Red Zebralight H501R as tail light?

[Offroad'Bent]

I see there's a thread on the new red Zebralight on the headlamp forum.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=237549.

I'd hoped this might be the daylight-visible AA led I was looking for, but it's only 33 lumens, with a burn time of 2.4 hours on steady. Still, it looks simple and well made.
The white H501 is rated at 96 lumens, with a burn time of over 5 hours on high. Are red lights measured differently somehow, lumen-wise?

I wonder how it would compare in brightness to a Superflash and its 1/2W luxeon? I know the H501 is a floodier beam.

Here are the specs
Main Features and Specifications

• LED: CREE XLamp XR-C red color
• Light Output:
  • High: 33 Lumens (2.4 hrs)
  • Medium: 4 Lumens (24 hrs)
  • Low: 0.8 Lumens (5 days)
  • Fast Flashing: 4Hz at 33 Lumens (5 hrs)
  • Slow Flashing: 1Hz at 33 Lumens (6 hrs)
  • Moon Mode: 0.1 Lumens (13 days)
  • Light outputs and runtimes are measured using Sanyo 2700 mAh NiMH batteries. Light outputs are out the front values.
• Battery: One AA size alkaline, Energizer L91 e2 lithium or NiMH rechargeable

 

[MY]

When I saw the H51r available, I thought of the same thing and ordered one. For the last year, I have used a 4sevens mini123 in strobe mode mounted on my helmet facing backwards and motorists say they can see me from a mile away. A red light would be more effective than a white, yellow would be even better in foggy conditions. I am looking forward to see how the H51r works.

Regards.

LED: Cree XP-E Red (Dominant Wavelength 620-630nm)
High: H1 100 Lm (0.9 hrs) or H2 60 Lm (2.4 hrs) / 80 Lm (1.7 hrs) / 4Hz Strobe
Medium: M1 20 Lm (9 hrs) or M2 10 Lm (30 hrs)
Low: L1 2 Lm (3 days) or L2 0.2 Lm (16 days)
Light output are out the front (OTF) values. Runtime tests are done using Sanyo 2000mAh Eneloop AA batteries.
Operating Voltage Range: 0.7V - 2.5V
Battery: One 1.5V AA (NiMH, lithium or alkaline). 14500 Li-ion batteries are not supported. Batteries are not included in the package.
Beam Type
80° spill beam spread
9° hot spot
Dimensions
Diameter: 0.90 inch (23 mm)
Length: 3.2 inch (81 mm)
Weight
1.2 oz (35.8 gram)
2.2 oz (61.9 gram) with an Eneloop AA
3.0 oz (84.9 gram) with an Eneloop AA and headband

 

[BrianMc]

Yes, with an N3 bin Red LED, a low loss reflector, then high nineties rounded to 100 lumens at 700 mA a high for bin LED or a bit more current, 100. That 9 degree hot spot should be visible that far and have spread to cover the whole road much closer than that. The high helmet mount is an asset plus head movement makes it move and the beam then, attracts the eye. This is good because though visible if you are looking for it, it is isn't going to stand out much unless it has some odd behavior, like a syncopated flash pattern or bobbing and weaving.

With twin 100 lumen lights, I got an easy daytime 1/4 mile with a video cam that was about 4X as 'nearsighted' (low resolution) as a person is. I figured a half mile with no sweat, and I can believe a mile as I would guess the hot spot on my DIY's is also about 10 degrees. They weren't a lot of pixels at that distance making the estimate crude, but looked OK compared to lights on cross traffic at the same distance.

The high medium output is about the same as the now classic, Plant Bike Superflash, once off the batteries charge peak and before the voltage dropoff, for reference, and should be a decent night level in lower speed traffic. Alongside higher speeed highways, you need the distance, so 20 lumen isn't enough and 100 may be a bit high. You could add a diffuser for night highway use spreading the beam and making the hot spot less hot.