SC600w MKIII HI vs EA4w

I am considering an eventual purchase of a SC600w MKIII HI... the light it would be replacing as a "compact thrower" is my EA4w... I love the EA4's beam for its size and I actually like the switch and interface for my purposes... I have several other ZL's, so I am very familiar with its UI as well.

Does anyone have experience with both of these lights? If so, what is the comparison like between the beams?

I believe the EA4 is roughly 20,000cd... is there a firm rating for the SC600 HI?

I believe it was estimated to be around 16,000cd.

Is that for the HI version?

If so, I will probably stick with the EA4.

I really wish the SC600 had a big enough reflector to hit 20k... which would also set it further apart from the SC63.

I was hoping they would differentiate it some more as well, with use of a smooth reflector as opposed to orange peel. But currently, it's just a beefier SC63 with same output, but slightly more throw and slightly longer max output before PID kicks in.

If you are looking for compact throwers, there are better options out there than Zebralight-- although it depends on how big compact is for you.

I actually just want a new ZL and would love to try the SC600w HI, but I can only justify it if it can replace something...

Several people measured the MK3 HI and found it was between 17-19k for throw so it's pretty close. I had an EA41w and gave it to a friend after getting the MK3 HI. I prefer the UI, better beam tint and smaller size for EDC use of the MK3 HI over the EA41w. For me the MK3 HI had a better balance of throw and spill also so it worked better at close to medium distances but also had enough punch if I needed to see something 150-200 yards away, easily.

No the MkIII HI does not have the CD of the EA4. But the difference is 3000 CD at the most. Think about that and picture the two lights side by side. Yes a tiny light that easily doubles as a paper weight and has a reflector width less than 1/4th of the EA4 is that damn close in CD. Now consider output and modes. The HI slaughters the much larger EA4 in every way imaginable. The tiny HI puts OVER 1100 lumens OTF at max. Your EA4 is likely roughly around 700 if that. The XL is thermally regulated and has fully potted electronics the EA4 has a lot of storage capacity behind the reflector.

The tint out the HI is flat out amazing. To my eyes it is literally golden. The beam profile width that comes out the ZL is very close to that of the much larger EA4. I could go on for hours. If you like your NW EA4 keep it. But get the MkIII HI anyways. It is so small it easily vanishes into your pocket. Try that with an EA4. Buy the HI. As a flashaholic and light collector since 1996 I can honestly say the MkIII HI is one of the best lights I have ever seen let alone bought.

I'm aware of the desirable features of the SC600w HI... but I already have the SC62w and I can only justify a larger light if it can replace my EA4w with similar throw.

holygeez03 said:

I actually just want a new ZL and would love to try the SC600w HI, but I can only justify it if it can replace something...

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Might you have any interest in the upcoming SC600 release, the SC600 MK3 PLUS model? It will be a flood beam with 5000k color temperature and a 93-95 CRI... The estimate for release provided by ZL is 'late summer' (August perhaps)....

wolfgaze said:

Might you have any interest in the upcoming SC600 release, the SC600 MK3 PLUS model? It will be a flood beam with 5000k color temperature and a 93-95 CRI... The estimate for release provided by ZL is 'late summer' (August perhaps)....

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That's the one with an XHP50 high CRI and frosted lens?

I'm not very excited about that one. It should be bright ... but will have a mule-like beam pattern with no throw. Personally, I think the SC600 Mk III HI is probably a much more useful blend of flood and spot.

I don't like the tint at all on the "w".
Too yellow to be 4500k for anything.
best to have the 4700 cool. More white than blue according to vinh in his video

The 5700k version probably has just as much probability of having a green tint to it than the 4500k version. At the end of the day, anything without sufficient deep red color saturation will end up looking green compared to anything with sufficient deep red color saturation.

neutralwhite said:

I don't like the tint at all on the "w".
Too yellow to be 4500k for anything.
best to have the 4700 cool. More white than blue according to vinh in his video

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Vinh was referring to the cool white SC600. It's 5700K not 4700K.

Also the tint on the SC600w III HI is superior to the tint on the SC600 III (non-HI). My recollection is that Vinh had not seen an SC600w III HI at the time he made that video as the HI version came out later.

Personally, I rate the SC600w III HI as the best stock light I've ever seen. Fantastic tint, throw, flood, output, form factor. This light pretty much has it all.

holygeez03 said:

I'm aware of the desirable features of the SC600w HI... but I already have the SC62w and I can only justify a larger light if it can replace my EA4w with similar throw.

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As mentioned before, the Nitecore edges out the Zebralight in throw. However, and based solely on my personal experience, Zebralights last longer than a year... so a better investment in my opinion. (Despite my bad luck with Nitecores in general, I still want to try the MH20GT.) I could give you a better answer and comparison with beamshots... if my EA41 wasn't still in China getting warranty work "done" for the past 6 months.

To answer your question more directly, I say the SC600w HI can replace your EA4w. The size, the interface, and the reliability trump the 4AA light.

just to throw it out there there is also the Eagtac GX30AD 3xAA XP-L HI in both CW and NW. 52kCD. Also more compact than the EA41 and EA4. All that being said the ZL HI is a stone cold instant classic

If my EA4w ever kicks the bucket, I will probably replace it with the GX30AD or newer model... but I have never seen actually available in NW, which is required.

I define thrower differently than the fans of Zebralight. I love my sc62w and Zebralight is real quality however I don't consider any Zebralight a "thrower". With the large hotspot the light is diffuse at a distance so appears to throw less than the candela measurements would indicate. Bottom line is to really throw you need a smaller led and/or a bigger reflector. JMO

The MH20GT is a thrower.

recDNA said:

I define thrower differently than the fans of Zebralight. I love my sc62w and Zebralight is real quality however I don't consider any Zebralight a "thrower". With the large hotspot the light is diffuse at a distance so appears to throw less than the candela measurements would indicate. Bottom line is to really throw you need a smaller led and/or a bigger reflector. JMO

The MH20GT is a thrower.

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I guess it does depend on the definition of a thrower and what someone is looking for. I would classify the 62w as a floody EDC light but definitely not good for distance. Same with my other Zebralights. However the MK3 HI is a legit thrower, it can easily reach out 200 yards and light something up and based on the measured throw between 17-19k by several members here the max throw would likely be around 250-275m. That's pretty good imo for a light so small and with the tint it has.

My point was candela can be deceptive. A 19k cd light with XR-E or XP-E2 will appear to throw further than an XPL or bigger XHP emitter with same size reflector because the hotspot is so diffuse. I find a smaller hotspot more visible at distance even if only 1 lumen to my eye.

Andrew and Amanda have both the CW and NW GX30AD