Zebralight H600 MK II (Spot and Fill) vs H600F (Floody) vs H602 (no reflector) beams

I don't see this detail on the Zebralight website so could someone please explain the practical beam differences between these lights and what uses each of them are most appropriate for? How do the beam angles compare? I will use this often while reading in bed and doing up-close work and I don't want to have to constantly shift my head to light up a particular part of the page or object or have a much lighter area in the middle of the page. How wide is the beam be at, say, a reading distance away for the various lights? Would the spot part of the H600 MK II (spot and fill) beam completely wash over the average book at reading distance? It would seem that the spot/flood would be a nice balance outdoors but might be less desirable when reading. What are your thoughts?

Thanks.

The H602 with no reflector will have a very wide beam with no hot spot, the led is closer to the lens than the H600 and H600f, the H600f has a reflector the same as the H600 but has a frosted lens to diffuse the hot spot so you will have a similar beam pattern but the bright center will get dimmer gradually right to the edge of the beam, so the H600f is somewhere in between H600 spot and fill and the H602 pure flood,

I recently purchased a fenix Hp15, i find the spot and spill distracting when doing closeup things, works great with the diffuser though, i have had a zebralight H51f and the H502 which have the same beams as the H600f and H602 but use AA batteries,
the H602 with no reflector will dazzle people when talking to them because the led is closer to the lens,
I like the H600f with the frosted lens better than the other two, gives a nice diffused bean with a brighter center gradually dimming to the edge, a nice flood with a little bit of throw.


Go here, scroll down the page for the two beam shots, frosted and spot spill, http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?154389-ZebraLights&highlight=Zebralight+H600

Some pics of the H602 beam, http://www.britishblades.com/forums...ed-head-torch/page2&highlight=Zebralight+H600

For working close up the h602 is phenomenal. That is one of the best purchases that I've made all year.

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I'm in the market since I recently lost my Zebralight headlamp. I just looked up the order from April 2009 since I couldn't remember which model I had and it appears that it was a ZL H60 18650 headlamp. Which of these current lights would most closely match the H60? I always considered that H60 to be a floody light and I don't recall any significant hot spot.

i recommend getting the h600 and stick-on diffuser film if needed. for outdoor use a little bit of throw is needed. for close up work just stick on the diffuser film

Recently, I gave away my H31W and my H31FW to a pair of nephews. When I tried to order a new pair, I found that Zebralight has discontinued their CR123 line of lights, except for the H31W. I guess AA's won that contest.
I now own an H600w and an H600FW. They are a nice color and they complement one another. No clip, however. That's too bad. The one for the H31 is just a bit too small for the H600's, and the clip is handy.

Overclocker said:

i recommend getting the h600 and stick-on diffuser film if needed. for outdoor use a little bit of throw is needed. for close up work just stick on the diffuser film

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That makes sense and it seems like it gives you the best of both worlds.

Can you supply a link for a recommended diffuser film? Can the film be removed and put back on easily enough?

Thanks for your thoughts.

Overclocker said:

i recommend getting the h600 and stick-on diffuser film if needed. for outdoor use a little bit of throw is needed. for close up work just stick on the diffuser film

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One other question related to diffuser film. . . Is the effect from the diffuser film virtually the same as what is obtained with the frosted glass? What is the angle of coverage with the H600 without diffuser film? Does the film increase the angle or merely smooth out the area already covered?

Thanks.

I'm glad I found this thread. I have been contemplating the same questions. I have been using the H600 for a few weeks now and have the H600F on order from ZL. I'll let everyone the differences when it gets here.

Roger Ranger said:

I found that Zebralight has discontinued their CR123 line of lights, except for the H31W. I guess AA's won that contest.

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ZL is scheduled to release the H32, a CR123 light that updates the H31 with an XM-L2 emitter. So they have not abandoned the idea of CR123 lights. Looks like a great light, and I can't wait to get my hands on it.

Scheduled when? Ummm...well, last November, actually: 11/2013. So they blew that deadline. In an email from November, they told me they plan to release it "early next year".

Overclocker said:

i recommend getting the h600 and stick-on diffuser film if needed. for outdoor use a little bit of throw is needed. for close up work just stick on the diffuser film

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Excellent, this is exactly what I was planning to do.

Good to know my newbie guess reconciles with the advice of someone who knows what they are talking about. :duh2:

FloridaGuy said:

One other question related to diffuser film. . . Is the effect from the diffuser film virtually the same as what is obtained with the frosted glass? What is the angle of coverage with the H600 without diffuser film? Does the film increase the angle or merely smooth out the area already covered?

Thanks.

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I can't answer your first question, but I can answer your second.

The H600 offers a 12 degree hotspot with an 80 degree spill, whereas the H600F offers a 90 degree beam spread from the frosted lens. There are situation where I expect I will benefit from the increased throw of the H600 so, even though I expect the floodier beam will be more useful to me more of the time, I decided to go with the H600 with the intention of purchasing diffuser film.

Given the size of the H600 lens, a single sheet of diffuser film should last a looooooong time even removing, throwing away and replacing as and when the situation requires. I'm therefore working on the assumption I effectively have a H600 and H600F in one package.

Zebralight H600 MK II (Spot and Fill) vs H600F (Floody) vs H602 (no reflector...

Where do you purchase this diffuser film?


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As mentioned before I recently purchased the H600. Although this is an awesome light with amazing throw, it is not very floody and offers a somewhat limited flood pattern in close. The 80 deg spill means just that. For closer in work, the brilliant hot spot is pretty hard on the eyes at anything medium power and above.

I just received the H600F (frosted glass). This is the perfect headlight for me! To my surprise, it seems to have almost as much throw as the H600 but without the severe hot spot. Also, they advertise this as a 90deg spill. In my opinion, it is much wider than this. Instead of having the rigid 80deg cone of the H600, the H600F illuminates nearly all of my field of view.

Once again, while these are both amazing lights, the H600F just suits my needs a little bit better. If long distance with an 80deg flood is a bigger priority for you get the H600. If you want a good balance of vastly improved close in and "almost as good" long distance, then get the H600F.

I'll be posting my H600 in the for sale forum soon!

Re: Zebralight H600 MK II (Spot and Fill) vs H600F (Floody) vs H602 (no reflector...

FloridaGuy said:

Can you supply a link for a recommended diffuser film? Can the film be removed and put back on easily enough?

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Ace12 said:

Where do you purchase this diffuser film?

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http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/sh...haserburn-s-Diffusion-Film-DC-Fix-CPF-Service

I would imagine the film is single use only, but a single sheet from the above link would be enough for many circles the size of the H600 lens.

ColdDeadHands1 said:

I just received the H600F (frosted glass). This is the perfect headlight for me!

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May I ask what you are typically using your headtorch for?

Interesting to see that you feel the H600F is vastly superior for that use, so would be interested to know what that use is. Thanks.

mab13 said:

May I ask what you are typically using your headtorch for?

Interesting to see that you feel the H600F is vastly superior for that use, so would be interested to know what that use is. Thanks.

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I live in the woods so it is actually dark outside at night! I use it daily (well, nightly actually) to do stuff outside like take the trash out, walk the dogs, go to the truck, etc. I also camp and hunt frequently so I use a headlight for just general all purpose stuff. I have been wearing a Princeton Tec Apex Pro 200 lumen light for years. I recently got sick of buying cases of CR123's, stumbled on this forum, and discovered 18650's and Zebralights. I am now hooked!

ColdDeadHands1 said:

I live in the woods so it is actually dark outside at night! I use it daily (well, nightly actually) to do stuff outside like take the trash out, walk the dogs, go to the truck, etc. I also camp and hunt frequently so I use a headlight for just general all purpose stuff. I have been wearing a Princeton Tec Apex Pro 200 lumen light for years. I recently got sick of buying cases of CR123's, stumbled on this forum, and discovered 18650's and Zebralights. I am now hooked!

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Thanks.

I live in a very rural area with no street lighting, so I understand where you're coming from. I find that my H600 Mkii is great for cycling or less familiar walks in the dark (needing to find trails beyond my immediate vicinity) where the extra throw is beneficial, but feel a more diffused beam would be better for walking into the village or running as, in those situations, the hotspot can be uneccesarily bright.

I'm looking forward to receiving my diffuser film which will hopefully give me the best of both worlds as I will be able to cut out dozens of H600 lens size circles given the size of the sheet!

Which is better for night jogging? H600F or H600 with diffuser film?

Starik1 said:

Which is better for night jogging? H600F or H600 with diffuser film?

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I never tried the F models, because I like the regular ones with diffuser film so much. So while I cannot speak with 100% certainty, I highly recommend the H600 with film. It reduces the "bouncing ping pong ball" in front of you, but not completely eliminating a hot spot. Nice transition to flood.