Preface
The Nitecore NU17 is essentially a new entry level headlamp that has features that are not usually included in its price range.
Let’s check out the merits and demerits of this new Nitecore NU17 model.
Packaging & First Impressions
This is what the light will come with as shown below.
- The headlamp is sealed from factory – disassembly is not recommended (and would nullify warranty).
- It is designed to be a purely headlamp model only so no clip is provided to pocket carry the light.
- The 2 electronic switches have a slight tactile feel that produces a soft audible click upon activation.
- The switches are physically protected by the bracket, to prevent accidental activation (bracket has to be opened to the first detent at least, to be able to access the switches).
- Polycarbonate (PC) body feels sturdy without any flex when pressed.
- Detents on headlamp bracket (that enables the 60° adjustable angle) has some slight flex when twisted, but should hold up to day-to-day abuse without issue.
- Headband provided is of good quality and should withstand day-to-day abuse without issue.
- Headband has reflective triangles on the outside and silicone strip on the inside to help divert sweat to the sides.
- Scanning the QR code with your phone/tablet on the packaging’s back would bring up the Nitecore NU17’s product page.
Front:
Back:
Package Contents:
Quick Overview (Manufacturer Specifications)
- Body Material: Polycarbonate (PC)
- LED: Cree XP-G2 S3 bin (2 x High CRI and 2 x RED LEDs are not mentioned)
- Battery Format: Built-in 3.7V 580mAh battery
- Output & Runtime (with built-in 3.7V 580mAh battery):
- Low (1 lumen – 150h)
- Mid (28 lumens – 10h)
- High (130 lumens – 6h) – there is a temperature-based output step down
- Auxiliary White Light [High CRI] (50 lumens – 4h)
- RED Light Low (1 lumen – 80h)
- RED Light High (23 lumens – 3h)
- RED Caution Light (23 lumens – 6h)
- SOS (130 lumens)
- BEACON (130 lumens)
- Max Beam Distance: 43m
- Beam intensity: 460cd
- Waterproofness: IP66 Standard
- Impact Resistance: 1m
- Dimension: 53.2mm (length) x 30.2mm (width) x 27.4mm (height) [Bracket Included]
- Weight:
- 33.5g (including Battery & Bracket)
- 46g (including Battery, Bracket & Headband)
- Accessories Included:
- 1*Built-in 3.7V 580mAh battery
- 1*Micro-USB Cable
- 1*Headband
- MSRP: ~$25
UI (User Interface)
UI for this light is good for Every Day Carry (EDC) as it is relatively straightforward to use.
Switching ON and OFF is done by the electronic switches on the top of the light, so no momentary activation is possible.
There are 2 clearly labelled electronic switches – “POWER LOGO” button and “R” button that operate the light.
Normal Operation
From OFF:
- 1 Click [POWER LOGO] – Light will switch ON the main LED (XP-G2) to LOW mode.
- 2 Clicks [POWER LOGO] (within ~3 sec) – Light will switch ON the main LED (XP-G2) to LOW mode, then switch to MID mode.
- 3 Clicks [POWER LOGO] (within ~3 sec) – Light will switch ON the main LED (XP-G2) to LOW mode, then switch to MID mode and finally HIGH mode.
- HOLD [POWER LOGO] (~1 sec) – Direct access to Auxiliary White Light (High CRI).
- HOLD [POWER LOGO] (~3 sec) – Light will switch on the Auxiliary White Light (High CRI) first, then switch to SOS mode; 1 Click [POWER LOGO] (within ~3 sec) to switch to BEACON mode.
- 1 Click [R] – Direct access to RED Light – LOW mode.
- 2 Clicks [R] (within ~3 sec) – Light will switch ON the RED LEDs to LOW mode, then switch to HIGH mode.
- 3 Clicks [R] (within ~3 sec) – Light will switch ON the RED LEDs to LOW mode, then switch to HIGH mode and finally FLASHING RED mode.
From ON (Auxiliary White Light [High CRI]):
- 1 Click [POWER LOGO] (within ~3 sec) – Light will switch to main LED (XP-G2) on LOW mode.
- 1 Click [POWER LOGO] (> 3 sec) – Auxiliary White Light [High CRI] LEDs will switch OFF.
- 1 Click [R] (within ~3 sec) – Light will switch to RED light.
- 1 Click [R] (> 3 sec) – Auxiliary White Light [High CRI] LEDs will switch OFF.
From ON (RED Light):
- 1 Click [R] (> 3 sec) – RED LEDs will switch OFF.
- 1 Click [POWER LOGO] (within ~3 sec) – Light will switch to main LED (XP-G2) on LOW mode.
- 1 Click [POWER LOGO] (> 3 sec) – RED LEDs will switch OFF.
From ON (Main LED [XP-G2]):
- 1 Click [POWER LOGO] – Main LED will switch OFF.
- HOLD [POWER LOGO] (~1 sec) – Direct access to HIGH; 1 Click [POWER LOGO] – Main LED will switch OFF.
- 1 Click [R] (within ~3 sec) – Light will switch to RED LEDs on LOW mode.
- 1 Click [R] (> 3 sec) – Main LED will switch OFF.
Power Indicator
There is only 1 type of Power Indicator for this headlamp.
From OFF:
- HOLD [R] (~1 sec) – Battery Capacity Indicator is activated (Switch LED will flash RED in the following sequence).
- 3 Flashes – Power is >50%.
- 2 Flashes – Power is <50%.
- 1 Flash – Power is <10%.
Form Factor
For headlamps that are intended to use on a daily basis (EDC) and for possibly a long period of time, form factor is extremely important.
This lightweight headlamp can disappear entirely in a clenched medium sized hand. For headlamps, there isn’t many ways of holding it but rather it would be more of test of comfort whilst it’s on your head. The Nitecore-branded headband held the light rather sturdily even when doing more vigorous activity (e.g. jogging/running), at no time did the light feel like it was about to fall off. The curvature of the headlamp’s head mounts from the headband ensures that it does not leave any marks on one’s forehead, even after prolonged usage.
The headband with the silicone strip on the inside helps to divert sweat to the sides, preventing sweat from one’s forehead from rolling directly into one’s eyes.
While using the light without the headband, the light is able to stand perfectly on its tail (opposite side of the electronic switches).
Charging Process
With the provided Nitecore-branded Micro-USB Cable, the battery was charging at ~0.51A.
The light can operate on any mode (including SOS and BEACON) when charging, at the expense of a slower charging rate. However, it is recommended to limit the usage to “LOW”, “MID” or “RED LOW” modes only, to ensure that the battery does get charged.
The solid RED indicator depicts charging in progress and solid GREEN indicator lit depicts charging has completed.
Notes:
- After charging is completed, ensure that the cover of the Micro-USB charging port is properly seated. It might take several tries to ensure that it is well-seated.
- The Micro-USB charging port cover can get dislodged relatively easy during day-to-day usage and would require constant checking that it is properly seated, to ensure the best water resistance capability.
Beam Style/Beamshots
For this light, the spill, corona and hotspot is somewhat predictable due to the TIR optic. The LED is partially covered under the TIR (Total Internal Reflection) optic. With the main LED used, the beam is still sufficiently “throwy” for recognising items in the up-close to near distance.
This headlamp’s Auxiliary White Light (High CRI) and RED LEDs are placed behind small shallow Smooth Reflectors which produces beam profiles useful for up-close to near range distance usage.
The above beam profiles are a rough interpretation of what is seen when white wall hunting.
The main beam has a fairly distinct hotspot with some slight corona and a rather wide spill, with most of the lumens output focused into the hotspot. It also helps that the LED is perfectly centred in this sample. There are beam artifacts when whitewall hunting but is not visible in real world usage.
The Auxiliary White Light (High CRI) and RED light have the similar beam profile – a floody wide-type of beam profile. There are rings or beam artifacts when whitewall hunting, but not as noticeable in real world usage.
All of the beamshots taken below are done so with the following camera settings (LOW: 2.5 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, MID: 0.5 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, HIGH: 1/3 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, Auxiliary White Light (High CRI): 1/4 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, RED light LOW: 1.6 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB & RED light HIGH: 0.5 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB).
Some pictures have been adjusted slightly to depict as close as to what is seen in real life. The distance of the light from the door is 4.6m.
Control shot:
LOW (1 lumen):
MID (28 lumens):
HIGH (130 lumens):
Auxiliary White Light [High CRI] – (50 lumens):
RED Light LOW – (1 lumen):
RED Light HIGH – (23 lumens):
Mode (Output) Spacing
Mode spacing appears to be progressively brighter to the eye and the modes are well spaced enough to be able to know which mode one is currently in. With that in mind, TLR tend to view mode spacing as battery life indicators (amount of runtime left) rather than the specific output (lumens).
The LOW mode of 1 lumen which is what most would call a moonlight mode and is perfect for night-adjusted eyes and midnight snack runs.
However, it would be nice if Nitecore could incorporate an option in the User Interface to activate both the Auxiliary White Light and the main XP-G2 LED together to get both “flood” and “throw” beams.
Tint & CRI
Main LED (XP-G2)
Nitecore did not disclose the tint (color temperature) and/or the CRI (Color Rendering Index) for the main LEDs used in their light. For this light, a guesstimate would be in the 6500K and 70CRI ballpark.
There are tint shifts throughout the beam profile. The hotspot is cool white with slight yellow-green tint whilst the corona possess a slight yellow-green tint; and the spill having a slight purple tint.
This is however, not as noticeable in real life.
Auxiliary White Light [High CRI]
Nitecore mentioned that the LED’s color temperature is 4500K and the CRI (Color Rendering Index) is said to be >90CRI.
There are tint shifts throughout the beam profile. The “hotspot” is neutral white whilst the corona and spill possessing a slight yellow tint.
This is however, not as noticeable in real life.
RED Light
RED LEDs are generally poor in CRI as almost everything appears in different shades of red. They are generally used when retaining night vision is required and are excellent in that respect. A guesstimate wavelength would be 620nm.
There is some slight tint shifts in the beam profile and it has a slight varying red (with a hint of orange) tint throughout. This is however, not as noticeable in real life.
Waterproofness
As the light is IP66 rated only, it was subjected to being left under room temperature running water at full blast whilst running on HIGH.
No signs of water intrusion in the head, switches or charging port was seen.
Lockout Capability
No mechanical lockout or electronic lockout is possible when needed, like during transportation in a bag.
The bracket effectively provides a form of “Mechanical Lockout” as it shields the 2 electronic switches from an accidental activation. In order to switch ON the headlamp, the bracket has to be opened to the first detent at least, to be able to access the switches.
Scale Comparison (Ruler)
Summary
To sum up, we believe that the most important part of any review is if given the chance to purchase the same headlamp for our own EDC or to gift to our loved ones out from one’s pocket (wallet), would we still do it?
For this headlamp, it is a definite YES at its price point.
The 3 different LEDs types, having both “throw” and “flood” on the same headlamp, lightweight, small form factor with in-built battery included, direct access to LOW, RED and Auxiliary White Light [High CRI] and silicone on the inside of the headband are all plus points for this flashlight. The built-in battery might seem as a major disadvantage to some but it drastically decreases the overall size of the flashlight, and having a full flashlight package (headlamp + battery + micro-USB cable) is always a good option for gifting purposes and such.
However, as mentioned earlier, we look forward to the day that Nitecore finds a way to incorporate an additional option in the User Interface of activating both the main LED and auxiliary white light (High CRI) to get the best of both worlds (“flood” and “throw”).
Here is a bonus size comparison picture with other Nitecore flashlights/headlamps.
From Left to Right: Nitecore NU17, Nitecore NU32, Nitecore TIP2, Nitecore TUP, Nitecore HC65 and Nitecore HC33.
As with all gears, two is one and one is none.
Stay safe,
The Lite Review
Disclaimer: Light was provided for by Nitecore (manufacturer) for this review. No other compensation was provided.
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Nitecore NU17
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