Nitecore HC30 Headlamp

The HC30 is a light and compact headlamp/flashlight from Nitecore with up to 1000 lumens and a beam distance of 162 meters. It weighs only 41 grams. It’s powered by 18650 cells, which are of course replaceable. It’s waterproof to IPX8, so you can submerge it to two meters.

As for runtime:

• At 1000 lumens it lasts 1 hour
• 400 lm = 3.5 hours
• 210 lm = 7 hours 15 minutes
• 70 lm = 15 hours 15 minutes
• 1 lm = 330 hours

The stated runtimes are for 18650 batteries with a capacity of 3500 mAh. One such cell weighs around 50 grams.

The beam spread is 100°, with a noticeable edge cutoff. Pricier lights usually have a smoother, less pronounced falloff.

This isn’t primarily a bike light. I bought it as a headlamp to complement a dynamo headlight—to add light when I was moving too slowly, or navigating vague terrain.

Real‑world experience

The first problem I battled was mounting it to a helmet. I removed the head strap and used only the rubber cradle, which I zip‑tied to my helmet. It held, but the HC30 wasn’t completely stable and bounced on rough descents. There’s no official mount you can use on handlebars either.

I recently discovered the headlamp is compatible with mounts from Lucifer—the version for Z2 mini. Both for helmet and for handlebars. Thanks to them the lamp is nicely stable and doesn’t wobble anywhere. It doesn’t fit 100%, so rotating the light has more resistance, but it doesn’t hinder use.

There’s no charging port in the light body. If you want to charge it, you have to unscrew the cap and charge the cell separately. It’s definitely nice that the batteries are replaceable. It pays to carry two and swap them.

There’s no way to lock the light, and it often turned on by itself in my bags. Just loosen the battery cap slightly and you’ll prevent accidental activation.

For evening camp chores, the one‑lumen mode is great. You won’t blind yourself and you’ll save battery. For some tasks you’ll of course want more light, but if you need to do something on the bike, you won’t need more than 70 lumens. It’s also great that it can stand on its tail. It feels excellent in the hand, so I use it at home too, not just for the bike.

Waterproofing is excellent, and IPX8 is beyond typical use—I don’t think you’ll be diving with your headlamp. I’ve had the light for 4 years and it’s still working flawlessly.

Operation is fairly simple. A short press turns the lamp on in the lowest mode. Additional clicks cycle through modes from lowest to highest. If you turn it on with a long press, it starts in the last used mode. An extra‑long press turns on turbo. A double click activates the blinking modes.

Summary

The Nitecore HC30 is a useful auxiliary light for the bike. Thanks to the replaceable battery, darkness will never catch you out. The included accessories aren’t ideal for cycling, but you can solve that with better mounts, e.g., from Lucifer. It also works well as a handheld flashlight because it’s very comfortable to hold. And the low‑output modes are perfect for evenings when you’re getting ready to sleep.

One more note: the HC30 is no longer in production, though you can still find it in a few shops. It has a successor, the Nitecore HC33, which improves on all the key specs and offers slightly higher output.