Zebralight SC80

[Fireclaw18]

Odd, mine doesn't do that. I know there's a strobe you can set under the high menu but I wasn't aware of any sort of beacon.

It does this when run on fully charged lithium ion cells (14500 or 16340). That flash supposedly stops once the cells drain a bit more or you run on non-lion cells.

[keriya]

Odd, mine doesn't do that. I know there's a strobe you can set under the high menu but I wasn't aware of any sort of beacon.

Thanks for your reply. I know there is a strobe mode, but I hope to get rid of that beacon -- if it's a feature at all and not a malfunction of my light.

[Fitz]

It does this when run on fully charged lithium ion cells (14500 or 16340). That flash supposedly stops once the cells drain a bit more or you run on non-lion cells.

Ah, that might explain it. This is one of the few lights I have that I'm not using RCR's with.

[keriya]

It does this when run on fully charged lithium ion cells (14500 or 16340). That flash supposedly stops once the cells drain a bit more or you run on non-lion cells.

I'm running my light on a CR123 primary cell. Now I've tried an AA eneloop, but the beacon flash is still there. I've contacted Zebralight and they want to check out my flashlight. So I'll be sending it back. It seems that my light is malfunctioning. For me, that's better than having to live with that beacon flash...

[TyJo]

I was worried about the beacon flash before I ordered my SC80w. When I got it I tried eneloops and RCR123s and neither caused the strobe flash when the light was off, although I keep my RCRs charged at around 4.15v (to avoid cell aging, and they come off of my pila at that). The strobe issue supposedly happens when your cells are approximately 4.2 volts (fully charged), I asked Zebralight about this a while ago and they said it does not affect the light. I use eneloops in the light, but I got it so it can use AAs, Eneloops, CR123s, and RCR123s in emergencies.

[keriya]

My dealer replaced the SC80c which exhibited the inadvertant "beacon" phenomenon. The new light works as expected, it doesn't blink when switched off. I tested it with CR123 primaries, AA alkalines and eneloops. I don't have any RCR123s, so I can't test those.

I'm very happy with the light now!

[sebast]

I'm tempted by the SC80c but the fact it use only "little" batteries, for a bit bulky light annoy me.
Then I wonder if it's possible to bore the battery tube to accept li ion cell like 17500 ? or or even 18mm 18500?
Perhaps someone own one could answer?

[Fireclaw18]

I'm tempted by the SC80c but the fact it use only "little" batteries, for a bit bulky light annoy me.
Then I wonder if it's possible to bore the battery tube to accept li ion cell like 17500 ? or or even 18mm 18500?
Perhaps someone own one could answer?

Yes. You can bore the tube to accept a 17500.

It almost, but not quite fits a 17500 as-is. I bought an AW protected 17500 and it doesn't quite fit. It looks like if I took off the little AW sticker then I could probably squeeze it in.

[sebast]

Thanks Fireclaw for answer. So if a 17500 almost fit, perhaps there is enough space to use a 18500 since it mesure 1,45mm more in diameter..Dou you think there is enough metal thickness for bore the body to about 2mm?

[regulator]

I just ordered this light. I have some AW 17500 cells that I am going to try. If they don't fit, I'll either try removing the label or try something to widen the tube some. I think this cell will be great for this light.

[Fireclaw18]

I just ordered this light. I have some AW 17500 cells that I am going to try. If they don't fit, I'll either try removing the label or try something to widen the tube some. I think this cell will be great for this light.

One nice thing is that you won't ever have to worry about the 17500s becoming stuck if you have to squeeze them in. Unlike other Zebralights, both the head and tailcap can be unscrewed so any battery can be easily removed by simply unscrewing the tube and then pushing the cell out the other end.

If you're planning on boring the body tube for 17500 cells then you won't need the brass plug insert that gets flipped around for CR123 cells. However, if you want to preserve the ability to use those cells then you'll need to wrap the sides of the plug with tape or coat it with something non-conductive. The stock SC80 relies on the anodizing on the inside of the tube to avoid a short when using the plug.

[Fireclaw18]

Thanks Fireclaw for answer. So if a 17500 almost fit, perhaps there is enough space to use a 18500 since it mesure 1,45mm more in diameter..Dou you think there is enough metal thickness for bore the body to about 2mm?

I'm not sure if there's room to bore the tube more than a mm or so. The body tube is very thick, and the tube around the threads at the front are also moderately thick ... but the threads at the tailcap are quite thin.

[tobrien]

I had brought a design to Zebralight many years ago on how to use both CR123 and AA in a battery tube. Back then they said it was too difficult due to the spring design. I ended up bringing the design to a custom maker who is still looking to incorporate it in one of his upcoming lights, although finding a driver with a wide enough voltage range was (still is?) an issue.

I wonder if Zebralight are finally using my design? The way my design worked was to have the inner diameter of the tube bored out at two different widths, wider and shorter for the CR123 and longer and narrower for the AA. That way both would fit without rattle and the extra length would be taken up by a long conical spring or a springed piston.

Bitterness over the length of time it took for this to come to reality aside, this is the kind of functionality I have been looking for for years; I'll probably end up buying one, but more especially so if it comes in H80 form.

wait, how long has ZL been around?

edit: also, has anyone bored these out for 17500 cells?

[regulator]

Got mine and am really impressed. My AW 17500 cells fit perfectly with the brass spacer removed and are great with this light. They are a perfect fit and slide right in.

I am impressed with the tint as well (I got the regular cool white version). This bin is the best cool white I have had. It is slightly different than any of my other xpg bins. It has a slight shift towards a rose color where most xpg's always seemed to have a slight shift towards green - and I'm talking about good tints that look white when by themselves. What suprised me was that it makes outdoor colors appear more vivid, almost like a neutral or warm tint can. I am extremely happy with this.

This is my first Zebra light and I like the UI a lot. Output levels are near perfect to me and are well spaced. Great light!

[tonkem]

Can anyone comment on how low the low is on this light? I have owned an HDS HI CRI and that was the lowest low I have owned, but currently the lowest low I have is the Sunwayman m10a. If someone has both the m10a/hds hi cri(100 lumen) and the SC80, any comments would be appreciated. I would use the low to go around the house(indoors) after dark, as that was primarily what I used the HDS for, before I sold it. Thanks for any comments.

[regulator]

The low is low enough that you can look at the LED die and see it lit up. The .12 lumens is very good for not disturbing night adjusted vision. Hope that helps.

Another thing I like is the beam profile. It has a nice wide hot spot with plenty of spill.

[tonkem]

Thanks for the comments. I will be looking to get one of these

[af112566]

well,,i picked one of these up the other day and its nice,,,,BUT. i think some one else had this same issue,the gaskets dont fit this light!! there is no contact between the metal and rubber at all.the tail cap and head screw down with no resistance at all.ive never had this problem with any light ive had no matter how much or little it cost.i found a extra gasket in my junk box that will work but need another,,,this sucks.

[Lucky Jim]

I took delivery of one in early April and found that it became quite warm when switched off and in my pocket. Upon further investigation I found that it exhibited the "beacon" flash which other CFP members have posted about. Zebralight suggested sending it back. I did this over a month ago and am waiting to see what happens. In the meantime, I've bought myself another Surefire e1e while they're still available

[tonkem]

I got mine off Marketplace, and love it. It has replaced my Sunway M10a as my EDC. Most round the house I have 2 E1L's and love them too, especially with the E1B clips attached. I love that the Zebralight is so small, and feels great in the hand. The switch is very quiet to operate, vs the e1l and sunway m10a. It took me a while to try them, but I am looking forward to other lights from Zebralight, specifically the Q50.

[Slumber Pass]

Got mine and am really impressed. My AW 17500 cells fit perfectly with the brass spacer removed and are great with this light. They are a perfect fit and slide right in.

Did you have to remove the label or did it fit with the label still on?

[burntoshine]

well,,i picked one of these up the other day and its nice,,,,BUT. i think some one else had this same issue,the gaskets dont fit this light!! there is no contact between the metal and rubber at all.the tail cap and head screw down with no resistance at all.ive never had this problem with any light ive had no matter how much or little it cost.i found a extra gasket in my junk box that will work but need another,,,this sucks.

yup! i had that problem. i went to several hardware stores and bought a lot of o-rings that looked like they might fit, but none did. i even spent some time sanding o-rings. i finally had to send the light back. i loved the light, which made me more aggravated.

it sounds like yours fit the same way; the o-rings were completely loose. both the head and the tail o-ring fit exactly the same. i have never had another light that had this problem, and i've owned many lights. pretty strange.

[henry1960]

Did you have to remove the label or did it fit with the label still on?

Mine fits with the lable still on...I have two 17500 AW batteries and one fits perfectly and the other i have to unscrew the top and push batterie out. But i love the run time with useing the 17500...

[regulator]

Both my AW 17500 cells fit without removing the label. Great runtime with this cell (about 50% more capacity than a RCR123 cell) and adds another cool battery option. I run mine almost exclusively with the 17500. It's nice with so many options since I have AW RCR123's, AW 14500's, NiMh AA's, primary CR123's, and Energizer AA's that I can just pop in.

I really think the light levels chosen are near perfect for all my needs. There is a level to fit most runtime/brightness requirements. The super low is great and very useful. Nice choices for medium output and long runtime too. High is very respectable. I am very happy with this light.

[tacgearguy]

Great thread! LOTS of useful info. I'm pretty sure I see a SC80 for me in the near future

[rewdee]

Just got one of the sc80w. Its grey instead of black like shown on the zebralight website. Clips can be alot better. There are gaps between the head to body and tail to body when fully screwed in. Its heavier than my V10r Ti (sc80w using eneloop x). No point using 123 cells for a marginal increase in lumens. Wondering if i would better off with an SC51w...

All that aside, its a great little solid light with nice beam, tint and UI.

[Harv]

Just discovered this light and it has my interest peaked. I like the dual battery concept as living in a northern state, it's nice to switch from AA's in the summer/fall to a Lithium for winter cold weather use. The only thing I don't see is a place for a Lanyard. I hate clips and really like lanyards on all my EDC lights. Anyone figure out a lanyard option for this?

[moses]

very happy to have just discovered this thread.

A few quick questions
1 Is it brighter with a lithium ion cell. And ifso,is it much brighter?
2. Is the 220 lumens on 123 comparable to the regular quark 123 rated at 205 oft lumens? I have a zebralight 502 and the quark is brighter overall in total light output though both are rated same Britney's.
3. How is he size of the hotspot and spill compared to the regular quark 123if anyone has both?

Thanks,
Mo

[Mr Floppy]

I have a zebralight 502 and the quark is brighter overall in total light output though both are rated same Britney's

How did you conduct that? Measured in a sphere or looking into the hot spot with your eyes?

[low]

Well, I just got my SC80c in and I got"Beacon Flash" or something. Even when it is off it will come on and cycle through the three modes nonstop. Man I hate it, sending it back and waiting SIX WEEKS sucks wind.

But, for those looking for a more neutral tint mine tooks just like my H51w. There is a fair amount of difference in tint between the SC51c and the SC80c.

P.S. I was able to get my SC80 to stay off for a little while but once I touched it, the flashing started again.