Zebralight SC50+

[Dan FO]

I discovered the double click from off thing by accident. I was surprised.

 

[B0wz3r]

GL, no problem. It is actually in the instructions, but it is also not very clear.

"Short click turns on the light to High instantly. Click again quickly to cycle from High to Medium and Low."

They could have just said what I did...

So if you triple-click from off it will come on in low. Or you can just click and hold for low. Not sure why there's that redundancy in it... I guess it's the only way they could set up the UI so that you have the option of turning it on in either high or low, so they decided to compromise to get to medium first. I suppose that most people don't actually prefer to start in medium like you, but prefer to start in either high or low.

The timing on the clicks is subtle too... if you do it too fast or too slow, it doesn't follow the pattern. I find that the best way to get the timing right to do this is to actually lift my finger or thumb off of the button when doing the double click. If I leave my thumb on the button the double click is too fast and it just ends up turning on then back off.

 

[goldenlight]

GL, no problem. It is actually in the instructions, but it is also not very clear.

"Short click turns on the light to High instantly. Click again quickly to cycle from High to Medium and Low."

They could have just said what I did...

So if you triple-click from off it will come on in low. Or you can just click and hold for low. Not sure why there's that redundancy in it... I guess it's the only way they could set up the UI so that you have the option of turning it on in either high or low, so they decided to compromise to get to medium first. I suppose that most people don't actually prefer to start in medium like you, but prefer to start in either high or low.

The timing on the clicks is subtle too... if you do it too fast or too slow, it doesn't follow the pattern. I find that the best way to get the timing right to do this is to actually lift my finger or thumb off of the button when doing the double click. If I leave my thumb on the button the double click is too fast and it just ends up turning on then back off.

I practiced doing this a LOT last night, and I had VERY little trouble getting the hang of it.

Another BIG thank you for this tip!! :bow: :bow::bow: :bow:

 

[B0wz3r]

I practiced doing this a LOT last night, and I had VERY little trouble getting the hang of it.

Another BIG thank you for this tip!! :bow: :bow::bow: :bow:

NP; we're here to help. :wave:

 

[MK9]

If you do a double click from off, it will flash very briefly through hi, then come on in medium, at the last medium setting you selected.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!:thumbsup:

This light needs a little booklet to explain all the little detailed settings.
But with some of the translations I've seen it may just cause more problems.

 

[B0wz3r]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!:thumbsup:

This light needs a little booklet to explain all the little detailed settings.
But with some of the translations I've seen it may just cause more problems.

Glad to help.

The UI is definitely... unusual. I don't own a D10, but I've read in several threads here that these new Zebralights have the same UI as the D10, and there are plenty of members here who swear by their D10's.

I personally think it is complicated, certainly the most complex UI of any light I've owned (I've never had a LiteFlux though...), but I can see the logic in it. They've set it up so that you can start in either low or high, and sacrificed any ability to come on in medium without an additional step; but I think that's what they were shooting for, a UI that will let you turn on the light to any of the three levels from off. But again, I think that goal makes it overly complicated.

There was another thread a few weeks ago that I participated in where there was an long discussion of UI's. In that thread I argued the ZL UI is overly complicated, and I stand by it. But I will say though, that for the basics, of being able to turn the light on in either low or high, it works pretty well. Once you move beyond that though, that's when it gets muddy pretty damn fast, at least in my book.

All in all though, my SC50w+ is easily my favorite EDC light; first thing I do every morning when I get up is grab it off my nightstand and clip it in my pocket. It's the single best small light I've had for EDC use and the common day to day uses I have for a light; taking out the trash, looking for things under my desk, checking on my kids at night, checking doors and windows at night, etc. I love the small size, the beautiful tint, and the brightness on high. Overall I think it's a great light. I really want an SC60w now, though honestly I have no legitimate need for one, other than I now really, REALLY like my SC50w+.

 

[billbunton]

Wow, works on the H31 too. Thanks!

 

[OneBigDay]

Hi all. Resurecting this thread instead of starting a new one.

I notice the zebralight website has the SC50+ at a reduced price. This light has the XP-E and accepts 14500.

All cynicysm aside, I am wondering ...
1) Is there any point in purchasing this light now, even though it accepts 14500's, it can only achieve 193 lm on 14500. Whereas the newer SC51 (which I own) can give you 200 lm on an Eneloop. Taking all things into consideration, does the SC50+ offer something the SC51 does not?
2) I don't see the SC50 listed on their website but what is the difference between the SC50 and the SC50+? My understanding at one time was the only difference was the newer UI in the (+) models. Do I have that right?

Anyone have both these lights and could comment on the beam profile of the SC50+ vs. the SC51.

Thanks for any comments

 

[Dan FO]

I have both, the SC50+ throws farther on a 14500 and mine has a better tint. Both of mine are regular models , the SC51 has a floodier beam. It just depends on what you want.

 

[B0wz3r]

Hi all. Resurecting this thread instead of starting a new one.

I notice the zebralight website has the SC50+ at a reduced price. This light has the XP-E and accepts 14500.

All cynicysm aside, I am wondering ...
1) Is there any point in purchasing this light now, even though it accepts 14500's, it can only achieve 193 lm on 14500. Whereas the newer SC51 (which I own) can give you 200 lm on an Eneloop. Taking all things into consideration, does the SC50+ offer something the SC51 does not?
2) I don't see the SC50 listed on their website but what is the difference between the SC50 and the SC50+? My understanding at one time was the only difference was the newer UI in the (+) models. Do I have that right?

Anyone have both these lights and could comment on the beam profile of the SC50+ vs. the SC51.

Thanks for any comments

My comments below are for my lights which are all 'w' versions, but should apply equally to the non-w versions of the ZL's...

I have the SC50w+ and it's my favorite light; it's my primary EDC and I'm never without it in a pocket... even in my bathrobe in the mornings...

I also have an H51w which has exactly the same emitter and reflector as the SC51w.

Unless the few extra dollars is going to make a difference for you, get the SC51. You'll get more run time because of the greater energy density in nimh's compared to alkies or RCR's and you won't sacrifice anything in terms of output.

I sometimes use a 14500 in my SC50w+ to get that little bit of extra brightness; its max output on 14500 is almost identical to that of the SC51w on a nimh, so I personally don't feel the need to 'upgrade' to an SC51w. When I want more run-time, I use duraloops, when I want output I use 14500's in my 50w+. Typically I use 14500s because my EDC needs for my light are usually short term, nothing more than a few minutes at a time usually.

One thing to consider is that the 50(w)+ uses an XPE emitter, whereas the 51(w) uses an XPG which is inherently more efficient, and also creates a larger hotspot. This might be preferable to you if you prefer floodier lights. However, I find the hotspot of my SC50w+ does out-throw the hotspot of my H51w, so you'll have to decide which is more important to you, more flood, or more throw.

With respect to the beam profile of the ZL's, I think of them as 'hybrid' lights... that is, they have a fairly throwy hotspot (of course they're not dedicated throwers) but also have a wide (80 degree) cone of light for their beam profile. This produces a relatively small hotspot in comparison to their spill beam area. I find this quite useful for EDC use as it aids peripheral vision at night. FWIW, I use DC-fix on both my SC50w+ and my H51w as for EDC use I prefer a more diffuse and floody beam. I don't like 'pure' flood beams with no hotspot... I prefer the 'Fw' beam profile for EDC use which has a very diffuse hotspot that transitions very gradually into the spill. I like using the DC-fix because it gives me the option of having the floodiness I like or having more throwiness just by taking the DC-fix on or off.

Hope this helps.

 

[tre]

I also have both. The SC50+ does have the updated UI vs the SC50. That is the only difference. The SC50+ has a better tint than the SC51. Understand that I prefer neutral tints and pretty much dislike all cool tints. That said, I find the SC50+ to have the best cool tint of any cool tinted light I own. It is not green at all. It is very slightly purple/pink but will appear white to all but the most die hard tint perfectionists. The SC51 has a very floody beam with a huge hot spot while the SC50+ has a more throwy beam compared to the SC51. Don't get me wrong - the SC50+ is a very floody light - just not as floody as the SC51. I'd say the SC51 is quite a bit more floody than the SC50+. The SC50+ has a lower low mode than the SC51. I find the SC51 low mode much higher than advertised and almost too high for my liking. The SC51 lowest low mode has the worst PWM of any light I've ever seen. I generally am not sensitive to PWM and don't notice it on my light but it is horrible on the lowest low mode of the SC51. Of course the SC51 low mode is too high too - I would say low is about 1.5 lumens (nowhere near as low as advertised). The SC51 has two high modes and a hidden strobe while the SC51+ only has one high mode. In reality the 2 high modes on the SC51 are so close together, I almost find it useless to have the high modes so close.

To Sum it up:
SC50+ has the better tint
SC50+ has a lower low mode

SC51 is more floody
SC51 has 2 Hi modes while the SC50+ only has 1
SC51 has a hidden strobe
SC51 has horrible PWM in the lowest low mode

If you are going to run it on a 14500, I would choose the SC50+ over the SC51. If you are running it on an AA cell, it would be a toss up. The extra discount for the SC50+ would possibly sway me that way again.

 

[OneBigDay]

Excellent guys. Thanks for the comments, they are very helpful.

In a nutshell I bought the SC51 when they first came out due to the hype around the 200 lumen output on NiMH. I honestly didn't expect to like it as much as I did. Turns out everything about this light is darn near perfect. I tend to like flood for most everyday type uses, and I have bigger lights if I need to really punch into something. But the beam profile on the SC51 is just fantastic for a light with this small format. On top of that it has a sweet UI, and a really well exectuted clip, and my expectations were well exceeded on this light. I am officially a zebralight convert.

All that said I find that sometimes in a AAA format light the XP-E has a really nice beam profile with slightly more throw and it has a better tint in many cases than the XP-G. I am thinking those same characteristics probably transfer over to a light like the SC50+.

At the end of the day I don't know if I'll pick up a SC50+ or not, but the price is right and at least I'll know what to expect if I do. Thanks again to those who took time to respond.

 

[RonReagan]

I recently got an SC50+ but the led is completely clouded over. Will that greatly affect output? Sent an rma request, but if it doesn't change performance I wouldn't mind. Seems their qc isn't all that consistent.

 

[jhc37013]

I recently got an SC50+ but the led is completely clouded over. Will that greatly affect output? Sent an rma request, but if it doesn't change performance I wouldn't mind. Seems their qc isn't all that consistent.

So the emitter dome itself is cloudy? I wonder if could be some kind of paste that got on it do you see any on the reflector? I would think it would for sure decrease the output and diffuse it, depending what it is it may also lead to the emitter getting hotter than it should. Send it back

 

[RonReagan]

Yeah it is on the dome of the led emitter. The reflector is clean and there are no signs of any residue. I saw something similar in an older thread here before. I am sending it back, but their service rep made an rma for repair and not refund so I am waiting for them to resend a different #. I will try and get a picture (if camera will macro) later.

 

[RonReagan]

As you can see the very edge is clear, but the rest is in a cloudy haze as if someone took very fine sandpaper to it.

 

[yowzer]

I have a SC50w+ (Usually running a 14500) and a H51w (Essentially the same thing as the SC51w). The SC50 has a brighter, smaller hotspot and dimmer corona compared to the larger hotspot and brighter corona of the H51. In ceiling bounce tests and usage outdoors, they're effectively the same brightness on all levels (I have my H51 programmed with the lowest of the possible high modes.) My theory is that the published numbers for the SC50 are emitter and the SC51/H51 are OTF. I do have a bit of a preference for the H51's beam, but not enough to upgrade the SC50. The version with a frosted lens, now... that's different enough I'm tempted. Going the other way, if I already had a SC51, I wouldn't look twice at the SC50.

 

[B0wz3r]

To my knowledge, the published specs for the SC50 are OTF values.

I use DC-fix on my SC50w+ as it gives me more flood, which I prefer in an EDC light, but at the same time I have the option of taking it off if I want more throw. When I flood again I just put another piece on. Two beams, one light; no extra cost other than for the DC-fix and I'm not limited to having only the F type beam.