Nitecore NU17 Headlamp Review

The new Nitecore NU17 headlamp has high output, high CRI, and red built-in! Smaller than the previous iteration, it would be great for runs.

Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the Nitecore NU17 Headlamp product page.

Versions

There’s only one version of the NU10.

Price

The NU17 is going for $24.95.

Short Review

This is a nice little very lightweight headlamp. I like the High CRI option and that the red has multiple modes. The band is slimmer and nice. Overall it’s a nice little light.

Long Review

The Big Table

Nitecore NU17 Headlamp
Emitter:	Cree XP-G2 (S3)
Price in USD at publication time:	$24.95
Cell:	Internal
Turbo Runtime	High Runtime
LVP?	?
Switch Type:	E-Switch
Quiescent Current (A):	?
On-Board Charging?	Yes
Chargetime
Power off Charge Port?	Yes, all modes on USB power
Claimed Lumens (lm)	130
Measured Lumens (at 30s)	139 (106.9% of claim)^
Claimed Throw (m)	43
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s)	67lux @ 2.763m = 511cd
Throw (Calculated) (m)	45.2 (105.1% of claim)^
All my Nitecore reviews!

^ Measurement disclaimer: Testing flashlights is my hobby. I use hobbyist-level equipment for testing, including some I made myself. Try not to get buried in the details of manufacturer specifications versus measurements recorded here; A certain amount of difference (say, 10 or 15%) is perfectly reasonable.

What’s Included

Nitecore NU17 Headlamp
Headband
Charge cable (USB to micro-USB)
Manual

Package and Manual

A Nitecore NU17 headlamp in its original yellow and black packaging, labeled Ultra Lightweight Beginner Headlamp, is placed on a weathered wooden surface. The package shows USB compatibility and 130 lumens brightness.

The back of a Nitecore NU17 headlamp package displays labeled product features, diagrams, a barcode, certification marks, manufacturer information, and a yellow background, all placed on a wooden surface.

This is a sort of blister pack for the NU17, and I don’t really like it. I had to cut it open and basically destroy the package. I don’t enjoy that.

The manual is typical Nitecore.

Build Quality and Disassembly

The housing here is plastic, and the battery is built-in. It’s a dedicated headlamp, in case you wondered – you won’t be using this as a handheld light.

A small black bike light with a clear lens sits on a wooden surface outdoors, photographed in soft focus with a blurred background.

A close-up, front view of a rectangular black electronic device or component, placed on a wooden surface with a blurred background. The device features a slot and two small rectangular openings.

A small black bike light rests on its side on a wooden surface, with a blurred brown background and the text “ZEROAIR.ORG” faintly visible on the left side.

The bit that connects to the headstrap is non-removable.

A close-up photo of a small, black Nitecore-branded device resting on a wooden surface. The background is softly blurred, and ZEROAIR.ORG is faintly visible on the left side.

A close-up view of a small black electronic device placed on a wooden surface, with a USB symbol visible on a button at the front. The background is blurred.

The hinge cover serves to shield the buttons, too. I’m not sure if I’d call this good or bad, but it could be a useful feature to prevent accidental activation.

Size and Comps

Officially: L-2.09″x W-1.19″x H-1.08″ and 47g.

A two-dollar bill lies on a weathered wooden surface with a small black LED headlamp placed above the portrait of Thomas Jefferson.

A small flashlight is placed next to a two-dollar bill on a wooden surface, showing the size comparison between the objects.

A U.S. two-dollar bill is secured to a weathered wooden surface with a black plastic clip, partially covering the left side of the bill featuring Thomas Jefferson’s portrait.

A hand holding a small black LED headlamp with three visible LED bulbs on the front, against a blurred outdoor background. The text ZERO-AIR.ORG is faintly visible along the left side.

A hand holding a small black Nitecore device outdoors, with text NITECORE visible on the device and ZEROAIR.ORG watermarked on the image. The background is blurred grass.

A hand holding a small black device with a clip, shown against a blurred green background. The device appears to be compact and rectangular, with a clear or reflective section in the center.

And here’s the light beside my custom-engraved TorchLAB BOSS 35, an 18350 light. I reviewed the aluminum version of that light in both 35 and 70 formats.

Retention and Carry

As stated, this is a headlamp and won’t be useful in other ways. The headband that’s included is slimmer than most current generation headbands. There are a few triangles of reflective material.

On the flip side (the inside, that is) there’s a grippy band of silicone that also serves to direct sweat away from one’s eyes.

Power and Runtime

The battery used in the NU17 is built-in, non-removable, and non-replaceable. I performed two runtimes – first the highest mode of the main emitter:

Secondly is the highest (also onlyiest) mode of the High CRI emitters. I didn’t cool this one, and the highest temp was only 33 degrees C. Not too hot, and cool enough to be worn indefinitely.

The light does eventually shut off fully, but since the battery is built-in, I can’t really check the voltage.

Charging

With the built-in cell comes built-in charging. This is by a micro-USB port.

A hand lifts a rubber cover on a small black electronic device, revealing a micro USB port. The device is resting on a weathered wooden surface.

Nitecore includes a cable fit for charging.

Charging looks pretty normal, aside from that little blip around 30 minutes. Can’t really explain it but it’s also not really a problem.

The charging indicator LED is behind the main emitter (it’s not the two reds on the sides). During charge, this indicator lights red. When charge is complete, the indicator is green.

Pulse Width Modulation

There is no PWM on any output.

Main emitter:

A digital oscilloscope screen displays a mostly flat yellow waveform near zero, with settings including 1V/div, 2ms/div, DC coupling, AUTO trigger, and the status showing HOLD and Waiting.

A digital oscilloscope screen displays a mostly flat yellow waveform near zero, with horizontal and vertical grid lines. Indicators include “Running,” “Waiting,” 2V, DC, 2ms, AUTO, Int, and -0.16V.

A digital oscilloscope screen shows a mostly flat yellow trace near the center, vertical and horizontal grid lines, and indicators for running, waiting, 2V, DC, 2ms, AUTO, and -0.16V.

High CRI:

An oscilloscope screen displays a mostly flat yellow waveform along the horizontal axis, with Running and Waiting indicators at the top and various settings shown at the bottom, including 2V, DC, 2ms, and -0.16V.

Red:

Oscilloscope display shows a flat horizontal yellow line along the center, indicating no significant input signal. Settings: 2V/div, 2ms/div, DC coupling, AUTO mode, holdoff enabled, and voltage at -0.16V.

Here you can see a “baseline” – a chart with almost no light hitting the sensor.

Then there’s the Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight, which has some of the worst PWM I’ve seen. It’s so bad that I used a post about it to explain PWM! Here are multiple timescales (10ms, 5ms, 2ms, 1ms, 0.5ms, 0.2ms) to make comparing this “worst” PWM light to the test light easier. That post also explains why I didn’t test the WF-602C at the usual 50us scale.

User Interface and Operation

There are two buttons on the NU17. They’re side by side, and share a rubber cover. These switches are on top of the headlamp. One’s labeled with a power logo, and one’s labeled “R” for red.

The user interface is fairly simple.

Here’s a user interface table!

State	Action	Result
Off	Click Power	Main Low
Off	Hold Power	High Cri On
Off	Click R	Red Low
On >3s	Click Any	Off
On	Hold R	Off
On White <3s	Click Power	Mode advance LMH, Off
On Red <3s	Click R	Red advance (Low, High, Red slow strobe)
On	Hold Power 1s	High
Any	Hold Power >3s	SOS (First mode of Special Group)
Special Group	Click Power	Special Advance (SOS, Beacon)
Off	Hold R	Battery Indicator^

^ Battery level is indicated by the charging indicator LED – the red emitter behind the main emitter.
Three flashes: Battery >50%
Two flashes: Battery <50%
One flash: Battery <10%

LED and Beam

There are three types of emitters here. One in the center is a Cree XP-G2. The High CRI is next, beside the center emitter. Nitecore doesn’t seem to state what emitter this is. Same for the red.

A small black LED headlamp with three illuminated lights sits on a weathered wooden surface. The background is out of focus, and the lamp face displays red and white LEDs. The text “ZEROAIR.ORG” is visible on the left.

A small rectangular LED headlamp with three bulbs is placed on a weathered wooden surface. The main bulb is centered, with two smaller bulbs on either side. The background is blurred.

A small rectangular LED bike light with two illuminated bulbs sits on a dark wooden surface. The background is dimly lit, and the text ZEROAIR.ORG is visible vertically on the left side.

These beamshots always have the following settings: f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure. These photos are taken at floor level, and the beam hits the ceiling around 9 feet away.

A completely dark image with a black background. The only visible detail is the text ZEROAIR.ORG in thin, vertical letters on the left side of the image.

A mostly black image with a faint, slightly lighter circular area in the center. The text ZEROAIR.ORG appears vertically on the left side.

A round, dim beam of light with a soft gradient fades into darkness at the edges. The background is mostly black. The text ZEROAIR.ORG is vertically positioned along the left side.

A black image with little to no visible detail. The text ZEROAIR.ORG appears vertically along the left side.

A mostly black image with a faint red glow in the center. The text ZEROAIR.ORG is vertically aligned on the left side of the image.

Tint vs BLF-348 (KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b version) (affiliate link)

Two bright flashlight beams are shining on a closed white door, side by side, creating circular light spots with soft edges. The text ZEROAIR.ORG is visible vertically on the left side of the image.

A flashlight beam is directed at a closed white paneled door in a dimly lit environment. The shadow of a hand holding the flashlight is visible at the bottom of the image. The text ZEROAIR.ORG is on the left side.

A pair of closed white doors are illuminated by overlapping red and white flashlight beams, casting colored light on the doors. The text “ZEROAIR.ORG” is vertically displayed on the left side.

I compare everything to the Killzone 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!

Conclusion

What I like

Very light headlamp.
Reasonable throw out of the main emitter.
High CRI is a good temperature, too
Red secondary having two modes is a good feature – particularly because the low is very low.

What I don’t like

Built-in battery, but it’s really expected in this class of light.

Notes

This light was provided by Nitecore for review. I was not paid to write this review.
This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
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