Zebralight H501 listed as DISCONTINUED on ZL's product comparison list

Beacon of Light

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They only have a warm model for sale $59 and no more cool whites. Looks like the end for the popular older light that some say is the perfect headlamp with the perfect 80 degree beam.
 

eh4

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oh well, surely we can come up with a nice easy and permanent mod to fix the 120 degree flood if 80 degrees was really the best option, maybe an o-ring or a little flat cut out, doesn't seem like a deal breaker to me.
 

lampeDépêche

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I'd wait till the 502 comes out.

Sure, there have been some great lights in the past. And not every new light is better than every old one.

But on the whole? They keep getting better!

New lights this year are a *huge* improvement over lights from two years ago. I'm guessing that the 502 will be significantly better than the 501, in every way.

And if the whole 120 degree thing turns out to be a significant flaw in the 502?

Then someone will come up with a patch, or ZL themselves will make an 80 degree version. They're not going to leave that money on the table.
 

psychbeat

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I prefer the size of the 501 & love the tint of warm/neutral XREs ;)

I don't really see all that much improvement from an XML @these drive levels.
 

lampeDépêche

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Yeah, fair enough. It's not my place to tell you what you should want!

Not sure I have any neutral XREs. I have a H600w with a neutral XML that is very good, and a Hi Cri XPG in a Quark Mini AA with a color I just *love*--honey, golden, amber, hard to describe. I haven't tried any of the Rebels yet, nor the fabled Nichia.
 

Dubois

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As the H501 is shown as "no stock", I doubt there will be too many bargains on this one!
 

Bolster

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Wow. That's a testament to a popular light. Out of stock and no remaindering. Fare well H501w, you were most excellent.

The H501 is dead! Long live the H501!
 
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larcal

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Why is the H51F not a replacement? it seems practically identical with only 10 degree more spread and as I understand it an almost nonexistent hot spot. Maybe better as higher lumen choices though more complicated UI which ain't good. Am I missing something?
 

Gregozedobe

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The H51F has a completely different distribution of light compared with a H501. The H501 has an almost completely even level of illumination across the full width of the beam. The H51F has a distinctly brighter centre section, with progressively less illumination as you get out towards the edge. I had both, and found the H501 much better for close up work (I kept my H501, sold the H51F)

The H502 is the replacement for the H501.
 

larcal

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Thanks for that clarification Gregozedobe. I must say this gets really confusing ferreting out fact from fiction and I'm starting to think I'll need to blow a grand I don't have just to find my own flashlight truth. But of course the few people like yourself who have owned 2 of something similiar are top tier.

So my apparently faulty info came from trying to analyze a youtube video on the H51f and listening to the reviewer saying the center spot was very minor which seemed to be true from video but of course you would know better.

Perhaps you will feel inclined to clear up this quandry I have that I have asked a couple of others but no response. Like some others, you say you prefer a totally even beam for close up work.

Now, I have only used cheap lights with definate hot spots for such work in the past so to find out what you mean I would have to blow 100 bucks, a waste if I don't like the torch. Other posters seem to disagree with you, saying what I at least used to think was true. That an even beam means less light is falling on your work (lower lux) assuming equal lumen level, so that you have to run the pure flood at perhaps max level to get the same workable visibility. So quick battery drain. Perhaps you don't care about battery drain, however, or it is outweighed by certain advantages of pure flood, but what are those advantages?

To me the term "close work" means that all that matters is whats on the table in front of you, so a wide beam is not critical. If "close work" means picking up firewood, then yeah, give me a H502 or spark sd52! In your case, the h501 topped out at 96 lumens so even if battery drain is irrelevent to you (not to me or most people) since that 96 is so evenly spread out it seems possible it might be insufficient sometimes whereas with the more focused h51f it would be enough. But in addition, the H51f can go almost twice as high.

Sure, having to move you head constantly to focus the hotspot on a tiny area and having the lamp slip constantly is a drag, but maybe worthwhile if the alternative is having to recharge 8 eneloops after every worknight (an exageration) or not be able to see that damn row of screws at all, even in turbo.

So, since you have direct experience, I'm asking you and all others to address these points and also say why the H501 was better and for what type of work, and if there is any type of close work in which you preferred the H51f.

That H502 seems really bad, with it's 120 degrees. Obviously too much throw, like a fenix ld 20, is not good but that's not what we are discussing. It's not about hiking. Am I totally stupid here?
 
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Gregozedobe

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Whoah larcal, please add some paragraphs/new lines when making a long post (a large, unbroken wall of text is just too hard to read)

Thanks for that clarification Gregozedobe.

I must say this gets really confusing ferreting out fact from fiction and I'm starting to think I'll need to blow a grand I don't have just to find my own flashlight truth. But of course the few people like yourself who have owned 2 of something similiar are top tier.

So my apparently faulty info came from trying to analyze a youtube video on the H51f and listening to the reviewer saying the center spot was very minor which seemed to be true from video but of course you would know better.

Perhaps you will feel inclined to clear up this quandry I have that I have asked a couple of others but no response. Like some others, you say you prefer a totally even beam for close up work.

Now, I have only used cheap lights with definate hot spots for such work in the past so to find out what you mean I would have to blow 100 bucks, a waste if I don't like the torch. Other posters seem to disagree with you, saying what I at least used to think was true. That an even beam means less light is falling on your work (lower lux) assuming equal lumen level, so that you have to run the pure flood at perhaps max level to get the same workable visibility. So quick battery drain. Perhaps you don't care about battery drain, however, or it is outweighed by certain advantages of pure flood, but what are those advantages?

To me the term "close work" means that all that matters is whats on the table in front of you, so a wide beam is not critical. If "close work" means picking up firewood, then yeah, give me a H502 or spark sd52! In your case, the h501 topped out at 96 lumens so even if battery drain is irrelevent to you (not to me or most people) since that 96 is so evenly spread out it seems possible it might be insufficient sometimes whereas with the more focused h51f it would be enough. But in addition, the H51f can go almost twice as high.

Sure, having to move you head constantly to focus the hotspot on a tiny area and having the lamp slip constantly is a drag, but maybe worthwhile if the alternative is having to recharge 8 eneloops after every worknight (an exageration) or not be able to see that damn row of screws at all, even in turbo.

So, since you have direct experience, I'm asking you and all others to address these points and also say why the H501 was better and for what type of work, and if there is any type of close work in which you preferred the H51f.

That H502 seems really bad, with it's 120 degrees. Obviously too much throw, like a fenix ld 20, is not good but that's not what we are discussing. It's not about hiking. Am I totally stupid here?

OK, I'll start out by saying preferences for throw vs flood are very personal, which is why I say I much prefer a totally even (ie all flood) beam for close-up work to something like a H51f (or even less so, a H51). Other people may prefer a wider, semi-diffuse (or even a tight) hot spot, and I'm not saying they are wrong in any way, just that they have different preferences to me.

When I say close-up work I'm talking about reading or working on something intricate at arms length or less.

The real issue for me is not the total width that is illuminated (to a greater or lesser extent, depending on the beam profile), it is how even the level of illumination is across the beam. I find any kind of hot spot irritating in these circumstances, as the contrast between the hot spot and the spill beam makes it harder to see anything not currently in the hot spot (eg tools off to the side of the thing you are working on) so you have to move your whole head to illuminate other things (not just move your eyes), plus hot spots can dazzle you when reflected of anything shiny (eg polished metal).

The 96 lumens of a H501 is more than enough for close-up work, in fact it is a bit more than I would prefer (but Medium doesn't provide quite enough illumination). I actually prefer to use my H502 on the M1 setting (50 lumens 7.5 hrs) as that level of light is what I find comfortable for this type of work. In fact these days I prefer my H502 over my H501 purely because the H502 has many more levels of illumination to choose between so I can get pretty close to what I want. So my H501s aren't getting much use any more (and I was a huge H501 fan for a long time). Some people are talking about the H502 having "too wide" a beam, but I don't see it as a big issue at all now that I have used a couple of them (H502 and H502d) for a while. Sometimes I adjust the light up slightly so it isn't shining on my glasses.

I use rechargeable eneloops, so I'm not concerned about all that "wasted" light outside of what I am looking at, and 7.5 hours for one eneloop battery is more than I'm likely to need in any one session. If it was, I'd look at the (planned) H602 which will give much brighter illumination or longer run times on its single 18650 li-ion battery.

I didn't find any situations where I preferred my H51f over my H501s or H51 so I sold it. But the bloke that bought it tried all of them out and preferred the H51f. This demonstrates what I said previously about choices of lights being personal preferences and usage rather than objective right/wrong, better/worse.

I think you need to make up your own mind about what you like, rather than over-analyse other people's opinions. In your case, I'd think about buying a H51 (not H51f) and putting some diffuser film on the lens. This will give you a semi-floody beam to try out, and if you don't like it you can remove the film to give you a conventional beam headlight for hiking etc. If you then decide you want to try out a totally even floody headlamp buy a H502 (or H502d if you like High CRI). If you don't like either light you can always sell them on the CPF Marketplace and you won't have lost much money at all. Certainly this way you won't "need to blow a grand I don't have" to find out what YOU like and don't like.

I hope that helps.
 
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Bolster

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I much prefer a totally even (ie all flood) beam for close-up work ... how even the level of illumination is across the beam. I find any kind of hot spot irritating in these circumstances, as the contrast between the hot spot and the spill beam makes it harder to see anything not currently in the hot spot (eg tools off to the side of the thing you are working on) so you have to move your whole head to illuminate other things (not just move your eyes), plus hot spots can dazzle you when reflected of anything shiny (eg polished metal)....The 96 lumens of a H501 is more than enough for close-up work, .... I actually prefer to use my H502 on the M1 setting (50 lumens 7.5 hrs) as that level of light is what I find comfortable for this type of work.

I agree on all points, even to the preference for the M1 (and in my case, sometimes the M2) settings.

I'd rather own an H502 than an H501 (but I'm keeping my H501s just the same).
 

larcal

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Thank you for your thoughts Gregozedobe, really clears up a lot. Yes, I can see the pleasure and efficiency a nice even beam must provide. I allready knew I didn't want the extreme of a H51 from using off the shelf headlamps with tight hot spots so can avoid playing with diffuser tape but prior to your post thought the 502 went too far the other way. Am attracted to the H51f because it is not nearly as concentrated as what I'm used to and can't get 501 but what you say about the 502 is interesting and enticing so like you say ultimately I'll probably just have to try both. But then off course there is the spark sd52 and several choices between color temps and cri. Sigh.

Anyway, I like your comment about how between the 501 and 502 it's really not about beam spread as both 80 and 120 are enough but about which light gives you the eveness and the lumen level lux that you prefer and the hell to some extent with battery useage. So yeh, I also feel battery use is not the priority (but do care somewhat) with eneloops and it's easy to see that 50 lumens is going to be desireable over 18 or 96. Do you agree one can roughly approximate lux differences this way? Going from 80 to 120 degrees is a 50% increase wheras increasing from 18 to 50 lumens is a 177% increase.Thinking there is an 502 in my future.

Would like to ask you to weigh in with you own personal slant on the importance of both cri and color temp. Am going to ask Eh4 this over in the "headlight wanted for close detailed work" .since he's the one who got me considering this but unsure how much other experienced people agree. Maybe you could pipe in there? http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?343934-Headlamp-wanted-for-close-detailed-work Probably #14. Realize I did this wrong. should have made a separate thread. See yah
 
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Gregozedobe

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.....s and it's easy to see that 50 lumens is going to be desireable over 18 or 96. Do you agree one can roughly approximate lux differences this way? Going from 80 to 120 degrees is a 50% increase wheras increasing from 18 to 50 lumens is a 177% increase.Thinking there is an 502 in my future.

Human eyes see increases in brightness quite differently to light meters. There are a number of quite technical posts around covering this much more accurately than I can, so find and absorb them if you want precision. What I will say is that all else being equal (beam pattern, distance, tint etc) a doubling of lumens only looks a bit brighter, nowhere near twice as bright. Unless you can compare them side by side at the same time, most people would have trouble distinguishing a difference of 25% in lumens. Throw in different emitters with different beam patterns and it is much harder to do a comparison just by looking at the specs for two different lights.
 
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