I tend to think of “zoomies” (the category) as being like the SRK’s in that there is so much more potential that could be tapped. I truly believe that it is technically possible to make a good zoomie. It’s just that it isn’t being done. It can be designed so that the slide mechanism goes further back and further out. In that case, a high quality lens with a longer focal point could be used to give the most output in both zoomed in and zoomed out modes. A small die emitter might be great for a pencil beam, but that’s not very useful to most people really. And those small die LED’s don’t give enough lumens to be useful in flood mode either. I’d be okay with a XP-G2 driven hard but I think better would be a de-domed XM-L2 or a XP-L HI for high output. With a longer focal point lens, the die image won’t be too huge when zoomed in. If we really want to maximize output, a light recycling collar should be added. But, that would limit how close the lens can be to the die for flood mode.
To move in a different direction, what about considering a reflector zoomie instead? The whole reflector/head assembly can be slid up and down like a regular zoomie. Pulling it out would put the reflector at the perfect focal point for throw. Pushing it back would clear the reflector away from the emitter and make the light basically a mule. This with a XM-L2 de-domed or a XPL HI might be the best we can get in the zoomie category. The reflector could be SMO for tightest throw or OP for those who prefer a softer beam edge. Of course, the throw of a reflector couldn’t compare to a perfect die image from a quality lens. But, who needs to see a square die with tiny dots all over it being projected onto whatever they’re trying to look at?