HC50 565 lumen head torch quick review

[sirgoldalot]

http://www.nitecore.com/productDetail.aspx?id=98#.Uqpx4JFjps4

Its small at just 86mm long x 40mmm wide at its widest point ....and the lens is a mere 12.5 mm across.... One of the smallest I've ever seen.

It is removable from the headband with a rubber loop at each end..the whole mount on the headband is a soft quality rubber no hard plastic on the mount and it fits nice against the forehead.

It has five brightness levels and there is a good gap between each one the lowest being very low indeed...hence the 400 hours run time (16 days) thats impressive if your into caving and stuff...

it also has three more white modes sos slow strobe and beacon.

There also two red LEDs available as flashing and static...i found that the red light is handy for close up stuff....loading mags, rolling ciggies, checking loose screws etc etc without ruining your night vision they are not super bright they are soft yet good for hands on stuff close to you..don't expect to see more than 15-20 feet on dark night..

it takes a single 18650 battery with impressive run times at lower levels...when you insert a batterie a flashing code on the main switch lets you know the charge of the battery... i found this worked very well against a current meter test... for instance 3 flashes break then four flashes means the battery charge is 3.4volts remaining... Batterys 18650 x1 CR123A x2

Overall build is very good, it is quality simples...

field test

Very light weight makes it easy to wear for long periods, the headband is soft no hard plastics cutting into your skull...its has no fixed position in the mounts so you rotate it to what the situation requires.. the switch is very positive and easy to find if your right handed... it has a memory mode for white light settings it remembers the last setting... one click turns on the 5 level torch mode half click scroll low to Hi ... Two fast clicks on the switch turns on the sos ,beacon and strobe modes.. then half press to scroll through the special modes... this is a good feature as its in its own menu and won't come on in normal use... press and hold the button down for 2 seconds and it enters red mode two red LEDS activate either side of the main beam another half click turns these into flashing red lights..

It really does spill out the light you get great big wide beam from such a small reflector and on full power it light up the whole area for 30 yards... i had a walk along the river and saw lots of fish about 2 foot down it does have a hot spot and this works out to 70 yards..but its hard to see if a bit foggy as it was when i went to test it... the gap between levels is good and the drop is very noticeable ... there are 5 levels to choose from 565 -1 lumen

A great light for paunching rabbits at the end of the session..bright clean white light.

Verdict

Another feature i liked is how easy it is to remove from headband it just takes seconds... same to reinstall it..

When removed from headband it is a very capable pocket torch nice light weight and small..i could have done with this not long ago ...i had a bolt on a manifold i could not see.. i could not put a conventional torch anywhere near it... this because the light is in the middle of the body would have been just the job... Also the end caps are knurled and you can set it at different angles when laid on a flat surface...it can also be stood on its tail...

++ high quality build

++ very high output

++ very small and light

++can be used as pocket torch

++ very good run times

To be truthful i cannot fault it anywhere it has been well thought out... with great features and it works very well.

Im keeping this one...

Price £59.95 18 months guarantee plus lifetime limited warranty

PS do not look at your wifes face up close on full power... they might fall into river...sorry V ( black/red spots in her eyes for 25 minutes)

Full Specs Here

http://www.nitecore.com/productDetail.aspx?id=98#.Uqpx4JFjps4

Edited December 13, 2013 by sirgoldalot