Zebralight H501W or H60W, trying to decide which 1

[rorrim]

I've spent the last two weeks reading CPF reviews to try and figure out which type of light I might want to buy. Way too many choices available, I'd need another couple of months to review everything on CPF. I wanted a small powerful light to carry with me but most small led lights are not going to be much more than 100 lumens. If I want to use it as a emergency light in the car or around the home I would want at least 200, maybe 700+ lumens (if some is good and more is better than too much is just enough!) so it's become obvious that I do need two different types of lights.

I decided to put the 200+ lumen light purchase off for now and just get a good quality carry around to replace the cheap generic Chinese made 9-led (probably 10 lumens) I picked up at HD @ $4.97 for 2 lights. I keep coming back to the Zebralight H501W and H60W since both are small and more than powerful enough for most everyday needs that do not require a hotspot light. I especially like the 2.7 Lumens low setting for the H501W but see that the H60W can drop down to 0.4 lumens, that's way low! (the zebralight.com site says the factory default settings are 110, 15 and 3 lm but this doesn't jive with the levels listed elsewhere for this light, what are the ACTUAL levels?)

The problem is the H60W uses rechargable batt's, I need yet ANOTHER set of rechargable batteries like I need a hole in the head. I have way too many batteries to charge each month now and have a log book just to keep track of the charging schedule, sometimes alkalines simply make life easier. My thinking is that I probably do not need the extra lumens of the H60W and it is larger overall than the H501W. Considering that it's a flood light has anyone found that the H60W's higher pwr is good for more distance or is it still mainly a very good flood light? How far will it cast a usable amt of light? 20', 40'? Define usable.

At the risk of making this an endless thread, what other lights would one compare to the Zebralights for compact size? If I buy one of each to compare them for a couple of weeks, will it be easy to sell the one I don't want here?

 

[fiorano]

You answered your own question.

You said, "I need yet ANOTHER set of rechargable batteries like I need a hole in the head."

Don't put a hole in your head. Get the H501w.

 

[Lumenz]

I wanted a small powerful light to carry with me but most small led lights are not going to be much more than 100 lumens.

It looks like what you really want is a small, powerful light. Here are some recommendations.

*Nitecore D10: This is an AA light that can get up to 145 lumens.
--this uses common batteries and has a variable brightness control.
*Ra Clicky: This is a CR123A light that can get up to 170 lumens.
--this has a great user interface and could likely be the only light you carry.
*Muyshondt Aeon: This is a CR2 light that can get up to 114 lumens.
--this is a truly tiny light that will disappear in your pocket but has a lot of power and has amazing run time.

But you did ask about the Zebralights... I have an H501 (and H501w) and they work great when you need some flood light. There is absolutely no hot spot whatsoever on these lights. They are great for reading or working on the car if you have car trouble but won't be very good for looking down the road for the lug that fell off your wheel.

Personally, I carry the Muyshondt Aeon and Zebralight H501 with me at work when I have to be a little dressy and the Ra Clicky after work and on weekends because it is a little bulkier.

I hope this helps.

 

[hyperloop]

if you dont need large area illumination, say more than 10' in front of you, the H501W is your choice. I own the H501 and its a great light, can be clipped, worn as a headband as well. changing modes is a snap too. Best of all it runs off 1xAA. However, i must warn you that when i ran it with a NiMH, it just turned itself off when the voltage of the cell dropped, i cannot remember now what the voltage was though.

Its also so light that i can forget i am wearing it as a headband and get strange looks from my family when i walk around the house with it on.

The H60W would be bigger and obviously heavier but with greater flexibility in output levels and runtime. I'm sticking with my H501 (may sell it to get a H501W but will stay with this size though) as i will always have some other light with me.

you can see comparison shots of the H501W and H60W here scroll down to zebralight and just click. Doesnt look to be all that much difference and the warm tint looks really good.

 

[tankahn]

Alkalines may not be viable if you use your light for extended period but its the norm for headlamps. I like my H60W, it have enough juice so I won't have to recharge often.

 

[divine]

I got a H60W a few weeks ago.

Low, Medium, and High each has 2 brightness settings, when you get to low, you can double click to choose the alternate brightness. It's a pretty nice feature.

I thought 0.4 lumens would be useless with no spot, but it is actually very useful for reading and stuff when it is really dark.

 

[fareast]

+1 here for the H60w. It has the highest high, the lowest low and the longest runtimes for a relatively still small light (for 18650) and the neutral tint is important to me.

and if needed: I can use a Cr123 plus dummy but then again, the h60W has such long runtimes that a few spares will last a long time.

ps. the 0.4 lumens is indeed really usefull!

 

[Cataract]

If you're goin camping, get the warm/neutral version, unless you don't mind using your face as a bug zapper.

 

[Mikellen]

I got a H60W a few weeks ago.

Low, Medium, and High each has 2 brightness settings, when you get to low, you can double click to choose the alternate brightness. It's a pretty nice feature.

I thought 0.4 lumens would be useless with no spot, but it is actually very useful for reading and stuff when it is really dark.

:thumbsup:

 

[rorrim]

Thanks for the replies concerning the Zebralights. I've also checked out the other lights that were suggested. And I've started looking for sellers for the Zebralight and found illuminationgear's web site. I see from an old CPF post that in the past they offered a discount, anyone know if they still do? Are there any other zebralight sellers in the US that you like doing business with? I can't see ordering the Zebralight from China if it will take 4-6 weeks.

 

[Lumenz]

Check out the CPF specials page here.

GoingGear is a good retailer. You get 10% off with the discount code plus free shipping.

 

[big vin]

I got my h60w a month ago or something, came in after only 5 days (china to The Netherlands!). Love it, the lowlow is very usefull for reading while high high is powerfull enough to search throug an entire grassfield to look for my keys

about the baterys: i would buy one that uses 18650's, you are going to need those anyway for your second light. The lithiums are the way to go for runtime and they stay full for a very long time when you dont use them.

a simple MTE ssc p7 light from DX with two modes will fullfill your other needs for only something like 38$ incl. shipping, and you can use the same set of battery's. Just my advice....

 

[lebox97]

:welcome: I tried PM'ing you, but no go..
not sure what old CPF post you found - I just started my site a month ago... (put CPF your name in comments for discount)

H501 if you want smaller/lighter and use AA form factor including rechargeables (nimh, nicd, or li-ion).
H60 if you want longer runtimes and brighter. But need 18650 li-ion rechargeable - you don't mention if you have a li-ion charger, so you'd need that too?
Cool for mostly urban/indoor use, Warm for mostly rural/outdoor use
:thumbsup:

There are very few ZL dealers - as the $ margins are just not there, so I do it more as a service to those want faster delivery.

Note: if this becomes a sales/dealer advertising thread it will get locked down.

Thanks for the replies concerning the Zebralights. I've also checked out the other lights that were suggested. And I've started looking for sellers for the Zebralight and found illuminationgear's web site. I see from an old CPF post that in the past they offered a discount, anyone know if they still do? Are there any other zebralight sellers in the US that you like doing business with? I can't see ordering the Zebralight from China if it will take 4-6 weeks.

 

[rorrim]

:welcome: not sure what old CPF post you found - I just started my site a month ago... (put CPF your name in comments for discount)

There are very few ZL dealers - as the $ margins are just not there, so I do it more as a service to those want faster delivery.

Note: if this becomes a sales/dealer advertising thread it will get locked down.

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=181841 is the post, it looks like it started in 07-27-2004, unknown how often it is updated but the thread was last added to this month. It's a good idea to have one thread with dealers listed so people searching for such can find what they want quickly, but it would need to be updated often as I'm sure it would change.

I understand profit margins ad nauseam, I worked in grocery retail for a long time. It's tough for a business to survive on small margins and low sales volume. I also appreciate fast turn arounds, not always needed, but in this case it made the difference for me, not the discount.

 

[KiwiMark]

GoingGear is a good retailer. You get 10% off with the discount code plus free shipping.

They have sent my H60w and I expect that it will arrive in the next few days. Hopefully my 4 new 2600mAh cells will turn up from AW pretty quickly (they usually do, AW gets stuff out pretty fast). Next weekend I'll be going camping so I look forward to trying out my new Zebralight.

I already have an H501 and I used it the last time I went camping. But it is so small and light that I would happily use something a bit bigger. I figure 2600mAh should be appreciably better than 750mAh (close to 3.5x as much capacity) - so the H60w will get a really good run time for any given output.

I'll take a couple of spare cells anyway - I have battery holders that look suspiciously like flashlights.

 

[Mundele]

If you're goin camping, get the warm/neutral version, unless you don't mind using your face as a bug zapper.

So insects are less attracted to the "warm" tints than to the standard ones?

 

[seestuff]

Timely thread for me. I was just under my house this week in the crawlspace sweating copper and brass fittings to install my outdoor hot & cold sill faucet. I was using my Energizer led headlamp that was a gift a couple of years ago. It's better that nothing, but I was reminded whille in such a tight space that I'd really like a warm white flood headlamp that's bright.

It just happens that my wife also asked me this week what I'd like for Christmas from her parents. And now I've got just the thing in mind. The H510w looks to be just right. It's a multi-purpose bright light, warm white, flood, comes with a simple light-weight headband, and utilizes the most common battery in the world. I have a LaCrosse BC-900 charger and a bunch of AA Duracell LSDs, so I can just use what I've already got.
I knew that if I just scanned the pages of CPF, I would find the latest and greatest light to serve my purpose. I've got a Fenix light that uses the same emmitter and I love it.

Now I just need to get the exact web page for purchase into my mother-in-law's email. And somehow get my wife to emphasize to her mom not to do the "Oooo, I found one just like it for less" substitution. Its' gonna be tough enough to have to wait for my new headlamp, as opposed to just buying it today. But to get some compromised immitation after waiting would just suck. And hopefully Illumination Gear will let her use my CPF membership discount.

I'm tempted to go for the H60w, but then I'd have to do all the reasearch for the best batteries and the best charger and then buy the new stuff. Besides, I'm probably pushing the limit with the $60 H510w gift suggestion. Not that my in-laws are cheap, they just think it's silly to spend that much on a flashlight. It's nice to visit CPF and see that I'm not alone in my flashaholism. I guess I can always get a H60w later. The fact is that I've been flirting with the idea of getting a rearclicky-superbright-warm-thrower and a 18650 li-ion rechargeable set-up. I just haven't taken the time to do the research on the best stuff to get.

 

[one2tim]

if you plan on more flashlights then go ahead and get that pila charger and a bunch of aw rc123, 18650 2600mAh plus the h60w. Once you have those batteries and charger your ready and set for anything. Rechargebels is the way!

 

[Linger]

It's better that nothing, but I was reminded whille in such a tight space that I'd really like a warm white flood headlamp that's bright.

Hello,
I'm a huge proponent of the H501. Hardly larger than the battery, powerful, excellent beam.

I've also done a lot of renovation and yard work in the dark. H501 just doesn't cut it. Sure I can still see the pencil line under the lazer guide of my circular saw, but I could use more light.
a neutral/warm quark (on 3.7v lithium battery) with fenix diffuser on a head-band is great. Try the quark prism kit for the warm quark and it may be a winner. On my table right now is a P7 flanked by two P4's that I'm planning on putting together for a headmounted light. Again, I totally encourage you to get the Zebra because it is great. I am just sharing my hours of work in the dark - get more light. (even tripod mounted 250w halogens can't go everywhere...)

 

[seestuff]

Well, I guess I may still drop the hint for the H501w from the in-laws. If I get it as a gift, I'm not out anything. And I think this will be a good go-to light-weight headlamp and I can utilize the Duraloop set up I already have.

But now I'm getting that itch again for a total rechargeable solution for high performing lights. one2tim & Linger, since you nudged me in that direction again I've been reading up on rechargeable Lithium batteries here at CPF. I found this informative thread:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=248796&highlight=18650+charger
which linked to this very informative thread:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=201375
which I've just started to try to digest all the info.

And what that's made me realize is that I should be looking at the operating voltage when considering a new light since I'd like to have a rechargeable solution. Although I like my Fenix P1D alot, I now can see that it's voltage sensitivity at 3V limits me to using a lower power density rechargeable battery (LiFePO4) as opposed to a higher power density battery like LiCoO2. What draws me to LED lights over incandescents is efficiency. And for me, once the marketplace provided a warm white LED solution, the contest between LED and incan was over. So I'd like to make sure my power source is also efficient.

And from your suggestions and other reading I've done here, it seems that the Pila IBC is the most highly recommended charger to get. And I see that protected rechargeable batteries from "AW" are recommended. Are these also the best value for quality investment?