Bosavi Tour: Dan Freschl and his headlamp

Dan with Bosavi prototypes on display.

Dan Freschl is a man everyone can look up to. He had an idea, to build a better headlamp, and is following through with it all by himself. 

The Bosavi story officially starts a few years back when Dan bought a mill on Craigslist and started playing around with it. After some success he bought a larger computer controlled mill, also on Craigslist, but this time behind his wife’s back. He mentioned it to her briefly and she threatened to divorce him, but he bough it anyway. (They’re still married.) The newer mill is a 3000 lb. behemoth of a machine that he operates with the grace gained from rebuilding it ground up and programming the numerous operations that have shaped the countless versions of Bosavi’s injection molds and heat sinks. 

Bosavi's custom lithium polymer battery. The whole lamp is built around it.

 

The mill is just one of many projects Dan has tackled solo. He designed and built his own circuit boards, website, logo, t-shirts, he wrote his own patents, and has jumped the hurdles that larger companies with clear with one hundred people, all by his lonesome. Dan and Bosavi are proof that you can do it.

His shop lies within the larger confines of Joshua Tree Furniture, a Berkeley-based woodworking shop that makes tables, cabinets, and various other artsy things. I found Dan starring at his laptop in the company’s showroom. Early Bosavi prototypes, parts, and graphics occupy a five-foot by three-foot display in the center of this space. This was the first gallery I’ve been to that features a prominent display of headlamps.

Joshua Tree Furniture Gallery. The Bosavi display is on the left wall.

Bosavi’s relationship with the furniture company seems to be a good fit for Dan. Finding lots of small wood scraps laying around the shop, he milled early versions of Bosavi out of fine hardwoods like ebony.

His primary workspace rests in the back of the shop and is cluttered with Bosavi ingredients. The place looks like an infant was left alone with a large bowl of electronic spaghetti. Circuit boards, wires, LEDs, and batteries cover the counters while notes, numbers and diagrams cover the walls. In an email he warned me about the mess. “Hope you don't mind seeing how I really work.” 

Although the Bosavi shop may appear messy to an outsider like myself Dan knew where everything was and quickly assembled the majority of a headlamp before my eyes. For the most part he avoided technical engineering speak, but I learned that Bosavi’s LEDs blink 400 times per second (the human eye can only handle about 40) and he showed me all of Bosavi’s programmable options and features. The list is impressive: you can charge Bosavi’s lithium polymer battery with almost any power source (USB, AAA batteries, solar), the headlamp can mount to a bike handlebar, and the packaging folds into a lantern. My first impression two favorite features: 1) the unit folds down not at the strap like most other headlamps, but in the middle, which keeps the center of gravity closer to your head, and 2) it’s surprisingly compact, which is great because it takes up less space in your pack or your pocket.

Circuit boards.

Injection mold for part of the elastic strap mount.

Bosavi will be built in China by the same factory that makes these. Dan is going there soon to check it out.

Bosavi seems like an excellent lifestyle headlamp for people on the go, people in cities, and people who play outdoors. The rechargeable battery offers numerous advantages and cost savings over traditional batteries, and every detail of the headlamp has been meticulously thought out. If you want Bosavi or want to support Dan and his DIY efforts check out the project’s Kickstarter page. There’s only a few days left!

A Bosavi prototype. Note how the beam adjusts from the center of the lamp, not the back. This keeps the center of gravity closer to your head.

Watch Dan talk about building Bosavi: