ZebraLight H600(w) XM-L 750 Lm

[davidt1]

Agreed. I've found that I've come to use my Spark ST5 -190NW and my ZL H51w for pretty much completely different purposes. They have very different beam profiles. My Spark is much floodier than my H51w, so I tend to use it for things like task work, reading, etc., whereas I tend to use my H51w for things like biking, hiking, and the like. Of course, the ST6 series is supposed to be throw oriented, and the new ZL's will be flood oriented, but the point is the same. Each one will have different characteristics, so your purchase is best made based on your usage needs, rather than availability.

In my situation, I use my light up-close about 80% of the time. And I carry only one light, so it has to be as versatile as possible. A hand-held flashlight won't work because its use is limited and I have to use one hand to hold it. A traditional jockstrap headlamp won't work because it is too bulky to carry in the pocket and its use is limited. I also want a small light and use one common AA battery. A ZL AA angle light meets all my requirements. I started with the H501. Used it for about 2 years but lost it recently. I bought the H51W in January this year. This is only light I need, EDC and use. It will be replaced by the H502W though, because a pure flood beam is best for close-up use.

For those who think ZL headlamps are like traditional jockstrap headlamps, please check out the "Zebralight Mods" thread and see the difference for yourself. They are not better or worst than other headlamps, just better for some tasks and not as good for other tasks.

[B0wz3r]

Maybe this is just my lack of light knowledge, but it is my perception that they are VERY much the same light.

They're not. With the Spark, even if you use the frosted lens they come with, the beam profile is not going to be a "pure" flood beam. It will be brightest at the center, and get gradually dimmer toward the periphery of the beam. With the Zebra, it will be a pure flood in the sense that it will be equally bright across the entire profile of the beam.

If you use the regular UCL lens in the Spark, then it will become just like a regular flashlight beam, with a clearly defined bright center spot, and a dimmer surrounding side spill, and a well defined corona between the two. This is not at all what the Zebra's beam is like.

Also, I would suggest against depending on a headlamp as your sole source of light while caving. I recently did my first real caving a few weeks ago, three days of exploring the lava tubes at Lava Beds National Monument, and found that relying on my headlamp alone resulted in a nearly total lack of depth perception, and the brighter the light, the worse it got. I was stumbling at nearly every step (in the places where I could stand up to walk) because I could not see the texture of the floors of the tubes, so they looked completely flat to me, instead of the highly irregular and jagged surfaces they were.

I solved this problem easily by lowering the output of my headlamp and angling it up so that it gave me a good view of the ceilings in the tubes (which are covered with lava-cicles and hurt like hell if you don't have a helmet on and bang your head into one), and then used a hand held light to illuminate my path while walking. I also found that having a dedicated thrower was useful too, when I needed to see down a long tube or across a large chamber. In short, three lights together worked best for me. If I had limited myself to a single headlamp, I'd have been in a world of hurt (literally) because I wouldn't have been able to see nearly as well as using a combination of a headlamp and a hand held light.

[spelunkik]

Erm.... are we talking about the same light? The H600, right?? What source are you basing this pure flood statement on? According to Zebralight's own product comparison spreadsheet, it clearly lists the H600 as "spill + spot" (which is very much what I would consider the Spark to be). Perhaps you are thinking of the upcoming H502, which is listed as "flood"?

As for light sources to be used while caving, every one has a unique preference, so I have no right to tell you you are right or wrong. Sometimes it depends on where you go. Starting out in my "caving career," I used to carry a handheld flashlight in my hand all the time. This was back when I was using headlamps that weren't suitable for caving. Personally, I find that if you buy an appropriate headlamp that is capable of both modest throw and flood (or one that you can switch between), additional lights are not necessary for me to safely and comfortably navigate a cave. I would not be surprised if your trouble was due at least in part to being unaccustomed to the terrain and total lack of ambient light. Besides, doing the kind of caving that I do, having one hand tied up with flashlight becomes quite the inconvenience.

BTW, ALWAYS wear a helmet while caving... it's not worth the pain.

[B0wz3r]

Erm.... are we talking about the same light? The H600, right?? What source are you basing this pure flood statement on? According to Zebralight's own product comparison spreadsheet, it clearly lists the H600 as "spill + spot" (which is very much what I would consider the Spark to be). Perhaps you are thinking of the upcoming H502, which is listed as "flood"?

As for light sources to be used while caving, every one has a unique preference, so I have no right to tell you you are right or wrong. Sometimes it depends on where you go. Starting out in my "caving career," I used to carry a handheld flashlight in my hand all the time. This was back when I was using headlamps that weren't suitable for caving. Personally, I find that if you buy an appropriate headlamp that is capable of both modest throw and flood (or one that you can switch between), additional lights are not necessary for me to safely and comfortably navigate a cave. I would not be surprised if your trouble was due at least in part to being unaccustomed to the terrain and total lack of ambient light. Besides, doing the kind of caving that I do, having one hand tied up with flashlight becomes quite the inconvenience.

BTW, ALWAYS wear a helmet while caving... it's not worth the pain.

I could be confusing the new ZL headlamps, yes. I thought one would be an 18650 model, which is what I thought the H600's were going to be, and an AA or 123 based model, which is what I thought the H500's were going to be.

With respect to caving use, it's not the activity that matters, but the placement of the light with respect to the position of the eyes. I might be more susceptible to it than others, but I find that headlamps give me tunnel vision; I have difficulty seeing things in the periphery that are out of the beam, and I lose a great deal of depth perception when using a headlamp. This is primarily because the closer the light is to your eyes, the less shadow it creates, which is necessary for depth perception. Caving is an extreme example though, because unless there are other people around you also using lights, there aren't any other light sources providing shadows for depth perception. Again, I may be more susceptible to this than others, but this is just a fact of the physics of light and how the eyes work. For good depth perception in the absence of other sources of light, the further away from your eyes the light source is, the better the depth perception you will have as a result.

[psychbeat]

unfortunately I dont think they are going to make an 18650 pure flood.
at least not according to the compare lights feature on their website.

I may end up selling my Spark460NW if the H600w is brighter....

unless SOMEONE out there makes a p60 HL host


then Ill be done with HL purchases for a long while.

....and THEN I can get back to batteries and drop-ins!!

[B0wz3r]

Have you thought about one of the new MagicShine's? I don't think they make them in neutral, but they are supposed to be pretty freakin' bright... something like 900 lumens?

[psychbeat]

Id maybe consider the Magicshine as a head only option and make
my own battery pack with quality Panasonics but Id want to swap the
emitters and after all of that hassle I could just have bought an expensive
custom HL. about 6 or 7 of the guys I ride with have 1-2 of the older
Magicshine and have had ALOT of problems with the connectors and
batts. A famous local riders house burned down supposedly from a magicshine
charging - Im not sure on the details of that one.

Hopefully these H600w will be released soon or a p60 HL host OR
Im going to just get an Ahorton Spike and just call it a day.

Ill be riding and digging quite a bit after dark as soon as the time
changes back... Id like to have the best neutral tint HL system.

Im kinda bummed the zebra is going to stepdown from maximum after
5 min or whatever- I hate how the ST6 does that. drives me crazy and
makes me OCD on turning the light off and on again before each new
section of trail Im riding. Its cool at night here and its getting plenty of
air flow on it. no reason to step down the power and overcomplicates things.

oh well nothings perfect- unless you make it yerself...
and then maybe only cause you made it...

[spelunkik]

Digging? You have made me curious.

[psychbeat]

Digging? You have made me curious.

after riding sometimes we stay out and work on the trails n jumps - digging for short

[B0wz3r]

after riding sometimes we stay out and work on the trails n jumps - digging for short

You're not doing that in MMWD lands are you? Naughty, naughty!!! LOL!!!

I'm reminded of some of the guys I knew in Marin years ago who helped build the New Paradigm trail... Of course MMWD got their panties in a twist and had send their rangers out and destroy the durned thing...

[psychbeat]

hah! I wont disclose the exact location but its on the peninsula- theres no good DH riding in
Marin anymore due to regulation which is ironic considering thats where mountain biking
started! We usually build on private (with permission) or city land so we dont have to
deal with rangers. state rangers dont dig bike jumps the GGNRA is pretty anti bike too
but dont have enough people to enforce it usually.. especially at night!

I feel like the H600w should be released at the same time as the CW version.. I know
that it probably wont tho..

[ToyTank]

I have had a couple ZL headlamps and I've loved them. The beam is what sells it. Pure smooth flood. Very useful high and low levels and included clip, headstrap, and NICE GITD headstrap piece. I'm sold not for the 750lm(dust in the air would blind you i'd think?) but for extended runtimes @ low levels. Then again maybe waiting for high CRI would be best? No more ghost worlds of blue or pink.

[Zenbaas]

I just really hope they release it sooner rather than later, even if it is only the CW version for now. All this waiting is killing me. I am so close to purchasing a light but first want to see if this might make a good "all purpose" alternative...! Come on ZL..get moving!

[billcoe]

What an amazing resource CPF is. I'll probably get in the long line for one of these.


BTW, if anyone claims I do crazy stuff, I'm directing him to your old mine exploration web site and this pic specifically:-)


That's prowd. Great photos, I'd want the best light available as well in that envronment. Maybe 3-4 of them.

[psychbeat]

wow they'd better step on it with the new Spark SD light coming out....
I wonder who will get the neutral version ready first?
Looks like the Zebra will run the emitter a bit harder than either of the
Spark 18650 XM-L headlamps tho which is a BIG plus in my book.

[spelunkik]

Speaking of a long waiting line... is there really a way to pre-order?

What was the longest wait time in the past for a new Zebralight model? To be honest, I've never factored these into my buying schedule...

[Cataract]

I like real low modes, but I don't see how 0.02 lumens would be useful on a headlamp for other than reading... I have to hold my IFE2 real low to see more than 15 inches in front of me when I wake up at night.

To stay on track, I just learned that the H600(W) will be current regulated on all modes. Combined with the fact that it has a low around 0.2 lumens and a high at 500-750 lumens makes it my dream headlamp (mostly because it CAN fit in a pocket with the headband attached). If only it could use CR123's (or even RCR's) it would become my perfect headlamp. I guess the next generation will strike the bullet right through the target.

[psychbeat]

dang... the SD6 is on preorder w NW already available.

must....resist... if the SD6 was 2A instead of 1.5 on Super
PP wouldve already been sent...

the wait continues.

[leaftye]

I like real low modes, but I don't see how 0.02 lumens would be useful on a headlamp for other than reading... I have to hold my IFE2 real low to see more than 15 inches in front of me when I wake up at night.

I use my lights outdoors. Specifically, when hiking. I don't like being blinded by a too-bright light when I'm trying to read my maps and trip info at night and organizing my pack before daybreak. It's not about losing night vision either. It's that the contrast between wilderness dark and low settings is often so great that it's literally painful. I usually cover part of the beam, but that's a hassle and a waste of battery life.

[leaftye]

wow they'd better step on it with the new Spark SD light coming out....
I wonder who will get the neutral version ready first?
Looks like the Zebra will run the emitter a bit harder than either of the
Spark 18650 XM-L headlamps tho which is a BIG plus in my book.

Spark has had 18650 headlights for quite a while. I don't see how they're new AA headlights are going to present much more competition. Right now the race is to get the first 750 lumen 18650 headlight to market.

[marcis]

Photos are now posted on zebralights facebook for the H600. Go check them out I would post the photos here, but I cannot seem to get them to save as image files. Looks Great!

[Glock27]

w00T! CC ready! Bring on the W's! They should offer volume discounts...buy a SC600 + H600 and knock a few $$ off ;-)

G27

[Sway]

[varuscelli]

I think this one probably gives a better idea of relative size. Looks almost as long as strapping an SC60 to your forehead...but if it's as light weight as listed, even with the battery it shouldn't be too bad.

[Zenbaas]

Agreed...! Definitely wouldn't mind a special bundle price

[Cataract]

I really like this design, but is it just me or it looks like the tube has an extender... could it be also powered by 1X CR/RCR123??? that would be neat!

[pjandyho]

I really like this design, but is it just me or it looks like the tube has an extender... could it be also powered by 1X CR/RCR123??? that would be neat!

That's not an extender. It is the slot for the headband's rubber holder. Or maybe a clip?

[leaftye]

I really like this design, but is it just me or it looks like the tube has an extender... could it be also powered by 1X CR/RCR123??? that would be neat!

I agree. If a couple could be fit in there like with Spark's headlamps, it would make it easier to use on extended trips...like my next thru hike attempt of the PCT. I'm pretty sure I asked a while back and was told that this was not possible. I suppose it might still work with a dummy cell, but I don't want to use a heavy useless spacer.

[RCantor]

Spark has had 18650 headlights for quite a while. I don't see how they're new AA headlights are going to present much more competition. Right now the race is to get the first 750 lumen 18650 headlight to market.

The new Sparks are floody, the ones they've had out for a while are spot + flood. But Spark has no plans to produce anything higher than 500Lm, so they're not in the race. That's why Zebra can take their time. I own the older spark. It's a great light but in the wilderness it cries out for 1 more high mode.

[Cataract]

That's not an extender. It is the slot for the headband's rubber holder. Or maybe a clip?

Hard to distinguish exactly, but it does look like seams. I would think the ribbed desing is intended to serve as rubber holder slots (so you can place it just the way you like). The tube also looks like it gets bigger towards the cap (or just thicker). Anyways, I better stop thinking about it or I won't sleep tonight.