The Official Zebralight Thread

[ScottsoSmith]

I bought an H600d recently, it is very floody.. the hotspot is very wide (I have not tried the Frosted lens option and have not tried the 4000K option).. I wrote a post with more details here.

I chose 5000K because I wanted maximum perceived brightness, and chose no Frosted lens, for maximum throw. The intended use model was for Night Skiing, but I have not actually used it for that application. atm it is sitting in my skiing pack, but mostly stays in the car while I ski during the day ;-)

For closer range activities, and not on snow, I think 4000K and Frosted can be fine. Mostly a matter of personal taste.. I avoided Frosted because it limits distance. The unFrosted beam is extremely floody anyway, and achieves a few more lumens, for maximum distance applications. At closer range I think Frosting can be very nice. (my only frosted Zebra is an H53Fc N. The throw is very constained it reaches half as far as my SC53c N (same LED, no frosting)

Thank you, Jon - much appreciated!!!

 

[entendu]

My h53fcn works well on max with the 4300 xtars, the stepdown doesn't occur, probably because the light doesn't get warm enough.

Thanks DC38 that's good to know . I believe your right, the light never gets to the point when the thermal sensor is activated. My preference is for a longer runtime instead of sheer output as I rarely use the light for objects more than 100 feet away most time its 30 feet or less. The xtars give me yet another option than Eneloops and seem to run longer than my current stock of eneloops. I rarely use max but good to know it can work on your SC53c N with the 4300 xtars. My SC 52 may fail one day and that's why I'm looking at the SC54c N.

 

[this_is_nascar]

Which of the current ZL non-angled models will offer the most throw?

 

[russprechtl]

My SC 52 may fail one day and that's why I'm looking at the SC54c N.

I highly recommend the 54. I use it all the time and it's worked flawlessly. It's one of my main rotation superstars.

 

[jon_slider]

My SC 52 may fail one day and that's why I'm looking at the SC54c N.

you might also appreciate the newer LED, for its High CRI..

Which of the current ZL non-angled models will offer the most throw?

The 700, by a wide margin

SC700d Hi 2600 lumens 324m throw
SC600 Plus HI 1700 lumens, 191m throw
SC65c Hi 660 lumens, 185m throw

 

[flipyflop2]

you might also appreciate the newer LED, for its High CRI..


The 700, by a wide margin

SC700d Hi 2600 lumens 324m throw
SC600 Plus HI 1700 lumens, 191m throw
SC65c Hi 660 lumens, 185m throw

I'm measuring a bit less on my SC700d, but way more for the SC600w and SC65c.

Mine's measured at 306m, 263m and 203m in that order. Other reviews I've found put them around 320-325, 260-265 and around 200 for the SC65c.

I'm pretty sure you measured mode 11 instead of 12 for the SC600w and SC65c, I got 191m and 167m for those.

 

[jon_slider]

I'm measuring

Thank you for confirming the SC700 has the most throw

fwiw, the numbers I posted came from online reviews

Throw numbers will not be identical between different sources.

There are output variations between individual Zebras of the same model. Due to variations in individual LEDs, and variations in the components on each driver. Plus different batteries, and different lumen meters also add variation.

 

[AMD64Brunette]

As a new owner of a SC53c N, I'm surprised by how small it is.

It makes my SC64w (an 18650 light) look gigantic.

 

[jon_slider]

a new owner of a SC53c N

Congrats! I hope you enjoy it!

I really like how small the shorter and narrower body tube makes the AA model feel:

 

[Bob_McBob]

I'm measuring a bit less on my SC700d, but way more for the SC600w and SC65c.

Mine's measured at 306m, 263m and 203m in that order. Other reviews I've found put them around 320-325, 260-265 and around 200 for the SC65c.

I'm pretty sure you measured mode 11 instead of 12 for the SC600w and SC65c, I got 191m and 167m for those.

This is consistent with my past measurements for these models.

 

[Lips]

.
.

72 day turn-around and $25 to have the switch changed out on the SC64w HI.

Traded for the light and it looked brand new but the switched turned to mush after about 6 months. Good as new now and they included a free battery. The light to the left is a McBob 5000k xhp-35 SC65c HI. The switch he uses is rated for more clicks than the stock version and has a little better click-feel. Zebra should change the switch to whatever he is using!

 

[jon_slider]

This is consistent with my past measurements for these models.

Does anyone have a Throw measurement for Zebralight H600c or any other H600 model?

 

[flipyflop2]

Does anyone have a Throw measurement for Zebralight H600c or any other H600 model?

Here you go, measurements of all my Zebra, all stock except the SC65c marked as McBob.

You can see throw in meters, candela, lux I measured and at what distance they were measured.

 

[jon_slider]

measurements of all my Zebra

outstanding!
thanks for sharing your data collection

 

[Bob_McBob]

You can see throw in meters, candela, lux I measured and at what distance they were measured.

For future reference, you don't need to individually measure throw for every level like that. Cd/lm is fixed, so you just need one candela measurement at a stable output to calculate throw for every level. Also, it's generally a good idea to take candela measurements at longer distances (at least 2m, preferably longer) to ensure the beam is properly focused.

For example, here's your modded SC65, calculated from cd at the 181 lumen level.

 

[flipyflop2]

For future reference, you don't need to individually measure throw for every level like that. Cd/lm is fixed, so you just need one candela measurement at a stable output to calculate throw for every level. Also, it's generally a good idea to take candela measurements at longer distances (at least 2m, preferably longer) to ensure the beam is properly focused.

For example, here's your modded SC65, calculated from cd at the 181 lumen level.

Oh yeah, it's mostly to check that the lumen/candela claims from brands actually make some sense and figure what I'm really getting.

With Zebras I didn't find anything weird, but for example my Wurkkos FC11C 5000K doesn't reach at all the candela it should reach in turbo, but it does in other modes... there's really no need to measure, it's not like I'm going to do a lot with the info, but I still enjoy it

The 90cm measurement I make it very easy just with the mousepad, but it's true that you need to make sure you're pointing exactly right. More powerful flashlights I do between 2-4 meters.

Also worth noting all these numbers are around 30-35 seconds after switching on, during the first seconds a lot of these flashlights will show higher numbers specially for H modes on Zebra.

 

[Bob_McBob]

Oh yeah, it's mostly to check that the lumen/candela claims from brands actually make some sense and figure what I'm really getting.

With Zebras I didn't find anything weird, but for example my Wurkkos FC11C 5000K doesn't reach at all the candela it should reach in turbo, but it does in other modes... there's really no need to measure, it's not like I'm going to do a lot with the info, but I still enjoy it

My point is that the ratio of candelas to lumens is identical regardless of output, so you just need one stable measurement to calculate throw at any output. If the FC11C's throw is underperforming on turbo compared to other levels, it's because the output is lower than anticipated, not because cd/lm is different on turbo. It saves you a lot of work and is significantly more accurate to check throw the way I'm suggesting.

 

[jon_slider]

measurements of all my Zebra

Bought a Zebralight SC65c Hi, for science ;-)

I want to see how the 16cd/lm beam profile of the SC65 might work for night skiing, with the light mounted on top of my Ski Helmet.

Compared to my 4cd/lm of my Zebra H600d mounted at the front of the helmet.

Note throw of the SC65 on Level 9, is similar to the H600d throw on Level 10:
(runtimes are not the Ansi spec)

(SC604c cooled sustained runtime from this post)
note that Bob_McBob posted an indepth SC65 review in which he shared that the Cooled output of the SC65c Hi on Level 12 is very sustainable and lasts 1 hour 5 min (the other runtimes for rthe SC65 are derived from that in proportion to their lumens):

 

[lampeDépêche]

Bought a Zebralight SC65c Hi, for science ;-)

I want to see how the 16cd/lm beam profile of the SC65 might work for night skiing, with the light mounted on top of my Ski Helmet.

Jon, just a word of warning on this. If you mount the SC65 on your helmet where you normally mount your H600, then the majority of the light will be shining * sideways, * off to your left. Or to your right. This may not help you see the slope directly in front of you.
There are work-arounds for this. First, you can restrict yourself to side-stepping, in the direction in which the light is shining. But that can be limiting on the slope.
If you want to ski directly down the hill, then my advice would be to turn your head 90 degrees, so that the SC65 is aiming downhill. Then, carry a mirror, angled at 45 degrees to the direction of your skis, so that as you look off to the side, you will see the illuminated part of the downhill path in the mirror. This should correct for the problem. Good luck on the slopes!

 

[jon_slider]

If you mount the SC65 on your helmet where you normally mount your H600

separate mounts.. added a photo to clarify