Hi Guys. My Zebralight SC600, which I bought maybe 9 months ago, has gone crazy. In short:
Quite often, it takes several tries (clicks) to turn it on.
Switching it off sometimes takes several tries as well.
When switching on at the low mode (longer press) there is a strong pre-flash before turning on to low.
Double-clicking to change say, from M1 to M2 (or any other mode) only works sometimes.
When holding down the switch, it doesn’t go through the different modes (L-M-H) as it should
I’m really quite disappointed. I thought the ZL’s were basically bullet-proof . Seems I was wrong.
Anyone have any similar experiences? What should I do?
Zebralights are far from trouble free. Over on CPF the failure rate has been tracked and calculated. There were several threads stating approximately 30% failure rates in some models.
In time, the mods deleted most of the threads or posts having anything negative to say about ZL.
I bought one (H51) after hearing how great they were. Mine lasted less than two days and would only come on in ultra low low. I sent it back to Going Gear and he refunded some of my money. He didn’t refund the “free shipping” part somehow. It was $62 with free shipping. When I returned it, he only gave me back $50 something for some total BS reason he made up.
It was my first, last and only ZL as well as ,y only dealing with Going Gear I ever plan to have. Both suck but that is just my opinion.
Stories like that are why it's hard for me to buy a Zebralight. It's an "American" company that has service resembling a Chinese company that specializes in clones. Seeing as how they're lights are still made in China, and seemingly engineered there as well, but at 2-3X, I'd expect top notch service.
I just found this thread by chance and will pitch in the discussion.
I had my SC600 for a few months and at some point it started acting up. My problems were that the modes got fued up. I could not access the low modes (none), only medium and high and it would sometimes take a double click to turn it off. It’s this digital switch sh…. good idea but not that long lasting.
Basically the Zs look as they are built like tanks and physically it is difficult to damage the thing but the electronics are a mess or not long lasting. My light was still very usable but it just got more and more annoying to deal with the glitch so I sent it in (had no warranty for it). After nearly 2 months I got it back and it works like new for now (Respectful thanks to the service team/technician, I appreciate the good work!).
One major thing I don’t like about the ZL is the horrible clip. It’s not fixed to the light but will jump off when force is applied. So basically it doesn’t hold anything securely AT ALL. It’s like a belt made out of rubber (will hold your pants up unless you give them a strong pull).
The sideswitch is also everything else but panicproof and how often do I use the thing sleepy or in a rush? Every day!!! Sometimes I have to twist the whole damn thing around till my finger finds the switch. We are talking about seconds or even smaller time periods here wasted on “finding” the button but that’s what counts in some situations in which I wish to have a forward clicky in my hand but I do rather have the smaller size.
Now currently I want to upgrade from my SC600 to the TX25C2 XM-L2 or the not yet released SC600 Mk. III (or whatever it’s going to be called) and can’t decide because I like the size and physical strength of the ZL and the flood comes in very handy in most situations I’d use the light. The TX on the other hand is a little bit longer, has a fixed clip (I need a clip and prefer something solid, not this wobbly junk of the ZL that detaches itself in random situations when the light gets stuck on something; I nearly lost the ZL a couple of times because of that **it clip so my hatred for it is justified with field experience.).
The TX has also a stronger throw. Now that sounds interesting in my ears. Since I’m using this kind of light as EDC around the house mainly both throw and flood come in handy so actually nothing is really preferred over the other.
I’m just afraid the TX is less sturdy built (my ZL is a tank, I’d drive with the car over it and would not expect damage) but how much worse can it be anyway if the ZL already is proven to have high junk production rate (thanks, proudly made in USA!) and not reliable electronics inside (personal experience and what other users report).
I doubt they are going to fix the quality issues in the SC600 Mk. III model which will hopefully be equipped with an XM-L2 or the useless clip problem but still I tend towards it instead of the Eagletac simply because of the ZL being shorter by an inch or so and that counts a lot for me.
I’ll probably try the TX anyway and once the next SC600 is released in bob knows how many months (US engineers are slower then the Chinese?) I can still switch or maybe I win the lotto and buy both for every forum member here. It’s the future, man! hahaha
From your experiences with your SC600, it does have similarity with my H600 also around 8-9 months old.
Before I sent it back, I’ve tried, at an angle when pressing down on the switch it works, but when I simply reach up on my forehead to change mode, it behaved erratically.
While waiting for it, H51Fc were once again in duty every evening without letting me down once.
And so my H600 returned about 5-6 weeks from Zebralight Shanghai RMA center, when I just got it the electronic switch feels great, responsive & all modes work with light presses as well
Thanks for asking, Woody. For some strange reason I cannot log in to HKequipment. I asked for a new password but still can’t gain access to my account.
My SC600 still works (mostly) but invariably comes on, on high, and takes about a dozen tries before I can go to the mode I want… :_(
Thats a shame. I have two SC600’s for some reason. I bought the first one from flashaholics.co.uk over a year ago before I knew about Chinese prices , and the second from eBay late one night after a few glasses of wine. That one looks a bit sorry for itself, with a lot of wear, but they work OK. Only problem, as you say, is waking up in the night, picking it up, and having to think “short or long click” to get moonlight. Bad news when you get it wrong!
Yes, I know what you mean. I’ve been blinded like this more than once.
What I do now is put my SC600 into moonlight mode before I sleep at night, with it facing down. Then if I need to go somewhere ( :nerd_face: ) in the middle of the night I just pick it up (since it has already been turned on). I’ve can do this for almost a month on a single charge.
I wouldn't worry too much about the build quality of the eageltac. I have the G25C2 MKII and it is very well built.
The coating is not the greatest - shows more wear than other lights - but the light itself is very solid. It has survived a few drops from ~4 feet onto concrete, without even a flicker, and I have used it in bad weather a couple of times.
The TX is on my wish list, but I can't get it, considering I'm on the waiting/preorder for the SC600 II already.
What kind of annoys me with the SC600II is they are still using XMLU2.... it makes me tempted to cancel my order. On the other hand I absolutely love the sc52.
My SC600 is acting like described in OP recently. Sometimes when I press the button, it did not work, like it was not pressed. Have to press really hard to have it work. I suspect the contact inside the switch got dirty or something.
Did anyone manage to open it and clean under the switch? Mine is more than 2 years and there is no warranty.
Thanks.
Zebralights are notoriously hard to open and self-service.
Your best option is probably to contact Zebralight directly and ask for an out-of-warranty repair. My understanding is they do this for $15. The contact information is on the Zebralight website.
Some of the new Zebralights like the SC62w are made in Texas. However, most of the older Zebralights like the SC600 were made in China. You may have to ship the light to China and then wait a couple months to get it back.
I still have my sh*ty SC600. I’m saying sh*ty because I won’t go with that sub-par quality brand anymore.
I send it in after it had the above described problem and around 2 months later I got it back, serviced for free out of warranty. I guess that’s good, but the damn thing started having the very same problem just couple of months after the service and yeah, that’s it. No more Zebralight junk for me.
I still use it daily but the button is nor reacting how it should be (difficult to press / ignores input often) and I can only access 2 modes. High and medium.
They can’t fix their buttons, I’m not fixing their economy with buying their crap. Made in US. Well, if it’s crap it’s crap, nationality does not guarantee quality as I learned from Zebra. I really used to like the brand and my light when it used to work properly but I have other lights that are more reliable so personally I’m just waiting for the SC do die at some point or maybe I decide one day to send it in another time but I simply assume it’s going to break again so it’s not worth the nerves hoping for anything.
. Seems I was wrong.
, and the second from eBay late one night after a few glasses of wine. That one looks a bit sorry for itself, with a lot of wear, but they work OK. Only problem, as you say, is waking up in the night, picking it up, and having to think “short or long click” to get moonlight. Bad news when you get it wrong!