Zebralight H501w Not Working (Straight Out of Box)

[varuscelli]

I probably have no option other than to RMA this one, but I just received a new Zebralight H501w that seems to be defective right out of the box. I've tried several different batteries (good ones, both alkaline and NiMH) and get nothing when the switch is clicked (or when it's clicked and held). I don't recall reading about anyone with the same problem and a search didn't turn up much for me.

Any ideas other than sending it back for a replacement? I can't think of anything to troubleshoot in this case (other than the batteries I'm using, and I know those are good, and the correct insertion of the battery)...or am I missing something?

I've already initiated an RMA via the Zebralight website as of today (Saturday), but I imagine it will be Monday before I hear anything back from them, so I figured I'd run it by the forum while I wait.

Dang it, I've wanted a Zebralight headlamp for the last couple of years and finally broke down and bought one...and have been eagerly awaiting its arrival for several days now. Now I suppose I have another week or so while I return it and wait for a replacement. Argh!

I haven't bought any new lights for myself in quite a while. Maybe I jinxed myself by waiting so long.

 

[gcbryan]

I think I'm the only one on this sub-forum who doesn't have a Zebralight so I'm probably not much help but...does it have a lockout mode and could that already be set?

Otherwise, all I can suggest is to take the battery cover off and see if you can make the light come on by contacting the bottom of the battery and the housing with a piece of metal to see if it's a switch problem.

Good luck!

 

[Lite_me]

The only possibility I can come up with is that there's a contact problem at the tailcap. It's a known random issue with some models of ZLs. Try tightening the tailcap as tight as you can. If you get it to work, you'll have to decide whether or not you want to try and fix it yourself or RMA it. Hopefully, you made sure the contacts were clean inside on the head too.

 

[varuscelli]

Hey, thanks for the suggestions! I had apparently NOT tightened down the tailcap enough. I had to really twist it down (quite a bit more than I would have thought necessary), but now it's working just fine. Lite_me, that was the answer. :thumbsup:

 

[Lite_me]

Lite_me, that was the answer. :thumbsup:

:thumbsup: Back atcha. Glad to help.

 

[varuscelli]

Super-Lube'ing the threads seems to have helped, too (the tailcap seems to be getting easier to tighten down to the point of good contact now). And I used some DeoxIT Gold on the contacts, which I'd guess to be a good "it couldn't hurt" step, even with a new unit.

What a relief not to have to return this one...although I'm still a bit puzzled that I had to tighten the tailcap as much as I did initially. I can't recall any light that I've ever had that required that much tightening to make contact. Or are all the Zebralights like that? Maybe as part of ensuring the waterproofing?

In any case, thanks again for the help.

 

[scout24]

Awesome little light, glad it worked out for you!

 

[Bolster]

Var, I also had a H501 that took quite a bit of crank to get contact, and as you mention, the issue starts to go away with use.

 

[Foxx510]

It's worth cleaning the aluminium surface on the end of the body tube regularly and the gold surface in the tailcap that it connects with. Cotton tips work fine.

 

[varuscelli]

Var, I also had a H501 that took quite a bit of crank to get contact, and as you mention, the issue starts to go away with use.

Thanks, Bolster -- it's reassuring to know this isn't something only I am experiencing and that a break-in time (or whatever we might call it) allows the tightening issue to diminish.

It's worth cleaning the aluminium surface on the end of the body tube regularly and the gold surface in the tailcap that it connects with. Cotton tips work fine.

Thanks, Foxx510. I cleaned the threads on the body and tailcap with alcohol and a Q-tip, wiped the threads dry/clean with another small piece of cloth, then lubed them with Super Lube. That seems to have helped quite a bit.

 

[varuscelli]

Awesome little light, glad it worked out for you!

Hey, this is a NEAT little flood. I can tell already I'm going to get a lot of use out of it. I have to guess that I'll realistically use it several times a week, and I actually think from what I see so far that it could easily become my most frequently used light. I've got a feeling this one will push my Princeton Tec Apex (CR123A version) into semi-retirement (at least, for my most common headlamp needs). I've switched over to a Fenix headband and an older L2D (or a sometimes a Nitecore D10 for lighter weight) for a headlamp with decent throw, but this H501w will likely meet more of my daily needs than any of the other headlamp options I have. Very cool.

 

[likes2hike]

I had the exact same problem with a ZLH501W. Customer service finally emailed back and suggested I screw on the tailcap a bit tighter which I did and it finally worked. So, I had the same experience you did. It only works when I tighten it as tight as possible. Have any others found that it gets easier with use? I am concerned that if it requires tightening even more, it may not work and then what? It seems to me that one should be able to unscrew the tailcap a small bit before it stops making contact, no?

Is this a problem with all Zebralights? Has anyone returned one for a different one and found it to be any easier?

 

[Lite_me]

I had the exact same problem with a ZLH501W. Customer service finally emailed back and suggested I screw on the tailcap a bit tighter which I did and it finally worked. So, I had the same experience you did. It only works when I tighten it as tight as possible. Have any others found that it gets easier with use? I am concerned that if it requires tightening even more, it may not work and then what? It seems to me that one should be able to unscrew the tailcap a small bit before it stops making contact, no?

Is this a problem with all Zebralights? Has anyone returned one for a different one and found it to be any easier?

I would't say all. I have 6 or 7 ZLs and a couple act this way.

 

[varuscelli]

I had the exact same problem with a ZLH501W. Customer service finally emailed back and suggested I screw on the tailcap a bit tighter which I did and it finally worked. So, I had the same experience you did. It only works when I tighten it as tight as possible. Have any others found that it gets easier with use? I am concerned that if it requires tightening even more, it may not work and then what? It seems to me that one should be able to unscrew the tailcap a small bit before it stops making contact, no?

Is this a problem with all Zebralights? Has anyone returned one for a different one and found it to be any easier?

I've had mine for a little over two months now and after using some SuperLube on the threads and changing the batteries a few times the cap is getting easier and easier to tighten down -- not nearly as bad as it was initially (approaching something more near normal now).

If yours is tight that way, be sure to lubricate the threads. The SuperLube I use runs roughly $5 to $7 per 3-oz tube and is available from many hardware stores and online sources...and a tube will last a long time (and is good for more than just flashlight threads, too).

Check out the Comprehensive Grease and Lube Thread for more useful info.

 

[likes2hike]

OK Thanks for the follow-up. I guess I'll keep it rather than try to return it for another. I've cleaned the threads but will try the lube as well.

 

[Danielsan]

any thoughts what could be the problem with my new ZL H31? I received it yesterday and today it is faulty, i cant switch to the lowest mode, it always starts in high mode, i can only get lowest mode when i press and hold the button circle through the modes. then after a while i get the low mode but it is flickering, sometimes it is a mega low mode, you can only see that the LED is glimming when its dark and its flickering every 2 secconds. Its like the LED will die? Is that contact problem or a bad batterie? I used new panasonic CR123

 

[varuscelli]

any thoughts what could be the problem with my new ZL H31? I received it yesterday and today it is faulty, i cant switch to the lowest mode, it always starts in high mode, i can only get lowest mode when i press and hold the button circle through the modes. then after a while i get the low mode but it is flickering, sometimes it is a mega low mode, you can only see that the LED is glimming when its dark and its flickering every 2 secconds. Its like the LED will die? Is that contact problem or a bad batterie? I used new panasonic CR123

It's possible that if you clean and lube the threads you'll be able to seat it tighter and that might solve the problem. If the low is flickering, it seems like that could be a possibility...and of course cleaning the contacts wouldn't hurt. You might try to just tighten it down a bit more or clean/lube it and then tighten (I'd recommend the latter). And I certainly wouldn't do any more than tighten it by hand. I'm no expert in this, though. I bet someone else would be better as assessing those symptoms.

 

[varuscelli]

OK Thanks for the follow-up. I guess I'll keep it rather than try to return it for another. I've cleaned the threads but will try the lube as well.

One more note, for clarity. Over the last few days, I've been messing around with the H501w quite a bit, and I have to say there is no longer ANY indication of the problems I had initially. Over the course of lubricating the threads (actually, lubricating them a couple of times) and taking the cap off and replacing it perhaps three dozen times it has come to behave normally. No excessive tightening needed at all. I guess some of them just need a bit more of a break-in time. If I had lubricated it and tightened/loosened it a few dozen times initially, the easing of the tightening problem would have likely taken place more quickly.