I received an HC20 in the mail today. There’s an audible whine when it’s not in the highest mode on this light. It’s very low audible level. I haven’t tried it out too much, but that’s the thing that caught my attention so far. I do not notice this with my Nitecore HC50 (which is like a tank compared to the CH10 and HC20).
bgyen,
Did you order the HC20 from Gearbest and if so, when? I’m still waiting for mine and I ordered it on 3/17/15. Thanks for the info regarding the whine… I’ll be on the lookout for that.
smithmal
Yes, Gearbest is where I ordered from. I ordered Feb 15th, a couple days before you. I started a PayPal dispute on Mar 28th. The tracking number provided showed it was in the country, but I wanted to protect myself just in case.
About the noise. It’s quite faint, but since a headlight is close to the ears it’s more pronounced. I have some other lights which exhibit the same when they’re running on lower level modes. One that comes to mind is a stock Convoy S8. I believe it’s a component regulating the voltage level causing the noise.
I’m just wondering if the HC20 I received has a sub-par component or if all HC20s’ are like this. I don’t see any mention of noise in any of the reviews I read. Again, the noise is very faint so maybe not everyone’s hearing is so sensitive.
Just tested mine for the whine and yes I didn’t notice it befor but there is a subtle whine on medium that gets louder as I cover the beam with my hand but I have to have it up to my ear to hear it
I prefer the ch10 mainly because it’s not as clunky and the ramping of the ch10 is a handy feature
more pics?