HIDblue
Enlightened
I'm always on the look out for a new pocket EDC light. I'm partial towards the 1xRCR123 form factor with a clickie. The Zebralight SC30 caught my eye for several reasons, including it's miniscule size, output (193 lumens OTF claimed), form factor (1xRCR123), unusual side-clickie activation, and the fact that a ton of people seem to rave about the Zebralight line of headlamps.
So, after researching the crap out of it on CPF, I finally pulled the trigger on the Zebralight SC30 flashlight and bought it from going gear with the CPF discount. I chose the cool tint, but the SC30 is also offered in a neutral (warm) tint as the SC30W with reduced output (193 lumens cool v. 161 lumens neutral on high).
The packaging includes the Zebralight SC30 light, a headband, and a flexible silicone holder, but no spare O-rings which I thought was kinda odd.
The packaging states that it only accepts primary CR123A batteries, but Zebralight's website claims that the SC30 is also compatible with rechargable RCR123s as well with reduced run-times. I'm partial to the RCR123 form factor for guilt-free light use.
POSITIVES:
First off, the SC30 is small. Take a look at the photo and you'll see how small it is compared to a primary CR123A battery. The size is even more remarkable given that it's actually operated by a clickie, and a side-body-mounted clickie at that. Needless to say, this thing basically disappears in your pocket.
Fit and finish on the SC30 is pretty impressive. I could not find any defects or flaws at all. I kinda thought, incorrectly, that this light would feel cheap and flimsy, but quite the opposite. It's got a nice heft to it and the position of the side clickie and the pocket clip make it fit nicely in the hand. The bezel-down, removable pocket clip feels very sturdy and is completely stable since it is screwed into the side of the body, which also prevents the light from rolling away from you on flat surfaces.
The side-mounted-clickie is pretty unusual. It's not your standard forward or reverse clickie, but rather what Zebralight calls an "electronic soft-touch switch." There's no momentary on/off, and the actual feel of the soft-switch is more like a half click, if that makes sense. In other words, it doesn't take much effort to turn the light on/off which could be a concern for pocket EDC, but luckily, the threads are anodized so the SC30 is capable of tail lock out with the slightest counter-clockwise turn of the tail cap.
I'm so used to tail mounted clickies that I wasn't sure about the SC30's body-mounted-side-clickie, but it feels surprisingly natural in the hand.
The UI took a little while to get used to, but is actually pretty intuitive once you get accustomed to it. Basically, you can turn the light on to whatever setting you desire (high, med or low) right from the get go by using the clickie/soft-switch.
And the thing is waterproof to IPX8 (whatever IPX8 means).
NEGATIVES:
Not everything is perfect with the SC30, there is the dreaded parasitic drain which Zebralight actually lists on their website. Zebralight claims that battery shelf-life is still expected to last over 3 years even with the parasitic drain.
There is no momentary on/off with the soft-touch switch, and the soft-touch switch lends itself to accidental activation (which can be prevented by the tail lockout).
I also found there is a slight delay from the moment I activate the soft-touch switch to when the light actually comes on, and the same happens when you turn the light off.
The heatsinking fins are a little on the sharp side. Not much of a concern for daily use, but I could see problems with it if you're constantly taking the light in/out of the silicone holder for headlamp use which could cause the silicone holder to weaken/tear at the point it passes the fins and the pocket clip.
BEAM:
And finally, a beamshot on high. The OP reflector smoothes out the beam pretty nicely, i.e. no rings, with a nice hotspot and good spill. Not sure, but my eyes seem to find the beam to be on the cool side, but it's definitely not the super-blue cool tint that I thought it would be. Up close, there is also a donut hole pattern to the beam that disappears once you're 3 inches or so away from a white-wall. So, for everyday use, you'll never even notice it.
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:
In a nutshell, the SC30 is a great little pocket EDC light. It's not the smallest and it's not the brightest pocket EDC light around, but it does do a lot of things really well such as the intuitive UI, the unusual but user-friendly side-mounted soft-switch, ability to be used as a headlamp, its size, quality construction, etc. So, I think the positives outweigh the negatives.
Is it the perfect pocket EDC light? Nothing's perfect, but in my humble opinion, the Zebralight SC30 is a serious contender. And if given the option, I'd definitely buy the SC30 again.
Durability and reliability will have to be seen, but my initial impressions of the SC30 are all pretty positive. :thumbsup:
ZEBRALIGHT SC30 STATS (from Zebralight's website):
LED: Cree XP-E Cool White (color temperature 5700-6350 K)
Light Output
Battery Shelf Life: Over 3 years under parasitic drain
So, after researching the crap out of it on CPF, I finally pulled the trigger on the Zebralight SC30 flashlight and bought it from going gear with the CPF discount. I chose the cool tint, but the SC30 is also offered in a neutral (warm) tint as the SC30W with reduced output (193 lumens cool v. 161 lumens neutral on high).
The packaging includes the Zebralight SC30 light, a headband, and a flexible silicone holder, but no spare O-rings which I thought was kinda odd.
The packaging states that it only accepts primary CR123A batteries, but Zebralight's website claims that the SC30 is also compatible with rechargable RCR123s as well with reduced run-times. I'm partial to the RCR123 form factor for guilt-free light use.
POSITIVES:
First off, the SC30 is small. Take a look at the photo and you'll see how small it is compared to a primary CR123A battery. The size is even more remarkable given that it's actually operated by a clickie, and a side-body-mounted clickie at that. Needless to say, this thing basically disappears in your pocket.
Fit and finish on the SC30 is pretty impressive. I could not find any defects or flaws at all. I kinda thought, incorrectly, that this light would feel cheap and flimsy, but quite the opposite. It's got a nice heft to it and the position of the side clickie and the pocket clip make it fit nicely in the hand. The bezel-down, removable pocket clip feels very sturdy and is completely stable since it is screwed into the side of the body, which also prevents the light from rolling away from you on flat surfaces.
The side-mounted-clickie is pretty unusual. It's not your standard forward or reverse clickie, but rather what Zebralight calls an "electronic soft-touch switch." There's no momentary on/off, and the actual feel of the soft-switch is more like a half click, if that makes sense. In other words, it doesn't take much effort to turn the light on/off which could be a concern for pocket EDC, but luckily, the threads are anodized so the SC30 is capable of tail lock out with the slightest counter-clockwise turn of the tail cap.
I'm so used to tail mounted clickies that I wasn't sure about the SC30's body-mounted-side-clickie, but it feels surprisingly natural in the hand.
The UI took a little while to get used to, but is actually pretty intuitive once you get accustomed to it. Basically, you can turn the light on to whatever setting you desire (high, med or low) right from the get go by using the clickie/soft-switch.
- A single click from off always turns the light on high; a double click from off turns it on at a medium setting; and a triple click from off turns the light on low setting.
- At each output level, a quick double click will reduce the output slightly. So, there are actually 6 output levels in total.
- If you press and hold the switch, it will cycle through low-medium-high continuously until you release the switch.
- If you single click the switch to high, another quick press will give you medium, and another quick press will give you the low setting.
- And the SC30 has the lowest low setting I've ever seen at .4 lumens. It's actually kind of cool to see the LED basically glowing at that setting.
And the thing is waterproof to IPX8 (whatever IPX8 means).
NEGATIVES:
Not everything is perfect with the SC30, there is the dreaded parasitic drain which Zebralight actually lists on their website. Zebralight claims that battery shelf-life is still expected to last over 3 years even with the parasitic drain.
There is no momentary on/off with the soft-touch switch, and the soft-touch switch lends itself to accidental activation (which can be prevented by the tail lockout).
I also found there is a slight delay from the moment I activate the soft-touch switch to when the light actually comes on, and the same happens when you turn the light off.
The heatsinking fins are a little on the sharp side. Not much of a concern for daily use, but I could see problems with it if you're constantly taking the light in/out of the silicone holder for headlamp use which could cause the silicone holder to weaken/tear at the point it passes the fins and the pocket clip.
BEAM:
And finally, a beamshot on high. The OP reflector smoothes out the beam pretty nicely, i.e. no rings, with a nice hotspot and good spill. Not sure, but my eyes seem to find the beam to be on the cool side, but it's definitely not the super-blue cool tint that I thought it would be. Up close, there is also a donut hole pattern to the beam that disappears once you're 3 inches or so away from a white-wall. So, for everyday use, you'll never even notice it.
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:
In a nutshell, the SC30 is a great little pocket EDC light. It's not the smallest and it's not the brightest pocket EDC light around, but it does do a lot of things really well such as the intuitive UI, the unusual but user-friendly side-mounted soft-switch, ability to be used as a headlamp, its size, quality construction, etc. So, I think the positives outweigh the negatives.
Is it the perfect pocket EDC light? Nothing's perfect, but in my humble opinion, the Zebralight SC30 is a serious contender. And if given the option, I'd definitely buy the SC30 again.
Durability and reliability will have to be seen, but my initial impressions of the SC30 are all pretty positive. :thumbsup:
ZEBRALIGHT SC30 STATS (from Zebralight's website):
LED: Cree XP-E Cool White (color temperature 5700-6350 K)
Light Output
- High: 193 Lumens (0.9 hrs) or 105 Lumens (2 hrs)
- Medium: 38 Lumens (12 hrs) or 21 Lumens (23 hrs)
- Low: 4 Lumens (3.7 days) or 0.4 Lumens (21 days)
- Light output are out the front (OTF) values. Runtime tests are done using Panasonic CR123A lithium batteries. Runtimes are usually much shorter with rechargeable RCR123 (16340) batteries, especially with protected 16340s that have higher discharge cut off voltage.
Battery Shelf Life: Over 3 years under parasitic drain
- 76° spill beam spread
- 8.6° (3 feet at 20 feet) hot spot
- Diameter: 0.85 inch (22 mm)
- Length: 2.60 inch (67 mm)
- 1.1 oz (30.5 gram) with clip, without battery or headband
- Electronic soft-touch switch, with a 200,000 cycle operating life
- Smart user interface provides fast and easy access to all brightness levels
- Precision machined casing from premium grade Alcoa aluminum bar stock
- Proprietary heat sinking design bonds the LED metal core board directly to the uni-body aluminum casing, providing unblocked thermal paths to over 92% of the surface area.
- Durable natural hard anodized finish (Type III Class I)
- SCHOTT ultra clear lens with anti-reflection coatings on both sides
- Bezel down clip (pre-installed)
- Can be used as a headlamp with the included headband (clip can remain installed when the light is on the headband)
- Orange peel textured reflector
- Anti-roll and tail-stand capable
- Battery power can be locked out by slightly unscrewing the tailcap to prevent unwanted activations
- Waterproof to IPX8
Last edited:
:thumbsup:
