Zebralight SC52W vs SC52d throw

Hi guys,

I have a SC52W and while it has an output of 500lm in turbo mode, it's poor throw and white light reflects more light back to my eyes outdoors especially when it's foggy. I understand the SC52d has high cri and a tighter hotspot albeit with lower output .

So the question is, does the tighter spot and high cri throws further than the SC52w with a lower output? Has anyone with both lights done a comparison ?

I'm also open to other AA/AAA lights with throw and penetrates through fog.

Thanks guys!

Try to find a removable yellow filter that fits it.
I live in a very foggy area, and the yellow filter works best.

1. SC52w is 500 lumens on 14500 on turbo for 1 minute, then I think around 200 lumens. SC62d is 320 lumens for 3 hours. If you're going for long walks with it, the SC62d will be able to maintain max power for MUCH longer. The beam is also more focused due to the smaller emitter. I'd expect the SC62d to have more throw.

2. High CRI just means that the light renders colors better. It has nothing to do with tint, which is what is needed for fog. I understand for penetrating fog, warm tints are best. As the previous poster mentioned a yellow filter would work. Or you could get a light with very warm tint.

The SC52w's tint is 4400K. It's warmer than the 5000K tint of the SC62d. I'd expect the SC62d to reflect quite a lot of light from fog back to you. A better choice might be to go for the warmer 4000K SC62c, but even that might not be warm enough for cutting through fog.

Another option is to go for the SC62w. Same tint as the SC52w so fog would be an issue. However, it boasts excellent runtime with much higher output than the previous lights. Despite having a floody beam like the SC52w, it easily outthrows the SC62d.

twl said:

Try to find a removable yellow filter that fits it.
I live in a very foggy area, and the yellow filter works best.

Click to expand...

Test your filter though before going on a walk.

I had some old removable plastic filters leftover from some 20-year-old incandescent 2xAA light. I tried one of the filters recently in a 3x XPG2 triple. The filter melted within a minute.

eclipsesharp said:

Hi guys,

I have a SC52W and while it has an output of 500lm in turbo mode, it's poor throw and white light reflects more light back to my eyes outdoors especially when it's foggy. I understand the SC52d has high cri and a tighter hotspot albeit with lower output .

So the question is, does the tighter spot and high cri throws further than the SC52w with a lower output? Has anyone with both lights done a comparison ?

I'm also open to other AA/AAA lights with throw and penetrates through fog.

Thanks guys!

Click to expand...

As you mentioned a tighter beam is good in the fog. I've not played much with tints, the Surefire optics have always produced a nice beam that really cuts the fog. It was very foggy here this morning, I should have went to work later and played with flashlights when I got up.