Nitecore NU25 UL Headlamp

This is a very solid general-use lightweight backpacking headlamp. It is best used for doing camp chores and finding stuff in your sleeping area. It is adequate for night-hiking, but just adequate. If you do a lot of night-hiking, especially in rough terrain, you’ll want a brighter headlamp or a second light (or both).

Strengths:

• Lightweight (1.6 oz)
• Feature-rich: 3 brightness settings, night-vision-saving red light (I use this a lot).
• Long-lasting – rated at up to 45 hrs. I’ve never come close to running the battery down. But I try to avoid night-hiking.
• USB-C
• Luminous headband for when you forget to get your headlamp before it gets dark
• Simple operation

Weaknesses

• Headband is difficult to adjust
• Possible for light to turn on in pack. This has happened to me once.

Perhaps the NU25UL tested by the original poster, is different than mine.  Mine is several years old.  The NU25 has the elastic band.  I don’t have that.  The NU25UL I have, has elastic cords and a squeeze button to adjust the cords.

To turn my NU25’s (I do have several, older ones and the NU25UL) so they won’t be inadvertently switched on in a pack, you press and hold BOTH buttons down until the unit issues three flashes of white light.  That locks it.  Pressing the button’s then, as could happen in a pack, results in a single flash.  Doesn’t turn the unit on.  You must press and hold both buttons, wait for single light to illuminate which signals that the unit is back to “buttons active” mode.

Ray, my model is exactly as you describe yours with the same headband adjustment and it also locks out the same way. Unlike the initial reviewer, I also find it perfectly suitable for night hiking and have used it without a problem for night hiking on multiple occasions without feeling that I needed more. For me it’s basically a perfect 3-season backpacking headlamp.

Mine is the updated version with the cord headband above (except in black), and I love the performance for the weight.  It’s pretty much all the light I need for camp, but I’d trust it charged to provide enough light for an emergency night hike.  A couple nitpicks are the buttons are easy to confuse (often get white when I want red light) and I do not entirely trust the rubber dust covering the recharge receptacle.  Hope they keep improving the design so I can semi-retire this one for upgraded capabilities, as the Nu-25 worked so well I used it on neighborhood night walks .. then forgot it in a pocket when doing laundry. When I found it, the inside had droplets I could see in the lens.  I dried it in the Arizona sun where the droplets evaporated and the Nu-25 functioned again (no thanks to me).  Nicely robust is the morale of that tale fwiw.  Not sure how many more dunkings it has left though, so will look for the next upgrade.   Add waiting for a replacement to my lost unit, I bought a generic small headlamp, w/red lens, with decent weight stats, elastic headband … and immediately missed the Nu-25.

Note: I bought this for myself (well, actually bought twice as my original was dropped probably when hitching into a town).

I’m mostly in line with the original reviewer and comments to date.  I definitely consider it adequate as primary headlamp on a planned nite hike as I carry an handheld too.   I have a 2025 model with traditional elastic headband.   Comfort 10/10.  Lighting performance 10/10.   User interface 7/10.  Quality – plastic carrier which interfaces light to strap and rests on your forehead broke on mine for no apparant reason.   Superglue seems to be working with only light around the house use since breakage.

I have an older version that replaced a NU20 model. You can hike with it on good trail at night, but it isn’t my favorite for night hiking. I much prefer my flashlight that can be brighter or dimmer than the Nitecore headlamp allows.

I was always concerned with how long it would last for a long section if it was my only light. While you can recharge it, I prefer being able to carry a spare battery since my battery pack may struggle to keep my phone charge for a long section so I don’t need the extra drain. Having a light on your head means it needs to be brighter than held low in your hand, so when night hiking, I hold my Fenix flashlight down low on a lower brightness setting then the lowest one for the headlamp.

That said, I think it is a solid light and is a good choice for a primary light if you are sticking with good trails at night. Last year, when I needed to do some scrambling on rocks on the AT at night, where I needed to use my hands, I was really glad I had it.

I just ditched my Petzls for a Nitecore HA23 and really like it, mainly because it has an Ultra Low Light feature with 97 hours of burn time so one set of batts lasts an entire two week trip.  Don’t have to carry extra batts.  Plus it has a locking feature so the light won’t turn on in the pack.

Hey Tipi Walter,

Regarding the HA23: I tried that one largely because it allows use of the Nitecore HLB1500 mAh battery. But Nitecore just came out with the HA27 which also allows use of the HLB1500. The specs on it are quite a bit more impressive than on the HA23. The HA23 gives 600 for 3h, 280 for 4.5h, 100 for 12h, and 6 for 125h at a weight of 2.90 oz. The HA27 gives 800 for 2h, 500 for 3.5h, 280 for 7h, 100 for 15h, and 8 for 65h at a weight of 2.65 oz. So this is better in just about every way. I returned the HA23 because the duration for 280 lumens is not very good – especially for using an HLB1500. And there is a huge gap in output from 280 to 600 lumens. The HA27 fills this in with a 500 setting. And the HA27 is about a 1/4 oz lighter. Of course both lights offer the multi-color temp technology of 3000 K warm, 4500 K neutral, and 6500 K white.

The NU43 at 4.25 oz, has a really good flood with a very gentle hotspot. But the NU models do not allow the user to replace the battery. It would be neat to see a UHE model of the NU43 but turned into an HA model for a user replaceable 18650 battery, while also retaining the flood beam pattern. A UHE version along with aluminum construction would better heat dissipation which would allow longer sustained output at high lumen levels.

The HC65 at 5.44 oz is my fave Nitecore model. It’s still fairly comfortable, but that is pretty heavy for backpacking. But it is a delight to go for a night walk with the high setting of 1300 lumens.

Of course the NU25 is a classic and the perfect headlamp for summer. I have the pre MCT version which I like better. The simple shock cord headband is super comfortable and easy to adjust. I noticed they got rid of the flood beam on the MCT version. I always use mine in the dual flood/throw mode which the newer version can’t do. I wouldn’t mind having the MCT as well, but not without the flood beam included as well.

I am glad to have it in my pack. It’s bright and lightweight.

I initially found the cord (“headband”) configuration confusing. And the two buttons on top that are used to switch between different lighting modes—one of these buttons is also a power button—are confusing until you commit their configuration to memory. But that’s not hard to do. And these are the only two misgivings that I’ve had about the product.

Like Drew Smith, the original reviewer in this thread, I would want a more powerful headlamp if I were hiking a lot at night. (I use this headlamp to shuffle around camp at night, but not for anything more than that.)

Drew mentions that the light turned on once while in his pack. I haven’t had that problem.