Headlamps

MT257

WKR
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18650 Zebralight continues to prove itself in the field. Fantastic moonlight mode through blinding 1500+ true lumens high range is hard to beat. Extremely long run time is why I prefer the 18650 battery. It has about 4.5 times the capacity of 3 aaa cells. One battery will last about 8 days continuous running (yep, 24 hours a day for 8 days) at camp brightness, or 4 months on moonlight.

I carry a Petzl e-light as a backup. It weighs less than an oz.
View attachment 149545

which exact zebralight is this? I see they have various 18650 models
 

Terrapin

WKR
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Jan 14, 2014
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I’ve had all of the expensive ones. Not overly impressed. Broken, corroded, lost, runned over.... mostly just storage for obscure dead batteries. Went back to the Energizer from Walmart. Maybe once my kids (and I) get more responsible I’ll buy the flavor of the day once more.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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which exact zebralight is this? I see they have various 18650 models

I run two different lights, one is pure flood, the other is spot with spill, but still pretty "floody". I choose my lights based on LED color, because I care more about natural colors than pure brightness.

H604c​
H604c 18650 XHP50.2 Flood 4000K High CRI Headlamp​
$89.00​
1​
$89.00​
H600Fc Mk IV​
H600Fc Mk IV 18650 XHP50.2 Floody 4000K High CRI Headlamp​
$89.00​
1​
$89.00​

High CRI means the light it produces has a large spectrum of colors, which makes the colors you see more accurate. 4000K means 4000 Kelvin. That means the spectrum is centered on a nice warm light, sort of like a candle color, whereas a higher Kelvin light is more like the harsh white LEDs you see on headlights today. Oddly enough, the higher the Kelvin rating the more "cool" the light is said to be, even though Kelvin is a temperature unit, like Fahrenheit.
color-comparison.jpg
 
Last edited:
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Does this style have 2 straps or just the main one?

I run 2, but the strap that runs up and over the top of your head is removable.

which exact zebralight is this? I see they have various 18650 models

I can't answer for Mike, but I use a H600Fw Floody in neutral white. Mine is a few years old and is a Mark II, but the current model is the Mark IV.
 
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High CRI means the light it produces has a large spectrum of colors, which makes the colors you see more accurate.

Having never seen them, I've been curious about the high CRI models. Have you compared them to the regular bulbs? Noticeable difference?
 
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Having never seen them, I've been curious about the high CRI models. Have you compared them to the regular bulbs? Noticeable difference?


See above. I added a photo above that pretty dramatically shows the difference. I have tried 3000K flashlights, but they are too brown for me. 4000K is closer to what you see during the day under natural light.
 
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Yep. I remove the over-the-head strap. Since I work with one in harsh conditions all the time, they have proven to stay in place without the top strap, and don't have to be so tight as to be uncomfortable.
 

Tod osier

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I run 2, but the strap that runs up and over the top of your head is removable.



I can't answer for Mike, but I use a H600Fw Floody in neutral white. Mine is a few years old and is a Mark II, but the current model is the Mark IV.
Yes on this. I'd start with a h600 floody in neutral (w) as a point of comparison. Some of the high cri LEDs are lower output, tho max is seldom needed. The high cri are very popular. I own 4 neutrals and have 2 high cri in the mail.
 
Last edited:

MT257

WKR
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Sep 25, 2016
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I run two different lights, one is pure flood, the other is spot with spill, but still pretty "floody". I choose my lights based on LED color, because I care more about natural colors than pure brightness.

H604c​
H604c 18650 XHP50.2 Flood 4000K High CRI Headlamp​
$89.00​
1​
$89.00​
H600Fc Mk IV​
H600Fc Mk IV 18650 XHP50.2 Floody 4000K High CRI Headlamp​
$89.00​
1​
$89.00​

High CRI means the light it produces has a large spectrum of colors, which makes the colors you see more accurate. 4000K means 4000 Kelvin. That means the spectrum is centered on a nice warm light, sort of like a candle color, whereas a higher Kelvin light is more like the harsh white LEDs you see on headlights today. Oddly enough, the higher the Kelvin rating the more "cool" the light is said to be, even though Kelvin is a temperature unit, like Fahrenheit.
color-comparison.jpg

So the HI CRI Flood produces a bream of which color from the image you posted? How about the HI CRI Floody? Based on that picture, if I understand it right the further you get away from the warm white the better you'll have a true representation of color?
 
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So the HI CRI Flood produces a bream of which color from the image you posted? How about the HI CRI Floody? Based on that picture, if I understand it right the further you get away from the warm white the better you'll have a true representation of color?

They make 2 different colors in the High CRI beams, 4000K and 5000K.

Flood vs Floody doesnt make any difference in color, only in beam shape. Flood has a high amount of spill (light going to the sides) but not much throw (how far out the beam reaches). The floody has a good mix of both IMO.
 

Beendare

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So the HI CRI Flood produces a bream of which color from the image you posted? How about the HI CRI Floody? Based on that picture, if I understand it right the further you get away from the warm white the better you'll have a true representation of color?



From my link in previous post;
The higher Kelvin rating- like 5,000k is better for discerning detail.....but washes out colors. Thats why they use those in the new car headlamps. A 3000k is better for seeing color like blood trails...the 5,000k makes blood gray vs bright red in the 3,000k.

Guys above complaining about battery leakage would do well to use the rechargeable batteries that don't have that problem.

Spot vs Flood; A spot beam can make you nauseous hiking at night. The flood is a wider angle beam.

______
 

MT257

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Do these zebra light require their battery or can you run them off what appears to be a normal AA battery?
 

rj2

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They have AA lights, but the 600 series being talked about above are all 18650 lights. I believe the 50 series are AA lights
 
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Do these zebra light require their battery or can you run them off what appears to be a normal AA battery?

For the one that take the 18650 batteries (which I would suggest), you don't have to use the zebralight brand battery. (Almost) Any 18650 battery will work. I use the Panasonic NCR18650b in mine that I get off ebay.
 

MT257

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For the one that take the 18650 batteries (which I would suggest), you don't have to use the zebralight brand battery. (Almost) Any 18650 battery will work. I use the Panasonic NCR18650b in mine that I get off ebay.
What is your experience with battery life?
 
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What is your experience with battery life?

You can look up battery life versus setting for every light on the Zebralight website. The color I like is 4000K, which is about the color of the light labeled 4000K in the photo I posted. I use my lights for weeks without changing batteries. On a hunting trip, using your light at night, as they are intended, you will run on low for hiking, ultralow for finding stuff in the tent at night. You'll get about 17 days running NONSTOP on low (which you would never do), and 5.4 months nonstop on ultralow.
 
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