Help me choose: olight s2 baton or zebralight sc63

[chadvone]

@WalkIntoTheLight

@chadvone

Ok, Maybe I should of said the “Zebralight’s UI is horrible to me!”

I have had over 12 Zebralights AA,CR123 and 18650. My favorite was the H50, I regret selling it.

If you didn’t like the UI of the first 11 you bought, why would you buy a 12th?

All Zebralights have the same UI.

Not true. H50 was a twisty.
The other eairler lights were simpler.

[WalkIntoTheLight]

@chadvone

Not true. H50 was a twisty.
The other eairler lights were simpler.

Oh, okay, I see why you didn’t like the interface. IMO, their current interface is very good. I’d like to see them add programability for the primary modes (rather than just the secondary modes), but otherwise I don’t think I’d change a thing.

[Yosue]

@beam0

Welcome to the forum Yosue!
I have a BLF A6 and several similar size convoy lights (S-series) but I also prefer something smaller for EDC, so I would like to give you another recommendation:

How about DQG Tiny 4th 18650?

I have both the olight S20 and the DQG Tiny1 (older versions of the S2 and DQG 4th)
I like the Olight because it has the magnet in the tailcap, VERY useful for me.

However I like the DQG because it is much smaller and has NW tint. Plus it’s very bright. Got mine on the original pre-order when they first came out back in May 2013, the original is a “twisty” (loosen/tighten the head to operate) It’s very reliable I’ve been using it for 3 years and have not had a single issue with it, I still use it nearly every day. Since the original there has been 3 more upgraded versions, the last 2 went to a side switch.

I’ve been looking at the S2 because its slightly shorter than the S20 (but only by 3mm) and I’ve read the tint is improved (S20 has a very cold bluish/green tint)
But the DQG is much smaller, has the NW tint, and I like the UI: 1 click low, 2 clicks med, 3 clicks high, press and hold for shortcut to Turbo. Plus it’s a great value at the discounted price, so I’ll probably be getting the DQG.
—

DQG Tiny 4th 18650
Bc412’s review: https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/37428
Also several video reviews here, including one from Bc412(Bushcraft412): https://www.youtube.com/results?search

Smallest of the three
850lm
86?mm x 24mm (not sure the real length, gearbest & fasttech shows 86mm, bangood shows 87mm, KD shows 89.85mm)
Bc412 review does not show actual length measurement
Lowest price ($27 w/code from Bc412 review or M4D-M4X)
Available in black or grey color (the grey is more of a tan/gold color)
Pros: Smallest, Lowest price, NW, good knurling, great simple UI with shortcut to turbo, improved switch more recessed than previous versions
Cons: ?

—

Olight S2

Largest of the three
950lm
103mm x 23mm
$49
Pros: Deep carry pocket clip, strong magnet in tail
Cons: Largest, no NW option

—

Zebralight sc63

92.5mm x 24.5mm
Brightest of the three (1300lm/CW 1126lm/NW)
Most expensive ($85)
Pros: Brightest, NW available, deeply recessed switch to help prevent accidental pocket turn on
Cons: no knurling on tube, complicated UI may be a con for some, on backorder everywhere

AFAIK none of the above 3 lights would benefit from a high drain battery like the 30q. For longest run time you would be better off with a high capacity battery like this:
3500mAh Sanyo/Panasonic NCR18650GA(protection version)
3500mAh Sanyo/Panasonic NCR18650GA(Unprocted flat top version)

Also consider the astrolux s1 comes with an extra “shorty” 18350 battery tube, so with the smaller battery you can convert it to tiny size when you need to.

The S1 in 18650 configuration requires a high drain battery such as the 30q for maximum brightness, but if you’re not doing the spring bypass mods the 18650GA will give you good balance of output and runtime.

Thank you very much. So far the zebra is going strong in my pick, but the olight does not want to leave my mind!

I found a place where is not backorder. I saw it in a post from a guy from Germany (Andreas i believe) In fact i´m almost there to buy it.
http://ru.nkon.nl/zebralight-flashlights/zebralight-sc63-18650-xhp35-cool-white-led-flashlight.html
And 5$ for shipping to US
I also contacted zebralight and they said in 2 or 3 weeks they will have avaiable again

I read somewhere that the CW version was almost like a NW in other models or brands. They said the NW is too yellow. (I heard that in a video from the guy of skylumen)

Best regards

[Yosue]

@DMS1970

I have both, and while I would say the zebralight is the superior light, let’s not forget that you can buy 2 of the Olight S2 for the price of the zebralight. There about $42 on eBay

Thats a BIG true also!

[chadvone]

If they went total programmable I would be interested again. Current UI worked good for leave it on light. Like on a bike. And headlamps give great adjustment in a 2 fish block. I change modes to much for the current UI to be practical for my uses. Tint is a lottery but if you get a good one its usually great.

[Yosue]

@Woytas

Hello Yosue,

A quick question - what’s the main purpose for that light? This can be important if you’re planning to use it a lot.

Personally I don’t like Zebra’s - ugly and overpriced.

I love lights where you have high value/money factor, my best picks would be:

- DQG Tiny (don’t have it yet, but it’s on my buy list).

- Manker U11 - UI possibilities similar to Zebra, compact and has built in charger (very nice feature if you’re going somewhere, so no need to take extra batteries/charger).

• BLF A6 / Astrolux S1 with 18350 tube (great UI, small, but no side button) - my current EDC.

Hello

I would mainly use it for peacock bass fishing trips ( yes, here in Venezuela we have giants peacock bass) and other reason to buy a good flashlight is beacuse we are having a lot of issues with power supply in the entire country. So making a good choice its important to. Our currency is so beated up that spending 60-80$ in a flashlight its almost a luxury.

For example: buying a washer is more expensive than drilling a hole into our highest coin and using it as a washer

So you do the math. Thats why im planning to get a good quality light, resistant, bright, good quality and once in a while carrying it in my front pocket

Thats why IMHO, olight s2 was the pick until i saw zebralight sc63

[Yosue]

@WalkIntoTheLight

I’m a Zebralight fanboy, so I’ll recommend the SC63w (“w” for the neutral tint). Very bright high modes, very dim low modes (multiple moonlight modes to choose from), and a nice UI that makes selecting modes easy (once you get used to it).

I’ve never bought an Olight, because I think they’re only available in cool white, so I now stay away from brands that do that.

As im a rookie in flashlight themes, i cant believe that people could “hate or love” a flashlight beacuse of its tint.

Until recently i havent realized the variant in tints, and tough i was very picky in my things

Now i must confess that i will choose first a neutral tint

[WalkIntoTheLight]

@Yosue

As im a rookie in flashlight themes, i cant believe that people could “hate or love” a flashlight beacuse of its tint.

Until recently i havent realized the variant in tints, and tough i was very picky in my things

Now i must confess that i will choose first a neutral tint

When I first got into quality flashlights, I simply chose cool white because that’s what almost everybody had. I didn’t know there was anything different or better.

Later, out of curiosity, I tried a neutral white (a Zebralight). Wow! What am improvement! Things no longer look so ghostly and washed out. I was hooked.

Over time, I have gotten even more picky. I prefer the warmer end of neutral white (around 4000K), and I’m trying for higher CRI LEDs (like Nichia 219 or EasyWhite or Luxeon). Cree LEDs are great for brightness and efficiency, but even the neutral whites can sometimes be a little greenish.

Standard cool white LEDs now look awful to me, and I can’t stand to use any of my older lights because of that.

Nichia 219 LEDs are currently the best for accurate color rendition, if you don’t need extreme brightness.

[beam0]

@Yosue

I read somewhere that the CW version was almost like a NW in other models or brands. They said the NW is too yellow. (I heard that in a video from the guy of skylumen) Best regards

Yes I remember reading that also when I was considering the ZL. I decided against it because of that. I don’t want CW and I don’t like too warm (yellowish) either. And I like a simple UI with fast access to turbo, plus I got to have knurling on my lights for grip, IMO the more aggressive the better.

The DQG NW has a great tint, pure white not too warm or yellow.

—

@Yosue

@WalkIntoTheLight

I’ve never bought an Olight, because I think they’re only available in cool white, so I now stay away from brands that do that.

As im a rookie in flashlight themes, i cant believe that people could “hate or love” a flashlight beacuse of its tint.

Until recently i havent realized the variant in tints, and tough i was very picky in my things

Now i must confess that i will choose first a neutral tint

I didn’t realize the benefit of Neutral tint until I got my first one and ran it outdoors next to a cool white, colors look way better with NW (especially outdoors) then I was sold and always get NW tint except maybe specifically for a very far thrower to get the few extra lumens.

Here’s some good info and comparison photos on CW vs NW:” http://www.illuminationgear.com/COOL-or-NEUTRAL-TINT-LED_c18.htm”:http://www.illuminationgear.com/COOL-or-NEUTRAL-TINT-LED_c18.htm

—
Good luck with whatever you decide on, all of the lights recommended here are good.

[Yosue]

@DMS1970

I have both, and while I would say the zebralight is the superior light, let’s not forget that you can buy 2 of the Olight S2 for the price of the zebralight. There about $42 on eBay

Could you please take a couple of photos side-by-side and maybe some beamshots to see how bright they are? I will be highly appreciate it

Thanks

[Firelight2]

@djburkes

@Firelight2

Biggest difference is the SC63w is much larger and brighter than S2.

If you’re comfortable carrying a slightly larger light in your pocket then the SC63w is probably the better choice. If you want something as small as possible for your pocket or keychain then the S2 will be better.

Olight S2
Width: 23mm
Length: 100mm

Zebralight SC63
Width: 24.5mm
Length: 92.5mm

The Zebralight is only wider by 1.5mm and it’s shorter than the S2. The S2 is not a keychain light, it takes an 18650 just like the Zebralight does.

Oops! I was mixing up the Olight with the 1xCR123 version of the baton.

Comparing the Olight S2 18650 to the Zebralight SC63w I recommend the Zebralight. It’s more compact and a better light.

If you’re willing to go with something larger, get the Zebralight SC600w III HI. It’s the best Zebralight ever and probably the best unmodified light I’ve ever owned. It features:

• Excellent knurling. Feels like a million bucks in the hand.
• Short enough for pocket EDC (at least in my pockets) though definitely larger than an SC63
• Excellent output. Stays close to max output far longer than the SC63. The SC63 will start ramping down fairly rapidly due to heat (both lights have PID thermal sensors). The SC600 III HI stays near maximum indefinitely even when tailstanding due to the extra mass and deeper heatsink fins.
• Superior tint to the SC63w
• Much superior throw. The SC600w III HI has more throw than any other Zebralight (approximately 19,000 lux).

[MiG0]

What about Zebralight SC62w? Now on sale for $75. Superb regulation including PID, accepts protected batteries.

[Yosue]

@Firelight2

@djburkes

@Firelight2

Biggest difference is the SC63w is much larger and brighter than S2.

If you’re comfortable carrying a slightly larger light in your pocket then the SC63w is probably the better choice. If you want something as small as possible for your pocket or keychain then the S2 will be better.

Olight S2
Width: 23mm
Length: 100mm

Zebralight SC63
Width: 24.5mm
Length: 92.5mm

The Zebralight is only wider by 1.5mm and it’s shorter than the S2. The S2 is not a keychain light, it takes an 18650 just like the Zebralight does.

Oops! I was mixing up the Olight with the 1xCR123 version of the baton.

Comparing the Olight S2 18650 to the Zebralight SC63w I recommend the Zebralight. It’s more compact and a better light.

If you’re willing to go with something larger, get the Zebralight SC600w III HI. It’s the best Zebralight ever and probably the best unmodified light I’ve ever owned. It features:

• Excellent knurling. Feels like a million bucks in the hand.
• Short enough for pocket EDC (at least in my pockets) though definitely larger than an SC63
• Excellent output. Stays close to max output far longer than the SC63. The SC63 will start ramping down fairly rapidly due to heat (both lights have PID thermal sensors). The SC600 III HI stays near maximum indefinitely even when tailstanding due to the extra mass and deeper heatsink fins.
• Superior tint to the SC63w
• Much superior throw. The SC600w III HI has more throw than any other Zebralight (approximately 19,000 lux).

I saw that one too but the head ita kind of big for wearing in my front pocket. But im sure is as good as you say

Thanks

[Yosue]

@MiG0

What about Zebralight SC62w? Now on sale for $75. Superb regulation including PID, accepts protected batteries.

Good advice!

[beam0]

@Yosue

@MiG0

What about Zebralight SC62w? Now on sale for $75. Superb regulation including PID, accepts protected batteries.

Good advice!

—

Quote taken from a post by member Firelight2 in another thread about the DQG: (Post #9 in this thread: https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/36824)

@Firelight2

I received my DQG Tiny 4. Beautiful light. I love it! :heart_eyes: The anodizing is perfect.

This is a beautiful light right out of the box even without modding. I own multiple DQG 18650 lights, including the Tiny 1, 3 and now 4. This is the first one that I would consider carrying unmodded …. very rare for me since I usually only carry modded lights. This light is just that good. Unmodded I like this light even more than my Zebralight SC62w … a light that costs over 3x as much.

[beam0]

@Firelight2

If you’re willing to go with something larger, get the Zebralight SC600w III HI. It’s the best Zebralight ever and probably the best unmodified light I’ve ever owned. It features:

• Excellent knurling. Feels like a million bucks in the hand.
• Short enough for pocket EDC (at least in my pockets) though definitely larger than an SC63
• Excellent output. Stays close to max output far longer than the SC63. The SC63 will start ramping down fairly rapidly due to heat (both lights have PID thermal sensors). The SC600 III HI stays near maximum indefinitely even when tailstanding due to the extra mass and deeper heatsink fins.
• Superior tint to the SC63w
• Much superior throw. The SC600w III HI has more throw than any other Zebralight (approximately 19,000 lux).

Thanks, this sure got me looking into the SC600 III HI!

I like the UI it’s very similar to the DQG but for me maybe even better because I like the quickest way to high or turbo and this has it with the 1st click! or press & hold for low.

Zebralight SC600w III HI Basic Operation:
One short-click turns on the light to High or turns off the light.
Two short-click turns on the light to Medium.
Three short-click turns on the light to the beacon-strobe mode.
Press and hold (for over 0.6 seconds) turns on the light to Low and then Medium and High. Release at the desired level.

---

I was pretty much sold on the “million dollar knurling” but also:

1126Lm
Better throw
Better tint than SC63w
High mode doesn’t step down fast

Plus it has (2.7V) low voltage cutoff for unprotected battery so I can use my beloved 18650GA raised flat tops.

What’s not to love here? (except the price :money_mouth_face: haha) Seriously though I think I’d really like one of these. It would be awesome if it had a magnetic tail, seems like the flat tail would have been perfect for that.

Seems kind of hard to find these though, I did find a shop I deal with that has one left, but I’d have to wait a bit before I could buy one.

Also I have to wonder how the tint would be on CW version, at 5700k seems pretty near a NW (plus with 1300lm max you’d have the extra output) I actually prefer my NW’s closer to the CW end of the spectrum, around 5k, however 5700 may be a bit too cool. I really like NW when they are pretty much “pure white” I probably wouldn’t love the 4500k if it was to yellowish (like I’ve read about some other ZL NW models).

[RotorHead64]

Aluminum X5

.