Nitecore
Nitecore NU25 MCT UL
- Brightness: 6/10 How much light it gives at full power, for finding your way in the dark.
- Runtime: 6/10 How long one charge or set of batteries lasts at a level you can walk and cook by.
- Weight: 9/10 How much it adds to your pack and your head.
Ultralight and fastpacking trips where every gram counts
- Brightness
- 400 lumens (FL1)
- Runtime
- 5 h at 200 lumens
- Weight
- 47 g
- Power
- Rechargeable
- Water rating
- IPX6
Where to buy
Knives and Tools £31.49 In stock. Delivery £9.95. Price includes VAT and charges; ships from the Netherlands with a fixed £9.95 UK delivery charge. It shows the MSRP as £44.95. Its spec table lists 50 g.
View at shop: Knives and ToolsUltralight Outdoor Gear £44.99 In stock. Free delivery. Free tracked delivery on UK orders.
View at shop: Ultralight Outdoor GearPrices checked 8 Nov 2026 on each shop's own page; shops can change them. We earn no commission on these links; shops are listed by price. More
Our ratings (out of 10)
1 to 10, compared with the whole market. Each says what it's based on. How we score
Brightness
From maker's figures 6/10How much light it gives at full power, for finding your way in the dark. 6: A bit better than average.
Nitecore's manual states 400 lumens in High mode, measured with the built-in battery to ANSI/PLATO FL1-2019, so it is banded in full: the 300–499 band. High runs 2 hours 40 minutes, so the figure is held well over a minute.
Runtime
From maker's figures 6/10How long one charge or set of batteries lasts at a level you can walk and cook by. 6: A bit better than average.
Nitecore's manual (FL1 figures, built-in battery) gives the 200-lumen Mid mode as 5 hours, the longest mode of 80 lumens or more, in the 4–5.9 h band. High (400 lumens) runs 2 hours 40 minutes and the 60-lumen Low mode 13 hours, which is under 80 lumens so it doesn't count. Live for the Outdoors found the 2 hours 40 minutes on High pretty accurate.
Weight
From maker's figures 9/10How much it adds to your pack and your head. 9: Among the best you can buy for this.
Nitecore lists 47 g with bracket and headband, under the 50 g line. Ultralight Outdoor Gear's page says 48 g (same band) and Knives and Tools says 50 g, which would be the 50–89 g band; we use Nitecore's own figure.
What reviewers say (out of 10)
Ratings marked * are from reviews and are not part of the trip score. They are reviewers' scores, not our own measurements. How we score
Comfort*
Reviewers' average 7/10How comfy and steady it sits on your head.
6 reviews on comfort, e.g. "the elastic bungee cord is not as comfortable as a wider elastic headband, occasionally resulting in pressure points".
Reviewers disagree on this.
Ease of use*
Reviewers' average 6/10How easy the buttons, modes and lock are, with gloves too.
7 reviews on ease of use, e.g. "If all those button pressing sequences detailed above sound a bit confusing, you’d be right.".
Reviewers disagree on this.
In short
Good for
- Ultralight and fastpacking trips where every gram counts
- Pre-dawn starts and camp tasks rather than long night walks
- A warm white light for the tent that doesn't dazzle a tent-mate
- A backup torch with SOS and beacon modes
Strengths
- 47 g with a 400-lumen top mode (ANSI/PLATO FL1 figure) and a 132 m beam
- Warm, neutral and cool white light, plus red
- IP66 and impact resistance to 1 m (Nitecore's figures)
- USB-C charging, battery level lights and a lock mode
- Diffuser sack that turns it into a tent lantern
Weaknesses
- 400 lumens lasts only 2 hours 40 minutes; 200 lumens lasts 5 hours
- Thin cord headband is less comfortable than a wide band over long hours
- Two buttons with many modes take practice, and the buttons are small for gloves
- Built-in 700 mAh battery can't be swapped, and Treeline Review found it can't be used while charging
Sources
We haven't tested this ourselves. Every score comes from these specs, tests and reviews.
ShowHide sources (10)
- Nitecore: NU25 MCT UL product page (specifications)
- Nitecore: NU25 MCT / NU25 MCT UL manual (mode table, FL1 figures)
- Live for the Outdoors: Nitecore NU25 MCT UL head torch review (Matt Jones, tested)
- Treeline Review: Nitecore NU25 MCT series headlamp review (MCT UL tested on a thru-hike)
- Backpacking Routes: Nitecore NU25 MCT UL headlamp review (Hugh Owen, product donated for the review; The Trek runs the same review, counted once)
- YamaWrench (note.com): A review of the NITECORE NU25 MCT UL (blog, in Japanese)
- Budget Light Forum: Review Nitecore NU25 MCT UL Headlamp (flashlight reviewer, sample sent by Nitecore; measured runtimes and colour)
- Road Trail Run: Nitecore UT27 MCT PRO and NU25 MCT UL Headlamps In-Depth Reviews (NU25 MCT UL section; samples provided at no charge, no payment for the article)
- MLGHikes: Nitecore NU25 MCT Headlamp Review (the NU25 MCT UL, field-tested on the Knobstone Trail in February 2026; Nitecore provided it for an honest review)
- Nitecore Store customer reviews: NU25 MCT UL (47 reviews, 4.72 out of 5, 44 verified buyers, 1 marked as earned for a future purchase; the maker's own store, read through its Judge.me feed)