Nitecore HC65 UHE Headlamp Review

The Nitecore HC65 UHE headlamp features an array of cool white UHE emitters. But two are high CRI warmer emitters! There’s red, too! And USB-C charging. Read on!

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Official Specs and Features

Here’s a referral link to the Nitecore HC65 UHE headlamp product page.

Versions

Two versions of the Nitecore HC65 UHE headlamp are available. There’s the black version (seen here) and a white out version, too.

Price

This black version is priced at $89.95, while the all-white version demands a $5 premium.

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What’s Included

• Nitecore HC65 UHE headlamp
• Nitecore 4000mAh 18650
• Headband
• Zipper carry pouch
• Spare o-rings
• Over-the-head band
• Charging cable
• Manual, etc

Package and Manual

Build Quality and Disassembly

The Nitecore HC65 UHE headlamp has a solid build quality. Unlike similar Nitecore models, such as the HU2000, the Nitecore HC65 UHE headlamp is made of metal.

The tailcap (or negative terminal) is removable.

Threads on the removable end are nice and smooth. There’s a spring on this end, too, but it’s covered with an interesting little metal tab.

 

Inside the cell tube, you can see that the positive contact is only a button, not a spring.

The other end isn’t removable – this is where the charge port is.

Size and Comps

Dimensions L-3.52″ x W-1.66″ x H-1.81″
Weight 5.36 oz

If the flashlight can headstand, I’ll show it here. If it can tailstand, I’ll also show that here!

Here’s the test light with the venerable Convoy S2+. The version below is a custom laser-engraved Convoy S2+ host by GadgetConnections.com. I did a full post on an engraved orange host right here! Or go straight to GadgetConnections.com to buy your Convoy S2+ now!

Also in the photo above, my Standard Reference Material (SRM) flashlight is the Hanko Machine Works Trident, an 18350 light. While I have not reviewed or tested the Gunner Grip version seen here, I have tested a Hanko Machine Works Trident Total Tesseract in brass. I love the Trident, and it’s a striking contrast to the inexpensive Convoy S2+, another great SRM.

Retention and Carry

The Nitecore HC65 UHE headlamp ships inside this zippered clamshell case. It’s a nice one.

After that, you’ll of course use the Nitecore HC65 UHE headlamp as a headlamp (only) and you’ll wear it on your head! The headband is common to Nitecore, so if you liked others, you’ll like this one. It’s good anyway.

The Nitecore HC65 UHE headlamp slips into and out of the connection piece with effort, but does so easily. I do not believe the light will escape these grippers accidentally.

An over-top strap is included but not attached.

The backside of this band has a silicone gripper.

One more item that Nitecore included is this BM06 bicycle mount.

With this, you can permanently install a bracket on your bike that will hold the Nitecore HC65 UHE headlamp in the same way that the headband holds it.

Power and Runtime

The Nitecore HC65 UHE headlamp runs on a single 18650 cell. This 4000mAh 18650 is included, but it’s a standard cell.

The cell goes into the light with the button (positive end) into the light.

Below you can see a number of runtime charts. Two were tested with the included cell, and three were tested with a synthetic cell of the same capacity. The three synthetic runtimes are included in this group chart.

The three runtimes below are synthetic. If you want to know more about that, check out this link.

On the tests with a cell, the light shuts off at around 3V. The synthetic tests support that, with the light shutting off around 2.8V.

Charging

The Nitecore HC65 UHE headlamp has built-in charging. There’s a USB-C charging port on one end, covered by a press-in silicone cover.

A C-to-C charging cable is included.

While charging, four LEDs are visible.

C to C charging works fine and takes around 2 hours to complete.

Modes and Currents

Mode	Mode Claimed Output (lm)	Claimed Runtime	Measured Lumens	Tailcap Amps
Primary Turbo	2000	2h	1833 (0s) 1770 (30s)	6.07
Primary Higher	1300	5h	1211 (0s) 1200 (30s)	3.26
Primary High	400	14h	370	0.75
Primary Mid	100	31h	83	0.15
Auxiliary Low	40	40h	34	0.13
Auxiliary Ultralow	8	82h	6.2	0.01
Red High	15	37h	–	0.01
Red Low	5	66h	–	0.07

Pulse Width Modulation

None of the modes use PWM.

Click here to see a “baseline” – a chart with almost no light hitting the sensor.

Then there’s the Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight, which has some of the worst PWM I’ve seen. It’s so bad that I used a post about it to explain PWM! Here are multiple timescales (10ms, 5ms, 2ms, 1ms, 0.5ms, 0.2ms) to make comparing this “worst” PWM light to the test light easier. That post also explains why I didn’t test the WF-602C at the usual 50us scale.

User Interface and Operation

The Nitecore HC65 UHE headlamp is controlled with two e-switches. They are on top (when the light is worn properly). I think the Nitecore HC65 UHE headlamp is fairly intuitive. Below you can see the bigger, textured power switch (left side) with the mode switch on the right.

Here’s a user interface table! As far as I can tell (and the manual also states), the mode switch only switches between red and white output.

State	Action	Result
Off	Long press Power	Mid
Primary White On	Click Power	Mode advance (Mid > High > Higher)
Primary White On	Double click Power	Turbo
Turbo	Click Power	Return to previous
Off	Double click Power	Ultralow
Auxiliary White On	Click Power	Low
Off	Long press Mode	Red Low
Red On	Click Power	Mode advance (Red Low > Red High > Slow Flashing)
On	Click Mode	Output advance (Primary White > Auxiliary White > Red)
Any	Double click Mode	SOS
Any special mode	Double click Power	Advance through special (SOS > Beacon)
Off	Hold both 2s	Auxiliary flashes 3x, light is in lockout
Lockout	Hold both 2s	Unlock to Ultralow Charging and changing the battery also unlocks the light.

LED and Beam

The emitters used in the Nitecore HC65 UHE headlamp are Nitecore’s own UHE LEDs. We don’t know much more about them than that, but they’ll be characterized below. The light uses one big TIR with each emitter having its own little TIR cup.

The array of eight are the primary emitters. In the little section among those eight emitters are red and Auxiliary white emitters. I do not know if the aux white emitters are UHE.

LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)

Below you can see the CRI and CCT report for the Primary white (left four) and Auxiliary white (right two). It’s nice that the Aux white are warmer than the primary, higher output emitters. They (aux) are also high CRI, which is fantastic!

CCT (Correlated Color Temperature) refers to the measurement of the color appearance of light, expressed in Kelvins (K), which indicates whether the light is warm (yellowish) or cool (bluish). A lower CCT (below 3000K) is considered warm light, while a higher CCT (above 5000K) gives cooler, bluish light.

CRI (Color Rendering Index) is a measure of how accurately a light source renders colors in comparison to natural sunlight. Scored on a scale from 0 to 100, higher CRI values indicate that colors appear more true to life and vibrant, similar to how they would look under the sun.

Beamshots

These beamshots always have the following settings:  f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure. These photos are taken at floor level, and the beam hits the ceiling around 9 feet away.

Tint vs BLF-348 (KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b version) (affiliate link)

I keep the test flashlight on the left and the BLF-348 reference flashlight on the right. These photos are taken around 18 inches from the door.

I compare everything to the KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!

Summary and Conclusion

The Nitecore HC65 UHE headlamp is a solid light. I am particularly satisfied that the auxiliary white emitters are warm(ish) and also high CRI! It’s great that the Nitecore HC65 UHE headlamp uses a standard 18650 and charges via USB-C. Output is great, and the user interface seems very mature – it’s great that most modes can be accessed from off.

The Big Table

Nitecore HC65 UHE headlamp
Emitter:	Nitecore UHE
Price in USD at publication time:	$89.95
Cell:	1×18650
Runtime Graphs
LVP?	Yes
Switch Type:	E-Switch
Quiescent Current (mA):	?
On-Board Charging?	Yes
Charge Port Type:	USB-C
Charge Graph
Power off Charge Port	With or without cell and or tailcap: all modes except turbo
Claimed Lumens (lm)	2000
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	1770 (88.5% of claim)^
Candela per Lumen	8.55
Claimed Throw (m)	222
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	454lux @ 5.772m = 15125cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	246.0 (110.8% of claim)^
Claimed CCT	–
Measured CCT Range (K)	6200-6800 Kelvin
Item provided for review by:	Nitecore
All my Nitecore reviews!

^ Measurement disclaimer:  Testing flashlights is my hobby. I use hobbyist-level equipment for testing, including some I made myself. Try not to get buried in the details of manufacturer specifications versus measurements recorded here; A certain amount of difference (say, 10 or 15%) is perfectly reasonable.

What I like

• Standard 18650
• Warmer set of emitters are high CRI
• Versatile User interface
• Easy to use headband connection
• Very high output
• Two dedicated buttons

What I don’t like

• Low CRI high output emitters
• Little nub on charge port cover

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Notes

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