Looking for upgrade to my Zebralight H51Fc

TheGovernor11

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My Zebralight H51Fc was my first headlamp and the thing rocks. I use it mainly to supplement the inadequate lighting in my wood shop and to work on computers. At times I'll use it outdoors but I don't really go hiking or mountain climbing or anything like that. My biggest qualm with it is the short battery life which forces me to always carry a pocketful of enloops. I can never really have the light on H1 and only briefly have it on H2 for fear of draining the battery.

I'm looking for something that is a true floody beam and has a longer battery life and is brighter. I'm not sure what the right term is but I would greatly prefer the light to have a more natural tint to it like the H51Fc as oppose to the cooler white that some lights have. Weight's not really an issue (big head takes care of that haha) and I'd rather not have a waist clip battery pack. I would like to spend $100 or less but price can be flexible if there's something that fits my needs perfectly. Right now I'm looking at the Zebralight H600Fw and the Petzl Myo RXP2 but I really don't know what else is out there.

Thanks in advance. Lurking on these forums were a big help in my buying my Zebralight and hopefully will be again with this next purchase.
 
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Ezeriel

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My Zebralight H51Fc was my first headlamp and the thing rocks. I use it mainly to supplement the inadequate lighting in my wood shop and to work on computers. At times I'll use it outdoors but I don't really go hiking or mountain climbing or anything like that. My biggest qualm with it is the short battery life which forces me to always carry a pocketful of enloops. I can never really have the light on H1 and only briefly have it on H2 for fear of draining the battery.

I'm looking for something that is essentially this (floody beam) but has a longer battery life and is brighter. I'm not sure what the right term is but I would greatly prefer the light to have a more natural tint to it like the H51Fc as oppose to the cooler white that some lights have. Weight's not really an issue (big head takes care of that haha) and I'd rather not have a waist clip battery pack. I would like to spend $100 or less but price can be flexible if there's something that fits my needs perfectly. Right now I'm looking at the Zebralight H600Fw and the Petzl Myo RXP2 but I really don't know what else is out there.

Thanks in advance. Lurking on these forums were a big help in my buying my Zebralight and hopefully will be again with this next purchase.


I don't know anything about 18650, besides that you want to use 'protected' ones

but if you are comfortable using them, go for it, the H600fw would be just what you want


if not, the H502c or H502d will give you a little more than three hours at 60-70 lumens.. a decent upgrade, but maybe not enough for you

..the H60Fw is 18 hours at 53 lumens.. crazy!
 

TheGovernor11

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The H502c and H502d are more latteral moves then upgrades. The H600Fw at first looks great but under further review it has the faux floody like my H51Fc has. If I go Zebralight I think I have to wait for the 602 to come out. Starting to look more into the Petzl I mentioned earlier and Spark Headlamps. The Petzl may be backburnered because of the bulb tint. Same with the Fenix as all the Fennix HL had waist clip battery packs (at least the ones I was interested did). Does anyone know if Spark is going to be dropping anything new soon? I don't want to buy a HL from them when there latest and greatest is just around the corner. Spark may be the way I go.
 

Outdoorsman5

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Hey Governor, and welcome to CPF,

I went through something very similar as you. After wasting money on many different headlamps I finally found the Zebralight H51 & H51w (neutral tint.) I love these headlamps quite a bit & thought I'd found the perfect fit for my long runs before sun up. BUT, I ended up needing better runtimes for the higher outputs. I got the Zebralight H600, and found it to be perfect. For your uses I'd highly recommend you getting the H600Fw (floody & neutral tint.) Output & runtimes are outstanding. I'd also recommend you get good quality 18650's and a good charger. I use AW brand 2900mah 18650's in mine.
 
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TheGovernor11

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Outdoorsman5- Do you think it'd be worth it to wait for the 602? I'd rather not but if the difference is great enough I would.
 

Outdoorsman5

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Outdoorsman5- Do you think it'd be worth it to wait for the 602? I'd rather not but if the difference is great enough I would.

That's a tough one. I guess it depends on how bad you need the light. If you could wait I think the pure flood of the H602w would be a little nicer than the diffused flood of the H600Fw. My favorite "general use" (around the house, in the garage, around the campsite, reading, all things up close or within a few yards) is the H501w (pure flood neutral tint.) I have only wished it were brighter, so I'm looking forward to the H502w. I've been waiting for it for a year though...ouch, and don't know how long it will be before the H602w will be available. The release date for the H602 on ZL's website just says "2012", and there is no date listed for the H602w. So, it looks like it could be next year sometime.

The reason the H602w may be worth waiting for is I really feel for close up work nothing beats pure flood. I have duplicated the "f" version on my H600 & H51 & H51w by putting a diffused filter on each of em. I love em with the diffused material, but still like the pure flood of my my H501w better. The pure flood is easier on the eyes; where as, the diffused beam of the others seems to give things a bit of a glare. However, the lights with the diffused material on em do have better throw (this is because the light is a little more concentrated towards the middle since there is still a reflector involved....the "f" version by the way still has a reflector behind the frosted lens.) That extra throw could be beneficial depending on your uses. I've noticed on my runs that the H501w doesn't throw far enough if I'm running on a dark trail in the woods, but my H51w with the diffused material on it throws farther (using similar lumen settings.) I'm splitting hairs here I realize, but if it is something you will be using a lot (like I do) then I think it's important to know these differences - pure flood looks better than diffused flood.

If you can't decide then just cave like the rest of us & get both.
 
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TheGovernor11

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Thanks for the minute details. If I wasn't so neurotic (or maybe psychotic) about the little things then I would've just boughten a new lamp months ago. Do you have any experience or knowledge with the Sparks ST6-460NW? It looks to be very comparable with 600w but has the better Headband; which I'm going to need to buy anyway.
 

TheGovernor11

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Looks like I got it narrowed down to two: Zebralight H600Fw or the Spark ST6-460NW. Maybe just flip a coin? In any case time to start buying new batteries for either one of these beasts.

**Nevermind this post. I googled "Spark Headlamps" and "SBflashlights" was the first listing and I figured that was the Spark website. Stupid me. What I wanted was a floody version of the Sparks ST6-460NW and they actually have one. More stuff to look over now.
 
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KDM

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I would definitely go with the zebralight. I have both lights and the spark stays on the work bench. It's not as comfortable wearing, just feels awkward and heavy. It's a good flood but not much throw unless running on high. My zebra is a H600, i can't compare the two being they're different style lights. The H600FW is definitely my next purchace though. My SC31fw has a nice diffused beam with decent throw and is a much smaller light. Based on that i think the 600fw should work great for my needs. (Mechanical service) Want the 602 also but who knows when it will come out?
 

Megatrowned

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I have a ZL H600Fw and I love it. It's my work headlamp (I'm a electrician). Granted, if you are working on something up close, it may not light up everything in your perifial vision. But it is definitely a floody beam, and it has Plenty of power to light up a room and then some! Size wise it's not bad. Not much bigger than the 18650 it takes.(and it doesn't weigh much) Also, I'm impressed with the run times! 139lm for 7 hours! 343lm for 2.3! And i use a larger capacity batt then what it was tested with. If you cant tell, im kinda partial to it :thumbsup:

Never owned a Spark so I can't comment on them.
 

KDM

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You can also get the optional reflector for the spark which helps the throw quite a bit. It make it more universal, still not as comfortable to wear as the ZL.
 

Bevis

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there is no new update in this area. well you can search it on Google. i have made a search but didnt get any updation.
 

Outdoorsman5

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Thanks for the minute details. If I wasn't so neurotic (or maybe psychotic) about the little things then I would've just boughten a new lamp months ago. Do you have any experience or knowledge with the Sparks ST6-460NW? It looks to be very comparable with 600w but has the better Headband; which I'm going to need to buy anyway.

I've messed with it & a few other sparks while at Goinggear's store here in Georgia, but I didn't see anything that Spark had improved on over the zebralights. So, my experience really is just the few minutes I tried em out at the store. From what I saw, I'll stick with the zebras.

Regarding the zebra headband, I've had a lot more success with the NiteIze headband when running. the NiteIze is very sturdy & the light won't bounce around at all when running or anything else. They're only $5, and come in different colors. I do wish they looked a little better though, but oh well they work great.
 

KDM

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+1 NiteIze headband works really good with the zebralight. The light fits right in the elastic loop attached on the headband.
 

TheGovernor11

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Whoa, for whatever reason I reason I stopped getting notifications of posts on this thread; gotta check my spam box. Thanks for all the input guys. I think I'm going to give the Zebralight a go. First one worked awesome so I expect more of the same. I emailed ZL and they don't have them in stock and won't for a while. CS said that they can't find an LED that they like so they're out of stock indefinitely. Gonna have to find a vendor to get it.

I've seen the NiteIze headbands but what I'm really looking for is the third strap. I like my light to have zero movement and with only the two side straps and I strap it real tight. It gets the job done but I can't wear it for a prolong amount of time before it starts to hurt my head. Currently I have a nice ghetto rig going with a set of rubber bands acting as the middle strap. Won't win any beauty contest but it does work. Think it's possible to get the ZL on a Spark headband? I thought for sure it would work until I saw the size difference in lights. Has me a little worried now.
 

KDM

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The NiteIze is very stable, i do wear it on my cap so I'm sure that makes it more comfortable. Yes you could use a spark headband it will fit. Goinggear shows they have them, their price is higher but if you use the marketplace discount code its cheaper than buying from ZL.
 

Outdoorsman5

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I've seen the NiteIze headbands but what I'm really looking for is the third strap. I like my light to have zero movement and with only the two side straps and I strap it real tight. It gets the job done but I can't wear it for a prolong amount of time before it starts to hurt my head.

If you use the NitIze headband then there is no need for an additional top strap. The NitIze headband is made out of a non-stretchy nylon material that rests firmly on your head. Since it is not a stretchy material it fits with the feel of a hat rather than a constriction band. I go running using it, and there's no movement at all. Sweat can make the material loosen just a little, but that's it. It's a firm fitting headband.
 

TheGovernor11

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Where is the marketplace discount code for GoingGear? I'm just searching the Marketplace forum but so far no luck.
 

KDM

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It under the header good deals" Cpm discounts. It's for 10%the off.
 
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