Thoughts on SureFire, Spark and Zebra Headlamps?

Hi all. I'm looking to step up a bit from my old BD Spot headlamp (tilter broke). I will be taking this lamp on backpacking trips, so it needs to be reasonably light, secure and comfortable when wearing (balanced, no flopping around), and rugged. I'm tired of replacing headlamps every year or two! Budget is around $100.

I've been looking at Zebralight headlamps, the Spark SD52 or ST5, and the SureFire Minimus (though this seriously pushes the budget envelope). Lumens-wise, it seems any one of these would have sufficient output for a dark night in the mountains. Throw vs. flood is something I'm flexible on--it seems to me a good compromise between the two would be best (as I will be going on these trips with my wife, I'm not planning to carry two lamps).

Here are some thoughts I've had from my research on the internet:

• I love Zebralight flashlights, but I'm not sure about the headlamps. With the light on one side of the assembly it seems like it would always feel lopsided, and I worry that would really bug me. Plus I hear there have been reliability problems.
• Similar thought on the Spark ST5. It seems to stick way out, so I worry all the weight will make it flop around worse than my BD spot with out a tilter.
• The Spark SD52 seems like a good choice. My (nitpicking) concerns here are bulk and weight (full oz more than the minimus) as well as the flood beam. It has a ton of lumens, but it have any throw at all? I've heard the strap is not as comfortable as say the Minimus.
• The Minimus seems like probably the fest fit for what I want, but is it worth the extra cost over the SD52? And how about the 123A battery? I've only ever used AAs, so no experience with this. Is it an advantage? Disadvantage?

Of the four, I've been leaning toward the Spark SD52 or the Minimus (if I get the sense that it's worth the extra $$). Any thoughts or experiences on these lights? Any other lights I should consider? Any input at all would be most welcome!

Thanks!

I've only had one headlamp, the Minimus, so I don't know how it compares to other headlamps but I'm pretty happy with it. It's biggest con is it's cost, pricey compared to other lights. I've used mine a few times on night hikes and I thought the beam profile was very good, nice flood with enough throw. The light itself is a little big but the headband setup is comfortable. The output knob is fully adjustable, 1-100 lumens, which is nice but sometimes requires both hands so you don't move the light out of position (it's adjustable as well). No lock-out tail cap like on other Surefire lights. This and slightly longer runtimes would be two things Surefire should address on the next upgrade. Overall I am happy with it. If I was making the purchase again I would look at the 'vision' version and compare the two. As per the cr123 batteries, personally i prefer them, small size and good power (3v), bulk prices aren't too bad and can be found on the internet or at police supply shops, buying them elsewhere is expensive.

I have a ZL, like you I read with interest about them and puzzled about the reliability issues.
The issues mostly boil down to a run of lights a few years back that had faulty seals.
From the feel of the click switch, the quality of machining and construction, efficiency of light/battery use, and overall quality of design I'm Very confident in my light.
The precision that is visible makes it Very hard for me to believe that there is anything lacking on the circuit side of the light.

The headband is nothing special, I don't use the headband at all but clip the angle light (headlamp) to the underside of my ball cap.
Some people have improved the headband design with an extra strap across the top, others have used a nite ize headband instead.
The light itself weighs only a few grams more than the AA battery that powers it, same for the other battery versions. Also being so small it is very strong for the amount of aluminum that makes it up -think of crushing an aluminum tuna can vs crushing a soda can.
They are relatively cheap, for the cost of a more expensive headlamp you could get two ZL and carry a spare with battery inside instead of carrying a spare battery, which will weigh 1 oz more than just carrying a spare battery.
Also being so light, I don't really notice it clipped to my cap, the weight was even less noticeable when I tried out the headband. Seating the light an imperceptible amount off center in the headband holder centers the light for viewing, a non issue.

Aside from the sealed switch and circuitry there isn't much that could go wrong but I think that these user accessible spots are where the problems come in:
The body has a non anodized aluminum surfaces that must contact the gold plated ring down in the base of the tail cap when it is screwed down in order for the electricity to flow.
The battery + and - terminals need to be clean and the springs that contact them need to be clean.
The ZL high performance design asks a lot of a single battery, especially the AA models, and especially for the high modes, the lights are designed around quality batteries that can provide lots of juice.

That's it, it's a clean machine and it needs good electrical contact and good batteries to work right.
ZL is quite possibly the "Honda" of led lights.
The AA and CR123 lights aren't new anymore, they've been wrung out and tested by many vocal users. The 18650 based lights are newer, faster, brighter, etc. They might need more wringing out for all I know, check the ZL revised 2012 reliability poll for many other opinions.
I'll know more as I get more experience with other lights, but it's hard to justify the cost of experimentation for that experience when the selections I've already made (based on research here on CPF) has given such good results.
Thank goodness for the many more knowledgeable contributors here so I don't go broke.

I only have the ZLH51w but here would be my thoughts among those lights
- The only advantage of CR123 would be 2X the voltage using Li primary batteries for double the lumen output, but that doesn't seem to the case among these choices. Cheap, readily accessible alkalines and safe NiMh rechargeables are options not available to the 123 platform.
- The ZL would be the only light of the group that can double duty as a great EDC handheld light
- Borrowing a quote from "Owen," the Chinese companies seem to provide features at the expense of reliability, while the quality American companies, vice versa. Unfortunately, no light is reliable enough to go without a back-up.
- 1 lumen and less are great modes for camping preserving night vision and batteries at the same time. However a jump to 100 lumens will be painful when 1 is not quite enough.
- Battery and light in one unit will be bouncier, partially offset if there's a top-strap, but how much hiking, running do you expect to do after the sun goes down. Bouncing is not an issue for campsite chores and hanging out and relaxing.
- If you wear eye glasses, a lens too close to your head could annoyingly reflect off them with the side spill.

Good luck.

reppans said:

[...]- If you wear eye glasses, a lens too close to your head could annoyingly reflect off them with the side spill.

Good luck.

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The only thing I could add here is that I wear glasses and frequently use a Zebra H51FW and it is one of the rare smaller lights that doesn't glare in my glasses - that is, unless I aim it lower than the center of my normal field of view.

mdheller said:

Plus I hear there have been reliability problems.

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Just a whiff is all it takes to send people running. This is likely the early-2009 H501 sealant issue all over again. It will never die. I'm convinced that if Zebra made a 100% reliable light for the next 50 years, people would still be questioning their reliability. It's funny how long a life that sealant issue has.

Curious that you're concerned about the Spark sticking out, but you're OK with how far the Minimus sticks out?

Also you are aware that Spark has a spot-fill reflector available so the SDs can be converted from all-flood to spot-spill?

Never owned a ZL or a Surefire. Have the ST5 and SD52. I hike and backpack and I go with the lighter smaller ST5 every time. The light is tiny and put's out the light. the "Bouncing" thing is negligible with this light unless your running from a bear or something. Carry a 1AA hand held that can be rigged on your head band strap and your set. I use mine mostly with Lion batteries to keep weight down and performance up. These things hit nearly 300lm with 14500's

I have Zebra H30w and H501w and Surefire Minimus and Vision. These Zebras are pure flood and great for around camp, reading and other close up tasks but they aren't great to walk with. One of the Zebra non-optic models with a little more throw would be better. I have Zebra headlamps in my cars and in my boat. I check them regularly and none have failed. The UI on the Zebras is a little complex, for someone unfamiliar it should only require one demonstration.

The Surefires are a little bulkier, particularly the Vision. These have a very nice beam that's a compromise of flood/throw. The Vision has the tint that I like and I expect it to be very reliable given it's tank like construction. The infinitely adjustable output is very easy to use, no training required. I take the Surefires into the wilderness in spite of the bulk, the rugged construction and ease of use seem worth it to me. If I was ultralighting the Appalacian or Pacific Crest I might shave the 2 ounces and take a Zebra 31w.

ZL all the way.

Both of my ZL headlamps,H31 and H51w neutral, have worked without a glitch for about a year. Both have been used in heavy rain and snow. Knowing what I do about these lights, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another.

I can't speak for the Spark, but the zebra's are excellent. I now have, um, 4 of them, no problems with any. 2 of them are used for 1.5 hours daily on my bike, the h51r gets bounced around and vibrated a lot, and sprayed with water/mud etc from my rear tyre. So far they've had 2 drops 1.5 meters onto concrete. Not even a mark on the anodising. The other 2 will get a bit of light duty most nights - for doing stuff outside, reading, occasionally as an all-night night light. The 0.2lumen low is awesome.

I've used a H51 on my head a fair bit for camping or hiking, I actually just use a bit of paracord with the core pulled out, with that looped though the plastic holder that came with the light, and an adjustable cord tie. Its actually really comfortable, less bulky so it can go in my pocket, and lets me hang the light around my neck instead of on my head when I want to. See the zebralight mods thread, there's some pictures of other people doing this in there.

I have had the Surefire Saint and Zebralight (H50 & H30) and I sold them. Nothing beats the Petzl Tikka XP (with a replaced Seoul LED) in versatility and it's not expensive either. The output might not be regulated but you will not notice it that much and the runtime is very long. You have a sliding diffuser and 3 color filters, a turbo-boost button and a button to switch low-medium-high-beacon. The downside might be that it takes 3 AAA batteries...
The Surefire Saint Minimus had really annoying light artifacts, it's not just a cosmetic issue. Walking in a dense forest I had the feeling that something is moving in my peripheral vision, it was distracting. The light was blueish and the "unlimited" light levels not practical - you may need 2,3 or 4 modes which you can switch fast and not a dial, which takes a while until you get from low to max. The headstrap on the Tikka XP was more comfortable.
Zebralight was not bad but both of those models were not reliable, especially when the battery level got low. Sometimes it would turn on and sometimes not. This has never happened to me on the Tikka XP, it turns on everytime. And the light was too diffused, good for close-up work but not much of use for walking - not enough contrast. Maybe the things have changed in the recent Zebralight flashlights/headlamps, this was 2 years ago.

Over the years I had had AA Zebralights but they went bad and wouldn't turn on so in the trash it went. Then I tried the spark headlamps ( 3 of them in 18650 format) After 1 year of use they all went to crap. Both these brands for me the lights would just die on me and not work or the switches don't work and I turn them on manually with a volt meter or any metal piece of junk metal I have around. Very unhappy to say the least but at least it was sub $100 headlamps.

For me working on cars or banging and hitting them against things really beats them up. When the lights die and with my luck they do I want to just email or call the manufacturer and say "help me" and instantly have them fix or send me another light despite how long I owned the light for.

Surefire is the way to go. No questions, No fuss, no matter how old they are. Just call/email and wallah you have a new working one.

I am currently in market for yet another headlamp and considering the Surefire Minimus CR123.


best,
bigC

Do you find surefire bright enough?

After owning lots of different headlamps over the years, I tried both Zebralight and Armytek versions last year (two different models of each brand; one compact and one 18650).

I can't tell which brand is my real preference just yet, but I know these two brands are my hands-down favorite headlamps.

Take it easy,
Bob

A lightly used Zebralight headlamp holds the dubious honor of my first, and only, flashlight/headlamp failure.

bigchelis said:

Over the years I had had AA Zebralights but they went bad and wouldn't turn on so in the trash it went.

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The next time you need to throw a Zebralight in the trash, I hope you will just send it to me instead. I would like to try out Zebralight's $15 repair policy for lights that are out of warranty.

It's a 3 1/2 year old thread, but I'll add that I own three Zebralight headlamps and they are my favorite.

you can't beat pure flood for doing electrical work. I find that having any kind of spot just distracts me after having used a pure flood.

ive gotten a couple coworkers to buy Zebras also. They are very happy.

KeepingItLight said:

The next time you need to throw a Zebralight in the trash, I hope you will just send it to me instead. I would like to try out Zebralight's $15 repair policy for lights that are out of warranty.

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Seems like a joke but I just got fed up with the dam Zebralight headlamp switches breaking that its one of those things that upsets you and you throw them away. Currently; the 18650 Spark headlamps (2 of them) suffer the same issue. To turn on it requires a paperclip as I completely bypass the switch.


I was on BH Photto website and saw they had the Surefire Tan Minimus 100 Lumen CR123 headlamp for $99 and placed my order yesterday (today they are $150's again). My hope is that not having an electronic switch will make the light more robust and less prone to failure.

I did have Zebralight help me with my AA headlamp many years ago and while they did come through to help it took too long and only to have the replacement lamp also stop working from the same dang switch.


I will say that while working underneath my cars or installing stereos ect.. (not a mechanic by trade, just a hobby on my cars) very often I bang my head on misc things and to my luck while wearing headlamps they usually cushion the hit but likely that type of abuse is what may have shortened the lifespan of these.


bigC