Zebralight H501 Part 2

[AusKipper]

OK, noone replied, so I went ahead and tried it.

I put it in a sink of water for 1 minute (while off) and took it out, tested operation, still worked, no water had got into the tailcap, and i dont really know how to check the head, but it didnt look like any got in there.

Then i put it back in the sink, turned it on and off repeatedly (probably 30 times or so) for a minute, took it out, dried it off, took another close look, didnt look like any water was getting in.

I then put it on low, put it in a cup of water and brought it back to my desk with me. Every 10 mins for 30 mins i stuck my finger in and turned it on and off 5 times (20 times in total) and then took it out, dried it off, checked functionality, unscrewed tail cap, took out battery, checked no water had got in, and put the cap back on and put it back in my pocket.

Its waterproof enough for me (i must admit i was quite nervouse before i started after hearing in thread 1 about the soap bubbles...)

 

[Mike V]

Wonder if yours is defective. The low is lower than just about anything else and almost too low for reading. In fact the low is so low that with any stray light it may not appear to be on and appear to be only a 2 level light.

That's weird.
Maybe mine is defective?

It's difficult to compare it's output to other lights, because it is so floody, but I'd say the low is similar in brightness to the spot part of the beam of a Photon Freedom Micro, 3 clicks up from the lowest setting.

 

[Foxx510]

Just got mine, the W version. Love it, such a good light. Love the UI, and the super low low. Nice work ZL.

 

[davidt1]

Headband update

Added another elastic band to the headband for a total of 3. Now I can carry the light and 2 spare batteries. I can also carry a peanut lighter, pill fob, or a backup aaa light instead of batteries. The headband with elastic bands is more versatile.

 

[Daniel_sk]

I didn't read the whole thread, I just want to ask if the current Zebralights are reliable? I bought a H50 and H30 a year ago and sold both of them. The H30 was working OK most of the time, but sometimes - usually when the battery was low - it started acting up. It either didn't want to switch brightness levels or wouldn't turn off at all. Did ZL take care of these issues?
I am thinking about the H30 again... Is there a warm LED version available? Will the 18650 Zebralight also run on two CR123A?
Thank you.

 

[davidt1]

My H501 is reliable so far.

 

[Woods Walker]

I didn't read the whole thread, I just want to ask if the current Zebralights are reliable? I bought a H50 and H30 a year ago and sold both of them. The H30 was working OK most of the time, but sometimes - usually when the battery was low - it started acting up. It either didn't want to switch brightness levels or wouldn't turn off at all. Did ZL take care of these issues?
I am thinking about the H30 again... Is there a warm LED version available? Will the 18650 Zebralight also run on two CR123A?
Thank you.

So far all my Zenra lights work great. But some regulated lights seems to act just as you stated when the batteries are low. The EOS will not switch modes and the same for the Apex. Plus some will not turn back on with a low battery. Seems more the nature of the beast rather than a problem with regulated lights. However some regulated lights have a long direct drive mode like the EOS. I think the Zebra does not have much of a direct drive mode. There was a few issue with the early H30's UI but a fellow hunter has a H30 and showed it off in camp. Ran very well near as I could tell. Zebralight has great customer service too.

 

[SilentK]

Has any one had any heat related issues, or flickering when near the end of a battery? because i like to stay up kind of late and use my h501 as a desk light on high, and i will tend to leave it on for 4-5 hours, only with breaks to change the cells.

 

[rigormootis]

FWIW, I had my 501w on low for about 35 minutes straight last night and it became pretty warm but not uncomfortable to wear (just noticably warm on my forehead).

 

[drmaxx]

Its waterproof enough for me

Same here. I submerged the light in shallow water and left it out in the rain. No problem I could identify.

 

[davidt1]

FWIW, I had my 501w on low for about 35 minutes straight last night and it became pretty warm but not uncomfortable to wear (just noticably warm on my forehead).

Are you sure it was on low? I tested my regular H501 after reading your post. Left it on medium for 1 hour. It was not even warm. Maybe mine stays cool because it has a cool tint and your stays warm because it has a warm tint. Get it? Warm tint. LOL

On a different note, I really need a beam wider than 80 degree. Something like 100 degree would be perfect for me. With a wider beam you don't have to aim the light exactly to get light.

 

[Daniel_sk]

On a different note, I really need a beam wider than 80 degree. Something like 100 degree would be perfect for me. With a wider beam you don't have to aim the light exactly to get light.

The original H50 has a 120 degree beam. That was too much diffused for me, a lot of the light gets lost. It's difficult to describe with my limited english but the beam didn't produce enough contrast, everything looked somehow "flat" - especially on hiking trails. And the colors were like "washed-out", like if you were walking on the moon. More lumens are needed for such a broad beam pattern. But it might be good for close up work indoors.
I wish there was a warm version of H30... Any chance? :sigh:

 

[kiwicrunch]

That's weird.
Maybe mine is defective?

It's difficult to compare it's output to other lights, because it is so floody, but I'd say the low is similar in brightness to the spot part of the beam of a Photon Freedom Micro, 3 clicks up from the lowest setting.

MikeV- if it helps, the low of my h501w is, like some others, also just bright enough for reading. If yours is too bright it does sound to me like your unit is putting out more light on low than mine.

 

[SilentK]

Are you sure it was on low? I tested my regular H501 after reading your post. Left it on medium for 1 hour. It was not even warm. Maybe mine stays cool because it has a cool tint and your stays warm because it has a warm tint. Get it? Warm tint. LOL

On a different note, I really need a beam wider than 80 degree. Something like 100 degree would be perfect for me. With a wider beam you don't have to aim the light exactly to get light.

Mine got to the point where it was pretty uncomfortable to hold

 

[rigormootis]

Yeah, it was on "low" (I like your joke though). I was working in a crawlspace and the higher modes were too bright for the close-up stuff. I was running it with a new L91.

 

[Alan B]

Mine got to the point where it was pretty uncomfortable to hold

I believe mine only gets warm on high, on the other modes it stays cool. I use NiMH. If it gets warm on lower settings that may indicate a problem.

 

[SilentK]

I believe mine only gets warm on high, on the other modes it stays cool. I use NiMH. If it gets warm on lower settings that may indicate a problem.

I tend to use mine on high with eneloops. I pretty much use only high because of the guilt free lumens concept.


Update: Tempature gun says 129 degress farenheight after roughly an hour on high

 

[Foxx510]

Well it turns out my new 501w is faulty. Intermittently won't turn on, but comes back to life if you tap it with reasonable force. Guessing it's a bad solder joint or something. Bit disappointing given the price.

Are they good with returns?

 

[SilentK]

Well it turns out my new 501w is faulty. Intermittently won't turn on, but comes back to life if you tap it with reasonable force. Guessing it's a bad solder joint or something. Bit disappointing given the price.

Are they good with returns?

Have you changed the cells? i notice that when my cells get really low, i have problems with it starting.

 

[Foxx510]

Yep that's the first thing I tried. There's no sign of flickering or anything indicating a low battery when it's turned off before it will not turn on again, if that makes sense. I also figure that a low battery wouldn't give a movement sensitive fault.

Thanks.