Zebralight SC51/SC31 vs 4sevens Quark. Which has better throw?

I currently own a Zebralight SC600w, and aside from some tint issues related to the XM-L emitter, I absolutely love the light. It is currently the king of flood in my crop of lights and is by far the brightest flashlight I have in my possession. I also own a Quark 123 XP-G R5 light as well (cool white) and it has noticeably better throw (tighter hotspot) compared to my SC600w.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages in terms of flood vs throw, but as it stands I do not have a quality AA flashlight. So this has me wondering what the SC51 is all about.

For those of you that have a Quark XP-G R5 light (not of the mini variety) and a Zebralight SC51/SC31, which has the better throw? It's really not a huge deal for me, but since the SC600w I own has more than enough flood for my tastes, I would enjoy a slightly tighter hotspot, preferably within the Zebralight brand in AA form for convenience. I have my own Quark to compare to, so if somebody could give some info on what the SC51/SC31 throw is like in comparison it will help me a lot.

Just for the record, I like the amount of throw my Quark has, its hotspot is throwy enough for me but also has decent flood as well, its a great balance between the two IMO. So if the SC51 has the same or very similar throw properties, I will definitely buy one ASAP.


And not to drag on about this too much, but I am a bit confused at Zebralights specs in terms of hotspot degrees. They claim the SC51 has a 11 degree hotspot, whereas the SC600 has a 10 degree hotspot. Since I own a SC600w and know how incredibly floody it is, would this mean that the 11 degree hotspot of the SC51 is actually more floody than the 10 degree hotspot of the SC600? I notice the SC80 claims to have a 9 degree hotspot, so does that mean it has better throw than the SC600 and SC51? I would generally assume less degrees means a tighter hotspot, but the SC600 specs confuse me as I would figure the SC51 with the small emitter of the XP-G would be more throwy.

They are really very similar. I don't think you can say one has better throw than the other. On another note, you can get a AA body for your Quark for $20. While I do like the SC51, the switch keeps it out of use. You can throw the Quark in your pocket loose and forget about it. The SC has a better clip, but then you need to unscrew the tail cap for carry. If I were you I would forget about the SC51 and go for the SC80.

6 of one, half dozen of the other. It's a personal preference thing.

I seem to recall that the older SC50's had better throw than the newer SC51's. I don't know this for sure, but I seem to remember hearing that the older lights, although not a bright or efficient, had more throw due to the smaller emitter and different reflector.

FWIW, the SC50's could take Li-Ions, which would get their highest output pretty close to the highest output of the SC51, which can't take Li-Ion cells.

The SC51 can take li-ions. You just don't gain anything.

I own an SC51w (I run it on eneloops) and an Quark 123 XP-G NW (from last year's batch). The Quark definitely has better throw - without question. It's certainly possible the SC51 has markedly better throw than the SC51w, but I'd be surprised it'd out throw even my NW Quark.

Oh, and just to be clear: the NW Quark 123 is from the Christmas 2010 batch (not the ones currently available).

BTW, I've been trying to decide if I should get the SC600w; I'm surprised and disappointed to hear it is out-thrown by a Quark 123. I know the SC600w is very floody, but really?

I was hoping with 600+ lumens it would have at least some reach!

My Quark 123 R5 has much better throw than my ZL31. Even the Quark rated at a lower 205 lms vs ZL higher 220 lms, the Quark just seems brighter for some reason. The color of the ZL is much nicer than the greenish output of the quark 123 R5.

Be First said:

BTW, I've been trying to decide if I should get the SC600w; I'm surprised and disappointed to hear it is out-thrown by a Quark 123. I know the SC600w is very floody, but really?

I was hoping with 600+ lumens it would have at least some reach!

Click to expand...

I should be getting my H600 pretty soon. I guess I'll hang onto my Quark for a bit to see is the 205 lms quark can out throw a 600+ lumen floodier light.