Originally Posted by
balto charlie
I just read some more recent comments on the CPF. Here's a quote. "....the thermal regulation is just fantastic on these new zebralights! since cooling is good it doesn't throttle down very much....."
Most high powered LEDs have a timer step down. If your light is 800 lumen it will drop down to 600 lumen after a certain time. 5 minutes seems to be a common time. The Zebra is temp driven so if you are cycling(essentially cooling the LED) this light will not drop down. You will keep the 1000 lumen.
I notice on my Magic shine and cheap chinese Cree knock-offs that this is the case. I lose lumens in a short period of time, even if the air temps are freezing. I do not know if this happens to all lights. I know bike specific lights seems to have good cooling 'fins' on theirs whereas flashlights do not. So maybe this does not happen to some bike light models.
@01 CAt: It is pricey, thus I am slow to move on it. If I didn't have lights I would buy it. For a self contained light I see nothing that beats it ....for now
Plus it is so small, fits easily in pocket or mounted to a helmet.
The cooling regulation is intriguing. Several things make this torch a real "want'a have"; The UI for one. The choice of power levels is almost perfect. I say "almost" because it does require that you memorize all the different "flash sequencing" to set the modes the way you want. A simple "*step-less UI would of been preferable ( * UI where you get a choice of ten levels for each mode like with the Gemini lamps )
The reflector used on these look real interesting. I can tell just by looking at the photos that the beam pattern will likely have a nice mix of spill and throw. Add to this that this is the first torch I've seen so far using a cool white version of the XM-L2 emitter. I've seen beam shots of the Zebralight torches before. They always look very bright with a nice smooth beam pattern.
Lately I've been searching for a new torch that has the newer XM-L2's, preferably with a cooler bin like U2. I also would love one with a "Step-less" UI but so far this offering from Zebralight comes closest to what I have been searching for. Jeez, you have to love the size of these things as they are so small!
My current set-ups use just three modes, ( H-, full power, M- about 275 lm, Low- about 110 lm ) no flash. I do have an XM-L2 drop-in that is neutral white and that one is perhaps a bit brighter than the others I have. Nice thing about the ZL MK II is that it has a 350 lumen mode setting. That setting would be perfect for all-around bike riding when used on the bars. At that setting you should get over two hours with one good Panasonic cell.
This the first year in a long time where I "did not buy" myself a lighting product for Christmas. Only reason for that was lack of funds. That said the credit card trigger finger is getting real twitchy. It's going to be real hard for me "not to buy" one of these MK II's. ( being the LED torch, bike light junkie that I am )
