Did I Kill My Zebralight

[skorpyd]

Just wanted to mention, if Petzl ever turns out a crappy product, you'll here it from me first. Same thing with my HDS or SF.

Even though it may appear I might be brand loyal, Im not. Im design loyal.

OK, you sold me on giving it a try.

Along with a new Armytek or Zebralight, (not sure which yet) I will try out a new Tikka headlamp for comparison. I kind of like the name anyway since my favorite rifle is a Tikka.

Now I need to find the best deal from someone that takes paypal.

 

[rpm00]

I have a Tikka XP and it's fantastic. Although it does not feel like the most solidly built product tone honest. But i haven't had any issues and have faith that it's well built. I also have the petzl pixa1 which definitely feels solid. It's built for chemical environments. I would definitely trust it.

I also just got a Fenix hp25 which is my favourite of the bunch since it allows for independent control of the flood and spot beams.

 

[ForrestChump]

Cool deal. For $30 you can't beat it.

The plastic...... Heres the deal, it appears to me they went the function route instead of the form in regards to materials. Its's lightweight, but also relatively durable for what it is.

Take the PT headlamps, they feel much more "expensive" with a more texturized, more solid feeling material. They are also are known to crack at the battery door... a lot.

I have never read of a Petzl cracking with normal use and I feel their plastic would also fair better in cold weather applications. Another advantage to plastic in cold weather is it doesn't get

cold. I also believe they spent a lot of time taking weight into consideration when choosing materials. In addition, in simple real world drop tests form 3 feet, I also believe the Petzl would fair

much better than the aluminum body ZL for longer.


What I find most interesting.... The IPX rating. Petzl has an IPX4 rating, Zebralight has an IPX8. There have been many reports of ZL leaking and then going dead. It's important to note this

is due to dunk tests while people tend not to dunk test the Tikka. What's interesting is the Tikka can get wet inside and simply be dried out as the electronics are siliconed, where as the ZL is

out of luck because it relies on perfect sealing which they seem to miss from batch to batch. So in real world applications / Heavy rain / high moisture I feel the Tikka would fair better long

term than the IPX8 ZL. Who would actually swim with either light as a headlamp?

Like I said before, if you took a consensus of people who go caving in the real world and offered them a ZL or Petzl, I would be surprised if any of them didn't choose the Petzl.

 

[ForrestChump]

One more thing, beam wise, most of us would vastly prefer the ZL. They do have excellent beams, but I really feel this along with the insane runtimes comes at the price of reliability.

 

[jbrett14]

Having both, the Petzl Tikka (older model) and ZL, there is no comparison in my opinion. The ZL is better on every level - UI, single battery, angle of light, beam of light, light output, durability, etc. - in my opinion.

 

[RI Chevy]

Another consideration would be the Spark headlamps. Very similar to the ZL's. Excellent quality and the fit and function is superb. Easy UI.

 

[LEDburn]

http://www.petzl.com/en/Sport/SPECIALIZED-headlamps/ULTRA-RUSH?l=INT#.VKSl9WTF-cI

Durability / Waterproofing / Reliability / Experience wise / ZL isn't even in the same galaxy, it's just a matter of how much you want to spend.

Google check me. Cavers use Petzl, CPF uses Zebras.

Oh really?

Last time I went exploring there was about a dozen people from mixed backgrounds and only a few people knew each other at the start of the trip. Throughout our journey in the tunnels and drains under the city I managed to notice a few people had ZL's (which I started talking about to a few folks) but was quite surprised when not one had heard of CPF.

One guy and his girlfriend told me they were sick of the headlamps that most people use simply for the fact that that is what is considered the norm so did some research on various urban exploration and caving forums and came across the H600. They claim that the amount of people asking where to get them is staggering.

Like I said before, if you took a consensus of people who go caving in the real world and offered them a ZL or Petzl, I would be surprised if any of them didn't choose the Petzl.

Based on what, brand loyalty; not having heard of a ZL before??

Turn one on and then turn the other on, ask them if fhey want #1 or #2 and I can bet my grandmothers teeth they will take the ZL. Every. Single. Time.

One more thing, beam wise, most of us would vastly prefer the ZL. They do have excellent beams, but I really feel this along with the insane runtimes comes at the price of reliability.

So how many have you owned and how many have failed. And how often do you really need ABSOLUTE RELIABILITY ie. your life absolutely depends on it?

Me personally, I spend countless hours a week working in switchboards that cannot be deenergized and I can tell you right now, with a fault current in the realm of 50 000A, you don't want a unreliable light.

I choose ZL for these situations and for caving/draining/urban exploration and feel completely at ease.

Ask yourself this: did you want another headlamp; was the ZL lacking; other than this, has it ever let you down?

 

[jbrett14]

I realize that all humans process things differently in our minds, but to be honest, I was a bit shocked that anyone would put a Petzl ahead of a ZL. From my analysis of the two, the difference is like night and day, with the ZL being an obvious winner in every category, except maybe, trendy looks.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

A motorcycle spill did not kill this ZebraLight SC62d: Post #704

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?368339-Zebralight-SC32d-SC62d

Do you really think a plastic $30 headlamp would survive this? And I like Petzl. My wife was using a MYO RXP to read in bed last night. The tint is a really clean white, a tad cool compared to Nichia 219B 5000K. It does not have the amount of lumens to comfortably do all of the terrain where we venture forth at night. I did return a 62d because of flickering on the lowest and second lowest low. It was replaced by ZL.


CandlePowerForums App

 

[Fireclaw18]

Aren't Zebralights supposed to have electrical reverse polarity protection?

Sounds like a defect in that the protection didn't kick in. Maybe try contacting Zebralight about a warranty repair?

 

[ForrestChump]

Apologies, double post.

 

[ForrestChump]

A motorcycle spill did not kill this ZebraLight SC62d: Post #704

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?368339-Zebralight-SC32d-SC62d

Do you really think a plastic $30 headlamp would survive this? And I like Petzl. My wife was using a MYO RXP to read in bed last night. The tint is a really clean white, a tad cool compared to Nichia 219B 5000K. It does not have the amount of lumens to comfortably do all of the terrain where we venture forth at night. I did return a 62d because of flickering on the lowest and second lowest low. It was replaced by ZL.


CandlePowerForums App

I believe Petzl to be more reliable and durable in it's intended roll as a headlamp.

The more expensive Petzl's aren't even comparable to ZL in terms of longevity in it's intended roll.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

I believe Petzl to be more reliable and durable in it's intended roll as a headlamp.

The more expensive Petzl's aren't even comparable to ZL in terms of longevity and usefulness as a headlamp.

Longevity? Usefulness? Your evidence? Your post count?

I have never experienced any of Petzl's high dollar models. Cost/benefit ratio is out of whack in my eyes: Kind of clunky as well.

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

I believe Petzl to be more reliable and durable in it's intended roll as a headlamp.

The more expensive Petzl's aren't even comparable to ZL in terms of longevity in it's intended roll.

This is like saying if you don't use a light in any harsh way, it will last a really long time. Okay, sure, I guess that's true. But it doesn't make it better than a light that can be used in harsh conditions.

 

[Tachead]

http://www.petzl.com/en/Sport/SPECIALIZED-headlamps/ULTRA-RUSH?l=INT#.VKSl9WTF-cI

Durability / Waterproofing / Reliability / Experience wise / ZL isn't even in the same galaxy, it's just a matter of how much you want to spend.

Google check me. Cavers use Petzl, CPF uses Zebras.

I have to be honest here man and am not trying to shoot down your advice but, I do not agree. Serious, knowledgeable spelunkers do not use Petzl imo. I have owned a few Petzl headlamps and still use my Tikka XP rechargeable from time to time but, honestly Petzl makes mediocre headlamps imo. Especially their sub $100 offerings. They have weak outputs, are overpriced for what you get, have terrible emitter bins(tints), are made of cheap easy to break plastic/polycarbonate/acrylic(I have personally seen them broken many times rock climbing, caving, exc.), many models use noticeable PWM that is very annoying(especially at low levels), many models arent waterproof, exc. I will say, I have not tried some of their newer high dollar options but, they still are cheaply made imo when compared to some of the other offerings.

Now, dont get me wrong Petzl is a great brand and makes a pretty good headlamp for your average Joe but, they are too weak both in build materials and output, cost too much comparatively, and can not compete with some of the other offerings for a high end user imo. They make great rock climbing gear though and their headlamp offerings are getting better over the last few years but, they just cant keep up with the competition imo. You just get a tougher/better/brighter headlamp from other companies imo. The only reason people use them imo is the brand recognition and they dont know their are better options.

 

[ForrestChump]

I close by saying I vastly prefer Petzl over ZL for the reasons noted in previous posts.

I've experienced (1) failure and have read more threads than I can count about poor QC and reliability.

I can't really unread the information I've gathered to appease the thread, so I will gracefully bow out.

Everyone enjoy your respective headlamps of choice.

 

[Tachead]

My post was not comparing ZL to Petzl it was comparing Petzl to all other headlamps. I used to think Petzl was the best too until I did some research, talked to some heavy/hard users(rock climbers, cavers, winter expedition), and used them myself for years. Now I know that Petzl is mediocre at best when compared to the competition. I really like my Tikka XP and use it almost daily but, I can tell you that with what I know now, I most likely will never buy another Petzl headlamp.

 

[ForrestChump]

Not directed towards your post at all. Just the whole vibe of the thread is off topic and teetering on negative. I don't agree with the flock, some ( more than one ) people seem to take that personally. That's ridiculous and doesn't contribute anything to the topic at hand, which is now off the rails. I think OP giving a $30 Petzl a try is a good thing.

 

[thedoc007]

Since no one has mentioned them yet, another option would be the Nitecore HC50/HC90. The HC50 is cheaper, but doesn't have the brightness, or the infinitely variable interface of the HC90. Both of them have battery gauges, are extremely solid (virtually all metal construction), and are quite comfortable to wear. They are also very floody, which is good for most headlamp uses. No hotspot to blind you.