Wow. I mean that. This is a true Spelunker's headlamp, no bones about it. The Nova 3 by Speleo Technics is a serious heavy duty headlamp, and is frankly the first truly heavy duty headlamp I have reviewed. From the simple, no-frills construction, to the shear simplicity of design, this headlamp has "serious use" written all over it. It uses a 3 Watt LED permanently encapsulated in a semi-rigid plastic body, magnetic 2-level switch, removable lens protector, external heat sink for the LED, and a wide variety of battery options. The unit reviewed included the Nova Nickel (NiMH) battery and universal charger system, and a Nova Flexi battery pack for a MN1203 alkaline or 3 alkaline AA cells.

The first thing you will notice is that the unit reviewed does not match the packaging. The packaging was printed for the Nova (5) but since then Speleo Technics has improved the design of the headlamp based. The result is primarily a new switching system compared to the previous design. The body of the light consists of a 3 point headband strap system which is fully adjustable and elastic. The lamp can be mounted directly on a helmet (for spelunking/industrial use) using included clamps. The housing has a rubbery, flexible consistency. The result is excellent durability as the housing absorbs impacts instead of cracking. A large aluminum plate protrudes from the housing. This is the heatsink that keeps the LED cool in use. The heatsink will get warm in use and should not be obstructed. Despite the fact that the heatsink protrudes from the housing, the light is entirely waterproof, although only certain battery packs should be used for diving (fresh water diving only).

Bezel/Head: The Nova 3 uses a 3 Watt Luxeon LED inside the housing which rests behind a permanently mounded collimator lens. In front of this lens is a removable domed lens protector made of polycarbonate. Spares can be purchased, and it can be removed when there is no danger of scratching the primary collimator lens. High powered LEDs do generate heat, but unlike incandescent lights which project the heat forward with the light beam, LEDs send the heat backward into the housing. As a result we need to get that heat out. The Nova 3 uses an aluminum heat sink plate that protrudes from the top of the light housing to transfer the heat to the environment.

Output Description: Output is in the form of a smooth white central spot. The central spot has a square corona/spillbeam which is typical of Luxeon LEDs which use a collimator lens. The white light produced by the LED is a good color temperature and produces good color rendition weighted toward the middle of the spectrum. A slight tint is detectable when compared against a near sunlight-white source, but this tinting is not noticeable during normal use. Two levels of output are available from the headlamp by sliding the switch in one direction or the other.

   
Beam at one meter at target center and at target edge to show spillbeam.

Runtime Plot: This runtime plot was completed with the light on "high" and using a Nova Nickel NiMH battery pack.

Runtime completed with Nova Nickel battery pack. More information on runtime plots is available HERE.

Switch Description: The switch is a slider switch on the very front of the headlamp. It slides in one direction for high, the opposite direction for low, and the center is off. The switch is magnetic, so it does not penetrate the case and does not compromise water resistance. It is very easy to use with or without gloves.

Seals / Water Resistance: The headpiece is watertight to -50 meters, and can be used for diving with the Anglers battery packs.

If it gets wet inside, just disassemble as much a possible without tools and let it dry before using again.

Ergonomics: This headlamp is fairly lightweight until you start adding the battery pack. It weighs about 5.7 oz with no battery pack. Add the Flexi pack with AA alkalines and it jumps to 10.2 oz. Use the headlamp with the Nickel battery pack and it's a whopping 14.2 oz, adding nearly a pound of weight to your head. With the heavier battery pack it feels a bit awkward on the head, but not unbearable. Keep in mind, though, it is also designed to be attached to a helmet which will provide greater support for the lamp system.

The headband system is fully adjustable, but the straps just hang loosely when extended beyond the adjusters. This results in a bit of a floppy-looking system with straps dangling about unless you carefully tuck them under as I did for the photos.

Batteries: There are a variety of battery options for the Nova 3. It can use many of the batteries supplied by Speleo Technics which include NiCad, NiMH, and Li-Ion. Unfortunately it is not entirely clear from the instructions if you can use the Anglers (NiCad) pack or FX3 pack with this light, which are the only battery packs that should be used for diving.

The included NiMH battery pack comes with a universal charger and a variety of plug options. This charger plugs into a charging module which is different depending on the battery chemistry you are using. For the Nova Nickel pack, it charges the battery with a 16 hour timed charge.

Battery packs are attached to the headband system via an attached adjustable strap. As a result, the entire battery pack can be removed from the headband system and swapped out when necessary.

The Nova Flexi pack allows for the use of an alkaline Duracell MN1203 "flatpack" or 3 AA cells. The instructions do not mention the use of NiMH AA cells in the Flexi, nor do they mention the use of AA lithium cells. Three AA alkaline cells can not drive the light on high power for very long due to their small capacity. The Flexi pack does not appear to seal shut in any way. The two clamshell halves just close loosely and hare held together by the battery pack strap.

(Flexi pack with AA adapter attached)

What I Liked: Waterproof, Tough/impact resistant, Long battery life with NiMH battery pack, Bright, Several battery options, High and low output

What I Didn't Like: NiMH battery pack is quite heavy on the head, but necessary for driving the LED at high levels.

Picky Little Things: I do have a couple of recommendations for the makers of this light. I would like to see the Nova Flexi pack redesigned so it snaps shut and has a watertight seal. It also seems that it should be possible to fit 6 AA cells in there (2 banks of 3 cells, in parallel) with a custom carrier so that it can run on either 3 AA cells or 6 AA cells for longer durations of higher output. The current AA adapter system is a bit home-made looking. I'd also like to know if the Flexi pack system is rated for use with NiMH AA and lithium AA cells. Last, I would recommend looking into other headstrap systems so that you don't have loose ends hanging all over the place when you adjust them and there is slack remaining.

Conclusions: A solid, no-frills-looking, but very heavy duty headlamp. This one should, by the very nature of it's design, be able to withstand a considerable beating. Output is very good and runtime is also very good.

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