Thinking about getting a Nitecore HC68

[ragebot]

Biggest downside in my opinion is the price but ..... I am a boater who lives in Florida where the hurricane season is fast approaching. While my big boat has plenty of light options I also have a dinghy I often find myself in after dark. Often I am in a marina and on a ball and need to get from the boat to shore and back and the navigation lights don't help, sad to say in several places it is not just a case of getting out and back but water front bars often result in drunk boat drivers that may require a bling bright light to alert them where I am . Also sometimes go fishing/what ever with multiple light strength options. On the boat at times night sailing I need to look up and see the sails to determine if they need to be adjusted. But at home if the power goes out I need to get around the house which means not a lot of lumens are needed and at times outside to see what is going on with more power. I also do a little camping but not so much since I got my boat.

I an not wed to any particular brand and have been happy with my Fenix stuff but am happy to consider other brands. Would like to keep the price around a hundred bucks. I do have a some Nitecore batteries laying around for several camera and camera lights. So what do you guys think, should I get the HC68 or are there better choices.

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

I'd say either get that light or a Fenix HM70R. The Nitecore will be brighter on turbo, but the Fenix will give longer runtimes on higher settings since it takes a 5 amp 21700 battery vs. a 3.5 amp 18650. The Nitecore will last longer if you use the lowest settings and will be lighter. I wish the Fenix had a lower low to take advantage of the large battery for longer runtime, but that is where Nitecore beats it. If you are going to be using the light mostly between 30 and 500 lumens and don't mind some extra weight, get the Fenix. If you want from 1 to 2000 lumens with a very adjustable beam and weight matters, get the Nitecore.

 

[3L3M3NT]

Some other headlamps to consider:
https://www.fenix-store.com/fenix-hm61r-rechargeable-headlamp/
https://www.batteryjunction.com/nitecore-hc35-rechargeable-headlamp.html
https://www.batteryjunction.com/thrunite-th30-v2.html
https://www.batteryjunction.com/nitecore-hc33-headlamp.html
https://www.batteryjunction.com/acebeam-h17-headlamp.html

They could all double as a right angle flashlight if needed to use it as one.

 

[Stefano]

If I had to make that choice I would take the Fenix HM70R.
There are some things I don't like about it (spot light and flood light with two different tints, one is cold one warm, I would have liked the exact same tint)
I would have also wanted more light levels (an intermediate level of 800 lumens between that of 500 and 1600) - even on the led flood I would have wanted an extra light level or a different level spacing but all in all the HM70R is definitely a solid light It is well made and has a 5000mA battery which allows you to use it for a long time at high power.
I have often used lights near the sea and I know that almost always there is a refraction effect of the light that forces you to use high powers to see well.