After owing the T50 for a while now, I couldn't resist my curiosity of wondering if the SC600 was that much (3x the price) better. I own 3 other Zebralights and I love them, so I decided to go ahead and order the SC600 in hopes of receiving a light that was worth the cost difference of the T50.
Here are my impressions compared to the very similar (in size & style) T50:
Light output:
I was shocked to see how close these lights are in light output. Both lights put out nearly identical beams with nearly identical amounts & quality of light. To be honest, I had hoped that the SC600 was brighter by a larger margin. It's not. Don't get me wrong, it's BRIGHT, but so is the cheaper T50. Both, indoor tests with a lux meter, and outdoor visual tests, revealed that the SC600 was only SLIGHTLY brighter, with a slightly larger flood, but not much. Certainly not enough to make it worth the difference in cost.
Heat:
This is probably where I was most disappointed with the SC600. After 5 minutes of run time on high, the SC600 is HOT and the T50 is hardly warm. Nor does the T50 step down. There was no comparison in this category. The T50 wins hands down. Even after 10 minutes on high, the T50 was no where nearly as hot as the SC600 after even 3 minutes. Not sure how the T50 stays so much cooler while putting out nearly an identical amount of light.
Size:
Although the T50 is 5/8" longer, it actually fits a bit better in my hand. Both are GREAT, and I generally prefer the smallest possible light, but oddly enough, the T50 just feels better to me as I can comfortably get all fingers on it. With the SC600, my pinky finger feels as though it should be grabbing the light, but it doesn't. But as I said, they are both GREAT in regards to size.
Switch:
The SC600 gets my vote. I much prefer the recessed button. Not only is it less likely to accidentally turn on, it's much easier to locate in the dark. The T50 switch can be a bit tricky to find in the dark. I often find myself turning it in my hand a couple times around just to find it.
UI:
ZebraLight. Need I say more.
Lanyard attachment points:
Both are in bad locations, but I would say the SC600 is worse because it protrudes into the natural grip. At least the T50 is not noticeable. But the location makes no sense to me.
Quality:
Surprisingly, as much as I love the quality of the ZebraLights, the cheaper UltraFire appears to be as good. The knurling is a bit better on the SC600, but other than that, they are both very nice quality. Time will tell which one is longer-lasting.
Extra feature:
The T50 has a fairly strong magnet in it's base cap, which can be a nice feature to stick on a file cabinet, refrigerator, vehicle, service panel, etc..
Bottom line:
If you don't care about the many quickly accessed fixed modes of the ZebraLight, I would recommend the T50 over the SC600. I know, this might shock many folks, but it's output is so close that it's hardly noticeable. Even my meter proved this. And it's only 1/3 the price. It has a ramping mode switch, which I am not a fan of, but because I mostly use the light in high mode, it's not a problem for me. If you prefer a ramping switch with infinite modes (think of a dimmer switch), you will love the T50. If I had to buy another, between these two, I would strongly consider saving the money and going with the T50. But I really do like the ZebraLight recessed switch better. Assuming these lights have the same lifespan, I would say that the SC600 is NOT worth the extra cost, unless you must have that ZebraLight UI.
Here are my impressions compared to the very similar (in size & style) T50:
Light output:
I was shocked to see how close these lights are in light output. Both lights put out nearly identical beams with nearly identical amounts & quality of light. To be honest, I had hoped that the SC600 was brighter by a larger margin. It's not. Don't get me wrong, it's BRIGHT, but so is the cheaper T50. Both, indoor tests with a lux meter, and outdoor visual tests, revealed that the SC600 was only SLIGHTLY brighter, with a slightly larger flood, but not much. Certainly not enough to make it worth the difference in cost.
Heat:
This is probably where I was most disappointed with the SC600. After 5 minutes of run time on high, the SC600 is HOT and the T50 is hardly warm. Nor does the T50 step down. There was no comparison in this category. The T50 wins hands down. Even after 10 minutes on high, the T50 was no where nearly as hot as the SC600 after even 3 minutes. Not sure how the T50 stays so much cooler while putting out nearly an identical amount of light.
Size:
Although the T50 is 5/8" longer, it actually fits a bit better in my hand. Both are GREAT, and I generally prefer the smallest possible light, but oddly enough, the T50 just feels better to me as I can comfortably get all fingers on it. With the SC600, my pinky finger feels as though it should be grabbing the light, but it doesn't. But as I said, they are both GREAT in regards to size.
Switch:
The SC600 gets my vote. I much prefer the recessed button. Not only is it less likely to accidentally turn on, it's much easier to locate in the dark. The T50 switch can be a bit tricky to find in the dark. I often find myself turning it in my hand a couple times around just to find it.
UI:
ZebraLight. Need I say more.
Lanyard attachment points:
Both are in bad locations, but I would say the SC600 is worse because it protrudes into the natural grip. At least the T50 is not noticeable. But the location makes no sense to me.
Quality:
Surprisingly, as much as I love the quality of the ZebraLights, the cheaper UltraFire appears to be as good. The knurling is a bit better on the SC600, but other than that, they are both very nice quality. Time will tell which one is longer-lasting.
Extra feature:
The T50 has a fairly strong magnet in it's base cap, which can be a nice feature to stick on a file cabinet, refrigerator, vehicle, service panel, etc..
Bottom line:
If you don't care about the many quickly accessed fixed modes of the ZebraLight, I would recommend the T50 over the SC600. I know, this might shock many folks, but it's output is so close that it's hardly noticeable. Even my meter proved this. And it's only 1/3 the price. It has a ramping mode switch, which I am not a fan of, but because I mostly use the light in high mode, it's not a problem for me. If you prefer a ramping switch with infinite modes (think of a dimmer switch), you will love the T50. If I had to buy another, between these two, I would strongly consider saving the money and going with the T50. But I really do like the ZebraLight recessed switch better. Assuming these lights have the same lifespan, I would say that the SC600 is NOT worth the extra cost, unless you must have that ZebraLight UI.
