ZL Floody Headlamps - Which Gives The Best Beam Profile??

[eraursls1984]

Oh--and if you like the 0.35 lumen level, then play around with the even lower ones, too. You will be amazed at how useful even 0.01 lumens can be when your eyes are totally dark-adapted. It's totally enough to navigate around rooms inside of a dark house (or hotel room or whatever). One of the best features of ZL lights, to my mind.

I wish that we could enable all of the L2 modes. It's hard to use the two lowest modes after using the 2 lumen mode, but if we could drop down from .35 to the .1/.01 modes it would make it even more useful.

 

[lampeDépêche]

I wish that we could enable all of the L2 modes. It's hard to use the two lowest modes after using the 2 lumen mode, but if we could drop down from .35 to the .1/.01 modes it would make it even more useful.

Agreed! I would also like an option where you could choose the lowest-low (e.g. the 0.01) as an alternative-off setting. So whenever you clicked your ZL off with a single-click, it would go into 0.01 mode. At that level, it is hardly any drain at all, and it auto-locates the light, just like a tritium vial. I really like using the lowest-low at night in strange hotel rooms as my always-on light-locator mode--it's there on the bed-side, not bright enough to wake me up, but instantly visible if I look for it. But then when I want to *use* the light, my only option is to hop all the way up to the 2.7lumen mode (too bright!!) or have to reprogram to a higher L2.

So, yeah, some way to get instant access to several of the L2 modes, I would totally love that.

 

[StandardBattery]

I think the H302W has a slight problem on H1. A non-flashaholic may refer to it as a flicker, however at least having some experience of lights this is more of a pulse. The light ramps down very slightly and then ramps back up again within a split second. This occurs every 3-4 seconds and is repetitive, so more of a definite pulse rather than a random flicker. It's as though the driver can't quite decide if it likes the amount of current it's drawing and is indecisive, but in a precise way, a square wave type phenomenon.

Anyone seen this before? I'm in two minds about getting another one sent out to me...

Glad to hear you like the beam and the light in general.

I've heard other talk of a pulsing on different lights, but I've not seen it myself on any light. Sometimes the problem has been solved by cleaning battery contacts, ensuring the tail cap really is tight, using a better battery. These are some things to look for and if not contact Zebralight and see what they say. I presume you are using a non rechargeable CR123A cell?

 

[Stevie]

Glad to hear you like the beam and the light in general.

I've heard other talk of a pulsing on different lights, but I've not seen it myself on any light. Sometimes the problem has been solved by cleaning battery contacts, ensuring the tail cap really is tight, using a better battery. These are some things to look for and if not contact Zebralight and see what they say. I presume you are using a non rechargeable CR123A cell?

Yep, done all that...I'm using a 123 primary and have changed out the battery to different brands.....tightened tail cap.....inspected the connections...all looks ok, but no luck on the slight pulsation in H1. I'll get in touch with the UK dealer and get another one....

 

[eraursls1984]

Agreed! I would also like an option where you could choose the lowest-low (e.g. the 0.01) as an alternative-off setting. So whenever you clicked your ZL off with a single-click, it would go into 0.01 mode. At that level, it is hardly any drain at all, and it auto-locates the light, just like a tritium vial. I really like using the lowest-low at night in strange hotel rooms as my always-on light-locator mode--it's there on the bed-side, not bright enough to wake me up, but instantly visible if I look for it. But then when I want to *use* the light, my only option is to hop all the way up to the 2.7lumen mode (too bright!!) or have to reprogram to a higher L2.

So, yeah, some way to get instant access to several of the L2 modes, I would totally love that.

Not a bad idea. I currently leave middle L2 on all night so my pregnant wife can see during the 10 times she gets up at night.

 

[StandardBattery]

Did you get your issue resolved? i just added a H302w to my collection. I'm going to have to test it out this weekend.

 

[Stevie]

Did you get your issue resolved? i just added a H302w to my collection. I'm going to have to test it out this weekend.

Well, this is a story...

The dealer was exceptional and sent me another. Before sending it, he tested it on H1 and reported no flicker / unstable behaviour. I also tested it when received, and dealer did me a good favour as he was right about that sample. I'm very happy. I sent the duff one back to him.

A few days later, he called me to say that he'd had about five H302w's out on the table from his stock. All but one exhibited the unstable behaviour on H1! Bad batch me thinks? He said he'd report it to Zebralight.

Seriously, look carefully at H1 output when you get yours....it should be completely stable, no ramps, no flicker.

 

[StandardBattery]

Well, this is a story...

The dealer was exceptional and sent me another. Before sending it, he tested it on H1 and reported no flicker / unstable behaviour. I also tested it when received, and dealer did me a good favour as he was right about that sample. I'm very happy. I sent the duff one back to him.

A few days later, he called me to say that he'd had about five H302w's out on the table from his stock. All but one exhibited the unstable behaviour on H1! Bad batch me thinks? He said he'd report it to Zebralight.

Seriously, look carefully at H1 output when you get yours....it should be completely stable, no ramps, no flicker.

Thanks! I think I might have one with the same issue. What I see is that almost as soon as it is activated (not even close to hot yet) the PID kicks it down to H2 in a series of steps about .5-1 sec apart looks like a pulsing, but it's really a step-down. The weird thing is once the light warms up it does not do that, it seems to adjust correctly. It's almost like the calibration of the temp señor is incorrect and when the light is at ambient, some software bug things it is actually hot. Once it is hot and the sensor has a signal it seems work better. It's like the dynamic range of the sensor is not set up for the right mid-point. I've never tried programming the PID trigger level, but maybe that would help. I'm going to test a bit more and then maybe send a message to Zebralight.

 

[Stevie]

Thanks! I think I might have one with the same issue. What I see is that almost as soon as it is activated (not even close to hot yet) the PID kicks it down to H2 in a series of steps about .5-1 sec apart looks like a pulsing, but it's really a step-down. The weird thing is once the light warms up it does not do that, it seems to adjust correctly. It's almost like the calibration of the temp señor is incorrect and when the light is at ambient, some software bug things it is actually hot. Once it is hot and the sensor has a signal it seems work better. It's like the dynamic range of the sensor is not set up for the right mid-point. I've never tried programming the PID trigger level, but maybe that would help. I'm going to test a bit more and then maybe send a message to Zebralight.

Hi S.B.

How'd it go with your testing?

If yours is also exhibiting the pulsing behaviour, I might send Z.L. a link to this thread, it may be something they are currently unaware of, so it may help them to look into it?

 

[Collins]

Well, this is a story...

The dealer was exceptional and sent me another. Before sending it, he tested it on H1 and reported no flicker / unstable behaviour. I also tested it when received, and dealer did me a good favour as he was right about that sample. I'm very happy. I sent the duff one back to him.

A few days later, he called me to say that he'd had about five H302w's out on the table from his stock. All but one exhibited the unstable behaviour on H1! Bad batch me thinks? He said he'd report it to Zebralight.

Seriously, look carefully at H1 output when you get yours....it should be completely stable, no ramps, no flicker.

Who's the dealer?

 

[Stevie]

Who's the dealer?

Flashaholics.

 

[StandardBattery]

Hi S.B.

How'd it go with your testing?

If yours is also exhibiting the pulsing behaviour, I might send Z.L. a link to this thread, it may be something they are currently unaware of, so it may help them to look into it?

I have not got back to testing this. I need to pullout a light meter so I can accurately see what it is doing in different scenarios other than cold start. It should happen in the next two days.

 

[myflashguy]

I was wondering why very few discussion about ZL H603....I like the smooth wide spread beam but at turbo it can do seriously blinding to anyone looking at me while it's on my forehead felt bad for them sometimes but......

 

[Collins]

I was a while back debating flood and floody. But I decided to go floody as a nice compromise. I like nice wide beam, but also don't want a black hole in the middle when say looking at the other end of the room. So with floody, there will be a hotter center.

Also looking at floody for example. Other day got a used surge protector. and I used my crapo store bought spot light to look inside the female plug ports to make sure they weren't loaded with lint, or had coke spilled into them. Don't know how well that would work out with pure flood seeing down inside the female outlets.