Zebralight H51w OR Zebralight H31w - which one should I get for running?

[Outdoorsman5]

I've been procrastinating on my decision regarding this thread (mostly because I recently bought a Quark 123x2 Turbo X and then bought two lights for my nephews as gifts,) but have finally made my decision on a couple of headlamps. I just ordered the H51w and since the H501w is on the top 10 "must have" list I ordered it as well. Can't wait.

What motivated me is a power outage that started last night, and still continues today. I live on the air force base here in Arkansas, and we got hit hard by tornados last night leaving us in the dark. We made the best of it and REALLY entertained ourselves and our guests with my huge collection of lights. After the storm passed we walked around with my new Turbo X and my EagleTac M3C4 XM-L plus my zebralights, quarks, & fenix lights - lit up the whole area & then some. When I needed both hands free I used my SC30 on top of my head. I run with this light rigged this way. The problem with it though is that my head gets in the way of some of the beam, and the H51w can fix that.

I have wanted these headlights for a while, and decided last night I'd waited long enough. When I went to bed I tried to read a book using my SC30 on my head, but the hot spot was too bright & too annoying. So, I also decided that I'd waited long enough for a pure flood light like the H501w. So, I'm really looking forward to these lights and looking forward to being even better prepared next time.

 

[GeoBruin]

Yay! He did it the CPF way and ordered both! Now, be sure to let us know what you think once they arrive.

 

[Outdoorsman5]

Yay! He did it the CPF way and ordered both! Now, be sure to let us know what you think once they arrive.

I love it when I order both.

I'll update the thread with my thoughts on them, and thanks geobruin for the great idea on how to wear the H51w while running. I'm planning to use your method, and I thought that when I go camping I'll rig both of them up on the same headband, one in front & one in back. I can rotate them around for ease of use - saw this set up on another thread, and looked good. Thanks everyone else for the help & great input.

 

[LA OZ]

I have ordered both and just received the shipping confirmation. I have opt for the H31w as it was cheap and the H51 for running.

 

[5150Bronco]

I would like to know which is great for flood ability for reading and close up use in dark.....& how well the spot is for hiking etc.

Thanks for letting me know.

 

[MichaelW]

Fun run?!? Who runs for fun?

What mode [output] for running?
35 lumens [H31Fw] might be enough for familiar terrain? But the equivalent mode of the H51 would probably not be.

 

[LA OZ]

The H31w is very nice and only slightly dimmer than the H51 for the naked eyes. I personally prefers the H31w maybe because of its warm led. The older Zebralight that I have is pure flood that is a joice for reading but nothing like these reflector zebra for through. I say, get the flood version with frosted glass if you prefer close up reading.

 

[Outdoorsman5]

I forgot to updat the thread with my thoughts on the lights I got - the ZL H51w and the ZL 501w.

The H51w is perfect for running. I mostly use the medium 1 setting (26 lumens) for dark paved areas, but when I get in the woods on a dark trail I run it on max. The balance between throw & flood is great, and the neutral tint is awesome. The light bounced too much on the provided single headband, so I tried Geobruin's idea of using two bands. This method works well, but I like to take the head band off while not in use. Putting it back on the right way is a little tricky, so I wanted another solution. I am now using a "Nite Ize" head band that is perfect - no bouncing around, and the single head band is comfortable & sturdy. Also, I intentionally let the battery run down on max. The light switch to the low 1 setting (2.2 lumens) and ran for the next 30 minutes no problem. This was still enough light to get me home, so I am not afraid of this light instantly leaving me in the dark....nice. I also carry a Quark 123x2 Turbo X as my other light when running mostly to see things at a distance, so I'm always covered with a back up light. I like the throw & brightness (450 lumens) of this light plus it's quite small (and I use a quark finger loop to keep the Turbo X attached to my hand.)

The H501w is an incredible flood light. Perfect for up close work, but not great for running. It works fine for familiar terrain, but for trails I need more throw. Still the H501w might be the coolest flood light of all times. Great for anything up close and awesome for reading. I'm really glad I got the neutral tint especially in this flood light. I can't wait until the much brighter version of this light is released later this year - the H502!! I will definitely get it in the neutral tint as well.

 

[scottyhazzard]

A 502 is coming... Ah, crap. My wife is gonna kill me. Only thing better than the ZL 501 for what it does would be 2 501's- now there's going to be a 502. Anybody know when? I hope it's close to the price of the 501... My wife is not gonna like this.

 

[Outdoorsman5]

A 502 is coming... Anybody know when?

The H502 is projected to be out sometime in the 4th quarter this year. You can see ZL's upcoming lights by clicking the red link on their home page that says, "Compare All Models." Here it is - ClickHere

 

[RCantor]

Thanks for that link, Outdoorsman5. Looks like I'll be waiting for the H600w and H502w

 

[iron potato]

Argh ! I pulled the trigger for SC31Fw & H51Fc, been informed by ZL they've been shipped out, I'll wait patiently the two then...

Wishlist of either H600w or H602w / SC600w & Q50w

 

[Outdoorsman5]

Since this thread has been resurrected, I'll do another update. I have mentioned some of these things below on other threads. I used the Zebralight H51w (neutral tint) for running for a while, but then got the H51 (cool white.) I liked the cool white version better for running - seemed brighter & seemed to give me better contrast when on trails. The golden color of the neutral tint looks nice, but blended in too well when running in the woods making the neutral tint seem to be too dim. The cool white version fixed that for me. For a headlight running on a AA battery the Zebralight H51 is my favorite, but I now have a new favorite...

I recently got the Zebralight H600 (cool white), and feel it is as close to a perfect running light that there is (for me anyway.) When I started this thread I lived in Arkansas, and my run was a little different than it is now in Georgia. In Arkansas half my run was on a dark sidewalk & the other half was on trails. Where I live now I'm almost exclusively running on trails in the pitch black woods. The extra lumens (750 max) & awesome runtimes of the new H600 are just incredible & very useful in these conditions. The H600 is more floody than the H51 which I really like, but it's not too floody. For me I want some throw, so I can see far enough ahead on the trail. I always have a throwy light in my pocket to see even further down trail though, but feel the H600 gets the job done just fine on its own without giving me tunnel vision.

The new H600 and of course the H51 both fit in the NiteIze headband. The NiteIze headband is a must for runners when using either of these headlights because it allows you to run without the light bouncing all around. The provided zebralight headbands allow the light to bounce around too much. The NiteIze headband fixes that. It's made out of a stiff nylon, and fits on my head with the comfort of a hat rather than being a constriction band. When camping I still use the zebralight headband only because when in camp I like being able to pull my headlight down around my neck. The stretchy zebralight headband allows this very easily, where as, the stiff velcro niteize headband doesn't (at least not as easily since you'd have to adjust the velcro & then readjust it...bit of a pain.)

The Zebralight H501w is my all around favorite flood light. Awesome for around the campsite while putting up a tint, cooking, cleaning up, walking around camp, etc. Also, great around the house during power outages, and I use it when grilling. The H501w does not have enough throw & is not bright enough for running though. I really like the neutral tint with this light, and I prefer the neutral tint for general uses & close up uses. When I get the newer version of this light (the H502w) I plan on getting the neutral tint yet again.

Regarding neutral & cool white tints - When I'm out running or hiking I prefer the brighter cool white lights. The cool white tint gives better contrast and appears significantly brighter than the neutral tint even when comparing identical lumens. The 170 lumens of my cool white H600 appears to be brighter than the 172 lumens on my neutral H51w when in the woods. They look about the same when doing a ceiling bounce test. The neutral tint is nicer looking, but blends in too well with the colors in the woods. The cool white tint doesn't blend in as well which is why it gives better contrast. This contrast is what I want when moving quickly on a trail. For general uses I still prefer the neutral tint like my ZL H501w and my edc which is a Quark AA with a Neutral XML head on it.

 

[icedmocha]

I am not sure I agree on your assessment of heel vs fore foot striking. I'm not trying to call you out on this, but I'd be very interested in that study. Do you have a source for it? If interested , this study (Hasegawa et al., J Strength & Cond., 2007, (21), 888-893) shows that the vast majority of elite runners are heel strikers. A good summary of the discussion can be found here.

I realize that this is an old post and I am somewhat necromancing here, but I will reply regardless. The link to this study seems to be dead, but from what I can tell upon researching is that the study cites modern runners, doesn't address injury rates, or types of shoes used in the study. Looking around the website, their argument seems to be that people heel strike because they wear shoes (obvious) and therefore it's ok, because they wear shoes (circular logic). That was a cursory look, and they may not be saying that heel-striking is preferable. A site with good explanations and videos of the biomechanics of forefoot striking is here:http://www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/4BiomechanicsofFootStrike.html

 

[icedmocha]

Outdoorsman: I am looking at the h51 and the forthcoming h502. I had considered the the h600, however with the required batteries and charger the price balloons to around $140.00 (using aw2800 batteries). Most of my running is pavement though I anticipate more on the appalachain trail, at night, in the future. Obviously the specs on the 502 aren't yet here. Do you think it's worth waiting for the 502, and do you think the premium of the 600 is worth it over the 51? Thanks.

 

[Outdoorsman5]

Outdoorsman: I am looking at the h51 and the forthcoming h502. I had considered the the h600, however with the required batteries and charger the price balloons to around $140.00 (using aw2800 batteries). Most of my running is pavement though I anticipate more on the appalachain trail, at night, in the future. Obviously the specs on the 502 aren't yet here. Do you think it's worth waiting for the 502, and do you think the premium of the 600 is worth it over the 51? Thanks.

I do feel the H600 is worth the extra cost in batteries & charger, but I am a flashaholic. The overall output and incredible runtimes are reason enough for me. The H51 gets the job done just fine, and I really love that light. When in the woods though I'd prefer the extra output of the H600. If you do end up going running on the Appalachain trail then you may want the extra output & runtimes of the H600.

If you're just running on pavement/roads/sidewalks, you don't need anymore output than the H51. Even the output & runtimes on one of the mediums is enough & great for longer runs. When using the H51 on trails though I preferred one of the high output options at a minimum. I even found that running during the summer on trails is when I need/prefer a lot more light than even the H51 can provide. I came across spider webs stretched across the trail regularly, and I tended to run two lights while on the trail (200 lumen H51 on my head, and a handheld light like the 450 lumen Quark 123x2 Turbo X.) That's 650 lumens which sounds like overkill, but I needed it to spot them before face-planting into a fat Arkansas spider & its web. I'll prolly have the same problems with spiders even though I moved back to Georgia....same climate. But, the trail I now run is a good bit wider than the trails I ran in Arkansas, so hopefully I won't have such a problem with them.

During fall, winter, & spring I'm liking the 170 lumens for 7 hours or the 270 lumens for 4 hours on the H600. I will not need to worry about runtimes at all with output & runtimes like these. Again, well worth it to me when getting performance like this.

The H502 may be bright enough to run with, but I'm not real hopeful about that. I have not been very successful in the past running with pure flood lights in the woods. On the streets they're fine, but when running a trail I need some decent throw to see far enough ahead. I am looking forward to the H502w though, but not for running. I've been using my H501w around the campsite, and am looking forward to a brighter version of that light for general use.