The Official Zebralight Thread .

[Tachead]

There are others who put the temp sensor on the mcpcb. You can even get "hobbyist" parts like that now - see led4power.com. None of that changes the fact that you're right though. Zebra does thermal control right, as good as any and much better than most. And as for making it smoother, I think that's a physics limitation, because over the past few years the lights have gotten both stronger (hotter) and smaller. You can't cheat the laws of physics.

Although those boards you linked have a temp lead footprint they are not the same thing. They use a wire to feed temperature from the emitter MCPCB to a separate driver board(usually separated by a bulkhead in the body of the light). ZL uses a single MCPCB for all components. The temp sensor, emitter, and driver are all one piece on the same board. As far as I know, ZL is the only flashlight company doing this. I am guessing this is part of the reason why ZL's thermal regulation is so much smoother and more accurate when compared to other high power lights like the Emisar D4.

 

[emarkd]

Although those boards you linked have a temp lead footprint they are not the same thing. They use a wire to feed temperature from the emitter MCPCB to a separate driver board(usually separated by a bulkhead in the body of the light). ZL uses a single MCPCB for all components. The temp sensor, emitter, and driver are all one piece on the same board. As far as I know, ZL is the only flashlight company doing this. I am guessing this is part of the reason why ZL's thermal regulation is so much smoother and more accurate when compared to other high power lights like the Emisar D4.

Nahh, it goes further than that. The emisar uses the built in thermal feature of the attiny mcu. It's wildly inaccurate, plus it's completely separated by where the real heat is since it's on the driver. Led4Powers setup is good, very good. It measures the temp where the heat is, on the mcpcb, but keeps the mcu and other components on the much cooler driver board. It's very capable of being just as accurate and smooth as Zebras offering, assuming the PID function of the firmware is up to the job.

But again I'm not trying to take anything away from Zebra. They're hard to beat.

 

[Tachead]

Nahh, it goes further than that. The emisar uses the built in thermal feature of the attiny mcu. It's wildly inaccurate, plus it's completely separated by where the real heat is since it's on the driver. Led4Powers setup is good, very good. It measures the temp where the heat is, on the mcpcb, but keeps the mcu and other components on the much cooler driver board. It's very capable of being just as accurate and smooth as Zebras offering, assuming the PID function of the firmware is up to the job.

But again I'm not trying to take anything away from Zebra. They're hard to beat.

I would think there would still be more lag time due to the temp sensor being remote vs. connected directly by trace like on the ZL no? Would that not effect accuracy and precision? Your right the firmware definitely needs to be taken into account too though(just look how much TK was able to improve the D4's regulation). Plus, wouldn't it be more accurate to monitor both the heat generated by the driver and the emitter vs. just the emitter? It seems like ZL's system is quite a bit more advanced then the Led4powers you linked but, I am no electronics engineer and have never tried theirs.

Yeah, ZL definitely is hard to beat, the make some nice lights. Their thermal regulation looks by far the smoothest and most accurate of any light I have tested in my lightbox setup. Their driver design also looks pretty amazing. I was going to post pics of it but, the ones of the SC600 MKIII HI are no longer posted due to the photobucket third party hosting change.

 

[anthon87]

I've ordered a SC600W HI version but I'm hesitating if it the beam will be too "throwier" for EDC and walking. I have a Emisar D4 which is very floody and also don't want the zebralight to be "too floody" I want something intermediate between the Emisar D4 and my tactical Acebeam L16.

I think I'm correct choosing the HI version, right?

 

[TCY]

Yes. Your L16 has over 90K cd which is way too much for EDC applications. I expect the MKIV HI to have ~22-25K CD since its just a brightness upgrade from the MK3 (~17-19K cd from unofficial tests) which means it would have impressive throw with a generous spill for EDC. Good choice

 

[Cobraman502]

I've ordered a SC600W HI version but I'm hesitating if it the beam will be too "throwier" for EDC and walking. I have a Emisar D4 which is very floody and also don't want the zebralight to be "too floody" I want something intermediate between the Emisar D4 and my tactical Acebeam L16.

I think I'm correct choosing the HI version, right?

I have the mk3 hi and it's great for hiking. Generous spill however I have ordered the sc64C because the beam profile on my SC52w is amazing. It has a larger less defined hot spot but still enough to get some distance.

 

[gk1610]

Surprise! Aah! zebralight

 

[Tachead]

Surprise! Aah! zebralight

Lol.

 

[noboneshotdog]

15 days until lift off.

 

[Tachead]

15 days until lift off.

Shhh... We are trying not to think about it:whoopin:.

 

[gurdygurds]

Anyone have some photos of your well used, beat-up, and generally worn user Zebras?

 

[geokite]

Will ZL continue to develop CR123 powered lights?

This thought went through my head, thought of how handy a H302w would be, and then picked up one (the last?) on Amazon. Nice light; big fat head, just a mm shorter than a H502w, and nice tint.

 

[WebHobbit]

OK ZL Gurus! Need some advice here. I been trying to come up with a new EDC. I have been carrying the Malkoff MD2 with M61 and a Triad tail-cap (with clip) for several years and I did love it. However I was wanting something a little thinner and a little lighter. The MD2 is typical 6P size with a one inch body and a slightly larger head. The M61 had in my opinion the perfect balance of throw and spill and did it all with "only" 325 lumens and a single 18650. Since I had never owned a ZL I tried an SC32 first. I found it "too small"...but the biggest problem I had was I kept trying to press a non-existent tail switch. This muscle memory started back in the 1990s with a Surefire!

So at that point I decided to stick with a tail-switch operated light. I sold the little SC32 and bought a Malkoff MDC. This light has a one inch head and an even thinner body. It carries REALLY WELL...but I find this one a little uncomfortable to use in the traditional "tactical hold" of which I am accustomed to. I think it's a combination of it's short length (3.75 inches) and NOT having that ergonomic wonder -the Oveready Triad tail-cap. It also has zero knurling...so it's a little slick. Now I am thinking hard about trying the larger ZLs. I know I will have to develop a new habit with the side-switch but after I get used to that change it should be more comfortable to use than the MDC....I hope!

So here is where I need you guy's opinion's on which ZL model to try next? Here is my criteria:

Come on in a mode bright enough to momentarily blind a bad guy (250+ lumens I should think)
18650 battery
I prefer the screwed on pocket clip unless someone can convince me the removable ones are strong enough to hold in place.
No green tint (I'm used to the Malkoff standard cool tint but neutral would be OK as long as it isn't too yellow)
Capable of at least 90 minutes of bright (300+ lumens) output
Some throw (300+ feet) would be great but a nice spill is more important to me.

Please advise!

 

[TCY]

OK ZL Gurus! Need some advice here. I been trying to come up with a new EDC. I have been carrying the Malkoff MD2 with M61 and a Triad tail-cap (with clip) for several years and I did love it. However I was wanting something a little thinner and a little lighter. The MD2 is typical 6P size with a one inch body and a slightly larger head. The M61 had in my opinion the perfect balance of throw and spill and did it all with "only" 325 lumens and a single 18650. Since I had never owned a ZL I tried an SC32 first. I found it "too small"...but the biggest problem I had was I kept trying to press a non-existent tail switch. This muscle memory started back in the 1990s with a Surefire!

So at that point I decided to stick with a tail-switch operated light. I sold the little SC32 and bought a Malkoff MDC. This light has a one inch head and an even thinner body. It carries REALLY WELL...but I find this one a little uncomfortable to use in the traditional "tactical hold" of which I am accustomed to. I think it's a combination of it's short length (3.75 inches) and NOT having that ergonomic wonder -the Oveready Triad tail-cap. It also has zero knurling...so it's a little slick. Now I am thinking hard about trying the larger ZLs. I know I will have to develop a new habit with the side-switch but after I get used to that change it should be more comfortable to use than the MDC....I hope!

So here is where I need you guy's opinion's on which ZL model to try next? Here is my criteria:

Come on in a mode bright enough to momentarily blind a bad guy (250+ lumens I should think)
18650 battery
I prefer the screwed on pocket clip unless someone can convince me the removable ones are strong enough to hold in place.
No green tint (I'm used to the Malkoff standard cool tint but neutral would be OK as long as it isn't too yellow)
Capable of at least 90 minutes of bright (300+ lumens) output
Some throw (300+ feet) would be great but a nice spill is more important to me.

Please advise!

SC600w Mk IV HI or SC600w Mk IV Plus for maximum brightness (not throw!), SC64w for screwed on pocket clip. The removable clips used by ZL are pretty sturdy but obviously not as sturdy as screwed on ones.

 

[eraursls1984]

I'd say a SC62w, or the new SC64w. The 62 has dual springs, the 64 has the new UI. The SC600w MK IV HI is going to be the best thrower. It would need a slight modification to have a solid clip though. You can use an Oveready clip on it, but would need a small spacer the thickness of the clip to make a connection between the tailcap and body.

 

[WebHobbit]

I couldn't decide! So I opted to pre-order both of the ones I'm interested in. I guess if I don't like one or both of them I can always sell them in the MarketPlace for a slight loss and move on.

 

[Derek Dean]

I couldn't decide! So I opted to pre-order both of the ones I'm interested in. I guess if I don't like one or both of them I can always sell them in the MarketPlace for a slight loss and move on.

I'll be interested to hear how you like them. If you're like many folks here, you'll end up keeping both : )

One suggestion. If you're new to ZL, the UI can take a bit of time to get used to, so I'd suggest that you spend most of your first hours with the lights in the G5 mode with the factory presets. This is how they should come to you from the factory. Just forget about the G6 and G7 modes for the time being.

Before my first ZL light arrived, I spent quite a bit of time reading the instructions on the website and trying to acquaint myself with the unusual operation, and by the time the light arrived I felt pretty confident I would be able to operate it....... but....... I found once I had the light in my hands, it still took awhile to get the hang of the single click, double click, click and hold, etc....... especially the quick click and hold for just the right amount of time to get into the lowest level.

Of course, like many here, I've come to absolutely love the UI because it allows me to quickly and easily find the right amount of light for many different situations, and the G6 and G7 modes will allow us to customize the UI further to our specific needs...... but for a beginner, those added G6 and G7 modes could be quite confusing..... so just take it one step at a time. Enjoy!

 

[WebHobbit]

Thanks!

Actually the default of H-2300 and M-171 in the SC600w/IV Plus sounds about perfect. The single click to blind an attacker...and the double-click for most utility type work. Similarly on the SC64 H-1616 and M-147 are nearly as good. I see that the run-time estimates on the SC600w/IV Plus are 1.8 hours and 12.1 in H and M and that sounds PERFECT. Wonder why they don't list any for the SC64?

 

[terjee]

I couldn't decide! So I opted to pre-order both of the ones I'm interested in. I guess if I don't like one or both of them I can always sell them in the MarketPlace for a slight loss and move on.

That's one cool light, and one natural/not cool. Was that intentional?

Sorry if that's mentioned in the threads above, just wanted to throw the comment in quickly while there might still be time to change the order if it wasn't intentional.

 

[WebHobbit]

That's one cool light, and one natural/not cool. Was that intentional?

Sorry if that's mentioned in the threads above, just wanted to throw the comment in quickly while there might still be time to change the order if it wasn't intentional.

Yes that was intentional


The rationale being that I KNOW I like 5700 Cool (same on paper as many of my Malkoffs have been)...and they don't list a cool non-floody for the other yet. Plus I "need" to try a 4500 anyway so this seemed a good opportunity and the listed specs are CRAZY good...so