A look at the Zebralight SC51w (replete with beamshots!)

[Spoonrobot]

Zebralight SC51W

*Be aware that when ordering from the Zebralight website that there doesn’t appear to be any consistency to the shipping source of your light. I ordered my light on December 28th, shipping notification came on the 29th and the light arrived, from China on the 18th or January. Several users reported ordering the light and having it arrive within a few days from Texas, not China.

Anywho, on to my little review. This will be more a shallow look at the light in use, a good summary of the UI, PWM and other technical features can be found in selfbuilt’s excellent SC51/50 review.

Earlier in the month I posted a question for SC50/51 owners, the post that I think describes the light the best is as follows:

Interesting design.  Deserves an award.

After handling and using the light pretty heavily this week, I agree with this statement. The overall design is ergonomic, well-sized and functionally intelligent. The UI works very well and allows near-instant access to any of the three levels selected by the user. I say “near-instant” because there is a very short pre-flash when fast-single-clicking to high as well as when fast-double-clicking to medium.

The light is small enough to pocket carry with no problems and can be clipped comfortably inside the waistband for another carry option.




Fit is very good. The tailcap threads smoothly and a good amount of lubricant was applied to the o-ring and threads. The lens and clicky assembly are pressed into place very cleanly and so far have shown water resistance up to spec.

Finish, on the other hand, is lacking. This light sells for $64.99+ and features a level of finish I have only seen on DX lights. There are numerous small issues that show a real lack off attention to detail. First and foremost, the LED on my example is off-center, it doesn’t appear to affect the beam, but is noticeable. The LED dome also has two small spots on it, this is worrying as there have been other reports of damage to the emitter dome with this light.


 
Other issues are chips in the anodizing around the window bezel, and the switch bezel. The cooling fins feature a lot of flashing that is very sharp and will remove skin when the fingertips are rubbed against them. I had to knock down the corners with a rod from the Spyderco Sharpmaker. Being that this is the newest light from Zebralight I would be aware of these issues and pay attention to reports for any other new lights you may be interested in to see if these production issues get worse or crop up again.

The light can be carried multiple ways but it feels pretty good in what appears to be a modified cigar-hold. This feels comfortable and allows level changing without having to rearrange the light.



On to the beamshots!

Let’s start with a ceiling bounce to get the overall idea of the brightness of the light. Here’s the SC51w on medium 1 (26 lumens) and on high 1 (172 lumens):


And here’s the Preon 2 NW on medium (30 lumens) and high (148 lumens)


The medium levels appear very similar but the high levels are noticeably different to my eye. The SC51w is slightly brighter as well as a different tint.

Tint? Let’s take a look! The SC51w is on the left, Preon 2 NW on the right, both lights are on low. The SC51w leans towards the orange end, while the Preon 2 NW leans more towards a white/beige tone with a hint of yellow.


SC51w on the left and Preon 2 Cool White on the right.


So, the tint is nice. A creamy orange tone that doesn’t have any cool blue tones, and no green either . How are the beam profiles? Let’s look at the SC51w on the left, Preon 2 NW in the middle and Preon 2 CW on the right. The Preons have a wider hotspot and a brighter spill beam.


So, the SC51w has a tighter hotspot and a larger reflector, does it throw any better than the Preons?

For these shots I brought along the rest of my lights since they are a good representation of the different tints we’ve seen in lights over time. That, and they’re all the lights I have to compare too . Here’s my set-up:

From left to right: ZL SC51w, Preon 1 CW, Preon 2 NW, Pentagonlight L3 w/WWOT Lux V, Wolf-Eyes 9M and mounted down below a P4 Lumapower D-Mini.

Here are the pictures. The bridge support is about 100 feet away.
9M @130 lumens


L3 @120 lumens


P1 CW @60 lumens


P2 NW @140 lumens


SC51w @170 lumens


D-Mini @60 lumens (?)


The SC51w does appear to throw better than the Preon 2 NW, the larger reflector no doubt helps with this. It’s not a thrower by any means but it is more balanced and seems to work well for general use.

Last thing for now is a look at the low 2 level of 0.18 lumens. Here’s the low 2 level for the SC51w, then the low 1 level of 2.2 lumens, last the Preon 2 NW low of @7 lumens.


Interesting to note is that my digital camera picks up the PWM of the low 2 during movie mode, the other PWM mode, high 2 does not appear on my camera’s movie mode.


So, there’s my short look at the SC51w. I’m looking forward to using it more and seeing how well it works. Any questions, comments or requests?

[nuphoria]

Great write up, thank you

I have the SC30 and the old H501 - both great lights IMO. I think Zebralight fill a niche which other manufacturers don't. Other than that naughty pocket eating clip, I love it!

[NutSAK]

Thanks for the great review and excellent beamshots Spoon!! 

I think the UI is well thought out on these, and I've nearly bought one several times.  The only thing that has kept me from it is the switch position, but now that I see the fit and finish issues, I'm even less sure about it.  The tint looks great!

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

As ever, that's a bloody fine review mate

[Gareth]

I've been tempted by these on several occasions, but money and inclination have never quite coincided.   Good review and excellent beamshots.

[Styerman]

Nice looking lite , I've been thinking about one of their headlamps for the longest time . It will be a toss up wether I go with the Saint Minimus AA or the Zebra lite .

Chris