New H53c AA Headlamp Neutral White High CRI!

holygeez03

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Sep 30, 2010
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Excited to finally have a replacement for my beloved H52Fw... but a little disappointed that H1 won't reach anywhere near the 475lm burst mode of the H52 with 14500... 400lm H1 with AA would be awesome.

Also not sure about the "pre-installed clip"... I really like the clips on the old headlamps since they are "deep carry" and not overly tight or bulky.

Will there be a H53Fw with slightly less CRI, but way more output?

This will probably get moved to the Headlamp section, but I hope not since I EDC my H52Fw and almost never use it as a headlamp.
 

twistedraven

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Oct 22, 2014
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I like the idea of sustained output over a bust output that PID throttles down to 285lumens within a minute. Still waiting for an 18650 version though.
 

holygeez03

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Sep 30, 2010
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I'm afraid that the pre-installed clip will not be "deep carry"... I really hope I'm wrong since that really changes the EDC-ability...

The SC5w mkII appears to be able to sustain 407lm with the 80 CRI emitter, so I am really hoping for that in the H53Fw.
 
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eh4

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Oct 18, 2011
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I don't see why they'd remove an option for the clip, pre-installed may very well simply mean that it's already clipped onto the light, it doesn't say permanently installed or anything.
Maybe they got a bunch of feedback from people who had trouble putting the clip on?
 

davidt1

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Sep 23, 2008
Messages
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Excited to finally have a replacement for my beloved H52Fw... but a little disappointed that H1 won't reach anywhere near the 475lm burst mode of the H52 with 14500... 400lm H1 with AA would be awesome.

Also not sure about the "pre-installed clip"... I really like the clips on the old headlamps since they are "deep carry" and not overly tight or bulky.

Will there be a H53Fw with slightly less CRI, but way more output?

This will probably get moved to the Headlamp section, but I hope not since I EDC my H52Fw and almost never use it as a headlamp.

I am curious about this "pre-installed clip" too. If it's not a swiveling clip like on their previous AA headlamps, I am not interested.
 

holygeez03

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Sep 30, 2010
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It does list a pocket clip as an accessory in the box... so hopefully it's the traditional removable "deep carry" clip!

Really want a photo!
 

TCY

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Oct 15, 2013
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I actually asked ZL about the pocket clip on the H53 series about three weeks ago. Their response: "The H53Fc will continue use the same clips as in the H52 series."
 

davidt1

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Sep 23, 2008
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I actually asked ZL about the pocket clip on the H53 series about three weeks ago. Their response: "The H53Fc will continue use the same clips as in the H52 series."

Thanks for this info. Things are looking good. I notice the length is 2.9 in. vs. 3.0 in for the H52.

Now what to do with my H52w and H502w. Thousands of hours of use and they still don't die so I can justify buying new lights.
 

lampeDépêche

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May 15, 2012
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Generally good news, and I'm glad to see it go up for pre-order.

But I'm really puzzled about the H1 level, and how low it is.

When they announced that the H53 would no longer support the 14500, I assumed this meant it would have a circuit like the SC5's circuit, i.e. a dedicated 1.2 volt circuit that could put out a very high amperage to the emitter.

Now it looks like it is the worst of both worlds--does not support 14500, and does not produce high outputs from 1.2v cells.

Is 285 lumens enough for most headlamp uses? Maybe....

But having that 500 lumen option for a quick flash was a *huge* advantage. It made the h52 a much more plausible EDC for all purpose.

I will still pre-order this, but I will be disappointed if it really does max out at 285. I hope there is more to this story?
 

lampeDépêche

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May 15, 2012
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Okay, I went ahead and pre-ordered one. I'm excited!

We'll learn more about the numbers and details as they get closer to the release.
 

iamlucky13

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Oct 11, 2016
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Honestly, while I'm a bit disappointed it doesn't share the same H1 output as the SC5c II, it's not a big deal to me. If I get the light, there will probably be a few occasions where I'd like to be able to kick the output up just a bit more for a moment to see further down the trail, but they won't be critical.

It's a pity I don't really have a legitimate excuse to buy one of these. My current headlamp is good enough, but this just looks great.

Interestingly, the H52 headlamps are currently listed as $5 more on Zebralights site than the H53 headlamps.
 

mellowman

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Aug 20, 2009
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157
Bought my H52w like 3-4 years ago. Current stock is out of stock, not even back ordered. The replacement is about same lumens and some additional modes G6, G7 which personally don't like as I have relatives who for whatever reason tend to just mash on the button multiple times till light comes out. Love me some high CRI but after so many years feels like a step down without 1450 support.

Wonder what the larger led will do to the hot spot. From the specs it will be narrower, 10 vs 12 deg but that doesn't seem right to me. Larger LED should give larger hot sport all else being equal.
 
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