Is it time for 26650 Zebralight?

Is it time for 26650 Zebralight? I think it is!

They have done the 18650 proud. Not to mention almost every other cell.

So with the introduction of a top quality 26650 with serious capacity (KeepPower 26650 5200mAh), I think it's time ZebraLight once again makes a flashlight the sets it further apart from the boring competition.

1. Should it be derived from the SC600?
2. A new pocketrocket thrower?
3. A blaster using 2 x 26650?
4. A headlamp with insane runtime?

I don't know... but I think it is time for a Zebralight 26650 light.

With the current crop of 18650s out and about on the market, I don't think I'd be enticed by a 26650 ZL. I know some people love and use the 26650 cell and if it didn't cause ZL a problem building one, why not I guess, but I have no desire to run the 26650 cell and I use 10440s, 1450s, 16340s, 16650/17670s and 18650s, so I'm a li-ion fan.

Chris

I would buy one, but only if they get rid of the green tinted LEDs

Nice stubby H52 style, I'm in. Haven't noticed any green in the two I've had.

YES, YES, YES!

And yes, it could be based on the SC600. The SC62 series has effectively made the SC600 redundant. So they can either watch the SC600 languish in sales, kill it, or repurpose it. And what better light to repurpose as a 26650 light? All they would really have to do is make a larger diameter battery tube. I can tell you right now that I would buy one in an instant.

As for a headlamp, that might be a possibility. But it might be too bulky for that purpose. You never know, though.

I love the 2 X 26650 format. The majority of my flashlight buying ended a couple of years ago and the flashlight that has proven one of my favorites is the Trustfire TR-J12 with 5X XM-Ls. I have found that when a pocket carry light(Zebralight of some sort) isn't sufficient, I bypass everything else and go directly to the the TF. This light is about the size of a 2D Maglite and puts out monstrous amounts of light.


I would love to see Zebralight do their thing with this form factor, putting a side switch on it and using their UI.

The thought never crossed my mind, but it would be interesting! This reminds me...they should bring the SC6330 back.

onetrickpony said:

…………….Haven't noticed any green in the two I've had.

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I am envious. Both of mine, purchased in the last 3 months, have green output.

No it is not time.
The 26650 will give more runtime, but that's about it really.
However, the cell type isn't mainstream yet, not even a little bit.

markr6 said:

The thought never crossed my mind, but it would be interesting! This reminds me...they should bring the SC6330 back.

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Don't hold your breath on the SC6330 any time soon. ZL told me definately not this year

Triple xpl. Single 26650. Super compact. Killer

Jeffg330 said:

Don't hold your breath on the SC6330 any time soon. ZL told me definately not this year

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Yeah, it is expensive so I shouldn't push it But last time I asked them about the H600 in a torch style (SC62), they said there were no plans. A few weeks later, it was for sale. So I don't get my hopes up...or down based on their responses.

+

short answer..



== YES ==

Oh hell no.
What a waste of R&D, time and money to develop a light that has an unpopular battery system.
Besides the R40 and MMUX3, I don't know of any other 26650 light. They might be out there but the fact that there are so few, which indicates it's not what people want, or that companies would of make them.
A 26650 light will probably not be pocketable, and offer no real practical advantage to using 2x18650.
The 26650 is not new, if it was that great we'd see more lights supporting that battery.

SureAddicted said:

A 26650 light will probably not be pocketable, and offer no real practical advantage to using 2x18650.
The 26650 is not new, if it was that great we'd see more lights supporting that battery.

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A 26650 would actually have a couple of advantages over 2x18650. One is ergonomics. A 26650 light just fits better into the hand than the thinner but wider rectangular cross section needed to house 2x18650. Think about how good a C cell Mag feels in the hand. A 26650 flashlight feels prety much exactly the same way. Another advantage is simplicity. A single cell light is simpler both in design and when it comes to changing batteries. Although changing 2x18650 can't exactly be considered rocket science, it is still significantly more difficult to do in the dark. On the other hand, nothing is simpler to change in the dark than a single cell. And there are no worries about such things as inserting two cells with mismatched states of charge.

As for why there is little interest in 26650 lights, size might have something to do with it. But I think the bigger issue has been battery capacity. For a long time, 26650s were stalled out at 4000mAH. And although the difference in capacity between a 4000mAH King Kong and a Panasonic NCR18650B is significantly larger than the numbers suggest, most people just look at 4000mAH vs 3400mAH. For most, the difference is not large enough to justify a bigger light. But this is no longer the case. 18650s are pretty much maxed out at 3400mAH (or an optimistic 3600mAH if you consider the NCR18650G) at this point in time. But 26650s have grown to 5200mAH. And unlike 18650s, they actually have room to grow. 26650s now actually have a VERY significant capacity advantage compared to 18650s.

Yes!! I certainly would be up for a 26650 Zebralight!! I agree that it would feel great in the hand!

I don't think 18650 capacity is near topped out yet. I read somewhere that a new technology in the electrodes will push it substantially further up into the 4000mAh+ range.

As for the 26650 having less power sag on high drain modes, this isn't a big advantage since most of us use unmodified lights and the 18650 can keep up with stock lights running 3A on high.

About the 26650 with a capacity above 5000mAh, is that a real number? There are several 26650 on the market making unsubstantiated claims of high capacity.

Jeffg330 said:

Don't hold your breath on the SC6330 any time soon. ZL told me definately not this year

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That's a bummer. I was looking into purchasing one when it went out of production. Probably not worth the trouble to make since their single LED lights are selling like hotcakes and are much less complex to build (no need to match LED color, output, etc.).

Now used S6330 are in high demand. I was hoping for something similar to the Olight SR mini.

carl said:

As for the 26650 having less power sag on high drain modes, this isn't a big advantage since most of us use unmodified lights and the 18650 can keep up with stock lights running 3A on high.

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It might not be a big advantage for YOU, but a lot of us do have modified lights. And most single cell lights have relatively poor regulation on the highest mode, so you will get higher brightness for longer even with many stock lights.

carl said:

About the 26650 with a capacity above 5000mAh, is that a real number? There are several 26650 on the market making unsubstantiated claims of high capacity.

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Yes, it is a real number. 5200 mAh. You can buy them right now. Illumination Supply, for example, has both the protected and unprotected Keeppower 5200 in stock.

But don't take my word for it - here is a professional review, with graphs.

SureAddicted said:

What a waste of R&D, time and money to develop a light that has an unpopular battery system.

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What research and development? All they have to do is enlarge the battery tube. Couldn't get much simpler than that.

SureAddicted said:

A 26650 light will probably not be pocketable, and offer no real practical advantage to using 2x18650.
The 26650 is not new, if it was that great we'd see more lights supporting that battery.

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It would offer much better runtime, and arguably better ergonomics. Those seem like solid, practical advantages to me. Also, as StorminMatt said, until recently, the capacity difference wasn't that large. 18650s were getting all the attention, thanks to laptops and Tesla. But recently 26650s have improved dramatically, to the point where there is now a major boost in capacity with the larger cell.