Preface
The Nitecore NU32 is the successor of the Nitecore NU30 headlamp – with both auxiliary High CRI and red LEDs available in this newer NU32 model as well.
Let’s check out the merits and demerits of this newer Nitecore NU32 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.
- 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.
- Scanning the QR code with your phone/tablet on the box’s back would bring up the Nitecore NU32’s product page.
Note: The headlamp comes with a film protector on the Nitecore branding, that can be removed.
Front:
Back:
Sides:
Top:
Bottom:
Box Contents:
Quick Overview (Manufacturer Specifications)
- Body Material: Polycarbonate (PC)
- LED: Cree XP-G3 S3 bin (2 x High CRI and 2 x RED LEDs are not mentioned)
- Battery Format: Built-in 3.7V 1,800mAh battery
- Output & Runtime (with built-in 3.7V 1,800mAh battery):
- Ultra-Low (1 lumen – 330h)
- Mid (33 lumens – 50h)
- High (190 lumens – 17h)
- Turbo (550 lumens – 1h) – there is a temperature-based output step down & TURBO mode steps down after 30 seconds
- Auxiliary White Light [High CRI] (19 lumens – 25h)
- RED Light (9 lumens – 38h)
- RED Caution Light (9 lumens – 45h)
- Max Beam Distance: 125m
- Beam intensity: 3,900cd
- Waterproofness: IP67 Standard
- Impact Resistance: 1m
- Dimension: 63mm (length) x 43.5mm (width) x 31.5mm (height) [Bracket Included]
- Weight:
- 76.4g (including Battery & Bracket)
- 99.5g (including Battery, Bracket & Headband)
- Accessories Included:
- 1*Built-in 3.7V 1,800mAh battery
- 1*Micro-USB Cable
- 1*Headband
- MSRP: ~$40
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-G3) to ULTRA-LOW mode.
- 2 Clicks [POWER LOGO] (within ~3 sec)– Light will switch ON the main LED (XP-G3) to ULTRA-LOW mode, then switch to MID mode.
- 3 Clicks [POWER LOGO] (within ~3 sec) – Light will switch ON the main LED (XP-G3) to ULTRA-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.
- 2 Clicks [R] (within ~3 sec) – Light will switch ON the RED LEDs, then switch to FLASHING RED mode.
From ON (Auxiliary White Light [High CRI]):
- 1 Click [POWER LOGO] – Auxiliary White Light [High CRI] LEDs will switch OFF.
- 1 Click [R] – Light will switch to RED light.
From ON (RED Light):
- 1 Click [R] (within ~3 sec) – Light will switch to FLASHING RED mode.
- 1 Click [R] (>~3 sec) – RED LEDs will switch OFF.
- 1 Click [POWER LOGO] – Light will switch ON the main LED (XP-G3) to ULTRA-LOW mode.
- 2 Clicks [POWER LOGO] (within ~3 sec)– Light will switch ON the main LED (XP-G3) to ULTRA-LOW mode, then switch to MID mode.
- 3 Clicks [POWER LOGO] (within ~3 sec) – Light will switch ON the main LED (XP-G3) to ULTRA-LOW mode, then switch to MID mode and finally HIGH mode.
From ON (main LED [XP-G3]):
- 1 Click [POWER LOGO] – Main LED will switch OFF.
- HOLD [POWER LOGO] (~1 sec) – Direct access to TURBO; 1 Click [POWER LOGO] – Main LED will switch OFF.
- 1 Click [R] – Direct access to RED Light.
- 2 Clicks [R] (within ~3 sec) – Light will switch ON the RED LEDs, then switch to FLASHING RED mode.
Note: The RED LEDs can be operated concurrently with the Main LED (XP-G3) only.
Electronic Lockout
From OFF:
- HOLD [POWER LOGO & R] (~1 sec] – Electronic Lockout is activated.
- HOLD [POWER LOGO & R] (~1 sec] – Electronic Lockout is deactivated.
Note: Charging the headlamp will deactivate the Electronic Lockout.
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 relatively 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 and cushion from the headband ensures that it does not leave any marks on one’s forehead, even after prolonged usage.
While using the light without the headband, the light is able to stand perfectly on its tail (opposite side of the electronic switch).
Charging Process
With the provided Nitecore-branded Micro-USB Cable, the battery was charging at ~0.78A.
The light can operate on any modes (including SOS and BEACON) when charging, at the expense of a slower charging rate. However, it is recommended to limit the usage to “ULTRA-LOW”, “MID”, “Auxiliary White Light” or “RED”mode 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:
- Charging the headlamp will deactivate the Electronic Lockout.
- 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. However, once closed, the cover does not come off easily in day-to-day usage.
Beam Style/Beamshots
For this light, the spill, corona and hotspot is somewhat predictable due to the shallow Smooth Reflector. With the main LED used, the beam is still sufficiently “throwy” for recognising items in the near to mid-range distance.
This headlamps’s Auxiliary White Light (High CRI) and RED LEDs are placed behind 5mm LED-style lens which cause quite a bit of artifacts in the beam profiles; 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 rather distinct hotspot with some slight corona and a rather wide usable (almost circular) spill. It also helps that the LED is perfectly centred in this sample. There is a slight ring in the main beam 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 (ULTRA-LOW: 2.5 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, MID: 0.5 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, HIGH: 1/4 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, TURBO: 1/6 sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, Auxiliary White Light (High CRI) & RED light: 1 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:
ULTRA-LOW (1 lumen):
MID (33 lumens):
HIGH (190 lumens):
TURBO (550 lumens):
Auxiliary White Light [High CRI] – (19 lumens):
RED Light – (9 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 ULTRA-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 to activate both the Auxiliary White Light and the main XP-G3 LED together to get both “flood” and “throw” beams.
Tint & CRI
Main LED (XP-G3)
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.
Due to the emitter used, 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.
This could have been avoided if a dome-less LED like the XP-L HI was used instead and would have made full use of the smooth reflector, but perhaps at a slightly lower maximum output.
Auxiliary White Light [High CRI]
The CRI for the Auxiliary White Light is said to be >90CRI but Nitecore did not disclose the tint (color temperature). A guesstimate would be in the 5000K ballpark.
There is some slight tint shifts in the beam profile and it has a slight varying bluish-purple tint throughout.
This is mainly caused by the 5mm LED style lens used.
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 mainly caused by the 5mm LED style lens used.
Waterproofness
The light was subjected to warm water submersion, followed by cold water submersion and left under room temperature running water tap whilst running on TURBO.
No signs of water intrusion in the head, switch or charging port was seen.
Lockout Capability
No mechanical lockout but electronic lockout is possible when needed, like during transportation in a bag.
See above “Electronic Lockout“, on how to activate and deactivate Electronic LOCKOUT.
Note: Charging the headlamp will deactivate the Electronic Lockout.
Quick Comparison to Previous Generation
| Description | Nitecore NU32 | Nitecore NU30 |
|---|---|---|
| LED Used | XP-G3 | XP-G2 |
| TURBO Mode Output | 550 Lumens | 440 Lumens |
| Max Beam Distance | 125m | 121m |
| Beam Intensity | 3,900cd | 3,700cd |
| Auxiliary White Light [High CRI] - Output & Runtime | 19 Lumens - 25 hours | 35 Lumens - 12 hours |
| Red - Output & Runtime | 9 Lumens - 38 hours | 19 Lumens - 13 hours |
| Flashing Red - Output & Runtime | 9 Lumens - 45 hours | 19 Lumens - 18 hours |
| MID - Output & Runtime | 33 Lumens - 50 hours | 36 Lumens - 25 hours & 15 minutes |
| HIGH - Output & Runtime | 190 Lumens - 17 hours | 180 Lumens - 22 hours |
| Weight (including Battery & Bracket) | 76.4g | 84.8g |
| Color Options | Black only | Black, Desert Tan & Army Green |
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 light, it is a YES – if tint shift of the main & Auxiliary White Light [High CRI] LEDs is not an issue for your usage.
With 3 different LEDs, having both “throw” and “flood” on the same headlamp, relatively small form factor with in-built battery included, direct access to ULTRA-LOW, RED and Auxiliary White Light [High CRI], 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 of activating both the main LED and auxiliary white light (High CRI) to get the best of both worlds (“flood” and “throw”). In addition, using a more “throwy” LED like a XP-L HI would help get rid of most (if not all) of the tint shift.
Here is a bonus size comparison picture with other Nitecore flashlights/headlamps.
From Left to Right: Nitecore NU32, Nitecore HC65, Nitecore TUP, Nitecore P12GTS, Nitecore MH12GTS and Nitecore MH25GTS.
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.
Where to Buy Links
Disclaimer: Purchasing using the affiliate link below will enable TLR to receive compensation from corresponding affiliate companies (Amazon/ShareASale/etc.) directly.
It will NOT cost you anything and is a way to help support the website to keep pumping out reviews like this.
Nitecore NU32
Amazon: Click Here to see best prices on Amazon.
Available Discount Coupon Codes
- Click HERE to view our complete list of discount Coupon Codes.