely to fix. I will say that I like its light weight and compactness, but one consequence is that it doesn't feel like a very durable light.


----------



## PsychRN

Despite having 'lurked' here for ages, I'm still a rookie poster here....not sure my opinion matters much.

And I gotta confess: a lot of the terminology used here is *'way* over my head.

And I'm skeptical of polls.Any polls.

To top it off,I've only owned my 501 for a week.Not really a fair test,I'll admit.

Have been using it daily,and I love it.Thanx,Tod!

Most unusual use so far? I wedged it into the corner of a overdosed teenager's mouth,so the ER doctor could visualize to intubate the patient,who was seizing.

100% reliability,so far.Slight teethmarks,but unaffected by saliva.The patient stabilized in ICU,after weaning off the ventilator.

The ER doc is ordering one,too.

----Gnarly :devil:

Moderators: if this post is too far off topic,please delete.


----------



## Launch Mini

I've been very satisfied with mine, even though it did have that quirk I mentioned.
I am considering picking up another 1 or two for the cabin use. Love the light placement. Great for sitting on a table to light you playing cards, when we have limited other lighting.
J


----------



## crizyal

PsychRN said:


> Most unusual use so far? I wedged it into the corner of a overdosed teenager's mouth,so the ER doctor could visualize to intubate the patient,who was seizing.
> 
> 100% reliability,so far.Slight teethmarks,but unaffected by saliva.The patient stabilized in ICU,after weaning off the ventilator.
> 
> The ER doc is ordering one,too.



VERY COOL story! :thumbsup: 

and
:welcome:


----------



## Machine154

I've only had mine a few days. I wouldn't say I have a failure, but I have had the following:


Finicky end cap for good connection
Light sometimes goes into medium on 1 fast click
Quick flash a few seconds after turning it off - sometimes


----------



## bagman

The switch on my H30 has now completely failed. I think I must have bought it through the classifieds as I cant find it on my 4sevens account.

I emailed Zebralight and they have not got back to me, that was several weeks ago :shakehead


----------



## lebox97

this day of 24/7 internet and iphone/blackberry - after a couple days of no response (from anyone) I'd consider lost in eMail...
:shrug:

pls email them again - slowest response I have ever experienced was a couple of days... (PS: they have had email server issues from time to time as well)

I have had several exchanges with them this week (RE: new stuff coming!)





bagman said:


> ...
> I emailed Zebralight and they have not got back to me, that was several weeks ago :shakehead


----------



## uk_caver

I don't put any real faith in polls either.

My H50 (20 months old) seems to be behaving itself, though I don't use it a huge amount.


----------



## senorsam21

My H30 died after only a few months. I've heard good things and bad things about them but my experience wasn't the best. I really like the little guy though. I'll probably pick up another one some day... but I'm still not over the hurt:mecry:

Sam
www.ledheadlamp.org


----------



## NutSAK

I have an early H50 that has been 100% reliable.


----------



## Hugo2x

I ordered a H501 about 4 months ago and it did me real well till recently. It has intermittent problems with the high and medium output settings. some times it works great but when I really need it to perform, it never fails to let me down. 

EDIT UPDATE: Zebralight has sent me a replacement and its working well, maybe my vendor sent me a first production or something.


----------



## Barrie

my first H30 died after a few days it was replaced by the dealer here in the UK the replacement has worked for a year with on faults


----------



## Kindle

Another H50 owner without any problems.


----------



## FlashInThePan

I just found this thread, and I'm afraid I have to echo the problems people have mentioned with Zebralight clickies. I've owned four zebralights so far - two H501ws, one H30, and one H501 - and every one of the clickies has failed.

On the other hand, my H501 twisty has been absolutely rock solid: it's been dropped, dunked, and otherwise subjected to a lot of wear and tear. This sucker's like a Timex: it takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'. I absolutely love it!

I feel a little bad that I'd previously recommended Zebralights without explaining that it's he twisties I find so reliable. Two clickies died after being dropped (one of them from less than a foot), and one of them failed while it was literally just sitting on my desk changing levels. I'm not sure what's wrong with Zebralight's switching mechanisms, but I just can't trust them because they haven't been reliable for me. (And I hate that, because I really love both the design and the concept of the Zebralights: so elegant! So small! So darn useful!)

Of course, the failure of so many clickies can't help but cast a little doubt on the reliability of the twisties, but for now - based on my own experiences and the reports of others - I'll continue to recommend the twisties. 

Hope this helps!

- FITP


----------



## liketotallyrandom

I've been using an H60 and an H501w for caving for about three months now. This will put a hex on my future use for sure, but so far I've not had any problems with them. I haven't submerged them, but I clean the switch with a toothbrush under running water after every trip, and no leaks so far (knocking heavily on wood as I type).

I like using a 14500 in the 501w for the approx. 32 lumens "secret level". It's usually perfect for caving.

I DO wish, though, that the tolerances for the battery compartments weren't quite so tight. Even with the upgraded H60 (longer battery tube), I still dented the positive terminal of my AW 2600 18650, and had to take the label off to fit it in the tube without jamming. That's just too tight. I'm OK with a couple of extra grams of aluminum to create some Lebensraum for the battery (note: innocent literal meaning of "Lebensraum" intended here).

Edit: the dent on the 18650 might actually be from the charger. Unsure.


----------



## sledhead

I've had 2 H30's and have been using a H60 for a long time with no problems at all. Fantastic lights- looking forward to the flashlights!


----------



## SilverFox

I have 4 ZebraLights. 2 H50 and 2 H60 units. The H50 units have worked well and I have had no problems with them.

However, one of the H60 units gave me fits this year. I would turn it on and it would run for awhile, then it would suddenly shut off. I cleaned contacts and charged the battery, and eventually got it to work, but I wasn't confident in it.

I am now testing it. It seems to work fine with different batteries in it, but still gives me some problems with the original battery. The original battery is an LG 2400 mAh cell. This same battery works fine in other lights, so I don't know what is going on.

If I can get it to fail every time I will send it in for warranty. However, since it seems to be working fine now, I will continue to use it and see if I can get it to fail again. 

Overall I am quite pleased with the ZebraLights, but I expect them to work without problems. My "issue" with the H60 is a bit elusive, but it is still an issue. If the battery is the problem I will stand corrected, but since the battery works fine in other lights, I don't think this is the problem.

I will admit that I was in very wet weather when I had problems, so it may just be a problem with sealing the switch. I will be doing additional testing to determine what is going on.

As of right now, I love the H50 lights, and am seeing a 50% failure rate with the H60 lights.

Tom


----------



## Mark620

I have an H60W and H501 no problems...so far.


----------



## gajslk

Does it disturb anyone that a light in this price range has a failure rate of 28% according to the poll? Even if that number is off by an order of magnitude, it's still too high.

In this price range, I'd expect a failure rate more along the lines of 1%. Maybe. Even for a product from China. WTF is going on here? I don't mind paying up for quality, but paying up for junk really gets my goat. 

So what if it's a great design if it doesn't work when you need it? Since I'm usually miles from the car when I need a light, reliability is really important to me.

Gordon


----------



## qtaco

gajslk said:


> Does it disturb anyone that a light in this price range has a failure rate of 28% according to the poll? Even if that number is off by an order of magnitude, it's still too high.



It would if it was correct, but there are several compelling reasons to think it might be out by, as you say, perhaps an order of magnitude:


People with a problem are more likely to seek out information about there problem and then stumble onto threads like this.
Staying in business with a 28% failure rate would be a challenge.
Plenty of reputable dealers sell Zebralight's products. I'd be surprised if they would continue selling them if the failure rate was 28% (cost to their pocket and reputation).
If the problems were with earlier production runs then that might hit the cpf crowd particularly hard as there are lots of early adopters here.
Disclosure: I have no link with Zebralight beyond owning a first run H50-Q5 headlamp that has displayed no issues.


----------



## uk_caver

Has anyone done studies of internet polls in situations where the true rate of product failures is known reasonably accurately?


----------



## NutSAK

gajslk said:


> Does it disturb anyone that a light in this price range has a failure rate of 28% according to the poll? Even if that number is off by an order of magnitude, it's still too high.



As Owen mentioned earlier in the thread, this poll isn't tracking failure rates of lights.

Consider that many of us probably own multiple Zebralights. I personally own three that I have had no troubles with, but was only able to vote once for "_No trouble at all. Great light!_". Had one of those three had issues, I would have voted "_I've had a Zebralight fail on me._" That would not give an accurate failure rate even for my small sample of Zebralights. 

If this poll were to keep track of failure rates accurately, it would need to require all Zebralight customers to vote for the reliability each individual light. This poll is only tracking _*participating CPF customers*_ who have had 100% reliability with Zebralights vs. *participating CPF customers* who have had reliability issues with at least one Zebralight.

This factor would be in addition to those mentioned above by qtaco.


----------



## gajslk

NutSAK said:


> As Owen mentioned earlier in the thread, this poll isn't tracking failure rates of lights.
> 
> Consider that many of us probably own multiple Zebralights. I personally own three that I have had no troubles with, but was only able to vote once for "_No trouble at all. Great light!_". Had one of those three had issues, I would have voted "_I've had a Zebralight fail on me._" That would not give an accurate failure rate even for my small sample of Zebralights.
> 
> If this poll were to keep track of failure rates accurately, it would need to require all Zebralight customers to vote for the reliability each individual light. This poll is only tracking _*participating CPF customers*_ who have had 100% reliability with Zebralights vs. *participating CPF customers* who have had reliability issues with at least one Zebralight.
> 
> This factor would be in addition to those mentioned above by qtaco.



Good point, but what about those folks in this thread that are reporting multiple problems with multiple lights? They are also being under reported.

It is true that folks who are unhappy complain more. I should go back through the posts to see how many folks joined CPF just to complain about their ZL. My guess is: not all that many. Even if the complainer effect is causing a skew, the numbers are still really disturbing. 

When I was designing electronic test equipment, we considered a 1% failure rate per year per $1K of selling price to be an acceptable number. I was designing portable test equipment, so all the environmental problems that confront flashlights were issues for us. 

The implied failure rate for a ZL would be roughly 0.05% per year. Not 28%, or even 2.8%, or even .28%. That's one failure per year for 2000 units. Even if you call selling price $100, it would be one failure per year per 1000 units at the equivalent rate. We're not even on the same planet, let alone in the same ballpark.

I really want to like these things, but this reliability thing is a big issue for me.

Gordon


----------



## NutSAK

gajslk said:


> Good point, but what about those folks in this thread that are reporting multiple problems with multiple lights? They are also being under reported.



Exactly. Which further supports my point that this poll isn't sufficient for reporting (or even estimating) failure rates.


----------



## gajslk

NutSAK said:


> Exactly. Which further supports my point that this poll isn't sufficient for reporting (or even estimating) failure rates.



Actually, your point was that owners of multiple units that had not failed were under represented. I merely pointed out that they were offset by the owners of multiple failing units. This would tend to reduce the error in the estimate, not increase it.

The point, however, is not whether the estimate is accurate. Even if it isn't, the failure rate is still unacceptably high, IMO. Unless you're claiming that the poll is likely off by a factor of 1000. I'd like to hear the reasoning on that one. 

Gordon


----------



## ryan162

yeah the polls not 100 percent acurate but you can read the posts and see its a really awsome light but having issues like any other chinease light. 

when a surefire fails you can be outraged, but when a cheap light goes you can be happy it made light for as long as it did. these lights fall somewhere in between depending on you budget.

one things for sure....a used one with alot of milage that is still working will have a bit more value then it would have without this failure rate.


----------



## eyeeatingfish

I have an h50 Q5 and it seems to have problems. It behaves like it has a dead battery where it flickers a little and I have to tap it to make it work. Problem is that a new battery doesnt seem to solve the problem. The contacts dont seem especially dirty either.
Not sure how to fix it, and its been a few years so I dont think warranty will cover it.
I guess I could always contact zebralight and just not mention when I bought it unless they ask.


----------



## NutSAK

gajslk said:


> Actually, your point was that owners of multiple units that had not failed were under represented.



Actually, that was something I requested that you consider, in addition to the other errors that had been already pointed out.

You must have missed my point, which was this:




NutSAK said:


> As Owen mentioned earlier in the thread, this poll isn't tracking failure rates of lights.



...and this:



NutSAK said:


> If this poll were to keep track of failure rates accurately, it would need to require all Zebralight customers to vote for the reliability each individual light. This poll is only tracking participating CPF customers who have had 100% reliability with Zebralights vs. participating CPF customers who have had reliability issues with at least one Zebralight.



Note that I said "at least one Zebralight", which refers to the fact that multiple failing units from one owner would not be counted.



gajslk said:


> I merely pointed out that they were offset by the owners of multiple failing units. This would tend to reduce the error in the estimate, not increase it.



You can't offset an error in reporting by another error in reporting. Neither one is reported accurately. They are both factors that would contribute to the inaccuracy of determining a failure rate statistic from this poll.



gajslk said:


> Unless you're claiming that the poll is likely off by a factor of 1000. I'd like to hear the reasoning on that one.



I'm not making failure rate assumptions from the poll, so I haven't stated any "claims".


----------



## J.D.

I have a H60W (about 7 month) nearly every day use, even under rough conditions - no fails at all - i LOVE it.


----------



## gajslk

NutSAK said:


> I'm not making failure rate assumptions from the poll, so I haven't stated any "claims".



Clearly, you're not an engineer.

Gordon


----------



## NutSAK

________________


----------



## gajslk

NutSAK said:


> :shakehead



Sorry I wasn't clear enough for you. You are correct in that there is no way to determine an accurate failure rate from the poll. That is not in contention.

I will claim that you can estimate that the failure rate is ridiculously high based on the poll. The probability that the lights really are reliable and the large number of failures reported are an anomaly is vanishingly small, but as I am sure you will point out, non-zero. This provides an escape hatch for those in denial. I am quite certain that you will use it.

The engineer comment was uncalled for, but I get frustrated easily. I'm checking out now, this so-called discussion is a complete waste of time.:wave:

Gordon


----------



## SilverFox

Update:

I finally determined that my questionable H60 would work fine in low and medium modes, but would start flashing when switched to high.

I contacted ZebraLight. They provided a RMA and I sent the light off to Texas. A couple of weeks later, a replacement arrived.

The replacement is working fine.

I am pleased that the failure still left me with some light and it didn't completely die. I am pleased with the customer service of ZebraLight. I am overall pleased with the performance of the H60 and will continue using it and recommending it to others.

Tom


----------



## swxb12

I had a mode switching issue come up with my original H50 that had been sitting unused for a few weeks. A fresh Eneloop didn't help, but a thorough cleaning and lube (which I had always neglected to do) fixed things. Still an amazing light, no issues so far.


----------



## flasherByNight

Yikes, regardless of the inherent (in)accuracy of this poll/statistically/whatever...that's not a very good percentage


----------



## kramer5150

True its not the failure rate of the entire product, but that exact data is not obtainable outside the walls of the ZL organization. So the failure rate of CPF owners who take time to post a reply is the best we can do.

I dont think that is a good percentage, even with a skewed population.

FWIW, my H501 had a faulty switch boot that took in water, and ZL promptly replaced it. No questions asked.


----------



## bobisculous

My H30 has worked fairly well. I have noticed recently that when I turn it on, as soon as I let go of the button it will turn right back off. And occasionally it will not turn on until I take the battery 'door' off and back on (or at least loosen it). Does this sound evident of the common problem? Seems like it to me. 

This happens though very very rarely, and I cannot reproduce it on my own...it just happens.

-Cameron


----------



## Buck91

Very little use on my H50b so far, but the one thing I've noticed is that its very finicky about changing modes. If you try to change too quick, it simply wont! They should really edit those driver configurations for a lower timer limit!


----------



## RobertM

132-48 so far...ouch!

I was fortunate enough to get to try out a Zebralight H30 a while back and I must admit, it seemed like a very nice little headlamp. But this poll is pretty discouraging.  I think I will stick with my reliable little SF HS2.

-Robert


----------



## NutSAK

It appears from the comments that the switches are contributing to the reliability issues. I still have confidence in my 3 H50s.


----------



## skyfire

no problems here, except that i recently noticed the LED is a little off centered now. i first noticed when the beam fades a bit at one side. its no big deal, and the beam is still smooth. ive bang mine around bit, sometimes without even knowing that i did.


----------



## nmiller

I have two newer H30's and both have worked like a charm. I keep one set up as a headlamp and the other goes in my pocket daily. Neither one has given me any problems. Both have been used, but I wouldn't say abused at all. I'm really looking forward to the H31!


----------



## Glock27

You can't tell much from this poll about reliability.
I voted "No problems"....but I have had 10 lights delivered to me.
2 each of: H50, H60, 501, 501w and 501r. No problems with any of them.
G27


----------



## UberLumens

501 no trouble yet

have dropped it, used in heavy rain and snow

daily at night on low for reading

love it


----------



## CampLite

I have had 2 h501w's. The first worked great, but my brother-in-law borrowed it and just had to have it. I ordered a second and it works great too. I have to say this light changed my life. I hope I get lucky and don't develope any problems with it, but honestly if I do I will just order another because i dont really want to be without this light. I cant say that about many other products I have ever owned. The uses for this light are endless!


----------



## xcandrew

Glock27 said:


> You can't tell much from this poll about reliability.
> I voted "No problems"....but I have had 10 lights delivered to me.
> 2 each of: H50, H60, 501, 501w and 501r. No problems with any of them.
> G27


 
You can tell more than a little.

You also have to consider than having so many lights means that each light get much less use. For example, I found that the battery cables on my most recent headlamp are a weakness (though warrantiable, and preventable in the future). It was my primary running/skiing light, used maybe 1.5-2.5 hours a night for a month before the cable failed. If I had 10 similar lights and gave them equal use, it might have been a couple years before I noticed anything because I only use the headlamps in the long nights of winter.


----------



## mbw_151

I have an H50, 2 x H30, and a H501W they live in various glove boxes and get bounced around a lot. One of the H30s is in my boat which is in a slip all summer that gets pounded by the wakes from the PWCs and wakeboarder tow boats. That headlamp gets the most use with late night and early morning outings to play with the fish. I've never had any of them fail.


----------



## Vesper

I just had to RTM a barely used 501 due to the initial-on flash problem and apparent contact issues (wouldn't reliably come on and just didn't with some AA's). ZL awesome at responding though. Good company.


----------



## uk_caver

xcandrew said:


> You can tell more than a little.
> 
> You also have to consider than having so many lights means that each light get much less use.


Generally that might be true, depending on why someone had multiple lights.

On the other hand, as long as they get some use, having someone with multiple lights can potentially give information about early-life failures, assuming the lights get used to some extent, even if it might sometimes give less information about extended-use or random failures.

Personally, I only have one Zebralight, but then (excluding caving lights), I have three other different headtorches which I probably each use more than I use the ZL, for various reasons.
Someone who was a ZL evangelist might well have half a dozen, and use each one of them more than I use my single one.


----------



## moonfish

H60 for almost a year I think. Used quite a bit fishing. I baby it. I carry a backup with me. 

The battery compartment is too tight on mine. 


I think, for the price, they should be warrantied longer.


----------



## ScubaSnyder

I have had 3 of these lights now go down on me, they just dont handle long run times...But I just got a New model of the 18650 light as a replacement, So far its been pretty good, it no longer has the removable top.


----------



## swxb12

ScubaSnyder said:


> I have had 3 of these lights now go down on me, they just dont handle long run times.... I use them for work and run them 5 hrs at a time...I wish there was something that had the run time and held up...any suggestions



Can you elaborate on what exactly happened (to fail) in each case? I'd be curious to hear.


----------



## CSI304

I got a H30-Q5 been using it for 2 weeks as EDC, I use it everyday! so far no problems.


----------



## Kabible

2 year old H30. Lots of use. No problems.


----------



## shao.fu.tzer

2 H30s - both had intermittent problems - sent them back and got ones that worked, then I sold them. Sometimes they wouldn't turn on at all sometimes the modes wouldn't work. I think the problem lies in their switch design. Too bad because I really loved my Zebralights. So handy... I just can't rely on them and in my book that makes them useless to me... A shame...

Shao


----------



## FroggyTaco

Why not try the new clickie versions?


----------



## shao.fu.tzer

I was just looking at the H31 and H32... Interesting. I may just have to give Zebralight another chance. What bothers me is this:

Electronic soft-touch switch, with a 200,000 cycle operating life

I think it's not the physical part of the switch that's failing. I think it may be integral to the UI or active circuit (or whatever it's called)...

Still... Looks good...

Shao


----------



## buzzz

I just bought a Zebralight H501w and its broken after just 1 day! Very disapointed with this brand. From the 4 modes only 2 are "working". "Low" and "Strobe" is completly gone and "Medium" is flickering  How can this be? I mean the product is not so very new.


----------



## FroggyTaco

Is it safe to assume you have tried at least 1 other battery as well as cleaning excess grease? Otherwise all this stuff is made by people & can have failures. 

Also technically you are experiencing classic solid state electronics SOP failure. Meaning that it will failure within 24 hours or last a long time. It is never fun or convenient but true.

Travis


----------



## buzzz

FroggyTaco said:


> Is it safe to assume you have tried at least 1 other battery as well as cleaning excess grease? Otherwise all this stuff is made by people & can have failures.
> 
> Also technically you are experiencing classic solid state electronics SOP failure. Meaning that it will failure within 24 hours or last a long time. It is never fun or convenient but true.
> 
> Travis



Yes I tried several eneloops and a duracell.
I talked to the dealer I bought the light and they will send me a replacement.
After all I really liked the H501w when it worked the one time I used it


----------



## pteam

I need a bright headlight for my employees at my business, working mostly on automotive stuff. I'm currently using the h60 zebralight that uses one 18650 battery. We have 3 of them and all of them have broke at one point or another. They suddenly just stop working after short periods of times only a few months. Sending them back and getting a return takes months and the last one we sent back got returned to sender.

What other bright headlight options are there with similiar or more lument output and preferbly flood beam? The h60 puts out 190 lumens. Any suggestions on something that won't break in 2 months? 
I'm going to order one of these - *[advertising link removed - DM51]* they look awesome 1400 lumens!

Also of note 60 people have had a problem with zebra lights out of less than 200 who voted, so there is ovbously a problem...

Edit: I thought we were allowed to link to deal extreme? Arent they a sponsor?


----------



## ScubaSnyder

swxb12 said:


> Can you elaborate on what exactly happened (to fail) in each case? I'd be curious to hear.



The first one sent back had a crack in the lens, second two lights had switch malfunctions, the lights would just flicker when I held the button or not turn on at all. I recently got replacements though free of charge and the lights work great, I had them fail but I still trust the lights. I just carry two of them.


----------



## MountainVoyageur

Would it be possible, and desirable, to modify the poll to separate infant mortality failures from subsequent failures?

One may well be willing to deal with initial QC or infant mortality problems if the light would be highly reliable after that point.

--MV


----------



## BirdofPrey

Thus far I've had my H60w for going on two years (not quite). My fiance has an H50w and she's had it for about a year. We've used them a few times while hiking at night with no problems. I use mine a LOT just as a generally purpose light and she's used her's a lot while reading stuff on the drive home from work.

The hikes we've taken are usually 3 to 6 hours in length. Thus far, the only thing I've had issue with is an erratic run time on the light which I attribute to the cheap Tenergy batteries I use in them. I'd use different batteries but my EagleTacs don't fit as they are two long and to tighten the cap down enough to get the light to come on puts too much strain on the circuit protection cover.


----------



## uplite

BirdofPrey said:


> ...to tighten the cap down enough to get the light to come on puts too much strain on the circuit protection cover.


IMO this is the #1 reason for this thread.

I took a read through all the posts in this thread a couple months ago, and _most_ of the specific failures mentioned here are due to tailcap contact. Especially with protected lithium-ion cells (which are longer than usual).

Then I bought another H501 last month, and it did not work fresh out of the box.  I swapped tailcaps with my old H501, and it worked.  Turns out...the tailcap was not making contact unless it was cranked down HARD...to hard for comfort.

That's when I learned...*Zebralight customer service ROCKS.* They sent me a new tailcap, no charge, no questions asked, delivered in 3 days, before I figured out that I could "fix" the problem myself by pre-compressing the spring.

Several guys here solved their H60 problems by _trimming_ the spring to accommodate their protected 18650 cells.

If you have a problem with a zebralight, I would try that first. Compress or trim the spring. IMO these ultra-light flashlights are ultra-sensitive to the length of the cell. But it's easy to fix. :thumbsup:

-Jeff


----------



## buzzz

My new H501w just arrived and works fine and I hope it will last a bit longer than the last one. Changing the tailcap didnt fix the broken one.


----------



## red02

My H501 failed about 4-5mo of regular everyday use. Most of the time the light was used on high. Thought I'd chime in for the record.


----------



## pteam

uplite said:


> IMO this is the #1 reason for this thread.
> 
> I took a read through all the posts in this thread a couple months ago, and _most_ of the specific failures mentioned here are due to tailcap contact. Especially with protected lithium-ion cells (which are longer than usual).
> 
> Then I bought another H501 last month, and it did not work fresh out of the box.  I swapped tailcaps with my old H501, and it worked.  Turns out...the tailcap was not making contact unless it was cranked down HARD...to hard for comfort.
> 
> That's when I learned...*Zebralight customer service ROCKS.* They sent me a new tailcap, no charge, no questions asked, delivered in 3 days, before I figured out that I could "fix" the problem myself by pre-compressing the spring.
> 
> Several guys here solved their H60 problems by _trimming_ the spring to accommodate their protected 18650 cells.
> 
> If you have a problem with a zebralight, I would try that first. Compress or trim the spring. IMO these ultra-light flashlights are ultra-sensitive to the length of the cell. But it's easy to fix. :thumbsup:
> 
> -Jeff


 
Jeff,

Thanks for this info. I will try this on my 4 non-working h60s, hopefully I can get 1 or 2 working again!


----------



## De-Lux

I have an H30 that I use very lightly. Other than a brief flicker while changing modes its been fine. It is a shame that the build quality is not better on these lights because they are very unique and quite useful.


----------



## pae77

So far I haven't had any reliability issues with either of my Zebralights and I think the build quality is pretty awesome.

I suppose my opinion would change if I had experienced a problem. But as far as the things I can see and touch like the case, the anodizing, the feel of the switch, the threads, etc., the build quality is among the best I've seen.


----------



## red02

I really don't like the poll for this purpose, members who had never experienced failures may have failures in the future and cannot change their vote... And the 3rd option skews the percentage of failure/non-failure.

Just venting.


----------



## De-Lux

pae77 said:


> So far I haven't had any reliability issues with either of my Zebralights and I think the build quality is pretty awesome.
> 
> I suppose my opinion would change if I had experienced a problem. But as far as the things I can see and touch like the case, the anodizing, the feel of the switch, the threads, etc., the build quality is among the best I've seen.



The ZebraLights build quality are at par with most Chinese lights being made but put them next to a Peak or Ra (HDS) for example and the difference in build quality becomes quite apparent. Don't get me wrong, I love my ZebraLight but always have a backup close by.


----------



## Frederic

10 H30's Moderate to light use. No failures. Have 2 H31's and one more on the way. We will see how those do.


----------



## sappyg

red02 said:


> I really don't like the poll for this purpose, members who had never experienced failures may have failures in the future and cannot change their vote... And the 3rd option skews the percentage of failure/non-failure.
> 
> Just venting.


 
i thought the poll was wack too. discounting the non votes entirely the ZL failure rate is beyond 25% of total votes and discounting failures that may happen after the poll count.

that's a pretty high # if you ask me. i want to like these lights but they seem a little cat and mouse..... i guess the best way to look at it is you have a 75% chance of getting a good one. ZL customer service makes them a winner and i can't help but want one.


----------



## CSI304

My H30 Q5 is still going strong, it's been several month since I got it. 
I use it everyday and it has 0 failures, gone through 3 CR123a. I say the
build quality is quite awesome. 

I actually use this light more then all my surefires combine. It's very useful:thumbsup:
They should fix the poll, it doesn't do Zebralight any justice... option #3 simply makes no sense to me.


----------



## red02

I count 36% failure rate at current numbers... 

I've made this argument before; no matter how good the warranty and CS are it doesn't matter if the light fails in the field or on a trip. While its nice to know your 50-70 bucks aren't completely wasted, but for that trip your light is busted and so is your preception of dependability for that light.

After my failure I'm really reluctant to get another ZL. Even though ZL did right by fixing it, I won't be able to depend on it.


----------



## sappyg

mmm..... maybe i did the math wrong....
65 fails + 180 no fails is 245...
245/ 65 = 26.5%

anyone ever had a SF fail? me no
HDS/ Ra? me yes

that's 50/50 for really good lights (as the poll is designed). not withstanding that i have 5 SFs and 2 Ra lights (early production)... these are the best torches i have ever used. CS moves Ra into top gun category for me.... faulty swich replaced no charge.
i managed to break a tailcap on a SF myself. i called SF.... i was willing to pay for a replacement.... replaced no charge 

we've all noticed the poll is skewed for various reasons but still i think it is quite telling. actually i believe the true # is much lower than is being reported here. even with more than a few issues ZL is taking care of customers. sure i think QC could be better but from the time this post was created until now they are able to deal with CS effectively and still bring new products to market. 

i just left their web site and saw some flashlights on clearance and the straight language used was something like 'these have memory issues so we will throw in some doo dads and discount the price rather than send then back to the factory'...... that's straight up honesty prior to sale. certainly it's cheaper than shipping and repackaging to china and back but if you know it ahead of time and can live with it there is no failure. again, QC would fix the matter more effectively. personally i would just send them back but who knows what kind of contract ZL has with the producer?


----------



## red02

sappyg said:


> mmm..... maybe i did the math wrong....
> 65 fails + 180 no fails is 245...
> 245/ 65 = 26.5%
> 
> anyone ever had a SF fail? me no
> HDS/ Ra? me yes
> 
> that's 50/50 for really good lights (as the poll is designed). not withstanding that i have 5 SFs and 2 Ra lights (early production)... these are the best torches i have ever used. CS moves Ra into top gun category for me.... faulty swich replaced no charge.
> i managed to break a tailcap on a SF myself. i called SF.... i was willing to pay for a replacement.... replaced no charge
> 
> we've all noticed the poll is skewed for various reasons but still i think it is quite telling. actually i believe the true # is much lower than is being reported here. even with more than a few issues ZL is taking care of customers. sure i think QC could be better but from the time this post was created until now they are able to deal with CS effectively and still bring new products to market.
> 
> i just left their web site and saw some flashlights on clearance and the straight language used was something like 'these have memory issues so we will throw in some doo dads and discount the price rather than send then back to the factory'...... that's straight up honesty prior to sale. certainly it's cheaper than shipping and repackaging to china and back but if you know it ahead of time and can live with it there is no failure. again, QC would fix the matter more effectively. personally i would just send them back but who knows what kind of contract ZL has with the producer?



Your math is right. I dont know what I was thinking when I came up with those numbers.

I've got nothing agaisnt ZL, I think H501 is probably the most useful light I've ever had. Their QC needs to step up, I wish this poll read 100% - 0% in terms of non-faliures - faliures...


----------



## AusKipper

I just had mine fail on me 

I only ordered a second one last week that i'll be collecting Monday.

There certainly does seem to be some reliability issues with Zebralights at the moment.


----------



## flasherByNight

ZL has claimed to have changed the manufacturing/ramped up QC...etc.

I'd be curious to see a NEW poll started for newer buyers


----------



## Batou00159

i have had all three of my h60 fail on me,the lens cracked in the first one and the same in the seckond(strait out of the package) and the third newer model the rubber switch boot at the top the walls were so thin that it has ruptured with minimal use:thumbsdow:thumbsdow


----------



## AvroArrow

I have a H50-Q5 from the original first run from almost 3 years ago (Sept/07) and a more recent H50bw that also works fine. The H50bw is a bit stiffer/harder to twist than the old one. I also agree with another poster that they should shorten the on-off timing because I still twist it too quickly sometimes so it doesn't switch modes properly unless I slow down my twist. I haven't read through this entire thread, but I get the feeling that most of the failures are with the clicky switch. I remember when the H30s first came out, some were leaky (not very water resistant) and the clicky switch wasn't very reliable (which was fixed in later runs), which is why I got a H50bw instead. 2-handed twisty operation isn't as convenient as 1-handed clicky, but if it's more reliable, then I'll stick with a twisty every time.


----------



## hotlight

red02 said:


> After my failure I'm really reluctant to get another ZL. Even though ZL did right by fixing it, I won't be able to depend on it.




know what you mean.... I currently have 4 ZLs(3 501s, NW- NEW UI NW, and green led, and 1 SC50w)... NONE have failed on me(yet). 

based on this thread/poll results I can't fully trust my ZL to not let me down. I carry backup/s anyway, so it isn't the biggest deal. to be fair, I can't trust/depend on any one light that I own(or read about). always have a backup.

I can't vote yet. need more time with them. 

note:
my first ZL(501w, old UI) has been dropped numerous times(waist high-ish) and Ive had it for about 5 months, never had an issue. I only use nimh in my 501s. tried a 14500(aw) in my sc50w, but am sticking with nimh in that one also.


----------



## lights

I have had two H501s fail on me. One warm, one cool. Both have seen heavy use, but no abuse. I will often use them for hours at a time on high. First (cool) failed instantaniously, just quit working. Second (W) has been acting flakey for a week or so, and now wont work. The cool one was replaced, I bought a W and gave teh cool to my wife. Now waiting on RMA for the second.... 

Getting tired of this. Why wont some other chinese company rip the design off and make this light reliably?


----------



## shao.fu.tzer

lights said:


> Getting tired of this. Why wont some other chinese company rip the design off and make this light reliably?



Someone already did:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.39671


----------



## uk_caver

shao.fu.tzer said:


> Someone already did:


Even ignoring the looks, that doesn't look like any kind of competition.

1300mA out from CR123A or AA?
3 modes, 280lm, 100lm, and a strobe?
XP-E at 1300mA
50 minutes runtime?

To be honest, with reliability as a goal (which with my Zebralight being my first-line caving backup, it is), I'll stick with the Zebralight for the moment.


----------



## strinq

OMG... 26.8% failures?
That's just terrible! I didn't know it was that bad! 
Suddenly putting the "American Owned and Operated" on their website seem like a bad idea... 

Gosh...this poll is actually turning me off from getting one...and i always wanted one...


----------



## Blindasabat

> I don't own a Zebralight, but I want to be able to vote anyways. Yay democracy!


Love it!

But I voted "No problems ever" since all three of my ZL have been stone reliable.


----------



## toos

I have a 501W that I got 10 months ago and I really love the light, unfortunately I had to send it back under warranty. It would fail to start reliably. I think the problem is related to the end cap, which you twist to stop the light from going on inadvertently in your pocket. When I would screw the cap back in, the light would not start unless I removed the battery, waited several minutes and then reinserted the battery. Perhaps the connection in the end cap is not quite what it should be or the electronics has some issue. Very weird though and not related to the switch AFAIK.

Anyway, like I said, I love the form factor and utility of this light and am looking forward to getting a new one under warranty. I also like the form of the light so much I probably will get one of the H51 headlamps as well in the near future. I just hope I don't have the same problems.

EDIT:
I received the light back from warranty service on Monday. Looks like they may have replaced the tail cap. It works now, although I have to screw the tail cap on pretty tight to make contact. I really like the design and have ordered an H51 to add to my collection


----------



## ak645

I have an h50 q5 from the first run and an h501w.Haven't had any problems as of yet.I hope Murphy is not reading this post.

Andy


----------



## TRITON

I have a H30 which I've had for about a year, carried it and used it every day for a few months or more with no issues.

I thought it was brilliant so I then bought a H501 for the AA batterys, much easier to find in a pinch. I put the H30 in my back pack with tailcap locked out and new battery.

I've been using the 501 every day with no issues and then came across this thread a while ago thinking I must be lucky, I've got 2 zebra's that are great.

So I bought A SC30 and A SC50, so far no problems with them, but when I took the H30 out of my pack for a bit of a play it did this really strange strobe mode thing and would not go into low or medium at all.

So me thinks pull it apart and give it the deoxit treatment, well no change ? (w.t.f.) so a little disapointed and pissed off I checked the battery with DMM, yes it was a little down so in goes a fresh cell which read 3.23 volts ( I only use primaries).

I hold the switch down for about 20 seconds with the spasmo strobe thing happening and then it kicked into low mode, I kept turning it on and off a dozen times and it did behave itself after that ????.

OK ,I thought i've got a gremlin in my circuit board but it seems to be ok now so I'll lock out the tailcap and put it away again.

Well I just came across this thread again and thought I'd better try the H30 again, [email protected]@@@######@@@##k it did the spasmo strobe thing again. So, I pulled the 3.6 volt cell out of my RAW added a couple of magnet spacers and wacked it in the H30 and hit the switch.! 

It had a spew for 2 seconds with spasmo mode and then went to high mode, so I turned it off took the 14250 cell out, put in the slightly used 3 volt primary in and YOU BEAUTY its working properly again.???

I dont feel I can rely on the H30 anymore which is a shame because it is one of my favorite lights but at least I can get it working again if it does the stupid spasmo disco mode thing.

I really hope I dont have any issues with my other Zebras because they are in my opinion quite tricky little lights, Only I wish they would make a SC50 in AAA size:huh: . TRITON.


----------



## Changchung

I vote _I've had a Zebralight fail on me.

_but I have to say in favor to Zebralight that I receive a very good costumer service with a new one in replacement... I will love to buy any of the new models...


----------



## GhostReaction

ditto, I m with ya! Product failure at field really sucks and not worth the money saved at all. 
Otherwise to be used only as toy or in situation where there are backups.



red02 said:


> I count 36% failure rate at current numbers...
> 
> I've made this argument before; no matter how good the warranty and CS are it doesn't matter if the light fails in the field or on a trip. While its nice to know your 50-70 bucks aren't completely wasted, but for that trip your light is busted and so is your preception of dependability for that light.
> 
> After my failure I'm really reluctant to get another ZL. Even though ZL did right by fixing it, I won't be able to depend on it.


----------



## nick-nack

I have two. One failed within days. But ZL was very good and sent me a brand new one. 
Both have been doing fine since.


----------



## royi kien

red02 said:


> I really don't like the poll for this purpose, members who had never experienced failures may have failures in the future and cannot change their vote... And the 3rd option skews the percentage of failure/non-failure.
> 
> Just venting.


 
_I think this makes sense to vote to help zl see their own problems, make better quality products! Its purpose is not is not finding fault, but rather to help users like zl can buy better products_


----------



## Gregozedobe

The % reliability figures this poll is showing cannot be relied on as an indicator of true ZL reliability for several reasons:

- Many people have more than one ZL (I currently have four, and am considering buying two more). But I only get one vote, so the other three lights aren't counted.

- Polls like this tend to attract people who have a problem with their lights, but the many who don't have issues aren't looking for a place to vent their dissatisfaction (self-selection bias).

- Non-CPFers won't know about this poll, and so won't respond.


----------



## uk_caver

What could be useful is an idea of the _timing_ of faults.

That is, what fraction of faults tend to occur pretty early in a device's life, and how many happen in more regular usage.

Having an idea of that would at least let people know if it's worth going out of their way to exercise a device when they get it, in order to expose early faults.


----------



## Sno4Life

It seems to me that some of the failures are due to a need for electrical contact cleaning. Does anyone think Zebralights need more cleaning than other lights? Maybe the circuits are more sensitive that other lights? Maybe Zebralight owners just don't clean their lights like they should...


----------



## zemmo

Sno4Life said:


> It seems to me that some of the failures are due to a need for electrical contact cleaning. Does anyone think Zebralights need more cleaning than other lights? Maybe the circuits are more sensitive that other lights? Maybe Zebralight owners just don't clean their lights like they should...



I have a H51, which I absolutely LOVE, but after a few weeks it sometimes won't turn on. I just cleaned the positive connection and the spring with deoxit, and so far it's working. Is there anything that needs the deoxit other than the gold spring, the gold positive button, and the gold ring at the positive end? TIA.


----------



## subwoofer

Snow said:


> This is why after two failures, I will continue to use my Zebralights. The combination of features is unique to this light. The form factor is pure genius. The beam, anodization, warm tint, everything about the light rocks.
> 
> For what it's worth, I failed to mention that my replacement H30 has had lots of duty and no issues. I am hoping my replacement H501w will be the same.



I'm perusing these threads as I am poised to buy a H51 (which appears to have a more normal torch beam).

I have to say, these comments are not exactly true, I own the Ultrafire H3 and H2. Apart from the parasitic drain of the H2 (easily solved by unscrewing the tail cap a turn) which drains a fresh LSD NiMh in a month, these have been excellent and I actually prefer the clip provided on the Ultrafire and its headband.

I am now a little concerned about buying a zebralight if there are so many problems.


----------



## MetalZone

I've had a H30 Q5 since it came out. No problems so far. Moderate use. I use it for caving, hiking, biking and fixing stuff in the dark. I did a 1 hour dunk test in about 1+ foot of water before and it stayed perfectly dry. Not exactly 1 meter as stipulated in the IPX8 rating but good enough for my use.


----------



## zemmo

subwoofer said:


> I am now a little concerned about buying a zebralight if there are so many problems.



Well, my H51 works fine now, after the deoxit. I think you'll find most of the problems were with the pre-51 series, that's been my impression. And, while you were thinking about it, ZL has just released an upgrade of the 51. :naughty:


----------



## Luminesce

I haven't been reading the boards for some time & was surprised to see this thread still going on. I do have an experience to add to this thread, perhaps someone has had a similar experience.

This past summer I used the H501W (powered by alkaline batt's) as a nighttime walking light since most of the streets around my house are reasonably well lit and I didn't need a spot light, just close up lighting of the ground in front of me. I noticed that during times when the air temp was high 80+ several times I had a problem getting the light to directly into high.

At 1st I assumed the battery was low and the light simply didn't have enough voltage to use the high mode. But I found that if I unscrewed the tail cap, tightened it back up and then turned on the light it would now go into the high mode. 

The light felt very warm to the touch when I was outside and had used it for a while so I thought it may simply be a matter of the circuit was reacting to the internal heat. Then one day the light did the same thing several times while indoors in a air conditioned room. It hasn't done this since the summer. In the fall I switched to Duraloops for the longer run times and have since started to use Energizer Lithiums, so far no issues while using either of these batteries.

It would seem the light acted up due to overheating while outside but when it occurred inside in a cool house what might be the cause? Temporary problem with the circuit in sensing clicks of the switch? Breaking the connection to the battery did solve the problem. Is it possible that the alkalines I used "may" have been the problem, bad batch and they didn't provide as good a complete circuit as they should have? Or can the connection to the battery have been the issue? 

The connection to the battery always seemed to be solid, the light would always turn on just not directly into high unless I loosened the tail cap 1st effectively resetting the light.


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## cy

no problems with my original zebralight... really surprised to hear about all the problems.


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## chicken dave

I want to change my vote. Originally voted "No problems" (after a couple of months with H501w). In September, (after about 11 months of light use) it started flickering in high, sometimes dropping to a level below high, but above medium. I cleaned all contacts - no improvement. Contacted Zebralight and sent it to them for repair/replacement. That was 5 weeks ago. Still without my light. Two follow-up e-mails have gone unanswered. 

I have also been using a SC50w for about 3 months. About 10 minutes use per day, every day, without any issues. 

I love both of these lights, but am not especially confident in their durability. Also not thrilled with the speed of Zebralight's service. 

Dave

Edit: Received a replacement after 6 weeks. I'm thrilled to have my light back! Hope this one lasts.


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## Changchung

I hope the Zeblalight people read this thread... Any way, I am ordering two new ZL... :candle:


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## Sarlix

I've had a Zebralight for some weeks now and so far so good. I have it attached to the strap on my bag. it goes out with me to work each day and has been exposed to the now cold mornings and nights. And is exposed to rapid temperature changes each night as I'm always in and out with my work. No cracked lens as others have experienced.

I'd wager that if a similar poll was done with any other brand, Nitecore for example you would probably see similar results.


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## africanexperience

I haven't read the entire thread, but taking away the 'haven't owned' category it means a 25% failure rate. That is pretty high. I have a H501 and it recently failed after almost a years use - maybe used a couple of hours a week. The design, the concept, the feeling of small but quality build is amazing. I would love (and probably will) to try another one and my supplier is very kindly going to try and get a replacement. But in my heart of hearts I will not rely on them - use one yes, but if I was off on a two week canoe trip I doubt I would take it. Sad really, I can see why we all love them, but 25% failure rate in a tool for me is a risk. Hopefully they continue to evolve, but if they want to really get a name (like SF or whatever) then they really need to work on durability in the head torch game. I also find it interesting that they sort of seem to be targeting the 'flashaholics' market in my opinion - sticking with fancy single cell but hi tech format. Maybe they should slow down and get what is a fantastic design right. Don't get me wrong - my partner is getting one for Christmas as she loved mine, but I am likely going for a Petzl or Silva headlamp. That way we have the best of both worlds, and if my H501 gets repaired or replaced then fantastic, but that and a Jetbeam failure have sort of coloured my view of Chinese lights that jump out the woodwork every week.


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## Bolster

Africanexp: you are aware of the known issue with Zebralights early 2009? Several weeks or months of insufficiently sealed H501s and H60s left the factory, and cause a large uptick in failure rates that spread out over months (and years), giving Zebralight a black eye for reliability. Zebralight is up front about this: 

"First few batches of H501 and H60 had problems with leaking switch caps and lens, causing mulfuntions of the lights. They have been addressed long time ago with revised/modified machining and assembly process."

Even though Zebralight fixed the problem relatively quickly, so many were purchased during that time period (and later, from dealers) it's had a negative effect on peoples' perception of reliability. Not that they're perfect but you are not seeing nearly the volume of complaints with more recent (or earlier) releases. Take out that bad batch of lights and Zebralight would probably have a normal-looking number of failures. A shame it happened though, and I suspect they learned a valuable lesson. No reports of a similar problem since, that I'm aware of. 

One other thing to consider. Imagine that brands A and B both have failure rates of 2 out of 100. Brand A is wildly popular on CPF, and hardly anybody on CPF buys brand B. Which brand will have more reported failures on CPF? Now look at rankings of relative popularity.

Take me for example...I own 5 Zebras, have given 2 as gifts, and talked my sailor friend (who is torturing them slowly to death) into buying 2. So I'm keeping an eye on 9 of them. No failures. BUT, I didn't buy any of them in 2009. I bought both earlier and later, just by luck. The sailor uses his constantly in a salt environment that will eventually kill them, but they've held up so far. When he does kill them, I'll report.

For the record I own Zebralight, Spark, Petzl, Icon, and Energizer headlamps. (Looking forward to my first SF when they make a decent AA version.) For mission critical tasks, I don't "completely trust" any of them; they're just inexpensive mass produced items. I always carry a backup. If I owned a custom Horton or a $600 Scurion, I might feel differently.


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## michman

Looking forward to my H51w... Fingers crossed.


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## insanefred

Only problem with Zebralight's, is that they get attacked by Lions.


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## TedTheLed

...get it ? Li ons ?? lol!


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## africanexperience

Thanks Bolster, I hear what you are saying. And yes I don't fully trust a single light, and living where I do that means that I have ordered a Malkoff and a Peak as I really need reliability as much as possible. I have exhaustively read the threads on cleaning the contacts etc and keep trying it. My H501 keeps sometimes working and sometimes not. Extremely frustrating. I don't carry a back up headlamp as I always have a lamp in my pocket or hand and for me a headlamp is really just for chores and carrying for camping or in a vehicle in case I have to work on it. As I say we will try another ZL as they are a fantastic design, no doubt. Interestingly I bought mine end of 2010 and it has never been wet really... Now to try to find a light that has a low as low as ZL, as that is really one of the best features for me. Awesome work on your headlamp threads BTW.


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## TheRegulator

Just ordered a 501 for reading. Hope it works out.


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## pelks

Have 1x H30 and 1x H31, no problems at all. Have had the H30 for years and use it at work installing cables in roof spaces.
Love 'em.


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## robostudent5000

anybody think there would be value in re-running this poll excluding the H501 's and H60 's that had the replaceable switch covers? i'm kind of curious to see what the results would be if we just asked owners of 2010 and 2011 models.


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## Glock27

Yes....a new poll might be helpful. I've had no problems with 4 SC60w's and an SC600w bought in the last year.
It should probably be in the regular LED section though.
G27


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## dajab77

Just came across this and noticed its been awhile. I have the H51 200 AA and H51 neutral. Both are fairly new but no problems. 
Interesting thread.


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## HotWire

I've thrown away 2 Zebralights that failed totally without notice. They were glued together, so inspection & repair were not possible for me. I have one that is still working, but I don't trust it. No more Zebralights for me. I've had better success with budget lights.


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## uk_caver

The model of failed lights could be useful to know.


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## Bolster

uk_caver said:


> The model of failed lights could be useful to know.



And when purchased, as per post #193 above.


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## mikedeason

Been using my H600 every day at 500 lumens for at least 1.5 hrs for over a month.

So far no problems at all.


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## TedTheLed

I bought a sc600, an h600, and then a h600w, ALL of them shut off after a few minutes on the highest setting, and don't turn back on until you loosenand tighten the tailcap. Then if you accidently go to high again, it bln
ks off again, and you have to do the tailcap thing again. Zebra light says this is not a failure, that it is designed that way, and they won't take the sc600 back. 
I consider this very much a failure, and one that is designed in on purpose, according to Zebralight! They told me the h600w would not have this problem, that it stepped down to the next level, but it does not.
phoooey.
Still waiting for Z's response to h600w failure..


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## Vesper

TedTheLed said:


> I bought a sc600, an h600, and then a h600w, ALL of them shut off after a few minutes on the highest setting, and don't turn back on until you loosenand tighten the tailcap. Then if you accidently go to high again, it bln
> ks off again, and you have to do the tailcap thing again. Zebra light says this is not a failure, that it is designed that way, and they won't take the sc600 back.
> I consider this very much a failure, and one that is designed in on purpose, according to Zebralight! They told me the h600w would not have this problem, that it stepped down to the next level, but it does not.
> phoooey.
> Still waiting for Z's response to h600w failure..



ALL of them do this same thing? What kind of batteries do you use in them?


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## TedTheLed

Yes. Difficult to believe, isn't it? I use
either AW or ultrafire..it doesn't matter.
This is an acknowledged problem by Zebra, but they refuse to even exchange the sc600.
They did agree to exchange the h600 but only because they sent the wrong flashlight; I had ordered a h600W.

I love my good old reliable Surefire Saint..blinks every minute when it's running down, so you can dial in a slightly lower setting yourself and prolong burn time...


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## robostudent5000

i set up a revised Zebralight Reliability Poll in a new thread. please vote. link 

hopefully it'll shed some light on whether only certain models are prone to problems or they all are.


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## DM51

Two ZL polls going at the same time could cause confusion, so we'll close this thread and continue in the new one.


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