Nitecore® NU25 is a triple output USB rechargeable headlamp. The main LED has four brightness levels up to 360 lumens and a runtime of up to 160 hours on low plus two rescue modes. A red LED preserves night vision and an auxiliary high CRI white LED is great for reading. With our exclusive UL headband it’s light as a feather at just 1.17 oz (33.0 g). And recharge by simply plugging into a power bank. A thru hiker favorite.
NU25 has a micro-textured reflector providing 100˚ wide-angle flood illumination for outstanding night vision. The light tilts down up to 60˚ for reading or close-up work. The wide elastic headband is comfortable and highly adjustable to fit your head, hat, or helmet. Our optional UL headband reduces weight with full adjustability and functionality.
In addition to the main light, NU25 also has two auxiliary lights – red and white. The red LED helps preserve night vision and won’t blind your friends. Use low during star gazing or night photography, high for gear organizing or doing camp chores, or caution for a repeated short red flash.
The auxiliary white light uses a neutral white LED with high CRI ≥ 90 for more vivid, natural color and reduced eye strain. It’s great for short-range illumination, like reading a map. CRI (Color Rendering Index) is a measurement of how colors look under a light source as compared with sunlight. The index is measured from 0-100, with a perfect 100 indicating colors under the light source appear the same as they would under natural sunlight.
The headlamp has two buttons – Power and Red (R). For low light, press Power once. Within 3 sec, repeatedly press Power to cycle from low>medium>high>off. Hold down Red to immediately turn off or after 3 sec, press either button to turn off. Alternatively, for medium, press Power twice, and for high press Power three times. Hold down Red to turn off. To enter turbo mode, with the light turned on in any mode, hold down Power for 1 sec, and hold down Red to turn off.
You can also access two rescue modes, SOS and location beacon. SOS repeatedly flashes SOS in Morse code (. . . ––– . . .) The location beacon repeatedly flashes a single short flash. Hold down Power for 3 sec to enter SOS mode. Pressing Power within 3 sec again will change to beacon mode. After 3 sec, press either button to turn off.
For auxiliary white, hold down Power to turn on and hold down Red to turn off. For auxiliary red, press Red once for low, then within 3 sec, repeatedly press Red to cycle from low>high>caution>off. Hold down Red to turn off.
Press both buttons at the same time to lockout NU25 and prevent the light from turning on while in your pocket or pack. A red indicator blinks once to indicate lockout. Press both buttons again to reactivate the headlamp and enter low mode.
LED | Mode | Output (lumens) | Turn On | Turn Off |
Main | Low | 1 | Press POWER Once | Hold down RED |
Medium | 38 | Press POWER Twice | Hold down RED | |
High | 190 | Press POWER Three Times | Hold down RED | |
Turbo | 360 | Light On, Hold down POWER 1 sec | Hold down RED | |
SOS | 360 | Hold down POWER 3 sec | After 3 sec, Press Either | |
Beacon | 360 | Hold down POWER 3 sec, Press Once | After 3 sec, Press Either | |
Auxiliary White | - | 20 | From Off, Hold down POWER 1 sec | Hold down RED |
Auxiliary Red | Low | 0.9 | From Off, Press RED once | Hold down RED |
High | 13 | From Low, Press RED once | Hold down RED | |
Caution | 13 | From High, Press RED once | Hold down RED |
NU25 has a built-in, long-lasting 610 mAh Li-ion rechargeable battery that holds power equal to three AAA batteries yet is much more sustainable. An intelligent protective charging circuit and a Micro USB connection make it easy to recharge. Since you probably already carry a spare battery to charge your phone, there’s no need to worry about running out of power or replacing batteries, just plug into a power bank, wall charger, computer, or car (USB cable provided). The light maintains full functionality while charging.
To see how much battery power is left, with the light turned off, hold down the Red switch for 1 sec and release. The button will flash 3 times if you have more than 50% power, 2 times if you’re below 50%, and 1 time if you’re below 10%. Plug it in and an indicator light lets you know when the charge is complete. It takes approximately 2 hours to fully charge the battery. A rubber cover protects the USB port from dirt and moisture.
Charging State | Indicator Light |
Charging | Steady Red |
Charging Complete | Steady Green |
Specifications
LED | Mode | Output (lumens) | Runtime (hours) | Beam Distance ft (m) | Beam Intensity (cd) |
Main | Low | 1 | 160 | 12.5 (3.8) | 3.7 |
Medium | 38 | 8 | 89 (27) | 190 | |
High | 190 | 5 | 200 (61) | 950 | |
Turbo | 360 | 0.5 | 266 (81) | 1650 | |
SOS | 360 | - | - | - | |
Beacon | 360 | - | - | - | |
Auxiliary White | - | 20 | 6.25 | 18 (5.5) | 7.5 |
Auxiliary Red | Low | 0.9 | 68 | - | - |
High | 13 | 7.75 | 13.1 (4) | 4 | |
Caution | 13 | 13 | - | - |
Main LED: CREE XP-G2 S3 LED
LED Color Temperature
Main LED: 6300K, Cool White
Auxiliary White LED: 4500K, Neutral White
Color Rendering Index (CRI)
Main LED: CRI ≥ 70
Auxiliary White LED: High CRI ≥ 90
Battery: Built-in rechargeable Li-ion, 610 mAh
Lighting Modes
Main LED: Low/Medium/High/Turbo/SOS/Beacon
White Auxiliary: Medium
Red Auxiliary: Low/High/Caution
Beam Pattern: 100˚ wide-angle flood
Body: Polycarbonate, impact resistant
Tilt: 60˚
Switch: Top Power and Red buttons, rubber
Charging Connection: Micro USB, rubber cover (USB cable provided)
Charging Time: 2 hours
Dimensions, Light (LxWxH): 2.19 x 1.36 x 0.91 in. (55.5 x 34.6 x 23.2 mm)
USB Cable Length: 3.3 ft (1 m)
Weight
UL Headlamp Total: 1.17 oz (33.0 g) with built-in battery
Wide Headlamp Total: 1.85 oz (52.5 g) with built-in battery
Light with Mounting Bracket: 1.00 oz (28.3 g) with built-in battery
UL Headband: 0.17 oz (4.8 g)
Wide Headband: 0.85 oz (24.2 g)
USB Cable: 0.79 oz (22.5 g)
Impact Resistance: 4.9 ft (1.5 m)
Ingress Protection Rating: IP66, complete dust protection and high-pressure water jet resistant
Included
1x Light with integrated USB rechargeable Li-ion battery
1x Wide Headband, Black/White
1x Micro USB to USB charging cable
Optional: 1x UL Headband, choice of colors*
*Nitecore packaging will be opened to install UL headband on mounting bracket prior to shipment. To use both UL and wide headbands, purchase an extra mounting bracket.
User Manual
In no event shall Litesmith, LLC be liable for any direct, indirect, punitive, incidental, or special consequential damages, to property or life, whatsoever arising out of or connected with the use or misuse of its products.
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Posted by Ken Olum on 1st Aug 2022
It's been almost two years since I brought my NU25. I use it around the house and for backpacking. So I decided to see how it was doing. I charged it fully, turned it on medium (nominally 38 lumens), and left it running. Occasionally I turned it off and held the red button to see what it said about battery life. I didn't use any instrumentation. The manual says 8 hour runtime on this setting. After 6 hours it said it was down to its last 10%. After 14 hours in all, it was still running with something like the original brightness. In the 15th hour it got very dim, but still brighter than the 1-lumen low setting. This is much better than any test I've seen on the net. Probably not all units are as good as this, but for me it certainly delivered far more than promised.
Posted by Zach J on 20th Jul 2022
I have been searching for the perfect headlamp for my backpacking trips and this is it. USB chargeable, several light modes, no accidental powering on while it is in my pack, lightweight, powerful. Perfect!!!!!!
Posted by Howard on 18th Jul 2022
Works great. Easy to use and charge. Very light with the cords.
Posted by Unknown on 16th Jul 2022
Great product with clean craftsmanship on the UL headband.
Posted by Monty M on 3rd Jul 2022
I knew what the specs were but I was still amazed when I picked it up. I was also surprised how comfortable it is even with the cord strap system. You toggle through the brightness settings and it is nice that the first option is the lowest brightness. Many headlamps blind you in a tent while toggling to a dimmer setting. Medium is decent for hiking when trying to conserve the battery life. Low is not enough for hiking on a trail. You could get by in a pinch but it’s best for when you need a minimal amount of light.
Posted by Michael Roark on 29th Jun 2022
My Nitecore NU 25 is now lighter than my Bindi. However, replacing the wide band with the shock cord leaves the plastic pressed against my forehead. I’ll still use it.
Posted by Unknown on 11th May 2022
This thing is super nice. Well-made, I could have tried my hand at one myself, but it was very convenient to order from Lightsmith. The genius thing about the NU25 is, you can swap it very easily in its bracket. When the bracket with its shock cord strap arrived in the mail, it took me less than 30 seconds, and I halved the weight and dramatically decreased packable size of the lamp. This isn't an accessory to your EDC or ultralight setup that will make a key difference, but it's an affordable and fun upgrade which you won't regret! Now I want to buy one of these for all my friends who have the NU25!
Posted by John on 6th May 2022
This thing just makes me smile. It is super light, which is why I purchased it, but I never realized how much I compromised my comfort with my brand band. This is so easy and quick to adjust that I adjust it for a different hat or helmet and it is easy to have dangling around my neck until I need it. A great purchase!
Posted by Donny on 2nd May 2022
Great weight and function. I definitely recommend
Posted by Bobo on 29th Apr 2022
I bought this nitecore nu25 and fell in love with it, I was very impressed that litesmith puts the lightweight headband on. I don’t have the steady hand or the technology to pull off a procedure like that. Anyway, decided to buy a second one!
Light up the night!