Review: Nitecore HA23 Headlamp

Nitecore HA23 Headlamp




For technical information: https://flashlight.nitecore.com/product/ha23
For the purchase: https://www.nitecorestore.com/NITECORE-HA23-Headlamp-p/fl-nite-ha23.htm
For the manual: https://flashlight.nitecore.com/Uploads/FLASHLIGHTS/download/1563523894.pdf


MAIN FEATURES:

- Uses a CREE XP-G2 S3 LED LED with a maximum output power of 250 lumens
- Maximum intensity of 800cd covering a maximum illumination distance of 56 meters
- Optical lens for a uniform and diffused light
- Powered by 2 AA-type batteries that guarantee a maximum autonomy of up to 130 hours
- Equipped with 3 brightness levels and 1 special mode:
High: 250 lumens (3h.30min.), Medium: 65 lumens (17h.), Low: 2 lumens (130h.) And special Beacon mode
- Operable with one hand only
- 150 ° illumination angle
- Constant high efficiency circuit for a stable light output
- Made of durable (PC) and durable material
- Protected against reversed battery polarity
- Wide-range lighting system with 70 ° adjustable angle
- Water resistant with IP67 certification
- Resists impacts and falls of 1 meter in height

Dimensions:
70.8mm×42.3mm×38mm
(2.79"×1.67"×1.5") (Bracket Included)
Weight:
80g (2.82oz) (Bracket and Headband Included, Batteries Not Included)
42.5g (1.5oz) (Bracket Included, Headband and Batteries Not Included)


Included in the package:

NITECORE HA23 headlamp
Headband
2x AA batteries
User manual
Warranty certificate




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The packaging:



The Nitecore HA23 is sold in the classic Nitecore cardboard package with yellow / black coloring. The box shows the main features of the torch including the 5-year warranty and the product serial number.






Inside the package we find the NITECORE HA23 headlamp, the headband, 2x 1.5V Alkaline AA batteries, user manual and warranty certificate.







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The Nitecore HA23 is a lightweight headlamp ideal for outdoor activities. Made of durable and lightweight polycarbonate, it produces up to 250 lumens of light with the possibility of reaching 60 meters of beam,
ideal for trekking and camping thanks to its lighting that covers an angle of 150 degrees. It is then powered by 2 AA batteries, primary or rechargeable, commonly used and easily available that allow up to 130
hours of autonomy.
The Nitecore HA23 is IP67 certified with 1 meter impact resistance.






The Headband supplied with the Nitecore HA23 is light and can be worn well even for long periods without problems. It is also equipped with an upper band for a better grip.
The HA23 has 4 angle settings covering an angle of 70 °.

















Let's see the inscriptions on the HA23.





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The Nitecore HA23 uses a CREE XP-G2 S3 LED capable of delivering a maximum power of 250 lumens and a maximum intensity of 800cd peak through a TIR optic and lens with honeycomb weaving.




For all operations we will only use a mechanical switch on the right side of the Headlamp. The rubber button has a noisy click and is operated with the right pressure.







The battery compartment is characterized by a snap closure, once inserted the two AA batteries just press to close the contact confirmed by a noisy click. To open, simply press the clip located near the door.
Around the door we then have the rubber gasket for protection against water and dust. The Nitecore HA23 is protected against polarity reversal; if we look closely, we notice the two vines that act as a thickness, thus preventing the flat contact of the battery negative.
For the contacts we have, on both sides, on the positive side a button and on the negative side a spring.










The Nitecore HA23 next to the Nitecore NU32.







Operating Instructions:

The Nitecore HA23 is equipped with 3 brightness levels and 1 special mode:



HIGH: 250 lumens (3h.30min.)
MID: 65 lumens (17h.)
LOW: 2 lumens (130h.)
Beacon



On/Off
On: When the light is off, press the switch until a click sound is heard to turn on the light.
Off: When the light is on, press the switch until a click sound is heard to turn off the light.

Brightness Levels
The HA23 has 3 brightness levels and BEACON Mode.
When the light is on, half press the switch to cycle through the following brightness levels: LOW – MID – HIGH – BEACON. When shut down and reactivated in over 5 seconds, it will automatically access LOW
Level.

Timing Protection Function
The HA23 will regulate its output to avoid overheating and prolong the lifespan of the batteries when accessing the HIGH Level for over 10 minutes.
Cautions:
1. Please use high-quality batteries. When the product is left unused for prolonged time, please remove all batteries to prevent battery leakage due to possible poor quality of the batteries.
2. DO NOT direct the beam towards naked eyes.
3. DO NOT disassemble, modify or reconstruct the product, otherwise the warranty will be nullified, and the product might be damaged.

Changing Batteries
The batteries should be replaced when the output appears to be dim or the headlamp becomes unresponsive due to low power.








Beam and Runtime:

The Nitecore beam is well made, proven in the evening it has a lighting that covers a large angle starting from the feet.
Good beam color and quality.











The runtime was performed internally with the two alkaline batteries supplied with the torch and subsequently with two AA Ni-ME LADDA 2450 mAh batteries. Good durability, as can be seen from the graph, there is a slight decrease in luminous intensity after 10 minutes from ignition.







The two curves side by side.



VIDEO Unboxing.









CONCLUSIONS:

With the HA23 Nitecore proposes, at a price accessible to all, a compact product and immediately ready to be used. The package comes complete with headband and AA alkaline batteries, which are however easily available. Despite the only 250 lumens I would recommend the Nitecore HA23 for those who do trekking, running and camping and given its small size and weight it is easy to put it in a backpack and then use it in times of need. Good runtime if we also consider the possibility of using the best performing Ni-MH batteries.

Thank you for reading the review.

Does the HA23 have any kind of low battery indicator, or any kind of mechanism preventing it completely discharging rechargeable batteries?

There's not much information about this light on CPF, therefore I wanted to share my opinion.

First of all - why would someone want a 2AA headlamp in 2020? I also have an 18650 Zebralight and a rechargeable Nitecore NU20. Both are good lights.

My simple reason was: I have eliminated all alkalines in the household with eneloops long ago. I have at any time about 8-12 eneloops readily charged in a box in my desk drawer for remote controls, wireless computer mouse, alarm clock, you name it. I wanted an around-the-house headlamp which could make use of this energy source as well.

My Zebralight is brighter, the NU20 is lighter and more comfortable. But for daily use around the house it is a big advantage NOT having to charge the light. Instead I just pop in two charged AA eneloops. Of course I could also use a 3xAAA headlamp with eneloops, but I don't have as many of them and 2xAA has almost the double capacity of 3xAAA.

So I was looking for an 2xAA headlamp which had to be easy to use and not too expensive. The Nitecore HA23 seemed to fit my bill perfectly. The Fenix HL30 would have been an option as well, but it is almost 50 bucks here in Europe and I feared that the 2-button UI might be too confusing for the other family members. The Nitecore was only around 28 bucks and has a much simpler UI.

When the HA23 arrived here I was not really happy with the light. On the internet everything looked perfect but in reality things looked a bit different and I really considered sending it back. In the meantime I got more used to it but somehow it is certainly a light which will always remain a choice of reason and not a light which excites me.


***What I like about the HA23***
Beam and tint are very nice for the intended purpose in and around the house. Quite floody with a very smooth and even transition from the bright center up to the last corner of peripheral vision. Great for close-up work and short to medium range in the garden or garage. Normally I like warm to neutral tints, but the HA23 is OK for me with a pure white light with no colored hue whatsoever. Nothing blueish or greenish - nice!

On medium it runs almost forever on two AAs which is normally plenty enough light. And I like that the battery compartment cover is attached to the light so you can't loose it. Changing cells in complete darkness is simple for just about anybody, as long as you know that an eneloop has a "+" side and a "-" side.

The UI is simple: Klick for on, tap to cycle through the four modes. Easy to understand for everyone in the household.


***What I don't like about the HA23***
The ergonomics are not so nice for this light. The front plate is not very comfortable. For example the silicone holder of my Zebralight is much better. But I also own an old Petzl Tikka -certainly not a high-end light- and the head plate is much nicer rounded and much more comfortable.

The angle adjustment is often not fine enough. You can choose whether you want your light pointing too high or too low. So I often find myself pushing the headband up or down to fine-tune the angle. The light is a bit heavy and pulling forward, but OK, that's the price for the 2xAA battery option.

But what really annoys me is this terrible beacon mode in the mode changing sequence. Who needs this useless mode? In addition the time for resetting the mode when the light is turned off is quite long. So if you want to go back from medium to low you'll have to either go past high and beacon or you have to switch off the light and wait for quite some time until you can start the sequence again from low. If you don't wait long enough you'll end up in the next higher mode.


You see, I am less than excited. But nevertheless I regard it as a practical tool for the intended purpose. The NU20 is much better in just about any category: UI, comfort, angle adjustment, weight. The HA23 has the nicer beam and tint and of course the 2xAA battery configuration with the advantage of being able to quickly pop in freshly charged cells. And this is still the main benefit for a light used by several people on daily basis. If someone used it and it's running out of juice it'll be quick back to service. And the price is reasonable, so value and usefulness are OK for me.

Have a nice day, stay healthy


Lucciola

I like the spring loaded clasp better than bending and breaking plastic on most lights for the battery closure. It's the lightest 2AA headlight I've seen. Beam pattern and brightness settings are good for hiking and backpacking. Doesn't say if it's lithium compatible or not. Lithiums would limit the bracket bouncing. Too much play in the bracket. It bounces too much so I wouldn't use it for trail running. (Might have gotten spoiled from silicon bracket on Nitecore HC60 and lightweight NU20.) Overall, if I were to get some headlights for a group night hiking (like Mt. Whitney) or backpacking, this headlight would be my first pick. It's a good value for the price and way better than all the 3AAA headlights (near twice the battery capacity for the same weight).

Hooked on Fenix said:

Doesn't say if it's lithium compatible or not.

Click to expand...

It is not. There's a crop-out from the instruction manual in the starting post which says that 14500s are not suitable.

You are right, maybe calling the light "heavy" was not really justified, it's just that the weight pulls forward. You absolutely need the top strap. I think this is also the reason for the bouncing which I can confirm. For running I use the NU20.

Maybe it would be better if the rotation point wouldn't be at the bottom of the battery box but rather in the middle, so the light would just rotate around it and not tilt forward so much. This would keep the light closer to the head.

But generally I agree, value for money is good. And although I have two AAA headlamps I will never ever buy one again, for me they have just disadvantages. I wonder why they are still so ubiquitous.

Using two "primary" 1.5 volt lithium cells in this light is an attractive alternative. It would be lighter and offer long runtime.

regulator said:

"primary" 1.5 volt lithium cells

Click to expand...

With those it would be the perfect emergency light to keep in the car or for power outages: They do not leak, they can be stored for very long time, they offer very long runtime, they can stand freezing temperatures and the reverse clicky of the HA23 means that "off" is really "off", i.e. no parasitic drain. I didn't really think of those, but I think I'll just put two AA lithiums in my battery box. Good idea, regulator :thumbsup:

Lucciola said:

With those it would be the perfect emergency light to keep in the car or for power outages: They do not leak, they can be stored for very long time, they offer very long runtime, they can stand freezing temperatures and the reverse clicky of the HA23 means that "off" is really "off", i.e. no parasitic drain. I didn't really think of those, but I think I'll just put two AA lithiums in my battery box. Good idea, regulator :thumbsup:

Click to expand...

Energizer lithiums do have a lot of advantages in a light like this. Large packs can be found pretty reasonable nowadays. I have actually lost a couple of lights due to battery leakage of alkalines. Now I don't want to put alkalines in a light that could sit for awhile.

Instructions say it can't use lithium-ion batteries. It says nothing about lithium primaries. I've seen a review or two of people using lithium's, but it would be nice to get confirmation from the manufacturer that they're okay.

When the light is on, does the light shining through the bottom of the case cause a glare or bother you?

dealgrabber2002 said:

When the light is on, does the light shining through the bottom of the case cause a glare or bother you?

Click to expand...

Hi, I gave the flashlight to a friend but I don't remember any light infiltrations that bothered me.

ro.ma. said:

Hi, I gave the flashlight to a friend but I don't remember any light infiltrations that bothered me.

Click to expand...

Thanks.