I tried hiking on trails with just a C8 but the hot spot was distracting and it wasn’t lighting up around my feet properly. I tried an S3 and S4 which where much better for walking but they didn’t throw enough to look across clearings and such. The combo of S3 and C8 worked great but having both hands full is pretty restrictive. Then I tried a headlight and C8. Perfect.
Oh, I forgot about that… and it looks like the HC50 is a pretty good price right now. It seems to be about 35% off on that model.
At that price I’m kind of tempted to get one. I don’t think I really need another headlamp though.
Don’t fight it, just give in to temptation & BUY IT… 
Always need just one mooooore……
I just ordered the Nitecore HC50 from Illumn, then saw the post about the HC90 so I went back and looked at that one. By gosh that slide control for infinitely variable brightness looks to be the way to go! So I called, left a message, and we’ll see if I can get that order upgraded to the HC90. Either way I’m sure the Nitecore is a great light, we’ll see how it compares to the Crelant in a few weeks. (figuring the CH10 will take a couple of forevers and 3 days to get here)
Thanks So Much for talking me into spending more money! 
:bigsmile:
The slide-switch for variable brightness will be a major difference. Thanks for pointing that one out, I think. lol, more money.
And of course, I found more to buy while I was at it. As usual.
Great folks over there, spoke with Craig on the phone and he really took the time to help out, very nice.
Huh. I thought the HC50 actually looked nicer… but then, I’m not really into USB charging ports and infinitely-variable output widgets. I don’t really want to carry the charging hardware with me, and it bugs me when I don’t know how many lumens it’s putting out or how long to expect it to run. I end up adjusting it to the minimum I need, then wondering if my eyes are tired or if it’s just on a lower level than I thought. Before I got an infinitely-variable light, I hadn’t realized I use my known-output lights to calibrate my eyes.
The HC90 runs on an 18650 cell, simply pull the cell and replace with another or use your normal charger to recharge it.
I like the looks of the HC50, but with mode selection jumping from 35 lumens to 170 lumens, there’s a huge gap there that is most likely where I’d be using the light. Don’t know. 170 to 350 is the next step, another huge gap, difficult to say what would be the most useful, but it’d be likely to be to little or too much. I plan on using it in close range, literally within 2’ of my face and usually much less.
The construction of the HC90 has a panel across the face that is screwed on with 4 screws, one in each corner, might be easier to open to modify if that becomes necessary. And besides, I might want to use a green LED to hunt down the tiny resistors that try to escape…
The Nitecore HC90’s micro-USB port is for USB charging (5V), ie: USB rechargeable.
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Thus You can charge it from any USB port eg: PC, Mac, Mobile phone power brick, etc….
…so You don’t have to carry any additional hardware to charge it…
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Regards,
Roberta 0:)
So what’s the top two picks for headlamps in the following brackets
-Under $50
-Over $50?
I have the XTAR H1 in AA/14500, and I use it more than any other light.
It’s great for soldering/modding, I use it when I have to work late (swimming pool repairs), and it’s great for stumbling to the bathroom not-sober in the middle of the night!
It’s beam is amazingly floody, but on turbo (which only activates with a 14500) I can light up my entire front yard from my porch. Low/med are great for up-close work.
So far no one has mentioned a Nitecore HB-02 head band or similar. If you already have small floody lights, paired with a good head band you don’t really need a head lamp.
Now that I have spent a bill and some change on a pair of headlamps the truth comes out.
I have a couple of dozen small lights. I do not have a headband that will hold one nor did I see such a crittur in my journey online.
I tried that route. A couple of Olight I2’s where too throwy for close up work and S3 with S4 where too heavy. A pair of Sipik clones on full flood worked well for close up work but I much prefer my UF-H2b as it doesn’t light up the sides of my glasses. Not a fan of the ramping on the UF-H2b and parasitic drain so now I’ve got a Tiara coming.
Yes, exactly. The charger is built in, always there, on my head, adding extra weight I don’t need. I’d rather have a smaller light and leave the charger at home. Looks like this is only 5g heavier than the HC50 though, which isn’t so bad.
The RGB LEDs would be nice, and the simplified interface. I’ve heard the HC50 UI can be a bit finicky thanks to timing issues and the stiff two-stage deep-travel switch.
This HC90 really makes this kind of beam output in Turbo?
If these are legit, that is impressive! Might come in handy for far more than working up close on a driver or light!
"Manual exposure, 4 sec, f/4.5, ISO 400"
=> somewhat brighter than in real life.
BUT, I have both CH10 and HC90, and the HC90 wins hands down. (Even if the CH10 has already a L2 4D emitter) In fact I haven't used CH10 at all since I got the HC90.
Both lights are too throwy for modding purposes (for my liking) => I modded them with diffusing film for even more flood => near perfect now. :)
Bottom line: You'll love your HC90!
+1
I’m sure the micro USB port, charge control circuitry, and any extra casing add very little weight. Regardless, the value of USB charging depends on exactly what you need. If you tend to spend most of your time on short excursions, you might not need USB charging. But USB charging is MUCH more valuable for extended stays in the backcountry. USB charging GREATLY facilitates charging by alternative means such as solar (LOTS of USB solar panels available) or even something like the Biolite Stove. The alternative, of course, is to carry extra batteries instead. But extra batteries have weight as well (not on your head, but more weight than the USB hardware). And when your batteries are all drained and you have no means to charge them, you are out of luck.
I have a 4 cell battery backup that would easily charge it, as well as a 3 panel Cottonpickers Solar charger with multiple charger units for charging single cells. The Solar panel also charges up the 4 bay backup. So, very easy to put a second cell in the unit, the depleted cell on the charger. With up to 2A charge rate on tap it should be a good cycle. 
Thanks the, I was thinking of using Lee filter film to bring the tint to white, and diffusion film on top of that to spread the beam profile.