Lucifer Z3Mini – a headlamp with great accessories

I bought the Czech headlamp Lucifer Z2Mini in November 2023, and at the time of writing this review I’ve had it for over two years. The first impulse to buy it? Simple. My initial goal was to unify all my electronics so everything could be charged via USB‑C. That’s not a big requirement. Over time I discovered that Lucifer has many more advantages than just the port — and especially their additional bike accessories made my life a lot easier.

Did you notice the contradiction? In the first paragraph I write Z2Mini, but the headline says Z3Mini. And yes — I already have the successor, because I eventually drowned the “two.” That will be part of the review as well: we’ll talk about how to prevent that and what other issues I had with the headlamp, and how the third-generation version solved them.

🏗️ Construction

Before the headlamp arrived, I’d obviously seen pictures, but in real life it still surprised me a bit. It’s basically “just a chunk of metal.” It’s CNC-milled from an aircraft-grade aluminum alloy, which dissipates heat very well. When I tested runtime at home, I used the second-highest mode and it was only slightly warm. Outdoors it will cool even more thanks to airflow while moving. The body itself weighs 46 grams.

On both sides you have plastic caps; starting with the Z3Mini version they’re labeled, so you know which side is charging and which side is the battery. As mentioned — the headlamp has a USB‑C port. It uses 18650 batteries as its power source. Lucifer offers 2600, 3500, and now also 4000 mAh cells. The batteries are one of the few things that are Made in China. Otherwise, all development and most subcontracting is from the Czech Republic. The headlamp comes with a 3500 mAh battery.

Note: batteries that have their own charging port — for example some from Fenix — don’t work with the Lucifer for me.

You can now also buy aluminum caps — the pair is 6 grams heavier than the plastic ones and protects the weak point of the headlamp. When I first held the Z2Mini, I thought it was indestructible, but once it slipped out of my hand, fell on stairs, and the plastic cap cracked. Aluminum caps solve this issue.

The whole light with a battery and aluminum caps weighs 106 grams.

The Z3Mini uses Cree XP-L2 LED optics with very smooth transitions, so the beam doesn’t have noticeable edges. You can see it when I compare it to the Nitecore, where there’s a sharp beam boundary.

🔦 Controls and output levels

The headlamp has one button and two control schemes. Either a classic setup where clicking cycles through modes, or an advanced one where simple clicks alternate between LOW and MID, and a longer press takes you to higher output. When cycling modes, it sometimes happens that I accidentally trigger VERY LOW with a double-click. I’d definitely recommend getting familiar with the controls.

Maximum output is 850 lm, which with a 4000 mAh battery will run for 1 hour and 55 minutes. Lucifer has much stricter rules for stating runtimes. I also tried doing my own test on HIGH mode. According to the tables it should last 5 hours and 10 minutes. When I tested it manually, after 5 hours and 27 minutes HIGH stopped and it automatically switched to a lower mode. So as for claimed vs. real runtime — I’m satisfied.

The headlamp does not remember the last mode and always starts in LOW. Besides steady light, you can also switch to flashing. It has two overall intensity profiles — one is brighter with shorter runtime, the other is dimmer with longer runtime.

Low battery is indicated by brief flashes. Charging a 4000 mAh cell took me 5 hours in the headlamp, which matched the manual. Compared to modern power banks or phones, that’s very slow, but it should extend the battery’s lifespan. A continuous battery level indicator would be useful too — right now it only shows two states: charging and fully charged.

Runtime table for higher outputs with a 4000 mAh battery:

Lumens	Runtime
13	207:00
100	23:00
200	11:30
400	5:10
850	1:55

🛠️ Accessories

What I really appreciate about Lucifer is the accessory ecosystem. In the box you get a head strap (45 g) — a standard headlamp setup — but you can also buy several mounts that are great for bikepacking:

• Helmet mount – 19 g
• Handlebar mount – 25 g
• GoPro-style mount – 17 g

Thanks to this you can put the Lucifer practically anywhere — I have all three mounts. In general, at night I click the Lucifer onto my helmet, and during the day I click it onto the handlebars. I don’t want to carry unnecessary grams on my head if I don’t have to. With the handlebar mount I can also use it as a regular bike light in case of fog. And the GoPro mount adds compatibility if you don’t have space directly on the handlebars.

I don’t use the mounts only for the Lucifer, but also for the Nitecore — even though it’s a pretty tight fit.

🚵‍♀️ Real-world use

How did it work for me over those two years? I used it primarily as a supplementary light. On my handlebars I carry a stronger light that I use all the time, and I turned on the Lucifer mainly in confusing terrain or when I needed to orient myself.

If you want to go for a couple of hours of off-road riding, you can definitely find a stronger light — but for bikepacking I wouldn’t go much above 850 lm anyway, because you’d have trouble recharging it. On Slovakia Divide I used the Lucifer as my main light and I comfortably rode through two nights nonstop.

Replaceable batteries are great, especially in terms of weight-to-mAh ratio. The lightest Nitecore NB10000 power bank weighs 150 g and has 10,000 mAh. Three 18650 cells weigh 147 grams and have 12,000 mAh — if only they charged faster…

I drowned one Lucifer. In terms of waterproofing it meets IP68 — protected against immersion to 1 m for 30 minutes. In Kyrgyzstan on the last night I realized my Z2Mini wasn’t shining, and when I opened it there were droplets of water on the battery. After returning home I filed a warranty claim and received the newer Z3Mini version. Lucifer offers a 4-year warranty and up to 10-year availability of spare parts and repairs, which is great.

How did I manage to flood it? They diagnosed unlubricated threads. The manual mentions: “For longer life and easier loosening, lubricate the thread with petroleum jelly.” I didn’t do that because I didn’t realize it could have such an impact on waterproofing. I also have another personal theory — in Kyrgyzstan there were lots of washboard roads transmitting heavy vibrations into the bike. I had the headlamp in a bike mount and the vibrations were transferred into it too. I wonder whether those vibrations could have loosened the threads.

And by the way, for transport it’s generally a good idea to loosen the threads a bit so the headlamp can’t turn on by itself and drain the battery unnecessarily.

📐 Conclusion

The Lucifer Z2Mini is a very high-quality headlamp, and you have the confidence that if something goes wrong you’re dealing with a Czech manufacturer and innovator who will sort it out. Communication is good and it’s an established company. Thanks to the aluminum caps, even a drop won’t stop the headlamp anymore (though I’m not going to test that). For longer trips and travel, the output is more than sufficient, because you won’t have the energy budget for thousands of lumens anyway.

The optional accessories are great for cycling, so it works not only as a headlamp but also as a bike headlight. It’s on the more expensive side, but it should last you many years. More information about the headlamp can be found on the Lucifer Lights website.