Zebralight please make a headlamp system with deported battery pack

It's not like our wallets need an other awesome product from you but...

I think the headlamp world needs a Zebralight headlamp system with a deported battery pack for belt, jacket or backpack carry (Any multiple of 4 AA would be great).

It would give extended runtime, a lighter more compact headlamp with a great freedom of design, and peace of mind for those who want long runtimes without having a 18650 in a sealed aluminum tube on their forehead.

A modular sytem with user replaceable optics and different battery pack configuration would be fantastic.

Some headlamps having some of those specs already exist but none have the zebralight UI, efficiency, and overall cleverness.

Battery pack sounds like a home machine shop project to me!

I totally agree about replaceable optics.

I'm down with the replaceable/exchangeable optics too! I'd love to see them use a threaded bezel you could put diffusion or colored filters on.

The external battery pack though, I can live without. I hate the way a wire feels flopping around up there, even when the pack is at the back of the light. I know it would be lighter because of the belt mount and all, but still, it's the wire that bugs me, not the weight of the battery pack. I'll stick with all in one units thanks... If for whatever reason I need more output or runtime than I can get from an eneloop or an L91, I'll get a single 18650 unit. 1x18650 has about the same energy density as about two eneloops IIRC.

B0wz3r said:

1x18650 has about the same energy density as about two eneloops IIRC.

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1.2v x 2A=2.4wh
3.7v x 3.1A=11.47wh
11.47 / 2.4= 4.779 eneloops to one 18650

*Edit* (10/8):i guess i'm just sort of puzzled by this thread. i can understand why the OP would want the kind of light he wants. but i don't get why he's asking it to be made by Zebra. other than the UI, nothing he's asking for is unique to Zebralight. and it's not like someone else couldn't make a UI very similar to Zebra's w/o violating their patent. so couldn't anyone make this light? you know, like Petzl?

I suppose they could just have a jack that you could either use or not but personally I don't think many Zebralight fans want a separate battery pack. A wire defeats the light and unencumbered design that is the main attraction of the Zebralight.

Although once you go to the 18650 size I can see the OP's point. For me however I have no interest in 18650 in a headlamp. I suppose you could be in some environment where carrying spare batteries and changing in the field wasn't optimal but in most cases for me anyway it would be easier to carry extra AA's in my pocket than on my head or in a battery pack attached by wire to my head.

You can easily change batteries in a Zebralight in the dark by feel. Maybe if you were sailing or caving it might not be the best solution.

Being able to change lenses certainly would be nice as would filters although in reality once I got it set up the way I like it I probably wouldn't keep adjusting those things. You either want a frosted lens or you don't and you either want a red filter or you don't.

gcbryan said:

Being able to change lenses certainly would be nice as would filters although in reality once I got it set up the way I like it I probably wouldn't keep adjusting those things. You either want a frosted lens or you don't and you either want a red filter or you don't.

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Yeah, and I think Zebralight understands this. I don't really change my lights; if I need something for a different task, I have another light for that.

I liken them to be the Apple of the EDC flashlight industry. Their designs are simple and just work. Nothing overly complicated about them, and a great melding of form and function.

RIP Steve Jobs.

romteb said:

It's not like our wallets need an other awesome product from you but...

I think the headlamp world needs a Zebralight headlamp system with a deported battery pack for belt, jacket or backpack carry (Any multiple of 4 AA would be great).

It would give extended runtime, a lighter more compact headlamp with a great freedom of design.......

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Nice idea. While your at it make it bicycle mountable....

I think ZL could make a nice bike helmet mount light - which (usually for serious helmet lights) require a separate battery pack. A larger bezel and optic would be ideal of course - 35mm min.

Blindasabat said:

I think ZL could make a nice bike helmet mount light - which (usually for serious helmet lights) require a separate battery pack. A larger bezel and optic would be ideal of course - 35mm min.

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That's probably a better idea! Then maybe I would remember to wear my helmet......

Blindasabat said:

I think ZL could make a nice bike helmet mount light - which (usually for serious helmet lights) require a separate battery pack. A larger bezel and optic would be ideal of course - 35mm min.

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I took a spare bracket from one of my ZL's and trimmed the out sides off, and used a velcro strap to attach it to the front of my helmet, under the visor. I can stick my H51w in there and use it as a light when biking. It works pretty well for the most part.

I've been wanting a Spark ST6-460nw to use as a main light on my helmet. Psychbeat does that for riding already; he's such a lumen junky though, that the max output of the Spark isn't enough for him! The only bad thing I could see about using a Spark like that is it unbalancing your helmet and making it slide down in front over your eyes if you don't strap it up tight enough. Then you might have to choke yourself to keep it tight enough from bouncing down and blocking your line of sight... I'm sure Psychbeat will chime in here about that sooner or later...

For me, I use my Jetbeam Jet III pro-ST on a two-fish block on the top of my helmet. It balances better and for my needs, works just fine in combination with a floody light on my handlebars for my night riding needs. Only drawback of my system though, is that it adds a couple of inches to the top of my helmet, and I accidentally bang it into low hanging things now and again...

If ZL ever made an ALL FLOOD headlamp with a separate battery pack for your belt or pack, I would love it. NOT however if it used AA cells. They are just worse than 18650.

A 4 x 18650 pack separate would be awesome, and would allow them to concentrate on sufficient heatsinking on the light for extended runtimes on highest mode. Just now the space for the cell takes up huge amounts of room that could be used for cooling fins etc, meaning you could use high mode on your headlamp for say, 5 - 6 hours.

This would be nice.

gcbryan said:

I suppose they could just have a jack that you could either use or not but personally I don't think many Zebralight fans want a separate battery pack. A wire defeats the light and unencumbered design that is the main attraction of the Zebralight.

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I agree except that in cold weather having a remote battery pack can be a huge advantage. I wouldnt want a seperate pack for any other reason, but if your out for an extended time in sub zero temps it could be quite handy!

How about a lego ZL? Seperate head, tube, and tailcaps. For external battery packs put a special tailcap with wire on directly to the head (no body tube). When the big remote pack is not needed, put it away and screw on a regular AA (or whatever) body tube and regular tailcap.:naughty: Of course the headlamp mount might have to be redesigned to, if it were to take the ultracompact tubeless light.

Could someone else make it? Petzl? They already do. I think the point here is that ZL has already perfected all the other factors, like weight, ruggedness, waterproof, efficient, nice tints, etc, and the other ones basically lack in everything other than the fact they have a remote pack :sick2: . I looked at the Petzl Myo xp/rxp... they make the xp belt pack too. Cost more than my zebra light by a good $25+ and only thing I can find better about it is it does have a flip up diffuser. Nice headlamp dont get me wrong, but far behind IMO.

DIΩDΣ;3765396 said:

...Nice headlamp dont get me wrong, but far behind IMO.

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My sentiments exactly. The only other manufacturer right now that can compete with Zebralight on all fronts, cost, quality, design, and efficiency and output, is Spark. The other big name headlamp makers, Brunton, Princeton tec, Black Diamond, etc. don't have much to offer that a ZL or a Spark can't do better and usually more inexpensively.

OK, so what are the advantages of a separate battery pack on a headlamp?

- Cold weather, batteries can be put in jacket or pack.
- Size/weight. The headlamp itself can be smaller and lighter. Can also use the size it has for cooling, so potentially less heat problems on high.
- Run time. Off the head battery pack means you could have say, 4 x 18650, which you could not do on the lamp itself.
- Changing cells. If you have to change batteries when out and about, you can leave the headlamp on your head.

I know it is not everyone's choice, I too like the compactness of my H501 etc. But a separate pack can add some versatility and do things that a combined battery/light cannot.

Zebralight could probably make a killer light with a separate battery pack, and that would be beneficial to those who want one. Then there are those who want/need an all-in-one smaller design. It is this smaller unique design makes a ZL light a ZL light in the first place. Their lights are more utility/task lights and less headlamps, at least to those of us who know how take advantage of the design. There is really no competition for the Zebralight design because their lights are not the typical jockstrap headlamps.

I don't see any other headlamp designs that let me carry both the headband and light in my shirt pocket.


I don't see any other headlamp designs that look like a flashlight and clip inside a shirt pocket like a flashlight.


I don't see any other headlamp designs that can be used like this.



This design makes possible for me to pocket-EDC just one light for all my uses. What other headlamp can I EDC in my pocket? What other headlamp can I use as a headlamp, flashlight, neck light, overhead light, desk lamp? Any comparison to the Zebralight design is pure apples and oranges. To the OP, I hope you see why the concept/design of a ZL light is so endearing.

Edit: I stand corrected. The new Spark SD all flood lights appear to have a swiveling clip like the ZL lights. Their new lights are closer to the ZL design than their older lights. However, you can't put an elastic sleeve over the clip like you can with a ZL light.