Need some help picking a zebralight headlamp please

[Browtinemt]

I’ve tried to do my due diligence, but holy hell are those lights confusing. I have a great black diamond headlamp for hiking in and close up work, but last year had to track blood trail in the dark and was annoyed with how little I could see when I was specifically looking for something instead of just a general path. This would be a light used in the timber and mountain terrain. I’m slightly red color blind to complicate matters further. I think I’ve “narrowed“ what I want to the h600fc mk iv, h600fd mk iv, h600c mk iv or h600d mk iv. Honestly I don’t know if I’d notice the difference between a 80 degree spill or a 90 degree spill and I surely don’t know the difference between the “c” and “d” models. Can anyone shed some light on which of these headlamps is best suited for blood trailing in the dark? Thanks!

 

[rob86jeep]

H600 Mk IV - cool white, normal beam
H600w Mk IV - neutral white, normal beam
H600F Mk IV - cool white, (frosted) floody beam
H600Fw Mk IV - neutral white, (frosted) floody beam
H600Fc Mk IV - High CRI 4000K, (frosted) floody beam
H600Fd Mk IV - High CRI 5000K, (frosted) floody beam

I just went through this a few months ago and decided on the H600w. The only thing I may have done different is get one of the high CRI models as i've "heard" they are better at seeing blood. People seem to be split between liking the spot (normal) beam vs the floody beam so I bet you'd be happy with either. I went with the spot because I read you can put some tape over the lens of a spot and pretty much turn it into a floody so you can have the best of both worlds. There's a lot of info on candlepowerforums if you want to do some more reading.

 

[Hobbes330]

Not to add to your delima of picking a light but I’m a big fan of Nitecore lights and they are a little less expensive than the zebra lights.


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[fwafwow]

@Browtinemt I feel your pain. I went through that a while ago and threw up my hands to just stick w/ the one I have (which I'm confident isn't as good). @rob86jeep - thanks for the summary. I'm too stupid to know the difference between cool, neutral, frosted, floppy and normal. I *think* I know what those terms mean, but I'm not sure. If only the model naming convention was more complicated...

 

[rob86jeep]

@Browtinemt I feel your pain. I went through that a while ago and threw up my hands to just stick w/ the one I have (which I'm confident isn't as good). @rob86jeep - thanks for the summary. I'm too stupid to know the difference between cool, neutral, frosted, floppy and normal. I *think* I know what those terms mean, but I'm not sure. If only the model naming convention was more complicated...

lol, Zebralight could definitely benefit from a better naming convention.

Usually, the "cooler" the light the more blue tint it has to it (making blood harder to track/see) and the "warmer" the light the more yellow it has to it. I think Sunlight is around 4500k if I remember right.

Frosted just means the put a coating on the lens to spread the beam out a little more so it's not just a spot light. Their "floody" lights have a frosted lens. It's like a compromise between a spot light and a flood light.

 

[Browtinemt]

H600 Mk IV - cool white, normal beam
H600w Mk IV - neutral white, normal beam
H600F Mk IV - cool white, (frosted) floody beam
H600Fw Mk IV - neutral white, (frosted) floody beam
H600Fc Mk IV - High CRI 4000K, (frosted) floody beam
H600Fd Mk IV - High CRI 5000K, (frosted) floody beam

Thanks rob that’s great info! I was leaning towards the H600Fc, but Beendare seemed to really like the h600w in his thread. I appreciate your knowledge.

 

[Browtinemt]

Not to add to your delima of picking a light but I’m a big fan of Nitecore lights and they are a little less expensive than the zebra lights.


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Thanks Hobbes, any particular model you like from nitecore?

 

[Browtinemt]

@Browtinemt I feel your pain. I went through that a while ago and threw up my hands to just stick w/ the one I have (which I'm confident isn't as good). @rob86jeep - thanks for the summary. I'm too stupid to know the difference between cool, neutral, frosted, floppy and normal. I *think* I know what those terms mean, but I'm not sure. If only the model naming convention was more complicated...

Haha, hopefully I’ll be able to pick one and then use it to trail again this fall so I can let you know if it works or not.

 

[TheCougar]

I have the H600C (normal beam and 4000K to mimic sunlight). That thing is awesome. It can light up a hillside 200 yards away in “hate mode”. Excellent for finding a trail in the dark and looking way out in front of you. Pretty sure you can see it from space. I think the extra throw you get from the normal beam beats out the extra 10 degrees of beam spread you get with the floody.

 

[taggart_lumpy]

i don’t remember all the names but i have a neutral floody and it’s great!

 

[Brendan]

H502W fan here. I personally like an AA headlamp as my primary because it's lighter than 18650 and easy to carry a couple lithium spares, and I have carry-over to all my other AA devices. Then, Petzl e-light for emergencies stays in my bino harness.

I have one of their 18650 headlights and find myself rarely using it. I do carry one of their 18650 flashlights though.

Also have H502R for the red beam getting in and out of tree stands during deer season.

 

[Browtinemt]

I have the H600C (normal beam and 4000K to mimic sunlight). That thing is awesome. It can light up a hillside 200 yards away in “hate mode”. Excellent for finding a trail in the dark and looking way out in front of you. Pretty sure you can see it from space. I think the extra throw you get from the normal beam beats out the extra 10 degrees of beam spread you get with the floody.

How is it in the timber? My hesitation with a lot of throw is that we usually can’t see more than 50-60 yds so I was thinking the extra 10 degrees of spread might help catch an angler tip or upside down leg in the peripheral.

 

[TheCougar]

How is it in the timber? My hesitation with a lot of throw is that we usually can’t see more than 50-60 yds so I was thinking the extra 10 degrees of spread might help catch an angler tip or upside down leg in the peripheral.

On full blast, you can see a couple of hundred yards. I don’t ever run it for long at that setting, but it’s nice when I need it. Great for finding the trail or seeing what’s way out in front of you. Never used the floody, so I can’t compare. Honestly I have never wished I had more peripheral. You can’t go wrong with either!

 

[TheCougar]

How is it in the timber? My hesitation with a lot of throw is that we usually can’t see more than 50-60 yds so I was thinking the extra 10 degrees of spread might help catch an angler tip or upside down leg in the peripheral.

Get yourself one of these also. Charges your headlamp in the field or turns your headlamp battery into a battery pack to charge other devices. I carry an extra 18650 battery in my pack in case my lipstick charger dies.

Nitecore LC10 Magnetic Rechargeable Battery USB Charger https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F2S43M7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Uh-lFbBVVMSRN


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[mrgreen]

Thanks Hobbes, any particular model you like from nitecore?

I also use Nitecore, I have a HC90 I've been using for (I just checked my Amazon orders) 6 years. I'm very happy with it. I see reviews that don't like the slider switch, but it's never been a problem for me.

My backup is a super light (33g) NU25.

 

[aaronoto]

I run the H600w MK IV and love it. The neutral light color is a nice balance of not too warm but not too white. The beam itself is a great combination of spot plus flood. I've never wanted more flood or more spot, it's perfect. As others have mentioned, they're ridiculously bright when in highest power mode, and battery life is outstanding. I've converted a couple of my hunting buddies over to them once they see the beam quality, light output, and battery life.

I spend most of my time hiking through the woods to get to the alpine or I'm duck hunting with it, so the amount of flood doesn't bother me with the normal beam. With that said, if you spend most of your time in the timber, you'd probably want a tad more flood.

 

[cornfedkiller]

This guys youtube channel has examples of pretty much anything you need to know. This video shows a good comparison between the 600w and the 600Fw.

Also, this thread is pretty awesome.. page 8 has some great examples.

Zebralight H600 MK II (Spot and Fill) vs H600F (Floody) vs H602 (no reflector) beams

I don't see this detail on the Zebralight website so could someone please explain the practical beam differences between these lights and what uses each of them are most appropriate for? How do the beam angles compare? I will use this often while reading in bed and doing up-close work and I...

www.candlepowerforums.com

 

[T28w]

Man I love this forum. I was getting paralysis by analysis there for a while. Looking to buy a zebra light but don’t have any other 18650 devices. Zebra lights has a couple diff batteries for sale ranging from 6ish up to 18 dollars or so. Can anybody give me a quick rundown on what I would need for the markIV. I like the little charge in the link a couple post above. Is that all I would need or should I look at diff chargers.

I’ve seen streamlights 18650 has a usb type connection on the battery itself. Would this be an option?

 

[cornfedkiller]

Man I love this forum. I was getting paralysis by analysis there for a while. Looking to buy a zebra light but don’t have any other 18650 devices. Zebra lights has a couple diff batteries for sale ranging from 6ish up to 18 dollars or so. Can anybody give me a quick rundown on what I would need for the markIV. I like the little charge in the link a couple post above. Is that all I would need or should I look at diff chargers.

I’ve seen streamlights 18650 has a usb type connection on the battery itself. Would this be an option?

For batteries, I've been using the green Panasonic NCRs from Japan. No complaints at all. I use the button top ones (rather that flat top) because they work in anything that uses an 18650.

Ebay Panasonic Batteries Link

I don't have the charger linked above, but its the way to go because it runs both ways - you can use the battery to charge other devices. The batteries with the usb connection directly in the battery work just fine, and it would be one less thing you need to have, but it doesnt work in reverse like the charger linked above.

 

[Browtinemt]

Thanks for the help! I ordered the 600fc based on reviews and recommendations. I’m still not sure what high cri is, but most people say colors are more vibrant with high cri and a kelvin of 4000ish, both attributes of the 600fc. I went with the zebralight 18650 batteries with the Panasonic cells and the Miboxer c4 smart charger. Beendare’s thread https://www.rokslide.com/forums/threads/happy-headlamp-to-me.112090/ was a great resource, especially his links for charger and battery reviews. I’ll post back after big game and waterfowl season with how everything worked out. Thanks again.