Reader Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5

www.zebralight.com
Weight is 2oz with battery and headband. AA battery of any type. Regulated output. Totally waterproof. Tiny. $50
high 66lumens 2hours 20mins
med 13 lumens 19hours
low 2.5lumens 3.5 days
120degree beam angle = all flood, there's no throw here, so it's not particularly good for SAR applications, or mountaineering, but you can really get around with it. The output settings are actually well thought out, and functional. And, it uses the same battery as everything else I have. It comes with headstrap, three glow in the dark brackets, a lens shield, and a clip to attach it to something low to the ground for greater depth of field (like your waistbelt).

Rating: 5 / 5

i also got one
very powerful !!!!!

Rating: 5 / 5

I purchased one of these a couple weeks ago to replace a (heavy) Petzl Myo XP (almost 7oz) and have been nothing but impressed!

The dimmest light setting is plenty bright enough to read by and illuminate a tarp/tent, and when you need more light, it delivers.

I suppose the only negatives are that with a NiMH battery it weighs in around 2.3oz (as opposed to the manufactures rated 2oz with battery) and that the beam is relatively wide, and not adjustable, so it may not be the best choice for night time trail use.

Rating: 4 / 5

the H50-Q5 has so many pros:

1. very small size (one of the benefits of being a "twisty".
)- just slightly larger than the cell that powers it (1xAA - alkaline, NiMH, or Li-Primary; it can also be powered by a rechargeable 14500 Li-ion cell, but low and med will be the same and hi will be lower according to one website indicating that the light isn't running in direct drive with a Li-ion cell, otherwise it would be initially brighter running off of the 3.7 to 4.2 VDC of the Li-ion cell; of course, burntimes will be significantly shorter on the 14500 cell).

2. very light

3. long burntimes on the 1xAA cell (other than on HIGH o.p. mode)

4. nice flood of light o.p. with a 120deg pattern.


cons:
1. essentially no throw since it lacks a reflector or optics (know this "going in", so that you aren't disappointed). as such, it will work better when backpacking "indoors" where there are many vertical and/or flat surfaces to reflect the light back to the eye.

2. could wish for a setting midway b/t HIGH and MED.

3. lack of throw makes picking out faded blazes on rocks and trees difficult until one is closer than this reviewer prefers (of course, this reviewer's age degraded low light vision may bear a portion of the blame; younger users may not have this objection).

4. if used in a fashion other than headlamp mode (e.g. clipped to packstrap or waistbelt, or shirt collar/crew-neck, etc.), i need to cut a small piece of plastic to insert under the top of the rubber hood to control light from spilling up towards my eyes. not absolutely mandatory, but this did prove helpful to me, at least.


the now recently released, recently recalled due to UI bugs, and now more recently re-released H30-Q5, hopefully with the UI bugs worked out (using a single CR123A battery - which in some applications makes finding replacement batteries more difficult) is brighter with a narrower 80deg pattern, and burns slightly longer. plus, for those who prefer such, the H30 is a "clickie" and not a "twisty". the H30 is shorter and bulkier (sorta' like this reviewer) than the H50, but otherwise shares much in common with it's taller predecessor.

i find this lil' light's flood pattern makes for a nice "fill in" light when worn at chest or waist level and coupled with a head mounted (via JakStrap) flashlight (pick any Fenix flashlight you prefer) which has a tighter beam for more throw.

all in all, the H50-Q5 light is unique as far as this reviewer's knowledge of headlamps is concerned. definitely worth a "look-see", IMO.

Edited by pj on 05/11/2008 06:21:27 MDT.

Rating: 5 / 5

Hey PJ,

I'm trying to decide between the new Zebra H30-Q5 or the Fenix LD20. Do you have any advice? New to this, but want a good light for the trail. The zebra seems very versatile, but the disadvantages seems that it can't be more focused.

Rating: 4 / 5

5/5 for camp lighting
3/5 trail hiking
2/5 if you really need to use it for challenging night time navigation

The headlight is small, energy efficient, has good regulation, and a nice set of brightnesses running off a single AA battery. There have been a number of reports on flashlight geek web sites about reliability problems, but I haven't had a problem with mine.

I found the H50 to be the best camp light I have ever used. The broad, flood style light is wonderful. Hang it above you and you have very useful light for all sorts of tasks. I have even taken to use this light on family car camping trips rather than a traditional, heavy lantern, not because of the size/weight or efficency, but for the high quality of the light.