Nitecore HC65 UHE headlamp review: a great torch for those who thrive off-grid

Nitecore HC65 UHE headlamp: first impressions

The Nitecore HC65 UHE is a solid choice, quite literally, for anyone who values versatility and dependable build quality in a headlamp.

It features a simple design with an eight LED array up front, power and mode buttons at the top, and a hidden charging port on the right-hand side. Right out of the box, the build quality is impressive, surpassing any headlamp I’ve personally tested to date. It feels durable with its machined angles and screw-together construction. The lamp is also detachable from the headband with a decently strong snap-in connection, which also offers good angle adjustment.

Weighing in at 155g with the battery and headband, the HC65 UHE is relatively light for a headlamp of this caliber, though thanks to the mounting design, this weight does sit further from your head than other lamps I’ve used. Any movement, however, was eliminated using the optional included overhead strap.

The primary beam is a fairly cool white color at 6,000k, and offers what I think is a pretty good balance between flood lighting and maintaining a long beam – 220m according to Nitecore. Alongside the main light, you also get high CRI (Color Rendering Index) and red LED options. The red light functionality is good, with two different brightness modes. However, the modes can be a little tricky to cycle through until you get used to the system.

The user interface is intuitive once you get the hang of it, though there is a slight learning curve. It’s a little slow to turn on and off, as you hold the buttons rather than click them, which can be annoying when switching modes frequently.

Meet the reviewer

Joe Baker

A lifelong outdoor enthusiast, Joe found a love for adventure early on, starting in Scouts as a young Beaver and progressing through the ranks. After years as a dedicated racing cyclist, Joe shifted focus to the mountains, diving into alpine trekking, hiking, and trail running. Now, he’s is constantly in pursuit of the perfect camp spots and the most breathtaking sunrises and sunsets. From remote mountain trails to rugged terrains, Joe is always planning the next remote escape.

Nitecore HC65 UHE headlamp: in the field

My testing for the Nitecore HC65 UHE was carried out over the course of ten-day trip to the Swiss and French Alps. With wild camping being the default sleeping circumstance, the Nitecore HC65 UHE was working overtime thanks to mostly pitching our tents in the dark.

I found the headlamp comfortable to wear, with a wide and secure headband that breathes well thanks to a perforated strap. The headband’s silicone grip kept it from slipping, even in the rain, which was particularly useful on one or two less than serene nights in the mountains. As you would expect from a headlamp rated IP68 waterproof, it handled heavy rain without a hiccup, though I did find that the buttons weren’t as responsive when they got wet. It’s not a dealbreaker, but something you’ll want to be aware of when operating it in damp conditions, or with thicker gloves on. Once you get used to it, though, it’s manageable.

I did find that the mode spacing was a little odd: there were a couple of occasions during the test when I felt I was looking for a power mode in between the brightest auxiliary light (40 lumens) and the lowest primary light (100 lumens). A minor gripe, but worth pointing out as it was something that I particularly noticed when camp cooking in the dark, for example.

Battery life is where this headlamp really shines. The included 4000mAh battery kept me going for days, especially when using the lower modes – very useful when spending days away from a wall socket. Back home I also performed a runtime test on the headlamps 1300 lumen setting. Nitecore claims five hours of runtime on this setting, and I recorded just over 6.5hrs in total – though around the five-hour mark there was a noticeable drop off in brightness.

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