Nitecore HC60 UHE Headlamp Review
The Nitecore HC60 UHE headlamp features five NiteLab UHE emitters as well as a red emitter and a nice headband. It charges via USB-C, too! Read on!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a referral link to the Nitecore HC60 UHE headlamp product page.
Versions
There’s just one version of the Nitecore HC60 UHE headlamp.
Price
The Nitecore HC60 UHE headlamp is available at NitecoreStore.com for $64.95.
What’s Included
- Nitecore HC60 UHE headlamp
- Nitecore 4000mAh 18650
- Headband
- Zipper carry pouch (not pictured above)
- Spare o-ring
- Over-the-head band
- Charging cable
- Manual, etc
Package and Manual
Below you can see the zippered carrying case.
Build Quality and Disassembly
The Nitecore HC60 UHE headlamp has a solid build quality. Unlike similar Nitecore models, such as the HU2000, the Nitecore HC60 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.
Size and Comps
Dimensions L-3.15″ x W-1.65″ x H-1.91″
Weight 4.94 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 HC60 UHE headlamp ships inside this zippered clamshell case. It’s a nice one.
After that, you’ll of course use the Nitecore HC60 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.
Those ribs on the back of the body of the light allow discrete adjustments for headlamp angle.
The Nitecore HC60 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 the 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 HC60 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.
On the very front of the Nitecore HC60 UHE headlamp you can see a little blue charging indicator. Below, it’s lit with just two blue LEDs but it can go up to 4 (fully charged).
Below are a number of runtime charts. These are the three highest modes. Low voltage protection was observed in every test.
Charging
The Nitecore HC60 UHE headlamp has built-in charging. There’s a USB-C charging port on the side of the front, covered by a press-in silicone cover.
This seems like an unusual place for a charging port, but it works just fine.
A C-to-C charging cable is included.
While charging, those four blue LEDs I mentioned above are used to indicate the charge level.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 1600 | 3h30m | 1353 (0s) 1125 (30s) |
4.30 |
| High | 1000 | 5h | 889 (0s) 818 (30s) |
2.29 |
| Mid | 400 | 14h | 336 | 0.67 |
| Low | 100 | 36h | 86 | 0.14 |
| Ultralow | 8 | 200h | 7 | [low] |
| Red High | 15 | 30h | – | 0.07 |
| Red Low | 5 | 95h | – | [low] |
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 HC60 UHE headlamp is controlled with two e-switches. They are on top (when the light is worn properly). I think the Nitecore HC60 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 | Low |
| White On | Click Power | Mode advance (Low > Mid > High) |
| White On | Double click Power | Turbo |
| Turbo | Click Power | Return to previous |
| Off | Double click Power | Ultralow |
| Off | Long press Mode | Red Low |
| Red On | Click Power | Mode advance (Red Low > Red High) |
| On | Click Mode | Output advance (White > Red) |
| Any | Double click Mode | SOS |
| Any special mode | Click Power | Advance through special (SOS > Beacon > Slow Flashing) |
| 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 HC60 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 red emitter is a very nice and deep red!
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
The CRI and CCT can be seen below. It’s about like the other recent headlamp (HC65 UHE) but lacks the aux white. It’s cool white and low CRI.
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 HC60 UHE headlamp is a nice headlamp. I like the red emitters – VERY red. The two red modes are useful. The user interface is fairly intuitive. USB-C charging works great, and the headband is a good one, too.
The Big Table
| Nitecore HC60 UHE headlamp | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | NiteLab UHE (5) |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $64.95 |
| 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 cell and/or tailcap: all modes Without tailcap: all modes except Turbo |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 1600 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1125 (70.3% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 6.34 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 156 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 225lux @ 5.27m = 6249cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 158.1 (101.3% of claim)^ |
| 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
- Versatile user interface
- Easy-to-use headband connection
- Very high output
- Two dedicated buttons
What I don’t like
- Low CRI high output emitters
Notes
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