I took Danglerbâs question as he owns an SK68 and is looking to upgrade, and is looking at the SC52. So I was saying,âYes, there is really pretty much nothing between the price of the SC52 and the price of the SK68 worth looking atâ.
Of course I donât own all flashlights in this price range. I just think that if a person has proven to themselves that an EDC flashlight is how they want to roll, then they need to get the SC52 and move on to other flashlight related needs. Just MHO.
I would also highly recomend the neutral version SC52w but I was leaving the tint out of the discussion at the moment.
Lol ok, I think Iâve misread the thread title for the whole time! I was interpeting it as âis there nothing (no difference) between the SK68 and SC52â. I see what you meant now, it was late :weary:
In that case then I would say that there are things in between, such as the Balder SE-1, Olight I2s/Quark Mini AA, or Eagletac D25A etc, but these all need 14500 to hit anywhere near 200 OTF, just like the SK68.
Zebralight have up until recently been the only manufacturer apparently capable of designing boost drivers to put a high enough current out for 200+ OTF from a single AA. However Armytek do now have a few new lights coming out in their âPartnerâ series which can output similar amounts on a single AA (they claim 260 LED on 1x AA for the A1). However the UI is nowhere near as good/flexible as the SC52, and theyâre nowhere near as compact.
I would agree with that. For EDC there isnât really anything else comparable to the SC52 out there right now.
I own two cheap 14500âs and two better Trustfire flames, and I am already paranoid in a house full of absent minded battery users that one of them is going to end up in something that does not like a 14500 instead of a NiMh, so I canât see passing LiOn to any ânormalâ user, so doing well on a Eneloop is a big plus.
Single mode high output is for the birds. Its novel, its real bright, but truth is 95% of my time I donât need it and prefer longer battery life and cooler operation. My last two SK68 clones are 3 modes, no use for stobe, but hi/lo/stb is a lot more useful than on/off.
Very good chance I will end up with a SC52, smaller, better, etc, just dragging my feet and looking at some fun trying a few sk68 mods.
Main points to me on the SC52 in order of swaying me; small size, output, user interface.
Those are the key factors, the anodizing and clip are very good too. Also remember that the reason they manage such high output is high circuit efficiency, meaning very good runtimes on lower levels too. Zebralights are also unique in the range of very low sub-lumen levels that they offer, which can be useful with fully dark adapted eyes and/or as an indicator left on overnight for easy location of the light in the dark.
Putting 1.5A to the emitter, NOT pulling 1.7A from the battery. Based on runtime numbers (.9hr from an Eneloop at 280 lumens), the SC52 is drawing about 2.22A on high. Not sure what this translates to at the emitter.
One more thing. Your SK68 may be drawing 1.7A from the battery. But that doesnât mean itâs putting out 760mA to the emitter. I donât have an SK68 myself. But from what Iâve heard, the drivers in them are not the most efficient in the world. Also, if youâre drawing 1.7A at around 1.2V, youâre drawing about 2W (give or take, depending on exact terminal voltage). In order to get 300 lumens from 2W, you need a 150 lumen per watt emitter and a 100% efficient driver. I donât think youâre going to get this from an XP-G2 (MAYBE an XM-L2 at very low current). And I KNOW the driver is not even CLOSE to 100% efficient.
As a side note, I should say that I have an L3 Illuminations L10 with an XP-G2. It draws about 2A from a fairly fresh Duraloop. Does it produce 300 lumens? Not even close.
Runtime estimate instead of meter? If you can measure the L3 you can measure the ZL. My 68 is only an average sample with NIMHs - which is why it normally uses a L-ion. I popped an Eneloop from my spare tray just to see what it said. Others have posted 68s pulling 2A on NIMH, as have I (previously with a different sample using my favorite Duraloops) - perhaps a better cell and more efficient emitter would do even better âŚ
Ah, the ZL driver isnât 100% efficient. Letâs allow for efficiency differential at 15-20% (and double the lux vs the ZL). Not enough to cross a 1 log human sight differential. However, lux is a difference you can see - or not if it doesnât throw.
I havenât bothered to try my Nichia L3 draw; no tailcap make it a little harder to measure while including body resistance. Nice deflection, though.
Me, too. Especially since the manufacturer rates the XP-G at 230 lumens vs 260 lumens for the XM-L. If the XP-G REALLY put out more, you better believe the manufacturer would be pushing it.
Also, you would have to push that XP-G ALOT harder than the XM-L to get the same output. Given the fact that the drivers in these lights are probably maxed out for a 1AA driver, itâs highly unlikely theyâre getting more from an XP-G. And if they truly COULD get 300 lumens from an XP-G, why WOULDNâT they use that very same driver to get, say, 400+ lumens from a much more efficient XM-L2?
Because being able to get 500 lumens for three minute spurts hardly seems worth having to put up with the fuss of Li-Ion batteries. This is the only thing you lose if you go NiMH rather than 14500.
Fuss of li-ion batteries? What fuss?
I rarely use the 500 lumen high mode, but itâs good to have the option there if I need it. Love my SC52 and hanging for my SC600II to arrive.
Fuss in this case probably means the additional safety precautions necessary with handling li-ion cells vs Ni-MH or alkalines, not going above/below certain voltages, protected vs unprotected, which cells fit and which donât, finding a good safe charger, etc. For example, IMR/LMR cells are unsupported and untested by Zebralight.
Not huge dealbreakers for Li-ion, but theyâre little things that would keep me from say, telling my mom to use li-ion cells in her flashlight. And with Eneloop performance being fantastic in this light already (280 lumens), you can easily use the exact same argument for the other side, âwhy would you want to run anything else??â.
I think itâs just perspective really, and the fact that everyones needs are a little different. Li-ion may work great for you, for others Ni-MH may make a lot of sense, too.
All of this. Plus, I donât have to worry about charging NiMH unattended or while Iâm asleep. And NiMH is MUCH better than LiCo in terms of not losing capacity with time like LiCo (much like a typical phone or laptop battery). NiMH takes a licking and keeps on ticking with minimal fuss. The only lithium chemistry that can make this claim is LiFePO4. And who knows if it even works in this light. In any case, a few brief spurts of 500 lumens are just not useful enough for me to want to put up with all of LiCoâs âwartsâ.
