ZebraLight Headband

ZebraLight Headband Highlights:

  • 3 grams.

  • Adjustable length.

  • Elastic provides the right amount of pressure.

  • Strong knots to keep flashlight pointing in the right direction.

Building Instructions:

  1. Make two noose knots in roughly the middle of the rope, such that they slide tighter when pulling the rope away from the light.

  2. On one end, make a double figure-eight knot (left hand side above).

  3. Add a first key ring to that figure-eight knot, and then elastic band to the key ring.

  4. Near the other end, add a clove hitch knot to a second key ring. This will let you easily adjust the length of your head band.

  5. Add same elastic to this second key ring.

  6. Add enough slack to reach the first figure-eight knot, and follow one of the lines to make it a triple figure-eight. You may choose to make a second double figure-eight knot and add that loop to the first key ring.

Usage:

  • Too lose or too tight: adjust the rope in the clove hitch.

  • Light is sagging: pull harder on the noose knot. If not sufficient, redo the knot adding more loops to the knot.

  • Elastic breaks: simply replace it using the two key rings.

Total weights:

Light: 84 gr. or 3 oz.

  • Flashlight (Zebralight H600c Mk IV): 35 gr.

  • Headband: 3 gr.

  • 18650 3.7V 3400mAh battery: 46 gr.


Subsystem: 46 gr per additional 12Wh batteries.

  • Recharger/power bank (Nitecore UI 1): 30 gr.

  • USB to mini cable: 10 gr

  • USB wall charger (Apple): 23 gr.

  • Additional batteries (each 12.6W): 46 gr.

Comparion between Nitecore NU25 and Zebralight

Nitecore NU 25 vs. Zebralight H600c Mk IV:

  • Weight: 28 gr vs. 84 gr. NU is 3x lighter.

  • Max output: 360 lumens vs. 1600 lumens. Zebra is 4x brighter.

  • Duration: Zebra last 8x longer:

    • At max: 30 min vs. 150 min. Zebra last 5x longer while producing 4x the amount of light.

    • At 300+ lumens: 30 min. vs. 310 min. Zebra last 10x longer at 300+ lumens.

    • At 25+ lumens: 8 h. vs. 64 h. Zebra last 8x longer at 25+ lumens.

    • At 1 lumen: 160h vs. 2 months / 1400 h. Zebra last 9x longer at 1 lumen.

  • Lock: press 2 buttons vs. quarter-turn of battery holder. Turning the battery holder a quarter turn is the most fool proof locking mechanism in a bag.

  • Housing: plastic vs metal. ZebraLight's aluminium case is both solid and and is an excellent heat sink.

Summary:

  • Nitecore NU25 is lighter and perfect for fast and light. It is 56 gr. / 2 oz. ligher.

  • ZebraLight H600c Mk IV last longer (8x) and is brighter (4x). It can be recharged by simply swapping 46gr batteries.

Comparison Between Traditional Battery Bank vs. Recharger & 18650 Batteries.

  • Traditional: for example Amazon-Basic 10,000 mAh. power bank results in 37 Wh at 217 gr. or 5.9 gr. per Wh.

  • Recharger+18650 Batteries: Nitecore UI 1 + 3x 3400 mAh. batteries result in 38 Wh at 168 gr. or 4.4 gr. per Wh. Use less weight per Watt hour.

  • Both solutions need a USB cable and a USB wall charger to replenish the batteries.

  • Both solutions can recharge phones (Nitecore UI 1 is both a recharger and a power bank).

  • A single traditional power banks are easier to charge as each 18650 batteries must be charged one at a time with the Nitecore UI1.

  • Batteries are more flexible: for short trips, one can take fewer batteries; when one battery is bad, one can replace just the one.