Let's talk torches

[JSparrow]

Must be nice to have so much time on one's hands.

Great effort though. One hell of a beam.

[Rui Valentim]

Morning all.

Here is my review on the Nitecore HC60 1000 Lumen Headlamp.

Nitecore HC60 Review.



The HC60 is one of five in Nitecore's HC headlamp series, also being one of the brightest at 1000 lumens and with the second furtherest beam distance at 117 meters.
Although marketed to the hiking, outdoor/camping segment, it can basically be used in many more applications.




Packaging at a glance.

With the HC60 being compact and light weight, the box is relatively small in size, but still has all the necessary and important information printed on it.







Unboxing.

Once you open the box and reveal all the contents, you will notice that the headlamp is already installed onto the headband, and don't freak out, the included 18650 3400mAh battery you were promised

is pre inserted into the headlamp.




Other items included with the headlamp are a micro USB charging cable, extra 'O' rings for the end caps as well as a rectangular rubber gasket for the LED housing plate.

You also get a spare rubber on/off switch cap, as well as the owners manual leaflet and warranty registration card.

Please read the owners manual carefully and follow the warranty instructions where needed. You wouldn't want to loose out on that five year warranty.




Quality Inspection.



Nitecore has a reputation for manufacturing quality top notch products, and this can be confirmed on the HC60.

Machined from aero grade Aluminum, all parts fit neatly and seamlessly together.

The main body is one solid milled piece, with the rectangular cover which houses the lens and switch cap attaching to it being made of plastic.




The knurling on either of the end caps, which are also made of Aluminum, is subtle to the touch, but sufficient enough for grip while tightening.

Also noticeable is a sufficient amount of the silicone like grease on the threads, as well as 'O' rings on either end to ensure a water tight and dust free seal once the end caps are screwed on.




The headband housing bracket is actually made from two separate materials which have been joined together. the actual bracket piece that holds the HC60 in place is made of a hard rubber, which also seems to be tear resistant as I have twisted it back and forth and it's not that hard that is causes discomfort.

The rear piece which sits up against your forehead is made from a semi hard plastic with a bit of flexibility.

The mould quality is superb with no visible over injected joins which would obviously degrade the appearance of the product. It's also shaped with a curve from left to right, as well as top to bottom, almost like a 'cupping' shape to ensure a comfortable fit on all shapes and sizes of foreheads.

Where the actual front bracket piece meets the 'cupping' plate, is very well joined, almost like they were moulded together. Very neat and precise with very smooth joins.

I've used the HC60 whilst out on patrol and I must say, after wearing it constantly for a two hour long shift, I felt no discomfort whatsoever. A real pleasure.




The elastic strap is breathable nylon material with attractive print and Nitecore branding, which can be detached from all rubber fittings so it can be washed when needed.
What I also really like is that you can remove the elastic strap that goes over your head if it makes you uncomfortable.




Performance.



Before we get started, here are some features and specification list for the HC60.











The included 18650 battery is pre charged before shipping, so you're good to go and start fiddling with the HC60 to get familiar with all the different modes.




Every time you insert a battery into the HC60 and screw on the battery cap, it will actually give you a battery level indication so you know how much battery life is left.

This is indicated by a blue LED under the the rubber on/off switch which pulses accordingly.

So if your battery is at 3.6V, the LED will blink three times, followed by a slight pause, then blink six times again, indicating that you have 3.6V capacity left in the battery.

This can be checked at any time, simply by unscrewing the battery cap and screwing it back on again.

Oh, and don't worry about inserting the battery the wrong way round as the HC60 has Reverse Polarity Protection so you can't damage the unit or the battery.
You will know this as you notice the on/off switch pulsing rapidly. Clever hey!?

If everything is normal, the on/off switch will pulse every 1.5 seconds while charging.
Once the charge is complete, the on/off switch will stay on and not pulse.




Ok, so battery is inserted and the battery capacity is good, switch it on.

The on/off switch is located on the front next to the lens. It's noticeably raised so that it's easier to feel for, even while wearing gloves.




So let's get on with it.

If you press/click the on/off switch once, it will come on in the lowest mode which is 1 lumen.

Each time you press the on/off switch, you will cycle through the different illumination intensities.

So first click will be 1 lumen, second click 38 lumens, third click 210 lumens, fourth click is 420 lumens and then fith click will be 1000 lumens (Turbo).

To switch off, simply press and hold the on/off switch till the HC60 switches off.




The HC60 is also capable of recalling the level you were on prior to switching off.

So lets say you were on level 3 of 210 lumens when you switched off.

By Pressing and holding the on/off switch will take you directly to level 3 of 210 lumens.

Turning on the HC60 with one click will always take you to level 1 of 1 lumen.
If you want to get to 1000 lumens immediately, press and hold the on/off switch for two seconds. One second in and the last level will light up and finally 1000 lumens.



The HC60 has also got three special modes which are Strobe, SOS and Location Beacon.

The special modes can only be accessed while the HC60 is off and not while on in the normal mode.

To access the special modes, double click the on/off switch while the HC60 is off and you'll enter the strobe mode.

Click once again and you'll get the SOS mode, click once again will give you the Location Beacon mode.

To get out of special mode you just simply press and hold the on/off switch till it switches off.

While the HC60 is mounted on the rubber bracket and strapped to your head, vertical adjustment is pretty easy and with just enough friction between the Aluminum body and the rubber. It's not too tight to adjust and not too loose that it moves on it's own.

The HC60 uses a CREE XM-L2 U2 LED , and thanks to the special optics which is a combination of Crystal Coating and Precision Digital Optic Technology, this little guy is able to throw a MEAN punch at 1000 lumens.
With a head size of 18.5mm and a beam spread of 100 degrees, it lights up a good part of your field of vision, and all this up to 117m.
Check out some of the pictures below to see what I mean.

Now in this picture, trust me, the pool area is pitch black where you can barely make out the pool. It's hard to capture what the eye really sees using a camera. The shutter was open for a bit too long.

These next two pictures are the HC60 at full 1000 lumens.

Some internal clever bits.
The HC60 has a built-in Micro USB port for charging. So need to worry about having to buy a battery charger.
The USB charging port is located behind the end cap, so you have to unscrew the end cap completely off to connect the USB cable.
I'm not so sure I'm comfortable with this idea as you might tend to misplace or loose the end cap. I think I would prefer a rubber cover for the port, but that's just me.
It's also intelligent enough to cut the charge current once it detects your battery is fully charged, thus extending the life of your battery.
Although the HC60 is able to run off of 1 x 18650 or 2 x CRE123 or RCR123 batteries, one thing to NOTE is that you can only recharge an 18650 battery via the USB port.
You can not charge 2 x CRE123 or 2 x RCR123 batteries inside the HC60.

It has Advanced Temperature Regulation built into the electronics.
So what this means is that the internal temperature sensors monitor the temperature of the LED, and if it starts getting too hot, it automatically adjusts the power output to the LED
so it doesn't overheat, which in turn extends the life span of the actual LED.

The HC60 is water resistant, as well as waterproof up to 1m.
It is also impact resistant up to 1.5m

Summary.
All in all I am very impressed with the performance and features.
It is very comfortable to wear, as apposed to some of those headlamps that have the bulky battery pack on the rear of the strap.
It looks stylish, it's light weight, user friendly and has awesome illumination and run time.

For guys on a construction site that wear hard hats, like the regular ones you find in SA,
I find that the strap tends to slide up on the hard hat and doesn't sit securely enough.

I must mention that I have a discrepancy with the owners manual.
The owners manual states that if you press and hold the on/off switch for one second, this will take you to the last level or special mode you were in.
On my HC60, this only applies to levels and NOT special modes.
I will have to confirm this with Nitecore.

Some changes I would suggest would be leaving the end USB cap as a solid piece, but include maybe a round rubber cap to cover the USB port.

Although the HC60 does not come with a belt/pocket clip like the HC90 does, you can use the clip from a R25/MH27 if you have, it will work.

I would not hesitate to recommend the HC60 to my camping and fishing buddies, in fact, if the HC60 is anything to go by in terms of build and performance, then I will recommend any of the Nitecore HC series headlamps.

Thanks for reading.

For pricing and availability, contact Celesti on 0828258442 or Louis on 0834106005, or alternatively, visit their online store at www.nightcoresa.co.za
For more Nitecore products, visit www.nitecore.com or connect with them on Facebook, @NitecoreFlashlight

[Graham12]

Are you affiliated to Nitecore? Your only posts are reviews of their products. Did I miss the fair disclosure?

[BigT]

All your posts are about a particular brand with no disclosure of your relationship

Please contact the admins with the necessary info and you may be allowed to post again.

[Cockroach]

All your posts are about a particular brand with no disclosure of your relationship

Please contact the admins with the necessary info and you may be allowed to post again.

Wondered about that. Someone with this name posted on GS Vleisbook asking how to contact admin

[Rui Valentim]

Hi all


Apologies to all members for not properly introducing myself.


I am just an ordinary individual who works in the music industry. I don't work for any gun of Flashlight manufacturer, part or full time.
I do community patrols late at night and just so happen to use Nitecore Flashlights.
Now and then they send me samples for review and a bit of exposure.
I do have some questions regarding flashlights, which I was actually going to post and get some clarity today, but I guess that will just have to wait.


I do own firearms too and will most likely post questions that I may have in future, but not right now as the questions I have pertain to the service and ethics of a certain gun store,
and I don't think this platform is suited for dragging a store through the mud.


I apologize if I've upset anyone by only posting about Nitecore, but truth is, no other brands of Flashlights send me products to review, so I can't really do any comparisons.
Regards

[Rui Valentim]

Ok, so here's a question.

When hunting, what are the benefits and differences of using red or green light?
Has anyone actually hunted with either colour that can add some input?


Thanks

[Brendon C. O'Friel]

morning Everyone.
i bought a Rm190/Hp190 Iprotect torch for my glock 17.
anyone know where i can find a holster?
thank you

[SSP]

morning Everyone.
i bought a Rm190/Hp190 Iprotect torch for my glock 17.
anyone know where i can find a holster?
thank you

Never heard of it.

Daniels will be able to make you a holster though - I expect.

[ArnoG26]

Ok, so here's a question.

When hunting, what are the benefits and differences of using red or green light?
Has anyone actually hunted with either colour that can add some input?


Thanks

If I remember correctly Red is for hogs/pigs and blue is for blood and antelope. Because this is the torch section I also like Nitecore products. They make decent strong lights, good batteries and decent chargers. Although I'm not a fan of night shooting I would rather walk and stalk in daylight. Hogs/Pigs are a pest on my father in laws game farm because they stuff up his camps wiring and go under the wiring which opens holes for caracal and jackal which like to feed on his black Impala lambs and Spring-buck lambs. So Hogs, Caracal and Jackal is open season. We saw leopard spoor once but I think it was passing through none of his animals was harmed during that time. I also think it is illegal to shoot a leopard not that i want to shoot one. I only shoot what I can eat.