PT Corona or Zebralight H50?

I bought my dad a PT Corona last Christmas, and it worked great for him. He used it for indoor remodeling work. He lost it in recent car accident and mentioned it to me in hopes I think of getting a suitable replacement this year (at least that's what I would do ). While it was a great light, I think he might prefer something with a whiter beam and lighter weight.

Allow me to provide a few more bits of information regarding his usage needs. He tends to use things on 'high' with little regard for runtime, and the light is likely to get tossed into his toolbox. AA alkalines are the batteries of choice for him. He rarely needs to see more than what he can reach with a hammer, but might need to see down a wall space or hole etc. He does work with others, so it shouldn't be terribly blinding to others across the room, but the ability to work comfortably and efficiently is really the foremost goal.

One of the things he mentioned he liked about the Corona was the ability to adjust the vertical aim of the light. I wonder if the 120 degree angle of the H50 would provide comparable usefulness off axis. Edit: It appears that the light may be swiveled to adjust the vertical aim. Is this easily done?

So what are the pros and cons between these two lights that would sway you guys? How do the beams compare? Anybody got 'em both?

dont have the corona, but from your description the zebra would serve him well. the clip gives added value as well.

I bought the Q5 version, showed a flashaholic co-worker mine and he made me get him one. got him and my dad each a P4 version, which was $83 shipped for both.

It's now in my top 3 most useful lights list. I love it.

Having seen both the P4 and Q5 versions, is there enough of a difference in brightness that users are likely to use a lower level on the Q5 than they would prefer with the P4, thus reducing power usage? The runtime is the only thing that I am worried about with the H50 at this point. Otherwise I am sold.

the p4 lights should be here in a day or 2(takes about 8 or 10 days). i will post here once they arrive if you have the patience to wait. seems i read in another thread there wasn't much difference. we shall see.

I own a Zebra, my girlfriend owns and uses a Corona as her main cave light. I can tell you that people will get annoyed with you if you are working around them with a Zebra in high mode, possibly in medium too. I would not advise fellow cavers to use a Zebralight for caving, except as a backup for that very reason. But if he is working alone, in a crawlspace for example, he will love it. The corona weighs at least 3x as much with the seperate battery pack, so it's got that drawback. I'd say go with the zebra because it's so small he'll be more likely to carry it with him, but he needs to be mindful of the beam when around others. Both are very good products though.

The two P4 version are on the outside and the Q5 in the middle. tint is exaggerated in the pic, but there is a difference. not a huge difference in brightness, but about what the box indicates. the second pic is a p4 on medium on the left and the other p4 on high on the right. if you care about having a slightly green/yellow tint(better imo) and a slightly brighter light, get the Q5. if not or if it is for a non flashaholic get the P4.

Thanks for the extra effort Sam. You rock. :rock: I agree about the tint, and since it is for a non flashaholic I think I will go with the P4. The brightness increase is not substantial and the lower Vf of the P4 translates into longer runtimes the way I have it figured.

While the Zebralight is really great for close up work it really lacks any ability to spot anything farther away then 5-10 feet. E.g. it is not useful for finding your way safely on a dark construction site (see all the other comments about using it for hiking). Depending on your father's work environment this might be worth a thought.
Additionally, the UI and the runtime of the ZL on high is for working not that great. Every time you turn the ZL off you have to turn it on (and off) three times (not too fast) to get back to high - this requires both hands. Exchanging batteries every 2 hours might not be the most practical thing on a badly illuminated construction site....

I personally prefer my Apex for working outside of my house. I know that a set of batteries will get me through the day and beeing able to turn that thing on and off with one hand is handy. It also helps me to find my path. At home I prefer ZL because it allows me to have a wider field of vision without turning my head.