Need help finding a reading/outdoor flashlight.

[tre]

Doesn't look like they are any good cheap alternatives, so I think I will listen to you guys and get the Zebralight H51F for $70.

You can pick up that light for less than that.

 

[dosei-45]

You can pick up that light for less than that.

How about giving some resources. Otherwise your post is...well...not so helpfull.

 

[davidt1]

The cool light doesnt bother me for reading. I have a cheap bending-neck book light that I got that has a cool led and I don't mind the color... it is just too bright, and not good for traveling.

Doesn't look like they are any good cheap alternatives, so I think I will listen to you guys and get the Zebralight H51F for $70.

Thanks for the help, this is a great community :thumbsup:

After you get the H51F, please visit the "Zebralight Mods" thread for ways to make it more versatile and pocket-EDC friendly. Headlamps are often regarded as specialty lights and don't get used very often. The reason is they are too bulky to carry on your person. As small as the ZL H51F is, the stock package with the light, headband, and silicon holders are still too bulky to carry in your pocket. And what's the point of owning a light if you don't have it when you need it. Fortunately, it is very easy to turn a ZL angle light into a pocket multilamp that can be used as a flashlight, headlamp, shirt light, neck light, desk lamp, etc. All you have to do is add a magnet to the tail cap and make a lanyard headband of out shoelace or cord. Once you use a ZL headlamp with these mods, you won't look at headlamps and flashlights the same way again. The pictures I posted above show some of the many ways you can use a ZL angle lights after these simple mods.

Here are the H501 and H51 with the lanyard headbands and magnet mods. You can put the complete package with light and headband in your pocket. You can wear it around your neck (my favorite way of EDCing it). You can also clip the light in your pocket like a flashlight.

 

[tre]

How about giving some resources. Otherwise your post is...well...not so helpfull.

This is not the proper forum for that. It will be quickly deleted by the moderators. Try Google shopping. A couple of the stores that show the H51F just might be dealers that post here on CPF and offer discounts to CPF members.

 

[foghar]

You can pick up that light for less than that.

It is $64 through the ZL site, is there anywhere cheaper? I looked around for a while but didn't see any better deals.

 

[Gregozedobe]

If reading is your main usage, then I strongly recommend the H501 - the smooth, even floody beam is the best I've come across for reading. I had a H51F and it was nowhere near as good as my H501 for reading (the hot spot is diffused, but it is still there) . The H501 dosn't have any throw, but is great for any kind of close-up work (up to 3M or 10') and works OK for walking as long as you don't want to see too far ahead. If you need a bit of throw the H51F is a reaonable compromise, but you are giving up some reading comfort. Any light with good throw will be even worse for reading.