Woods Walker
The Wood is cut, The Bacon is cooked, Now it’s tim
Prologue.
I believe, unless mistaken the SC5 and SC5w are the brightest 1XAA (using common battery types) production flashlights made today. This and the extreme low modes are what drew me to the gear item. My first encounter with ZL was the H50 1XAA headlamp nearly a decade ago followed by the H501 and H501w. On occasion I still use these headlamps. For a time (years ago) there were reported quality control issues so I kept away however never had a problem with my headlamps though the H501 was only used on one outing. Despite having a fantastic vanilla CW tint the "w" version always got more play. As time past reports of quality control problems were replaced with praise for the brand so decided to buy one of their flashlights. Last year, I think around autumn purchased a ZL SC5w. So now finally it's time for the review.
ZebraLight SC5w field use review.
Stats and UI information for ZebraLight.
http://www.zebralight.com/SC5w-AA-Flashlight-Neutral-White-OP_p_169.html
Lets take a look at it. The switch is set into the body to help prevent accidental activation. It feels like a quality switch and so far no issues. Lettering looks fairly crisp though that's cosmetic in nature. Still gear which fails cosmetics often has other deeper issue issues. This looks good.
The LED is properly centered.
Compared to a Fenix LD10 with XP-G1. The reflector seems larger than the LD10 though the XM-L2 LED is also larger. This will mitigate some throw but the beam seems like a good compromise between flood and throw.
At 500 lumens for the NW and 545 for CW one might expect such a small light to cook however it really doesn't seem to overheat. The shape reminds me of a larger 1XCR123 light. It doesn't fit in any 1XAA sheath and despite spending 70 dollars it came without one. Going to add that to my list of cons. I do find the sheath from my Armytek C1 fits. Still the lack of a sheath resulted in a few scratches on the window not that over time dings and scrapes won't happen with EDC stuff. Compared to the Fenix LD10 which is on the larger size for a 1XAA IMO.
So how does it not cook the LED with so much light from a 1XAA pocket rocket? I think a few factors comes into play. ZL is good at pushing the limits with electronics. The light has a good deal of mass and proper heat sinking. Also has these fins. But on the downside the extra mass does make it feel heavier/bulkier than some 1XAA clicky and twisty lights out there.
I don't use the clip for anything other than a lanyard so can't comment beyond it feels tight. I think it might be too tight for it's own good.
The threads are really nice and O-ring large. I have no fear of them wearing out anytime soon. The entire light feels solid. The company claims the electronics are potted but never verified this by inspection. Not willing to beak open a 70 dollar flashlight.
To me this tail cap is unusual. It has 7 little posts which have some give almost like there is a little spring or something inside each. They don't dig into a battery and maintain positive contact though wonder how they would behave during a drop with battery slamming into tail. I only dropped it a few times by mistake onto leaf litter so not sure. Just an unknown factor for me. Looks cool and I guess that counts for something. The light easily locks out by a small twist of the cap. Lockout is an important feature to me.
Field use.
The UI information is shown under the manufacture link and the modes can be seen in the long winded video. Here are some photos for those who don't have the time or inclination to watch video. Heck it's over 20 minutes long so I don't blame anyone who doesn't. LOL! It takes much more time to do this on the move in the woods out of a backpack which is the nature of my field use reviews hence why the videos tend to be longer.
The highest setting which is 500 lumens. I visually compared it to lights of similar ratings (though they weren't using 1XAA NiMH) and found the manufacture's numbers at least visually comparable. The high will step down to 304 lumens after 3 minutes to protect the LED.
Highest of the high settings.
Highest of the medium settings.
Lowest of the low settings nearly point blank into a tree. I believe there are 3 low modes in the programming menu. During actual operation the user will have two low modes to pick from. I have read the light uses PWM for some modes however can't visually detect this. I am sensitive to PWM pulsing so if I can't see it odds are you won't. One of the lowest modes I own.
Dunk/submersion test. This was done in a stream using no measured depth or time. I just put the SC5w into the stream then walked away to take a wiz. It was hot and drank lots of water during the hike. This part always gives me concern was it would be a shame if a 70 dollar flashlight died. That said I would rather know if the rating is reasonably true in a controlled setting than during a time of dire need. I had a backup headlamp.
In it goes. Not sure how long it takes to walk 100 feet from a steam, take a wiz and return but that's how long it was submersed. That said in the real world I surely would remove a light which slipped from my hands into water much faster so IMHO this was a fair test.
And it survived the swim. No water visible in the bezel or tail cap.
The night climbing/bouldering test. I prefer to use a headlamp for this but as often pack a backup flashlight it's very possible I may need to scamper and climb out of a tight spot using a backup light. Done it in the past so include this during a field use test. Still it's not preferable as one hand is taken up holding the flashlight which complicates the 3 points of contact rule. Always keep 3 points of contact in rough terrain.
Made it down ok but still not the funnest part of any flashlight test.
Also did a running test which is on the video. The wide beam still had enough throw to run over rocky ground without concern of missing anything important which could result in a slip, trip or fall. This would be bad news as there is a problem bear in the area.
closing comments.
Cons:
There seems to be a lag between pressing the button off and the light actually turning off. I think this is part of the UI and not an actual problem with the gear item. Doesn't effect the usefulness in the field. There seems to be an undocumented low battery warning system once the light runs down. It's in the video and not a problem with the UI, in fact it's a pro but rather unexpected. Downside of a complex UI is thing can be discovered months into ownership. The easy access to hi mode is sometimes too easy. I had a battery unexpectedly run down during storage but now believe this might have been user error or a battery issue. Actually it happened twice but can't reproduce the problem. It might be too heavy for those who are used to the most UL 1XAA pocket lights. No single click to medium. Just wish it had that but technically not really a con as ZL never claimed it would do that. I want a sheath when spending 70 dollars on a 1XAA flashlight but understand that there are other lights sold without one.
Pros:
Dang! It's both my brightest and maybe dimmest light. They're not lying about the performance. The heat sinking appears really good. The anodizing, lettering, threads, switch and about everything else appears to be quality. The LED is centered and has very pleasing NW tint. Overall it's a very good flashlight. Don't let my longer winded cons make it seem like I don't like the gear item. Just not sure what to say beyond it's really good!
Here is a video review.
I believe, unless mistaken the SC5 and SC5w are the brightest 1XAA (using common battery types) production flashlights made today. This and the extreme low modes are what drew me to the gear item. My first encounter with ZL was the H50 1XAA headlamp nearly a decade ago followed by the H501 and H501w. On occasion I still use these headlamps. For a time (years ago) there were reported quality control issues so I kept away however never had a problem with my headlamps though the H501 was only used on one outing. Despite having a fantastic vanilla CW tint the "w" version always got more play. As time past reports of quality control problems were replaced with praise for the brand so decided to buy one of their flashlights. Last year, I think around autumn purchased a ZL SC5w. So now finally it's time for the review.
ZebraLight SC5w field use review.
Stats and UI information for ZebraLight.
http://www.zebralight.com/SC5w-AA-Flashlight-Neutral-White-OP_p_169.html
Lets take a look at it. The switch is set into the body to help prevent accidental activation. It feels like a quality switch and so far no issues. Lettering looks fairly crisp though that's cosmetic in nature. Still gear which fails cosmetics often has other deeper issue issues. This looks good.
The LED is properly centered.
Compared to a Fenix LD10 with XP-G1. The reflector seems larger than the LD10 though the XM-L2 LED is also larger. This will mitigate some throw but the beam seems like a good compromise between flood and throw.
At 500 lumens for the NW and 545 for CW one might expect such a small light to cook however it really doesn't seem to overheat. The shape reminds me of a larger 1XCR123 light. It doesn't fit in any 1XAA sheath and despite spending 70 dollars it came without one. Going to add that to my list of cons. I do find the sheath from my Armytek C1 fits. Still the lack of a sheath resulted in a few scratches on the window not that over time dings and scrapes won't happen with EDC stuff. Compared to the Fenix LD10 which is on the larger size for a 1XAA IMO.
So how does it not cook the LED with so much light from a 1XAA pocket rocket? I think a few factors comes into play. ZL is good at pushing the limits with electronics. The light has a good deal of mass and proper heat sinking. Also has these fins. But on the downside the extra mass does make it feel heavier/bulkier than some 1XAA clicky and twisty lights out there.
I don't use the clip for anything other than a lanyard so can't comment beyond it feels tight. I think it might be too tight for it's own good.
The threads are really nice and O-ring large. I have no fear of them wearing out anytime soon. The entire light feels solid. The company claims the electronics are potted but never verified this by inspection. Not willing to beak open a 70 dollar flashlight.
To me this tail cap is unusual. It has 7 little posts which have some give almost like there is a little spring or something inside each. They don't dig into a battery and maintain positive contact though wonder how they would behave during a drop with battery slamming into tail. I only dropped it a few times by mistake onto leaf litter so not sure. Just an unknown factor for me. Looks cool and I guess that counts for something. The light easily locks out by a small twist of the cap. Lockout is an important feature to me.
Field use.
The UI information is shown under the manufacture link and the modes can be seen in the long winded video. Here are some photos for those who don't have the time or inclination to watch video. Heck it's over 20 minutes long so I don't blame anyone who doesn't. LOL! It takes much more time to do this on the move in the woods out of a backpack which is the nature of my field use reviews hence why the videos tend to be longer.
The highest setting which is 500 lumens. I visually compared it to lights of similar ratings (though they weren't using 1XAA NiMH) and found the manufacture's numbers at least visually comparable. The high will step down to 304 lumens after 3 minutes to protect the LED.
Highest of the high settings.
Highest of the medium settings.
Lowest of the low settings nearly point blank into a tree. I believe there are 3 low modes in the programming menu. During actual operation the user will have two low modes to pick from. I have read the light uses PWM for some modes however can't visually detect this. I am sensitive to PWM pulsing so if I can't see it odds are you won't. One of the lowest modes I own.
Dunk/submersion test. This was done in a stream using no measured depth or time. I just put the SC5w into the stream then walked away to take a wiz. It was hot and drank lots of water during the hike. This part always gives me concern was it would be a shame if a 70 dollar flashlight died. That said I would rather know if the rating is reasonably true in a controlled setting than during a time of dire need. I had a backup headlamp.
In it goes. Not sure how long it takes to walk 100 feet from a steam, take a wiz and return but that's how long it was submersed. That said in the real world I surely would remove a light which slipped from my hands into water much faster so IMHO this was a fair test.
And it survived the swim. No water visible in the bezel or tail cap.
The night climbing/bouldering test. I prefer to use a headlamp for this but as often pack a backup flashlight it's very possible I may need to scamper and climb out of a tight spot using a backup light. Done it in the past so include this during a field use test. Still it's not preferable as one hand is taken up holding the flashlight which complicates the 3 points of contact rule. Always keep 3 points of contact in rough terrain.
Made it down ok but still not the funnest part of any flashlight test.
Also did a running test which is on the video. The wide beam still had enough throw to run over rocky ground without concern of missing anything important which could result in a slip, trip or fall. This would be bad news as there is a problem bear in the area.
closing comments.
Cons:
There seems to be a lag between pressing the button off and the light actually turning off. I think this is part of the UI and not an actual problem with the gear item. Doesn't effect the usefulness in the field. There seems to be an undocumented low battery warning system once the light runs down. It's in the video and not a problem with the UI, in fact it's a pro but rather unexpected. Downside of a complex UI is thing can be discovered months into ownership. The easy access to hi mode is sometimes too easy. I had a battery unexpectedly run down during storage but now believe this might have been user error or a battery issue. Actually it happened twice but can't reproduce the problem. It might be too heavy for those who are used to the most UL 1XAA pocket lights. No single click to medium. Just wish it had that but technically not really a con as ZL never claimed it would do that. I want a sheath when spending 70 dollars on a 1XAA flashlight but understand that there are other lights sold without one.
Pros:
Dang! It's both my brightest and maybe dimmest light. They're not lying about the performance. The heat sinking appears really good. The anodizing, lettering, threads, switch and about everything else appears to be quality. The LED is centered and has very pleasing NW tint. Overall it's a very good flashlight. Don't let my longer winded cons make it seem like I don't like the gear item. Just not sure what to say beyond it's really good!
Here is a video review.
