Long time Petzel owner having trouble adjusting to Zebralight

AlphaZen

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I picked up a Zebralight H51 because of all of the praise for it. I am used to using a Petzel Tikka and find the ZL rather uncomfortable. It digs in to my forehead and is rather bouncy. The Petzel feels much more comfortable and secure. The beam also isn't as floody as I would like. Now, I'm not complaining to complain, but rather to look for solutions. Has anyone found a way to make the H51 more comfortable? And are there any diffusers that fit the H51? I do like everything else about the light. It is very versatile off of 1 AA cell. I'm trying to decide whether I should sell it in the MP and try a Fenix or go back to Petzel. Help, please. Thank you.
 

eh4

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Their headbands aren't what the Zebralights are known for, someone will chime in with a info about a more rigid headband that works well with ZL. There is a long thread on here that covers running with ZL pretty extensively.
 

DIΩDΣ

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The Nite-Ize headband is what is used a lot, it especially gets around the bounciness (like for running). I like too since I don't have to take off the pocket clip to put it in the headband. Or you can do the diy velcro headband.

I use the Nite-Ize mostly but I must be an odd ball that I like the stock headband. Very comfortable stretchy elastic and the silicone holder is very soft. Yeah it puts the little dents in my forehead but it doesnt feel uncomfortable to me in the slightest. I'm even wanting to test it out jogging again since I have improved my form drastically and have much less bounce in my stride now. Might even get out tonight if I have time and dont eat dinner right away when I get home.

Petzl makes good stuff, but other than comfort I think the ZL is better in most details. The big advantage for me is that its quite versatile as a flashlight and I use it as much or more as a handheld (love the 90º design) and also as my edc in my pocket.
 

aas

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Zebralight headband is quite uncomfortable. You can use Ultrafire headband instead, it doesn't dig into forehead at all: http://kaidomain.com/product/details.S009709
Although it is stiff for h501 (hard to adjust angle) and it is expected to be even more stiff for a larger h51.
 

AlphaZen

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Thanks for the tips, guys. I think I'll order one of the Nite Ize bands from Amazon and give that a go with a little scotch tape diffuser. Hopefully that will work better for me.
 

speedsix

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Thanks for the tips, guys. I think I'll order one of the Nite Ize bands from Amazon and give that a go with a little scotch tape diffuser. Hopefully that will work better for me.

I had the ZL that you have and I just recently got a Ultrafire UF-H2. The Ultrafire is a little more comfortable but they have a similar feel overall. I only wear mine for relatively short periods and don't do anything active in them. For hiking and such, I use my PT EOS because I prefer more throw. I can't imagine needing more flood out of a headlamp than either the ZL or UF. They are almost pure flood as is.
 

robostudent5000

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I can't imagine needing more flood out of a headlamp than either the ZL or UF. They are almost pure flood as is.

the OP's ZL is a H51 which is not a flood model.

AlphaZen, i'm curious why you got a H51 over a H51F if you wanted flood?
 
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B0wz3r

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I simply rerouted the band for my H51w so that it goes through the loops that hold the light. That makes the two tabs on the end of the holder go over the strap instead of under it, and they don't dig into my forehead that way. The silicone of the holder is flexible enough that the extra material in the loops doesn't cause any problems, and provides extra resistance so the light stays in place in the holder much more securely.
 

AlphaZen

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the OP's ZL is a H51 which is not a flood model.

AlphaZen, i'm curious why you got a H51 over a H51F if you wanted flood?
Good question. It is hard to tell what the beam profile is until you use it, and I wanted a mixture of flood and throw, which is the description of the normal H51. I find it too much of a spot for reading and up close work though. A simple diffuser accessory would be great, but would probably make their flood model obsolete.

I simply rerouted the band for my H51w so that it goes through the loops that hold the light. That makes the two tabs on the end of the holder go over the strap instead of under it, and they don't dig into my forehead that way. The silicone of the holder is flexible enough that the extra material in the loops doesn't cause any problems, and provides extra resistance so the light stays in place in the holder much more securely.
I will try this when I get home. If I can figure it out that sounds like a good solution - and the cheapest one. Thanks.
 

AlphaZen

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BOwz3r,
I tried your method of re-routing the band and I would like to say that it is so much better this way. Thank you very much for helping. I agree that it is much more comfortable, as well as more secure. You solved my main problems and I will definitely be keeping the light now. You should be proselytizingthis information to all Zebra headlamp owners. thanks again.
 

B0wz3r

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BOwz3r,
I tried your method of re-routing the band and I would like to say that it is so much better this way. Thank you very much for helping. I agree that it is much more comfortable, as well as more secure. You solved my main problems and I will definitely be keeping the light now. You should be proselytizingthis information to all Zebra headlamp owners. thanks again.

No worries; glad I could help.

About the flood vs throw beam profile, you should try what I do with my H51w, which is put a piece of DC-fix diffusion film on it to spread the hotspot. The beam profile stays the same, but the hotspot becomes much more diffuse as a result, with a fuzzy edge to it instead of a clearly defined boundary. It also seems like it makes the brightness of the beam profile a little bit more even, with less difference between the hotspot and the spill. At first I thought I'd probably just use the DC-fix occasionally... take it off when I didn't need a floodier beam, but turns out I never have. My next ZL headlamp will be one of the F or pure flood models. I'm waiting for the 502w...
 

thaugen

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+1 on the DC fix option for the H51w. I have mine set up this way and it is a nice mix of flood and spot.

B0wz3r...any chance you could show a picture of your headband routing. I think a picture might help me to figure out how to set mine up this way. The last time I took my strap apart it took a long time to get it back together...
 

Burgess

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to BOwz3r --

A very heart-felt THANK YOU for your Wonderful suggestion !

This makes my ZebraLight H51 headlamp SO much more comfortable.

Especially for long periods of time.



Truly a world of difference !


:thumbsup:


lovecpf
_
 

DIΩDΣ

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With the band re routed how do you stop it from flopping around? I tried that back when I first got it and it seemed like it was much looser that way, I mean the tension is divided across two bands instead of one so the part of the band the light is considerably looser if that makes any sense. It even induced a little bit of side-side slippage.
 

AlphaZen

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DIΩDΣ;3847125 said:
With the band re routed how do you stop it from flopping around? I tried that back when I first got it and it seemed like it was much looser that way, I mean the tension is divided across two bands instead of one so the part of the band the light is considerably looser if that makes any sense. It even induced a little bit of side-side slippage.
I believe this is different than what you are referring to. I tried that one and, yes, it was much looser. For this fix, you run the band through the the loops that the light goes in. Here is a picture:

phototsot.jpg
[/URL] Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/IMG]
 

DIΩDΣ

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Oh yes I see I hadnt tried it that way... I was thinking of another way that was mentioned a while ago. I need to read more closely - sorry!
 
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