review: polished Zebralight SC52 (a.k.a. "aluminum zebra")

wow! What a gorgeous light!!!

Hey, thanks for the in-depth critique! The part I found most interesting is the difference around the button, I don’t have another SC52 so I was never able to do a side-by-side and didn’t realize that was any different from stock. BTW the anodizing was stripped completely chemically, the only part that was ever sanded was the clip mount, so all the metal that was removed from around the button was done so during polishing on my buffing wheel.

I’m excited to hear of the SC62 coming out but what I’d really like to see is an updated emitter SC31 (or even a complete redesign SC32). If/when that light comes out I’ll probably be getting one and polishing it up from the get go.

TK thanks again for the trade, can’t wait for the H52w to arrive next week, I can’t believe how much I miss having the little thing in my pocket all day and night. I don’t think there was a 6hour window in the past 9 months that the light was out of my pocket, even at night.

Also, love the designation!

Awesome! I wish it was copper!

Very nice looking ZL. I would have to retap the mounting holes for the clip though. Gotta have that!

It looks a little bit like a steel microphone

FWIW, after receiving this item, I learned that Zebralight can do special orders for non-anodized lights. CPF has a thread about it, or at least part of a thread anyway. Here is one of the pictures calflash posted about it:

I hope people don’t mind this thread being pic-heavy. Since this isn’t an item people can just go out and buy, I figured its main purpose was less about being informative and more about flashlight porn.

Great review mate. My take of it is that since the light was badly abused, it must have had anno wear and the chemical process ripping it off its anno was a story to get the light sold/exchanged. Just my opinion for what its worth (nothing)

Ok just watched the original thread by CK. This has to be among most dishonest pics I’ve ever seen.
Those 2 pics would imply an item in great condition. None of the things mentioned and pictured by Toykeeper can be seen.
Pics reproduced under…

2 pics are worth 2000 words!

I got some DC-Fix (sand) today and made a diffuser for this SC52. The 17mm lens from my brass light is almost the same size as the exposed part of the SC52’s lens, so I used it as a cutting guide. A tiny amount of non-diffused light leaks out a ~0.3mm gap on the side, but it’s only visible if I specifically look for it. Not a big enough deal for me to bother cutting a ~0.6mm bigger circle.

The beam pattern is a lovely flood, gradually dimming from the center to the barely-discernable edge. It looks really nice now.

Yo man. Where to get DC-fix? Can it be bought off ebay?

I got it from the “Home & Wall Decor” vendor on Amazon. It would have been slightly cheaper from another store I found while searching, but I didn’t really want to deal with making yet another account on yet another site.

It’d be nice if it came in quantities appropriate for torch use… but it seems that the only commercially-available quantity (45cm by 200cm) is designed more for windows instead of lenses. A guy on CPFMP sells smaller sheets cut to the size of an envelope, though, if you want a much smaller quantity.

Post a pic and beamshot? Want to see if its worth my trouble to get it? Thanks!

Hey TK,

Maybe check out ‘Flitz Metal Polish’ and give that little boy the shine it deserves. The stuff works AMAZING! It will also take out minor surface scratches, and light ano spots. Really wish I had this ZL, I would LOVE to fire up the buffer wheel, and give it a little TLC!

I made some quick shots to show the difference made by the diffuser (DC-Fix Sand, one layer). Left is the original SC52, right is the diffused one. I tried a few different exposures to show how it looks, because cameras are particularly bad at this.

The differences are: The spot is dimmer, wider, and blends smoothly into the spill so it doesn’t look like a spot. The spill is wider and has a much softer edge. There is also a secondary spill of sorts which is almost 180 degrees wide. All mach bands are gone (woot!), and the tint is much more consistent across the beam.



The beam can be diffused more by adding more layers, but each layer eats about 3% of the lumens (I forget who right now, but somebody reputable on CPF tested it).

Great beamshots man. Thanks for your time and effort. Seems totally worthwhile to get it :slight_smile:

That didn't look too good, and I wouldn't have been happy with it, the way you got it.

It must be abused, and the only way to sell it for a normal price is this way..

Oh, I forgot to do pics of the diffuser itself instead of just its beam.

Here is the gap I mentioned, since I made the circle slightly too small. It looks big here, but it’s only half a millimeter (or less).

How was the anodization stripped without getting the anodization in the fins? I been meaning to strip some anodized threads but don’t know how to get a clean line when transitioning from the threads to body tube. Already tried it once with a light by just tailstanding it with only the threads submerged. It works fine but aesthetically looks uneven.

Not a clue. That’s why I assumed it was sanded or otherwise rubbed off instead of using a chemical process. Normally, I’d expect to have to soak the thing in caustic soda then gently brush off the loose bits then soak then brush then soak then brush, then start polishing it after everything is cleaned and dried. But that wouldn’t leave the fin valleys and other concave spots intact like this.