Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Zebra lights

Well after 5 yrs I lost my zebra light, no idea where it went to just gone. At the time extremely bright, durable, and compact. Looking at buying a replacement, debating on buying another one in AA or should I purchase one that runs on cr123,. Or is there a better product by another company. I love the running the light on AA batteries keeps it simple,. Or do the advantages of cr123 out weigh AA batteries? Thanks

I lost my AA one, too. Replaced with 123. Lost it also. Bought 3 more so now I'm good....

I don't see a lot of reason to go with CR123 these days with how efficient the led lights have become. With AA you can use eneloops for rechargables, or buy energizer lithium's. Not to mention if you're like me you keep alkaline AA's around the house. If I need more power I'm stepping all the way up to an 18650 light.

When I bought my first Zebralight, I went all in and got the 18650 setup. I love this setup.

I use a lot of AA's and AAA's. Costco carries good ones in packs of 60 for a good price. Also, I have a bunch of lithium rechargeable AA's. I have a car charger and you can get solar chargers for them.

I can make a case for AA but not for CR123.

I can make a case for 18650 but not for CR123.

My one Zebra light is 18650. I got a spare battery for it which I have never needed because I have never even got close to running one 18650 down on an outdoor trip.

I have an Armytek that runs on 18650s and same thing, I got two extra batteries and I switch them every now and then just because. If you run the Armytek on low power which is about 250 lumans it will run continuously a year on the battery.

Thor fire on eBay around 15 dollars and recharge battery for 5 dollars

Anybody else have a Zebralight run hot? The Zebra's are built like tanks but my Fenix wins on battery life.

Will the zebra light run on 18650 and AA batteries? Looks like I will be shopping for a new zebra light

It depends what you use the light for. On the low setting it will run a long time for doing camp chores or trail walking. But if you are running it on high to track a deer I suggest having at least two spare 18650s with you.

They're different sizes and different voltages. How can a light run on either one?

No. They make different models that run on different batteries.

Don't the 18650 model work with double 123's?

I understand that 2 C123s will work but the mAh's are considerably less so they don't last as long. 18650's are slightly wider so they often won't fit in lights made for C123's.

I'm no electrical engineer but it's my understanding that C123's are about 3V while 18650's are 3.7v. 2 C123's will put out over 6v. With the old filament lights, doubling the voltage will make them brighter (and likely burn them out) but LED's have some kind of regulator to keep them at the same brightness either way. At the same time, LED's only run in a certain range of voltage so they might not work with the higher V's of 2 C123's. It depends on the bulb.

Well, all I know is, the 123 lights last a LOT longer than the AA ones do...

The 18650 Zebralights are wicked little headlamps.

Looks like it will be a 18650 for me,. Dumb question I just noticed the batteries appeared similar in size

An 18650 is much larger than a AA when you see them next to each other. If you decide to go for the 18650, spend some time learning about the different types, hazards, etc. Buy quality batteries from a reputable source and get a good charger. They aren't unsafe but do require some common sense. Not uncommon for vaping douchbags to burn a hole in their leg with a loose 18650 in their pocket.

Depends on the specific brand and model. Some will, some aren't set up to handle the extra voltage.