Zebralight SC600 Mk III STANDARD?

1300 lumens from a pocket light sounds good. My old SC600 died a long time ago (bad switch I think) and I swore off that brand, never again I said. So after I bought the SC5...and had good luck with that (love the little thing) I'm ready to rebuy one of their 18650 lights and give it another chance. Don't think I'm interested in their "HI" thrower option. I like a general beam with wide spill and wide hotspot.

Now it's a question of CW or NW. I want the brightest, I think...but love the tint of NW. Can those that have them comment on tint? Some CW"s are nice...some not so nice. My old dead SC600's tint was just ok...not a pure white...and not a nice sunny yellowish either. But the XHP 35 is totally different emitter I think (not quit sure what makes the XHP 35 different from the XML's)

From what I've seen so far it seems the tint on the regular XHP35 is decent while the HI version is actually a little bit warmer and better. I have the MK3 HI and would recommend it over the regular MK3. You get a better throw but it's a great balance between a good throw and spill. The tint also seems to be better, all the reports I've read indicate the HI version has better tint for some reason while the MK3 with regular xhp35 isn't as good. Also keep in mind the cool white version is a little warmer this year at 5700k versus 6300k in previous years.

Hi. Nice to see some interest in the standard. I have the SC5wOP and the MkIII.

If you love the SC5w then getting the MkIII in NW will give you a longer running brighter version that still does all the low modes just as well. So you will have little reason to regret it. If you get the CW it will appear a little cooler at lower levels (on Hi it's hard to complain) and you will have to tell yourself 'it's brighter though', until the excuse runs out and you buy the NW anyway.

Indoors I prefer the SC5w. I wouldn't call it neutral but it is warm in the nicest subtlest way. Although the MkIII beam is wider than the little one, the corona is a bit yellow, and the hotspot (a similar size) is more clearly defined, but not that much - I suspect the HI would be worse. For me the MkIII CW tint is so much nicer than the nitecore I have, indoors or out, I got what I wanted, and being new to ZL I'm happy to have the variety, so I know what's what. But I think from where you've started you might prefer the NW, it's maybe bright enough.

I recommend the Mark III HI. The HI emitter gives much more throw than the non-HI version. The hotspot will be smaller, but much more intense.

The spill is still very wide and bright making the light useful for both close up and at longer range. The HI version also has the best tint of all the MK IIIs.

MkIII HI. The tint is incredible NW and the output is incredible it makes my MkII seem dim. Amazingly well done beam out of such a small light.

Badbeams3 said:

Don't think I'm interested in their "HI" thrower option. I like a general beam with wide spill and wide hotspot.

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Along with the others, I love my SC600MKIII HI. It's an amazing amount of light and throw out of such a small light, but you indicate above that you prefer the wider hot spot. Here's a wrinkle - did you consider the SC63w? I had one and sold it (use my SC62w because of its slightly warmer tint) and I miss it already.

I can't speak to the SC600 MKIII Standard because I haven't owned one, but the SC63w is awesome. Not as warm as the SC62w - not quite as neutral as the SC600MKIII HI - but a little bit smaller and more pocketable with a good clip. A few $ cheaper, too. Just a thought...

I posted a few comparative beam shots over here - maybe they'll help

+ eleventy-billion on the HI! At first I figured it would be just a thrower, but I'm finding it to be a good all-around light with the extra throw when you need it.

+1

Loving my HI more. It now seems more neutral(whiter) than before.

Well I know the HI is preferred by many here. But I am reminded of my Thrunite TN4A...the V6 model. Very wide beam that I love. But to me the hot spot is to bright in relationship to the spill. Creates a...follow the bouncing ball type thing. Especially on the lower level. Guess I'm a bit of an odd ball.

I saw a video in which one of our well respected modders, claims the NW tint on the new model sucks...and that the CW is fairly neutral and the way to go. Here it is...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk-542teIPE

Badbeams3 said:

Well I know the HI is preferred by many here. But I am reminded of my Thrunite TN4A...the V6 model. Very wide beam that I love. But to me the hot spot is to bright in relationship to the spill. Creates a...follow the bouncing ball type thing. Especially on the lower level. Guess I'm a bit of an odd ball.

I saw a video in which one of our well respected modders, claims the NW tint on the new model sucks...and that the CW is fairly neutral and the way to go. Here it is...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk-542teIPE

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Different people have different preferences. Nothing unusual.

Badbeams3 said:

Well I know the HI is preferred by many here. But I am reminded of my Thrunite TN4A...the V6 model. Very wide beam that I love. But to me the hot spot is to bright in relationship to the spill. Creates a...follow the bouncing ball type thing. Especially on the lower level. Guess I'm a bit of an odd ball.

I saw a video in which one of our well respected modders, claims the NW tint on the new model sucks...and that the CW is fairly neutral and the way to go. Here it is...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk-542teIPE

Click to expand...

I know what you mean about the hot spot being so much brighter than the spill.. I've had a few lights like this before and usually stay away from throwers for that reason. However the HI version isn't such a tight hot spot that it causes this affect, at least for me. It's a smooth transition to the hotspot and if you have a SC5 or 62/63 series light the beam profile is quite similar except a little smaller. I personally think it's the best balance between spill and throw of any light I've tried. I will say the regular NW version seems to have a yellowish tint so if you do go with a regular version the CW might be a better option.

Badbeams3 said:

Well I know the HI is preferred by many here. But I am reminded of my Thrunite TN4A...the V6 model. Very wide beam that I love. But to me the hot spot is to bright in relationship to the spill. Creates a...follow the bouncing ball type thing. Especially on the lower level. Guess I'm a bit of an odd ball.

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That makes sense. More of an outdoor light for me. Indoors it can still be useful, but obviously not ideal.

newbie66 said:

+1

Loving my HI more. It now seems more neutral(whiter) than before.

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Easy. You've just burnt out your retinas

snowlover91 said:

However the HI version isn't such a tight hot spot that it causes this affect, at least for me. It's a smooth transition to the hotspot and if you have a SC5 or 62/63 series light the beam profile is quite similar except a little smaller.

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The standard doesn't have much of that effect either, although more so at lower settings, however the tranistion from hot spot to spill is not as smooth as the SC5. I was led to believe that the HI would be worse in this regard. If it's better I want one :O) We need beem shots like the wonderful ones done comparing the MH20 and the GT recently.

mico said:

The standard doesn't have much of that effect either, although more so at lower settings, however the tranistion from hot spot to spill is not as smooth as the SC5. I was led to believe that the HI would be worse in this regard. If it's better I want one :O) We need beem shots like the wonderful ones done comparing the MH20 and the GT recently.

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I don't have the standard Mk3 so I can't compare it to that, however the beam profile is similar to the SC5 but with a smaller hotspot. The transition is smooth and tint excellent. Several on here who had or have the standard MK3 also agree that the HI version is much better in the tint department and beam profile. It's a great light and worth every penny!

Badbeams3 said:

So after I bought the SC5...and had good luck with that (love the little thing)

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Sorry to go off-topic but what are your feelings about the pocket clip on the SC5? I'm intrigued by this light but I'd read complaints about the pocket clip being too tight and users saying that the light is a 'pocket shredder'... This is a concern of mine and I'm looking for more feedback on this light... Thanks!

wolfgaze said:

Sorry to go off-topic but what are your feelings about the pocket clip on the SC5? I'm intrigued by this light but I'd read complaints about the pocket clip being too tight and users saying that the light is a 'pocket shredder'... This is a concern of mine and I'm looking for more feedback on this light... Thanks!

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It is sturdy for sure. And tight. In all honesty I have never clipped it on to my belt and seldom have carried it in my pocket. I have a carry bag with my computer and other stuff in it that I occasionally put it in. Another words lol, I do not feel qualified to comment on the clip. Sorry. My love for the SC5 is based only on it's size and performance...and it's a cute little light. Mine is a NW.

Is the MKIII too big for comfortable edc pocket carry?

recDNA said:

Is the MKIII too big for comfortable edc pocket carry?

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Not to me. I find it quite comfortable. I thought it was gonna be big like the mkII models, but man is it small when I got it. The head is slimmer than mkII. YMMV.

I picked up an SC600 MkIII cool white just a few weeks ago and I love it! I don't have any other ZLs to compare it to, but mine has a nice clean white with just a hint of yellowing at the edges. I wanted a wide beam rather than throw, which is why I went with the regular SC600 and not the HI.

These photos aren't the best (all I have is a cheap point-and-shoot digital), but they show the two high modes against my garage door at night. The door is about 70 feet from where the camera and light are set up. The lower modes didn't show up well, due to the level of ambient light near my house (there is a streetlight behind me which gives everything a pink look at night and overwhelms the lower levels).

ZL SC600 MkIII CW; High 1; 70ft to garage


ZL SC600 MkIII CW; High 2; 70ft to garage