The Official Zebralight Thread .

[dmsoule]

The current Zebralight models only take flat top unprotected cells, so forget about the second one you mentioned. The Samsung should be fine, but a bit low on capacity compared to the 3000 - 3500mah cells out there.

 

[JoeRodge]

I have samsung INR18650 3.6 flat 2500 maH

and AW Protected 2200 mAH (not flat) 3.7 V IC + Power

which is the better battery for the 600W Plus and can I safely use both?

Thanks

Should of just bought a VTC6 or panasonic 18650GA off their site when you ordered. I love both. Longer run times with the panasonic. But the VTC6 will keep you at maximum output for longer.

 

[RTTR]

I've got a question about if I'm understanding PID adjustment on my SC64w correctly.

I understand the basics of it, turn it off from H1, turn it back on to H1, cycle from low to high 6 times, on the 7th I'm stopping on high to add temperature, so I stop on high, and then turn off the light added 1C correct? And I repeat the process all over to add another degree?

 

[Keitho]

I think you've got it rttr, that's what I did. I think i went 8 or 9 cycles each time, to be sure I didn't mis-count.

Without taking careful temp measurements, I have no idea if I actually *did* anything to my light, but it was a "fun" 5 minutes.

 

[JoeRodge]

I could feel the increase in heat on my Plus model. It gets HOT! lol.

 

[RTTR]

Tested around cause I wasn't for sure I was doing it right, I put it to do default, using a Raytek temp gun the SC64w head measured 120.0F before it started regulating. applying +1C a dozen times to make sure it all took, it gets to 133.5F head temp before regulating.. the two other high settings 875 lumens and 500 lumens don't seem to get hot enough under 75 degree ambient temps to cause them to step down, 875 lumens doesn't get above 120F and 109F for 500 lumens.. my personally preferred setting for a good usable high on this light is the 500 lumen setting so it should be good and stable indoors and out.. I can't see myself using the 1400 lumens that much, except a quick burst outside to see further out.

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

I could feel the increase in heat on my Plus model. It gets HOT! lol.

I did the opposite on my Plus. I turned the temperature down. I found it gets too hot otherwise.

I can't see myself using the 1400 lumens that much, except a quick burst outside to see further out.

Heh, when outside, the highest mode is too fun not to use a lot.

 

[tsask]

I have been admiring the offerings from Zebralight for several years now. My SC600 w III HI on a rotating holster is my main "go to" EDC. At first I was not too sure about the unprotected 18650 cells, but with Zlight's tech I feel completely safe with it.

My most recent Zebralight question is an ongoing discussion here. Which 'new' version should I consider? I know one has more throw, the other has more useful light at close distances etc.....oo:

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

I have been admiring the offerings from Zebralight for several years now. My SC600 w III HI on a rotating holster is my main "go to" EDC. At first I was not too sure about the unprotected 18650 cells, but with Zlight's tech I feel completely safe with it.

My most recent Zebralight question is an ongoing discussion here. Which 'new' version should I consider? I know one has more throw, the other has more useful light at close distances etc.....oo:

This year I bought the SC600w MkIV HI and the SC600w MkIV Plus. I think they compliment each other very well. One is good for some moderate throw, the other is great for flood and high output. I considered the SC64w, but it seemed to be a compromise light between the other two. Well, I haven't ruled it out completely, yet.

 

[tsask]

This year I bought the SC600w MkIV HI and the SC600w MkIV Plus. I think they compliment each other very well. One is good for some moderate throw, the other is great for flood and high output. I considered the SC64w, but it seemed to be a compromise light between the other two. Well, I haven't ruled it out completely, yet.

thanks for that info.sounds like what others have said as well. Would the Mk IV plus have the same throw as my SC600 III HI?

 

[RTTR]

How low can an 18650 go while still maintaining the ability for the light to its highest modes? I don't have a light meter to experiment. But say if the SC64 is reporting 1 of 4 flashes of battery life, could I assume its likely not gonna be able to do H1 or probably even highest H2 mode? perhaps the light can still do full output at 2 of 4 flashes?

Maybe someone can chime in with charts of like an SC63 or other current XHP35 Zebralight, showing its output ability based on battery drain voltages.

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

thanks for that info.sounds like what others have said as well. Would the Mk IV plus have the same throw as my SC600 III HI?

No, the Plus doesn't throw as far as the HI. Maybe 75% as far. However, the large flood illuminating the foreground makes it more difficult to see in the distance, so in practical terms it's probably half as far. It's great at moderate distances (out to about 100 meters), though. No panning around needed to see stuff, because the hot spot is quite large.

How low can an 18650 go while still maintaining the ability for the light to its highest modes? I don't have a light meter to experiment. But say if the SC64 is reporting 1 of 4 flashes of battery life, could I assume its likely not gonna be able to do H1 or probably even highest H2 mode? perhaps the light can still do full output at 2 of 4 flashes?

The Zebralights use a boost driver, and so are fairly well regulated regardless of battery voltage. It's not perfectly flat regulation, but I don't think you'd notice any drop in brightness with your eyes. I find the Zebralights will continue to output at maximum, until the battery voltage drops between 2.8v and 2.9v. At that point, the light will step-down in brightness.

So, essentially, you'll get full output using almost the full capacity of your 18650. That assumes a decent cell. I think if you're using a 10-year old low-drain cell with high internal-resistance, the voltage sag would cause it to hit 2.8v pretty quick.

The number of flashes a Zebralight gives for remaining battery capacity is just a rough guideline. I find that 1 flash means the voltage is below about 3.3v or 3.4v. At that point, the remaining output time is close to 15%, not 25%. That's because the lower voltage means the driver has to use more current to produce the same lumens (because its output is regulated).

 

[RTTR]

No, the Plus doesn't throw as far as the HI. Maybe 75% as far. However, the large flood illuminating the foreground makes it more difficult to see in the distance, so in practical terms it's probably half as far. It's great at moderate distances (out to about 100 meters), though. No panning around needed to see stuff, because the hot spot is quite large.




The Zebralights use a boost driver, and so are fairly well regulated regardless of battery voltage. It's not perfectly flat regulation, but I don't think you'd notice any drop in brightness with your eyes. I find the Zebralights will continue to output at maximum, until the battery voltage drops between 2.8v and 2.9v. At that point, the light will step-down in brightness.

So, essentially, you'll get full output using almost the full capacity of your 18650. That assumes a decent cell. I think if you're using a 10-year old low-drain cell with high internal-resistance, the voltage sag would cause it to hit 2.8v pretty quick.

The number of flashes a Zebralight gives for remaining battery capacity is just a rough guideline. I find that 1 flash means the voltage is below about 3.3v or 3.4v. At that point, the remaining output time is close to 15%, not 25%. That's because the lower voltage means the driver has to use more current to produce the same lumens (because its output is regulated).

Thanks for taking the time to go into the details I was looking for, right now I'm using a fresh Sanyo 18650GA, with the recently purchased light.

 

[jackbauer]

so I just got the light in today and am very happy. The flood is so wide. Bright lumens. almost as small as the D4. Doesn't overheat as fast as the D4 would so I can actually hold it haha...some joggers walking outside my neighborhood were in awe as they were passing by

 

[PocketBeam]

My SC600w Mk IV Plus showed up last night. I am mostly comparing to my previous EDC the Zebralight SC600 Mk II (not L, just II).

My Mk II brightest was 900Lm, the Plus does 2300Lm. The Plus is very noticeably brighter. That works out to 2.56 times brighter. The 900 used to wow people so this will super wow them I am sure.

The Plus gets very hot. Even putting your hand in front of the beam for bit will make the hand get very hot. I have to pull my hand back after a bit. And I used a IR thermometer and saw 122F-125F top temps while hand holding in room temps. This felt way to hot to hand hold. See this chart - http://www.todayifoundout.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/third-degree-burns.png So I turn it on at H1, then held it on, let it loop through modes six times and released on Low, five times. Even doing this to reduce the PID it still feels too hot. I wonder if I messed up somehow?

My Mk II used to get hot, but not this hot and not as fast. Obviously the Plus is pulling more power. But also the plus has less mass in the head area. When empty the Plus is much lighter, especially in the head area, than the Mk II. The Mk II has more mass to dump heat into. The Plus has heat fins cut into the head. But without a fan blowing over the fins, I feel the fins are almost useless. In fact when I hand carry, 1/3 of the fins are covered up. This will trap air which will insulate. At the very least the fin gaps don't let my hand carry away heat as well. Maybe they slow down my hand heating up the light, but I would have preferred a beefier head without fins like the Mk II had. Also with battery and the way I carry, the weight difference is not noticeable.

The tint shift is barely noticeable on the plus. I doubt a non-flashaholic would even seen it if you asked them about it. The tint shift is much better than the Mk II. I am very happy with the tint, and the tiny amount of tint shift (almost none). It is a non-issue.

Some more quick comparisons with the Mk II. The plus has much darker grey, almost black, anodizing. The clip is darker now as well. It is nice that the PID temp can now be programmed a bit. The Plus now has G6 and G7 modes so now any light level can be in any position. And now it is much easier to get into strobe/flash/beacon modes. It is worth noting that the lowest low on the Plus (0.2) is much brighter than lowest low on the Mk II (0.02).

The Plus throws farther than the MK II, but that is kind of expected with 2300 lumens versus the older 900 lumens. But for all that power it doesn't throw much farther. This is because the LED is bigger on the Plus and the Plus has a rougher orange peel. So the hot spot is much larger, but also has a smoother transition. With that said, the Plus can light things up well at 100 yards or 100 meters. If you need more than that, or you really want to wow with a pin point beam, then try maybe the HI model or another company.

I need to carry this for a week or so to add more thoughts. So far I am happy, except for the heat. But I would rather have heat then a lower max brightness. Just wish the head was beefier like the old heads.

 

[markr6]

Some more quick comparisons with the Mk II. The plus has much darker grey, almost black, anodizing.

This is a change they made not so long ago. I like it not only for the color itself, but for the consistency. In the past, you got anything from olive green to almost black.

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

My SC600w Mk IV Plus showed up last night.

The Plus gets very hot. Even putting your hand in front of the beam for bit will make the hand get very hot. I have to pull my hand back after a bit. And I used a IR thermometer and saw 122F-125F top temps while hand holding in room temps. This felt way to hot to hand hold. So I turn it on at H1, then held it on, let it loop through modes six times and released on Low, five times. Even doing this to reduce the PID it still feels too hot. I wonder if I messed up somehow?

That should work. I did it to mine as well, though I first released it on medium to reset it. It still gets pretty hot, though not too hot to hold.

The Plus has heat fins cut into the head. But without a fan blowing over the fins, I feel the fins are almost useless. In fact when I hand carry, 1/3 of the fins are covered up. This will trap air which will insulate. At the very least the fin gaps don't let my hand carry away heat as well.

Yeah, the fins don't do much in still air. I use mine cycling, and the nighttime breeze while moving keeps the light from reaching the PID temperature. 2300 lumens is overkill, but it's fun! I did this the other night, but my battery died after about 30 minutes. Normally, I stick with 700 lumens, which gives me almost 3 hours. A kick up to 1300 lumens when I need it is plenty bright enough, and doesn't kill the battery so fast.

 

[PocketBeam]

(Walkintothelight) I hadn't thought of biking. Yes, the fins should help with biking.

I also think the 705 mode will be my most used. I assume that half hour at 2300 was with partially used batteries? Or the cooling worked so well it drained full batteries in half an hour?

(markr6) The blackish grey looks good. I just wonder how it will look when scratched.

I forgot to mention one other strange change. The place where the split ring goes and the button location are now rotated more. I used to keep my clip right next to the split ring bulge. Then I could reach into my pocket and my thumb would naturally hit the button. Now the clip needs to go in a middle area to do the same. The problem is without that bulge to rest against, it moves over time. I may put some lock tight or super glue on the clip to lock it down. Strange that they moved it.

 

[snowlover91]

so I just got the light in today and am very happy. The flood is so wide. Bright lumens. almost as small as the D4. Doesn't overheat as fast as the D4 would so I can actually hold it haha...some joggers walking outside my neighborhood were in awe as they were passing by

Congrats, which model did you end up getting? The SC600 IV Plus model? I'm looking to upgrade one of my older ZL's soon.. the customizable UI is one of my favorite aspects of the newer ones.

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

(Walkintothelight) I hadn't thought of biking. Yes, the fins should help with biking.

I also think the 705 mode will be my most used. I assume that half hour at 2300 was with partially used batteries? Or the cooling worked so well it drained full batteries in half an hour?

It was on a full battery. I think the cooling works well enough that the light never ramped down from full output, though it did feel warm to the touch during the ride. It was about 15C that night, and the breeze generated would have been something like 20-25 km/h.

I think it looked brighter than car headlights, though with more flood and less throw.