NiteIze Inova STS Headlamp

The INOVA STS Headlamp from NiteIze makes hands free illumination simple, versatile and comfortable. It features an innovative Swipe-To-Shine™ interface that allows for simple access to multiple modes – all with a swipe of your finger. Its lightweight body, high quality woven head strap and waterproof construction makes the INOVA STS Headlamp an indispensable lighting tool anywhere high quality hands-free illumination is needed.

Disclosure: Versa Marketing, Inc. contacted me to try one of the NiteIze Innovation brand illumination products. The one I chose was the Inova STS Headlamp. It was provided at no cost to me. My only responsibility was an agreement to complete this review after trying the item. I was not pressured in any way to make a positive endorsement.

 

Feature Set

 

This lightweight, adjustable headlamp shines up to 142 lumens of brightness and casts a wide beam for your night-time hiking. It has five different modes of operation including: high, medium, and low white LED light that consume successively less battery power. There are also variable dim and strobe options, as well as a red light LED that is useful for preserving night vision. The headlamp uses three AAA batteries (included in the packaging) with a life of nearly five hours at high power, 26 hours at medium power, and 255 hours at low.

The Inova STS Headlamp features NiteIze’s trademarked Swipe-To-Shine™ touch-activated interface. Simply swipe the touch pad with your finger to turn the light on or off, or change the settings. You don’t even have to look at it because it’s touch sensitive. It sounds good in description, but this feature turned out to be smarter than me, because I really struggled with this means of operating the light. More on that later.

Believe it or not, this headlamp is even waterproof up to a depth of one meter. So if you’re crossing a creek in the dark and fall in, you can count on your headlamp to aid your recovery. The beam of the headlamp is adjustable up and down for precise location. There are six different angle settings.

The high-quality woven elastic strap is built to last, and is easily adjustable to fit any size head. The polycarbonate body of the light itself is impact resistant, so don’t worry about banging it on a rock when you stumble and fall. The whole setup is extremely lightweight, coming in at only 3.4 ounces, great for those trying to reduce their pack weight.

 

NiteIze Inova STS Headlamp

NiteIze Inova STS Headlamp

 

What Did I Think – Pros

  • I found the headlamp to be very soft and comfortable when wearing it. I noticed that immediately. I have used a different brand in the past and discovered that the other one tended to leave an indentation in my forehead when I wore it for an hour or so. Not so with the NiteIze.
  • The NiteIze is very lightweight, probably only half the weight of my previous headlamp. That helps with comfort as well.
  • The strap is easily adjustable. I have a relatively small head, so it works well for me. If I put on a cap or a balaclava, I can adjust the strap for a larger fit. Even the folks with massive brains can wear this one.
  • The light emitted by the beam is both bright and expansive. 142 lumens is plenty for illuminating a dark forest 50 feet ahead of you. The beam is circular and gets wider the farther away from you it travels. I could see very well in the dark with this headlamp.
  • Easily adjustable beam angle. Whether you’re going uphill or down, there is a setting that will cast the light at the optimal angle.
  • Multiple light settings. The high, medium, and low light options can help with battery conservation as the needs change, and the strobe could be quite helpful for search and rescue should you become lost or injured.

 

What Did I Think – Cons

  • The instructions say the Swipe-To-Shine™ activation interface is simple to use. Well, the product developers haven’t yet met me. No matter how many times I read those instructions I could not figure this out. Whenever I did get the light to come on or turn off it seemed purely random. I tried light pressure. I tried heavy pressure. I tried my thumb or my forefinger. I tried a swipe, a rub, a slide, and a roll. I’ll tell you what was simple. STS is simply smarter than me.
  • Other than that, I have no complaints.

 

How to Get One

 

The NiteIze Inova STS Headlamp comes in three body and strap colors including charcoal, orange and blue. It retails for US$34.99 and can be purchased directly from NiteIze or from Amazon. There are other online retailers listed on the NiteIze website. It even comes with a limited LIFETIME warranty.

I don’t do a whole lot of in-the-dark hiking, but I do like to get an early start for some of the longer treks. That includes perhaps an hour before dawn. So I know now that I’ll be carrying the Inova STS Headlamp with me for those occasions. But first, I need more practice with the Swipe-to-Shine activation interface. It has to be a lot simpler than I’m making it.

Disclosure: Versa Marketing, Inc. contacted me to try one of the NiteIze Innovation brand illumination products. The one I chose was the Inova STS Headlamp. It was provided at no cost to me. My only responsibility was an agreement to complete this review after trying the item. I was not pressured in any way to make a positive endorsement.

 

This post was created by Jeff Clark. Please feel free to use the sharing icons below, or add your thoughts to the comments. Pack it in, pack it out. Preserve the past. Respect other hikers. Let nature prevail. Leave no trace.

 

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