Nextorch eStar Headlamp Review
The Nextorch eStar headlamp features three distinct output types as well as red output, all controlled by an interesting rotary dial. Read on!
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a referral link to the Nextorch eStar headlamp product page.
Versions
The Nextorch eStar headlamp is available in black or purple. Performance between the two colors should be identical.
Price
Both colors of the Nextorch eStar headlamp are available through this link for $54.99.
What’s Included
- Nextorch eStar headlamp
- Nextorch 1200mAh LiPo battery
- Carry pouch
- Charging cable
- Manual
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
The Nextorch eStar headlamp is a plastic headlamp, and that suits the design of this light just fine.
The light itself has a pivot at the base so that it can be tilted down while being worn. The hinge is plastic, too.
There’s a charge level indicator on the top. (Below, it’s just three blue LEDs, but it can be up to 4.)
Size and Comps
DIMENSIONS: 63 × 46 × 36 mm
WEIGHT: 87 g (without battery), 110 g (with battery)
Here’s the light in hand:
Retention and Carry
The Nextorch eStar headlamp is designed only for headlamp use, and so ships already connected to the headband.
It’s removable, though. You can take note of the little slits in the plastic below. Also note the grippy strips on the headband. Those will help keep the light in place while in use.
There’s no over-the-head band for the Nextorch eStar headlamp, but that’s fine, as the light is not too heavy.
Power and Runtime
The Nextorch eStar headlamp runs primarily on the included 1200mAh LiPo battery pack.
But it can also run on three AAA cells. The LiPo seems to have a fully-charged value of around 4.36V, and that checks out with what three 1.5V AAA cells would be if they were in series (around 4.5V).
It’s nice that we can use AAA cells if needed, but I’m happy with this LiPo as well.
The battery goes into the light as seen below. It’s hard to see why, but there’s a post or something that prevents this LiPo from going in incorrectly. So you don’t have to worry too much about inserting it incorrectly.
Again, there’s a battery indicator on the top. It lights up when you install the battery. Also note how to open the battery door – you’ll have to tilt the headlamp forward and then pull it open. It’s hard to do this in a way that doesn’t stress the hinges.
Below are output tests for the highest mode for each of the three white LED outputs. Since this is an infinitely variable output, it’s hard to get meaningful tests for any mode but the highest level. The Nextorch eStar headlamp does blink once when you reach either extreme (high or low) though.
The temperature lines in these charts are included as general context, not precise measurements. The values represent the range (min to max) during testing, but should not be taken as exact readings. A temperature sensor is not always attached to the bezel (or even the hottest spot, assuming that could be defined). Even with ideal placement, too many variables affect temperature to definitively state a specific max value.
Charging
The Nextorch eStar headlamp itself does not have built-in charging, but the included battery does. There’s a USB-C charging port, as seen below.
Nextorch includes a USB to USB-C cable, too.
Charging from A or C sources works just fine, and both are very consistent.
Pulse Width Modulation
The highest three modes for each output don’t exactly have PWM, but there’s a bit of SMS ripple.
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 first mode of operation for the Nextorch eStar headlamp is this rotary controller. Below, it’s in the off position (clearly, otherwise the light would be on!)
Thus, the first step in using the Nextorch eStar headlamp is rotating that bezel to the type of light you want: Spot, flood, both, off, or red.
The second way to interact with the eStar is this little knob on the right side of the device. This controls the output level. It does work when the light is off (so you can adjust up or down without the light being on, and regardless of the mode you end up selecting.)
As I said above, the light blinks once at either extreme, so it’s easy to know when you’ve hit the limit. The rotary seen below does have detents, so it is (technically) audible. But it doesn’t click.
LED and Beam
Nextorch doesn’t state what emitters are used in the Nextorch eStar headlamp. Each uses a TIR suited for the emitter purpose – flood or throw.
The modes are:
I: flood
II: throw
III: both
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
I tested only the highest level for each output. They’re all cool whith 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 Nextorch eStar headlamp is noteworthy for the user interface. It should be hard to end up in a mode you don’t want, and there are no clickies here. Nothing to click whatsoever. I’m sure that’s a need for some, and this light meets that need. The mode groups also very nicely do what they are supposed to do – flood is very floody. Throw is very throwy. Red is very…reddy… And the Nextorch eStar headlamp is comfortable to wear! A huge bonus is that it can run three AAA cells. It’s not a bad deal at under $55.
The Big Table
| Nextorch eStar Headlamp | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | (Various) |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $54.99 |
| Cell: | 1200mAh LiPO (included) |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | Seems so |
| Switch Type: | Rotary (dual?) |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | USB-C (on battery) |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | No |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 1300 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1260 (96.9% of claim)^ |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 205 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 515lux @ 4.89m = 12315cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 221.9 (108.2% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 6500-7200 Kelvin |
| Item provided for review by: | Nextorch |
| All my Nextorch 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
- Distinct groups do what they should do
- No clickies
- Can run 3xAAA
- Hits output claim of 1300 lumens
What I don’t like
- No distinct levels on each mode
- Low CRI, High CCT
Notes
- This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
- Please use my Amazon.com referral link to help support zeroair.org!
- Please support me on Patreon! I deeply appreciate your support!