Zebralight plans MKIII's and SC63 release for this year

[thedoc007]

Extra programmability, great, as long as it's not overly complex. I don't want to have to open up the manual every time I program it. While I would personally like more options for programming, I know it strikes a nice balance right now between usability and options. So, Zebralight should be cautious about making changes.

Agreed.

The USB port is just a dumb idea. Anyone too lazy to unscrew the tailcap and charge their own battery, probably should stick with Maglites and alkaleaks.

Strongly disagree. Just because YOU don't have a use for it, doesn't mean that others won't find it helpful. Being able to charge on the go without having to carry around a standalone charger is a good option to have for some. Personally, if I am at home, I take the cells out and use a separate charger...but your implication that wanting built-in charging makes someone lazy is ridiculous. I certainly wouldn't want it on every model, but suggesting that any sort of built-in charging is automatically a dumb idea is not a sensible approach either.

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

Strongly disagree. Just because YOU don't have a use for it, doesn't mean that others won't find it helpful. Being able to charge on the go without having to carry around a standalone charger is a good option to have for some. Personally, if I am at home, I take the cells out and use a separate charger...but your implication that wanting built-in charging makes someone lazy is ridiculous. I certainly wouldn't want it on every model, but suggesting that any sort of built-in charging is automatically a dumb idea is not a sensible approach either.

Buy another brand. Zebralight is all about bright light in the smallest form possible. Bulking up the head of the light with charging circuitry is counter to their brand. Anyone buying a Zebralight is smart enough to know how to change and charge their own batteries. If they're really too lazy to do that, they can always use primaries.

Even if Zebralight made only one model with USB charging, it would signal to me that they are losing direction and focus as a company. They should leave Joe Sixpack lights to other companies.

 

[rickyro]

Agreed.



Strongly disagree. Just because YOU don't have a use for it, doesn't mean that others won't find it helpful. Being able to charge on the go without having to carry around a standalone charger is a good option to have for some. Personally, if I am at home, I take the cells out and use a separate charger...but your implication that wanting built-in charging makes someone lazy is ridiculous. I certainly wouldn't want it on every model, but suggesting that any sort of built-in charging is automatically a dumb idea is not a sensible approach either.

I know a friend buying cheap Chinese made 18650 rechargeable flashlights for his senior relatives as Xmas gifts. Why? Take use of long time standby using hours of 18650 and the old guys don't have 18650 chargers but they are educated enough to know how to use a micro USB charger.

About the UI, definitely many persons prefer default low. You can tell it by Malkoff and many custom design. More programmability does not necessarily mean more complexity, but mean the possibility to change to default low.

 

[thedoc007]

Buy another brand. Zebralight is all about bright light in the smallest form possible. Bulking up the head of the light with charging circuitry is counter to their brand. Anyone buying a Zebralight is smart enough to know how to change and charge their own batteries. If they're really too lazy to do that, they can always use primaries.

There you go again, saying that stupidity or laziness is the only reason to want built-in charging. This is just not the case...it is a matter of CONVENIENCE, not inability to charge in another way.

Built-in charging doesn't have to be bulky...and I for one wouldn't mind seeing how small ZL could make a light with that feature. Like you, I respect ZL's focus, but that doesn't mean that anything other than what they are doing now is a stupid idea...companies that get too set in their ways rarely fare well over the long term.

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

There you go again, saying that stupidity or laziness is the only reason to want built-in charging. This is just not the case...it is a matter of CONVENIENCE, not inability to charge in another way.

Sure, because it's soooo inconvenient to unscrew the tailcap, pop the old battery onto a charger, and put in a fresh battery. Worst 20 seconds of my life!

 

[Amelia]

Sure, because it's soooo inconvenient to unscrew the tailcap, pop the old battery onto a charger, and put in a fresh battery. Worst 20 seconds of my life!

Hmmm... takes me about 10 Sec. - about the same amount of time it takes me to fiddle with micro USB plugs and figure out which way to plug them into the socket !

Yeah... I agree... built in USB charging is a pretty lame idea, adds complexity to the design that must be paid for, adds more parts to potentially fail, adds machining steps to include a connector hole, increases the chances of leaks and condensation through that same connector hole, and gives you a nice aluminum pipe bomb if the battery vents while charging. All for what? Oh yeah... to avoid unscrewing a battery cap and sticking a battery into a charger.

No thanks.

 

[markr6]

In-light charging for 1 cell? No big deal.

3- or 4-cell lights? Sure why not...but I'd still rather use my own charger, be able to select the charge rate, and watch the voltage/mAh added while charging.

 

[xzel87]

Incorporating in light charging can be a great way to attract new customers (non-flashaholics) as they don't need to worry about purchasing additional charging hardware separately, not to mention the additional cost. In addition, many uninformed consumers always go for the cheapest chinese chargers available, which adds to the danger of using li-ion.

I'm sure for guys that have 5-6 chargers at home would probably view in-light charging as lame or frivolous but for some people it can actually be a good (and safer) solution.

And yeah, the convenient part of the whole thing is a big plus too, not to mention practicality.

 

[insanefred]

Incorporating in light charging can be a great way to attract new customers (non-flashaholics) as they don't need to worry about purchasing additional charging hardware separately, not to mention the additional cost. In addition, many uninformed consumers always go for the cheapest chinese chargers available, which adds to the danger of using li-ion.

I'm sure for guys that have 5-6 chargers at home would probably view in-light charging as lame or frivolous but for some people it can actually be a good (and safer) solution.

And yeah, the convenient part of the whole thing is a big plus too, not to mention practicality.

I only have 2 chargers for my flashlight batteries. I prefer not to have to deal with a usb plug at all. Simple is safe, there are plenty of alternatives out there with usb charging options, keep it away from my Zebralight!

 

[Mr Floppy]

Extra programmability, great, as long as it's not overly complex. I don't want to have to open up the manual every time I program it. While I would personally like more options for programming, I know it strikes a nice balance right now between usability and options. So, Zebralight should be cautious about making changes.

As long as there is an easy way to reset to factory, I would like extra programming (or deprogramming). Well at least the ability to but not in a way for every one. Just something for the advanced users. Of course will never happen as the time and effort to create such a thing would not be worth it economically.

The USB port is just a dumb idea. Anyone too lazy to unscrew the tailcap and charge their own battery, probably should stick with Maglites and alkaleaks.

Yes, the usb port is a dumb idea. Qi charging please.

 

[markr6]

I would also like to NOT give them a reason to increase the prices any more. Keep things small, light and simple as usual.

 

[KeepingItLight]

Pros and Cons of In-light Recharging

Without any facts whatsoever on which to base an opinion, my intuition tells me that in-light recharging will be one of the biggest attractions ever for non-flashaholics. It gives you the high-performance of Li-ion, and you can recharge by plugging into the cable you are already using for your cell phone. My guess is that the market for this sort of flashlight is several orders of magnitude larger than the flashaholic market. If I am right, then we better get used to these lights, because they will become ubiquitous. Alongside models that do not feature in-light recharging, I expect all the major manufacturers to be offering rechargeable models.

[EDIT: There will be enormous pressure for Zebralight to follow suit.]

For discerning flashlight owners, I think in-light recharging is a mixed bag. There is a definite place for it. In your car, for instance, it is convenient not to have to carry around a separate charger. Other times, you may run a light longer than you expected, and get caught with low batteries and no charger nearby. If you tote your EDC flashlight in a pack or purse—rather than in your pocket—you may find that that's a light where you prefer to have in-light recharging.

But it's a convenience that comes at a price. Flashlight size, weight, complexity, and points-of-failure are all increased somewhat when you add a charger to a light. As these tradeoffs demonstrate, building a high-quality charger may not be compatible with the goal of building a high-quality light. You like slow charging? You'll love in-light recharging.

Finally, there is the issue of price. Why should I keep paying to buy a new charger every time I buy a light? This is especially relevant because the in-light rechargers are likely to be of lower quality than the dedicated chargers I like to use at home.

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

Re: Pros and Cons of In-light Recharging

Finally, there is the issue of price. Why should I keep paying to buy a new charger every time I buy a light? This is especially relevant because the in-light rechargers are likely to be of lower quality than the dedicated chargers I like to use at home.

The in-light rechargers will likely also mean a proprietary battery format. 4sevens recently went this way. It's probably done for safety, and perhaps ease of manufacturing. 4sevens probably doesn't want people putting an Ultrafire in their sealed light and charging it until it goes .

When your battery dies, you'd better hope the company is still in business AND is still making those proprietary batteries. In 3 years, when you need a new battery, what do you think the chances will be that your light is still being made? If your light isn't being made, there's not much reason for the company to still make batteries for it.

I think it all leads to manufactured obsolescence. Throw away your light in 3 years, because you won't be able to power it any more. Maybe that's good for the flashlight companies (they get to sell Joe Pixpack another light), but it's not good for the consumer.

Be careful what you wish for.

 

[Amelia]

Re: Pros and Cons of In-light Recharging

Yep. The previous few posts are right on!
I want NOTHING to do with it... I have my externally charged, non-proprietary battery format lights to last me probably the rest of my life. I can live without all the whiz-bang "features" coming down the pipe.

 

[StorminMatt]

I like the idea, it is about time ZL got into 26650. But I do not think they should do it with the SC600...why not a new model? Seems like that would just lead to confusion.

Agreed. Zebralight NEEDS a 26650 light. Maybe they could do a 1x26650 MT-G2 light similar to the Fenix PD40 (but a better execution of that particular light). Of course, even a 1x26650 XM-L2 light would provide VASTLY better runtime than your typical 18650 light.

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

Agreed. Zebralight NEEDS a 26650 light. Maybe they could do a 1x26650 MT-G2 light similar to the Fenix PD40 (but a better execution of that particular light). Of course, even a 1x26650 XM-L2 light would provide VASTLY better runtime than your typical 18650 light.

They dropped the 6330, so I'm not sure they want to do larger lights.

 

[AdamDaze]

I'm a noob, shopping around for a flashlight, and the "Usb charging" part is fairly crucial. I agree it's going to make the market absolutely explode. Nothing prevents those lights being charged externally as well, but for the noob-entry having all the work tidied internally isn't scary. We're used to it with our phones. External batteries/fire/9500 different types/omgexplosion is a much bigger barrier to entry.

Unfortunately the usb market, especially for anything near EDC, is all over the place.

Every light out there seems to have 1 fatal flaw.

MH20 - Flat bezel (I want crenulated). Port not waterproof without flap. Weirdly fat head design.
MH12 - If this had a crenulated bezel and a properly waterproof port it'd be an instant buy. IT doesn't.
MH2c - Screw cover usb with o-rings (yessss, but getting on the long side.
UC35 - Charges 3rd party batts, flat bezel, larger side. Port waterproof without flap! But it's large for EDC.
Regen MMR-x : screw cover usb, but wont charge 3rd party batts. Low cap proprietary batt. No tailstand. No freaking clip. I'd probably jump at this one, even with a proprietary battery if it was a higher capacity. And had a clip (seriously, guys, no clip?).
Relic XR : Incredible features, but it's just too huge. If it were mmr-x size it'd be literally perfect.

Whole host of other rejects like the klarus / olight for propietary mag connectors, uc30 for not being waterproof without the plug, jetbeam for using a stupid usb > dc plug cable, and the list goes on.

My personal dream light is a MT20c, but with a double the output and a screw-cover usb recharge that accomodates 3rd party / larger batteries. Heck, I'd even take it without the red led. Or pretty much a SC62 with usb. But they just doesn't exist yet. Soon my pretties.

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

I'm a noob, shopping around for a flashlight, and the "Usb charging" part is fairly crucial. I agree it's going to make the market absolutely explode. Nothing prevents those lights being charged externally as well,
.
.
.
Regen MMR-x : screw cover usb, but wont charge 3rd party batts. Low cap proprietary batt. No tailstand. No freaking clip.

If internal charging catches on, this is the way it will go. Any North-American or European company will not want to defend against lawsuits from people that exploded the flashlight while charging it with some crappy 3rd-party battery. You might get Chinese flashlights that don't care about safety, because they couldn't care less about lawsuits, but beware.

The end result will be a good throw-away light in 3 years, when the battery dies and you can't get a replacement. Just like every other electronic gadget nowadays with a proprietary battery. More good stuff ending up in landfills, and causing consumers to buy it all over again. Great for companies!

 

[WarRaven]

If internal charging catches on, this is the way it will go. Any North-American or European company will not want to defend against lawsuits from people that exploded the flashlight while charging it with some crappy 3rd-party battery. You might get Chinese flashlights that don't care about safety, because they couldn't care less about lawsuits, but beware.

The end result will be a good throw-away light in 3 years, when the battery dies and you can't get a replacement. Just like every other electronic gadget nowadays with a proprietary battery. More good stuff ending up in landfills, and causing consumers to buy it all over again. Great for companies!

What cell would that be that won't be around in three years?

In light charging can be better controlled by OEM then end user, whom had to buy light then battery and charger. Plug an play is the answer, Masses rule.

Myself, I welcome it, as another great option.
Always a bonus to be able to top off a cell IMO, and in my use.


Edit to add.
My only thought about negative on it, is if it's sealed in or not, sealed equals no sale period.

 

[Amelia]

What cell would that be that won't be around in three years?

In light charging can be better controlled by OEM then end user, whom had to buy light then battery and charger. Plug an play is the answer, Masses rule.

Myself, I welcome it, as another great option.
Always a bonus to be able to top off a cell IMO, and in my use.


Edit to add.
My only thought about negative on it, is if it's sealed in or not, sealed equals no sale period.

That's exactly what he's talking about - sealed proprietary batteries or packs. Too much liability with removeable-cell chargeable flashlights that any "Joe Bargainshopper" can throw a "Catchesfire 19,000 mAH" 18650 into for charging-induced detonation.