Nitecore NU25 360 LM Rechargeable Headlamp

This NU25 (2017) is good for many close-up tasks. There is a high-CRI white flood light that is good for cooking and reading. This flood LED has an even light output. Under its light, photos or food will look as you would expect, unlike with most lights.The red light and the spot white light have a low mode that is really low lumens (about 1 lumen in both white and red). This is good because the low light preserves night vision and battery life. If you are camping with other people, you don't want to shine a bright light at them at night. The yellow color of the light body makes the light easy to find.The light is not without its flaws. The minor flaw is that the light uses Micro USB, an old and delicate connector. The major flaw is the same as all Nitecore lights, it only produces the listed brightness for a few moments before lowering the output lumens. It would be better if the light output was level for the non-turbo modes.Finally, the light works while it is charging. This can be a big convenience.

This is the best light-weight headlight out there! All the other headlights I've tried are just too heavy. I really like this update over the NU20. The red light is really useful for when I want to do things around the room when there are people around sleeping (like when I'm at a hotel with my family).I do have a few suggestions for improvement. This really should have come with the far more common USB-C port. Despite its larger size, it is far more common and widely available, especially since the new iPhones have adopted this standard. Not a big deal but I just don't like the directionality of the micro USB port, and I have very few devices that use it.The high-CRI light is neat and a much warmer color temperature (maybe 3000K) but it's really dim. Maybe it could be useful for reading a book? One slight issue I have is that it causes glare on my glasses because the light beam is so wide that it hits my lenses, causing a reduction in contrast. A small lip molded under the light would solve this problem. Right now, it even lights up my nose, so people without glasses might have a problem as well. You could angle it up but then the main light isn't on the book anymore. Still, this is a very minor issue. I honestly just discovered this mode today, after owning the light for quite a while.My main use for this light has been either in hotels (the super dim mode is perfect for this and now that it has a red led, even better) or automotive/yardwork. The tiny battery lasts a surprisingly long time.I'm really glad the button doesn't cycle through the special modes (SOS and flashing). It only goes through through 3 power levels. Turbo is activated with a long press after it's on. I'm also glad the red light has its own power button.The NU25 also does away with the plastic guard that prevents accidental button presses. Instead, it uses a two button press to lock the light. Honestly, I like the old method of shielding the buttons. I don't like extra steps (button presses). With the NU20, all I had to do was tilt it up, and the buttons would be protected. Now, when I bring it to places, I don't lock the buttons because it's too much trouble but they haven't been accidentally pressed yet, so I think it's ok.Overall, this is an awesome light and an improvement over the NU20. I just wish it had a USB-C port. Everything is moving toward USB-C, so might as well make it universal.

After owning a different headlamp that required you to cycle through several brightness settings, red/white, and flash modes just to turn the headlamp on or off, I wanted a headlamp that I could turn on or off with one push of a button. The NiteCore NU25 (2017 original edition) headlamp is exactly that. There is a newer edition of the NiteCore NU25 but after reading comments in forums, I observed that people who owned both editions preferred the older edition. The newer edition is more complicated to operate. So I purchased the older 2017 edition and am not disappointed.Pros:Simple to useGood battery lifeEasy to adjust headbandPlenty brightRed light optionAdjusting the direction of the light up/down is easyCons:Haven't found anyI can push one button once to turn on the white light in the low power setting. I can then use the light at that brightness or immediately push the button again to increase the brightness or turn off the light. After using the headlamp, I can just push the same button once to turn off the light. There is a separate button that operates the same way for the red lamp. There is also a floodlight setting which works very well when when setting up camp at night.There are also some emergency modes (flashing beacon, SOS) which I would use rarely or more likely never.I also used this headlamp set at medium brightness to hike down a steep mountain for 3 miles in the dark along a wooded trail with difficult footing. I was able to see very well with no concern over my footing.

The NU25 (this older, 360lumen version) is the best ultralight headlamp I've found. This is my most used headlamp for backpacking and night running. Unlike some heavier models, the NU25 is light enough to not bounce when running, but still has plenty of features from adjustable brightness plus an extra red light and high CRI light mode.I've tried the newer version of this headlamp, hoping to get the benefit of USB-C charging, but the newer version is unfortunately heavier, and more importantly, does not go as dim in the low modes. I've found how dim a headlamp is able to go is more important than the brightest it can get: a good low moonlight mode is important for everything from keeping your night vision when getting up in the middle of the night from your tent, to reading without blinding yourself, to preserving battery life. The NU25 can get bright when needed, but the one downside of this headlamp is that the light weight comes at the expense of low battery life, so it won't stay on its brightest setting for very long.This version has unfortunately been discontinued, so if you're looking for a ultralight headlamp, pick this one up before they're all gone.