Help me pick a Zebralight headlamp (or other)

Hello everyone!

I am an aircraft mechanic and am looking for a new headlamp to replace my old streamlight. From what I've seen around here, Zebralight seems to be the most recommended brand of headlamp. I want something that is fairly floody (with neutral white color) with a variety of brightness levels. I am a little overwhelmed by all the Zebralight models. I don't currently own any lithium-ion powered flashlights, and therefore no batteries or chargers. However, it seems the 18650 models are the better choice? We are provided AA and AAA alkaline batteries at work, which don't cost me anything, but the company may be going to rechargeable alkalines and NiMh batteries soon. Can anyone give me a recommendation on a Zebralight model, as well as an idea of cost and equipment to get into the lithium-ion market (if it's worth it)? If there is another brand of headlamp you guys recommend, I am all ears!

Thank you!

Nobody with any suggestions? I am in the market for a Zebralight HL as well, so I am interested to hear from those who have experience with them.

I recommend that you ask in the headlamp section also. There are plenty of reviews, pictures, and videos posted there.

I have used Zebralight angle lights for many years, but only the AA versions.

For work the floody or flood 18650 lights are ideal.

floody, neutral, and yes the 18650 are worth it. zebralight h600fc lll. I love mine. the only time i pick my aa version is when im going for long trips and wants to shave off every gram that i can off my backpack.

Jomohr84 said:

Nobody with any suggestions? I am in the market for a Zebralight HL as well, so I am interested to hear from those who have experience with them.

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I've been eyeing a Zebralight headlight for a few years now, but haven't pulled the trigger. I've had their SC600 in cool white for almost 5 years, so I have some experience with the U.I. and the brand.

For the bigger HLs, you will need to get into li-ion cells and chargers for the first time, like I did, but nowadays we have more choices and more quality choices than we had back in early 2012.

That's not a problem, IMO.

Now for the HLs. I want the HL600 Mk II in neutral white, since I don't need the latest and greatest The 600 and the 602/3 models differ in that the former has an 80* spill, much like the standard SC600 flashlights and the 602/603 HLs have a 120*, so are substantially floodier.

Nowadays, most every Zebralight can come with a frosted lens and that in and of itself, acts as a diffuser and spreads the lights out more. More than a few people have complained that a) the frosted lens really cuts down on throw, in an already handicapped light and b) the frosted lenses have cracked on people's lights, perhaps due to the etching, but just be aware.

My two HLs are a 2AA Fenix HL30 and a newish NiteCore HC50 (2xCR123A/18650,) but I'd really love an SC600 Mk II, Mk III. I don't want the extra flood of the 602/603, but they might work better for you?

Other specifics are CW: cool white, NW: neutral white, d: day light and I think c: high CRI. f/F: frosted lens.

ZL has a habit of entering the buyer into the 'tint lottery' and sometimes you win and sometimes one loses. I'm not a big 'tint junkie' and my SC600 is sea foam green on the lower settings, but for me, it's a tool and I just need to see.

If I was engaging in nighttime portrait painting, or if I was sent down to the Amazon rain forest to catalogue Poison Arrow frogs, then perhaps I'd be more picky.

Chris

@Bedwards

18650 is probably the best choice, so

"fairly floody": http://www.zebralight.com/H600Fw-Mk-III-XHP35-Floody-Neutral-White-18650-Headlamp_p_184.html
"only flood": http://www.zebralight.com/H603w-18650-XHP35-Headlamp-Neutral-White_p_182.html


High quality brand 18650 cell: ~$5 (e.g. Sanyo/Panasonic NCR18650GA)
Quality charger: $20-30 (e.g. XTAR VC4)

And yes, it's so worth it .. guilt-free lumens. Just buy a few cells and use your headlamp at almost zero running costs and without producing waste cells.

Bedwards said:

Hello everyone!

We are provided AA and AAA alkaline batteries at work, which don't cost me anything, but the company may be going to rechargeable alkalines and NiMh batteries soon.

Thank you!

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If you have free batteries especially if your work moves to rechargeable you might want an AA based light. The 18650 Li-ions will last longer at equivalent to the the brightest of the AA levels and run cooler. However a free supply of batteries might make more sense and keep the cost down.

For the AA headlights:

H52fw is a floody neutral light- has a hotspot but that is blended into the spill very well.

H502 either "w", "c" or "d" is a flood light no hotspot.

H52w is more or a traditional beam shape hotspot plus spill.

Thank you for all the help guys! I appreciate it greatly.

I am deciding between the Zebralight H52FW and the H502W, but I am not sure which one to pull the trigger on. I like the idea of having the option of more throw with the H52FW (if I ride my bike to work etc.), but I absolutely do not want an intense hot spot if I am working on something close-up. I have heard the H502W needs to be run on high basically all the time to get enough light output to be useful. Is this true? Does anyone have experience with either of these lights? Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Of those two I'd go with the one I have which is the 52fw. It's more general purpose. It can do close work and work a little farther as well. I've never had an issue with mine up close. If it's too intense turn it down a bit. That's what the zebralight ui is made for.

Personally I'd go with the SC52w and put Scotch Magic tape, or diffuser film on it. The diffuser film will make it just like the SC52Fw, but with the ability to remove it if needed.

eraursls1984 said:

Personally I'd go with the SC52w and put Scotch Magic tape, or diffuser film on it. The diffuser film will make it just like the SC52Fw, but with the ability to remove it if needed.

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I do this with my H600w and it works out well. If you do a search, there is a thread on this that compares the three styles of Zebralights (all the 18650 headlamps).

I prefer my H602w, but you are correct in that it seems a little less bright because of the dispersed 120 deg pattern. With the 18650, it is super bright and i can get by with the lower high, but if you are doing daylight work, the H502 (which i also have) may not be enough power for what you are doing. On the other hand, I do desk work, so imagine you are at your desk and need to light up underneath the desk where it is dark(er). The H502 will light up everything where you can see everything, thus it may work for you in similar tight space areas.

I think you are on the right path though, go with the H52(w) and put some scotch tape on it when you want to flood it. However, for the same money, you can get the older model of the H600 (they are on sale for about the same price as a AA Headlamp on the Zebralight website currently). The hotspot on that light(s) isn't too intense though as it is a pretty floody light itself. In addition, buy a charger that charges both lithium-ion and NiMH, that way if you decided to get a 18650 light , then you will be set. I'd recommend an Xtar VC4 or a Nitecore D4.

Good luck!

I really appreciate all the help guys. I am still indecisive of what I want. I was looking at the Nitecore headlamps and I really like the look and style of the the HC50 and HC60. Which one would be better for me (mainly up close work)? I know the HC60 is rechargeable, which is nice, but does it have a brighter hotspot? I prefer more flood than throw. Thanks again everyone.

Bedwards said:

I really appreciate all the help guys. I am still indecisive of what I want. I was looking at the Nitecore headlamps and I really like the look and style of the the HC50 and HC60. Which one would be better for me (mainly up close work)? I know the HC60 is rechargeable, which is nice, but does it have a brighter hotspot? I prefer more flood than throw. Thanks again everyone.

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Last year, I really wanted an HL600w, but new models were coming out and the older stuff was back ordered.

I ended up buying a NiteCore HC50, which has a slightly bumped up output at 760LM and came with a NC 2300mAh NIB cell for $43ish on Ebay.

It's not a small HL, but it's got 4 modes with turbo, has two red leds, has a voltage indicator function and a decent two strap (over/around) head strap.

I can't compare it to the HC60. I personally don't mind charging my own cells up in my chargers and so I'm not a huge proponent of internal charging, but it's definitely more convenient for many people.

For the price I paid, I could have bought two of them for the price of the ZL.

I will have a ZL HL one day, if for no other reason than I've wanted one for years, but not right now.

Chris

ChrisGarrett said:

Last year, I really wanted an HL600w, but new models were coming out and the older stuff was back ordered.

I ended up buying a NiteCore HC50, which has a slightly bumped up output at 760LM and came with a NC 2300mAh NIB cell for $43ish on Ebay.

It's not a small HL, but it's got 4 modes with turbo, has two red leds, has a voltage indicator function and a decent two strap (over/around) head strap.

I can't compare it to the HC60. I personally don't mind charging my own cells up in my chargers and so I'm not a huge proponent of internal charging, but it's definitely more convenient for many people.

For the price I paid, I could have bought two of them for the price of the ZL.

I will have a ZL HL one day, if for no other reason than I've wanted one for years, but not right now.

Chris

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Thanks you for the response Chris! How do you find the HC50 for up close work? I'm an aircraft mechanic and I'm often in tight spots and need to be able to see details (wire codes etc.). Would the hotspot be too bright?

I don't have much to add but I wanted to say that lights are subjective, so what one person find nice others might find it lacking. My advice is, if you can find a local dealer and go see the light in action that is the best course of action. Baring that I would buy the light from a online retailer with good return policy and if the light it not to your needs send it back. Regards.

Bedwards said:

Thanks you for the response Chris! How do you find the HC50 for up close work? I'm an aircraft mechanic and I'm often in tight spots and need to be able to see details (wire codes etc.). Would the hotspot be too bright?

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Like John states above, this stuff can be quite subjective, but I have no place to go and play with a flashlight, short of some of the gun stores that might have some of the brands. BassRapeShops is it for me, for selection, but they don't have demo units.

The HC50 has a 1LM low and a 25LM low-medium, so assuming that the numbers are fudged a bit, I think you can get by up close in that regard. I had mine out the other day and was able to read without any glare on the low mode, but that might not be appropriate for your setting?

Again, like John suggested, try and get one through a dealer who'll let you demo a few of them out, before buying, or buy a couple of them from somebody with an unconditional return policy and just send the others back.

I see that my early 760LM HC50 is now listed up on NC's site! I though it might be a fake, at first, since many of them were the original 650LM jobbies.

Good luck.

Chris

Bedwards said:

I really appreciate all the help guys. I am still indecisive of what I want. I was looking at the Nitecore headlamps and I really like the look and style of the the HC50 and HC60. Which one would be better for me (mainly up close work)? I know the HC60 is rechargeable, which is nice, but does it have a brighter hotspot? I prefer more flood than throw. Thanks again everyone.

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I'm afraid Nitecore and Zebralight design and build quality are not really comparable, if you can afford Zebralight, by all means go for it. I believe you'd find the angle light format more versatile for your needs. As a matter of fact, if you aren't committed to Zebralight, I'd invite you to look at the Armytek Wizard Pro series. Has a magnet in the tail so you can stick it to something to work without a head-strap and there's now a new version with integrated charging

Ozythemandias said:

I'm afraid Nitecore and Zebralight design and build quality are not really comparable, if you can afford Zebralight, by all means go for it. I believe you'd find the angle light format more versatile for your needs. As a matter of fact, if you aren't committed to Zebralight, I'd invite you to look at the Armytek Wizard Pro series. Has a magnet in the tail so you can stick it to something to work without a head-strap and there's now a new version with integrated charging

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Ehhh, the HC50 is a decent enough light and I'm not even a NiteCore fan. I have an original SC600 CW, so I'm a ZL fan. ZL has had many issues over the years, so they're far from perfect and don't get me started on their 'tint lotteries.'

Chris

Ozythemandias said:

I'm afraid Nitecore and Zebralight design and build quality are not really comparable, if you can afford Zebralight, by all means go for it. I believe you'd find the angle light format more versatile for your needs. As a matter of fact, if you aren't committed to Zebralight, I'd invite you to look at the Armytek Wizard Pro series. Has a magnet in the tail so you can stick it to something to work without a head-strap and there's now a new version with integrated charging

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Ohh build quality is a lot better on the Zebralight? Okay good to know. Maybe I will stick with Zebralight or look into Armytek. There's so many years options. Gahhh!