That's great I hope you enjoy this one as I feel nitecore made a nice lightweight but decent headlamp. Mine is still working fine and no issues yet. If you have any questions let me know, we are helpful here in this channel. Have a great day 😃👍
Thank you very much, I like to put them through the ringer a bit and make sure I'm covering everything, so you can watch it then know exactly if this is the right light to buy or not. Mine still working fine and I think nitecore did a good job.
Thank you very much. I always aim to give as much info as I can so you can see for yourself which is best for you. Also I have a bit of fun out testing then editing. 😊👍
Excellent review TT. I would give it a 9 for regular users and an 8 for flashoholics. Agree with the lower lumen mode for the red light option. I have the 4 year old Nitecore NU 30 headlamp and this is a big improvement over mine. Good to see the Skillhunt H03 still a contender 5 years later. Excellent use of the red light to show the width of the light beams. Can't wait to see what new innovations you come up with in your next review. 👍
Thanks for the comprehensive review, needed something for walking the dog over winter and this fits the bill perfectly without having to worry about risking it with a cheap amazon jobbie.
This will be perfect for walking the dog. I hope you enjoy it, I've not had any issues using it since. I did a bit more testing recently and let it run for 15 mins and it never stopped down from it's top output. Very impressed.
Hey man, I am a bit confused between the NU33 and the HC65 v2. I wanna mainly using it for camping trips and hikes. Battery life is important for me. I am super confused as to what to get. The HC68 is also an option i am looking at. what do you think i should go for ?
Good question. The hc65v2 is way brighter and you can take a bag of spare batteries so for calling I think that's safer. But both are perfectly acceptable for camping. If you want to safe money get the nu33 but if you want more lumens, more modes and longer run times then get the hc65v2. I hope this is helpful for you. Go watch my review of the hc65v2 if you need a bit more background info though.
Would you say this light's good for climbing/mountaineering? I'm looking for something like this, but I'm not sure if there's better alternatives for the job, you seem to know a bit about flashlights. A higher CRI would be nice indeed... Not sure how useful a separate high cri light is though and wonder if there's any on the market that are high cri by default. Also what do you think about the Black Diamond Spot 400?
I think it depends how much climbing you are going to be doing. I would rather carry a slightly bigger light, this one is lovely and light but if I was away in the middle of nowhere at night I would personally carry something slightly bigger where I can carry spare cells. This has a cell inside it but if you run it down that's it until you recharge again. So you may be better off with an 18650 type light. If you are doing the ultra light thing then the black diamond and this are perfect. But if you don't care about slightly more weight and way more power and robust metal construction. I think the olight Perun2 or armytek wizard pro, Nitecore hc65 v1 and the V2. I have all of these light reviews on my channel if you go to the headlamp playlist they are all there and I have genuinely used and tested at night on hikes and trail runs. I hope that helps, like I saw it depends if you want ultra light or a super robust workhorse which is slightly more weight.
Nitecore do lithium ion cells that work better in lower temperature. You never get as good capacity in the cold so a larger light might be better unless you have a warm forehead 😁. For me I like a larger light I've been stuck in the dark with a battery running out before and it's a horrible feeling. Last time I made it back on a super low setting but I'm lucky I didn't fall out twist an ankle. For a grab and go I love the nu33, I'm about to go into the Cairngorms range in Scotland here tomorrow and it's in my pocket. But I'll be using an armytek on my head most of the time. Magnetic charging is lovely to have.
Did you have any issues with the head strap loosening up over time? I've heard this by a couple of other UA-camrs. This is my new "go-to" flashlight UA-cam channel - Keep up the good work!
I have not had this happen yet however I can say that did happen eventually on the Nitecore HC65 so I had to tighten it up a lot. It's almost as if the elastic component in the band loses it's elasticity. Although I have the hc65v2 and that's not gone like that. With this light the band feels like a different material so only time will tell if it losens off. But it feels premium. I'll keep an eye on it I did some extra testing after the review for run times and step down where I couldn't get it to step down on turbo after 15 mins which is great. But the band is something I'll keep testing I'm out in cold and wet weather a lot so we will see if it survives for me. Thanks for the reality kind support its incredible to think my humble stuff is well regarded thank you.
Thanks for the very kind words. I try to make something useful for everyone thinking about choosing a light. Keep it honest and plenty of info and details. Thanks again and if you have any questions I'm always happy to help out.
I would definitely go for this mate its very light in comparison to many other head lights I have, its a simple and capable light I can just grab and use I also like to hand this to people to use so I don't have to give them a massive heavy light and spend 30 mins explaining the UI to them lol Also the run times fort a small light light are very good. I've used this for night hiking and also let others use it for same reasons and no issues yet.
Thanks for another great review! I've been looking at the Fenix HL18R, but at least on paper this just seems better all around (except no replaceable batteries)... Interesting idea to use the red flood to show the areas the lights don't hit. I will say that I'm red/green colorblind, so for me personally its harder to distinguish the areas lit red vs. if they were just dark. But I realize I'm in an unusual situation there, so would be interested to see what others think. Either way I haven't seen that before, so good to see someone innovating on these reviews!
I never considered colourblind viewers sorry about that mate. I was trying something new but now you make me think it through il stick to the normal setup. Can I please ask how you find using red and green lights? Are they horrible for you? I use red light for manually stargazer stuff, camping, other tactical things. But I also sometimes like a really low one lumen white light mode as well.
@@TrailTrek Not a problem at all, just thought I'd throw it out there! For a little background on colorblindness, (most forms) you can still detect the light, you just can't distinguish which color it is (as clearly). I also use red light pretty regularly, and can't say I've ever noticed a difference from anyone else. It still seems to help with night vision. I suppose if everything is lit in pure red, we're all colorblind in a way. I don't own any lights with a green mode, so I can't really speak to that, although I imagine it would be similar. I will say, I can never really notice the green tint that some emitters apparently have at low outputs, so that's kind of nice I guess!
I like the twisting 180 lights. I worry the click click click of plastic hinge will degrade after longer heavy usage. I just wish Nitecore HC 68r had a brighter red light. Brighter than 11 lumens. Near perfect light.
I think the Nu31 does have high and low modes for the red option, but I’m not sure how to toggle them. But I’m sure I’ve seen that in reviews. Would be weird for the nu33 not to have it.
I couldn't find out a way to alter it, all they have is RED constant on then a flashing RED mode as well: flashlight.nitecore.com/Uploads/FLASHLIGHTS/download/nu33_15th_le.pdf
Why didn't they make the battery replaceable? Now, when it goes bad, you have to replace the whole unit. Even though the electronics and the LEDs will be fine.
Some companies like Apple for example consider a replaceable component wastes a tiny bit of space they can save. so I'm guessing it's the same here. Also you have the usual planned obsolescence issue which makes companies more money.
Great content, i was looking at nc65v2 but value for money i think this wins. Cant find anything else currently on the market with all these features for the price. Please let me know if there is :) - side note why dont torch manufactures just employ you at the development stage so they get the perfect holy grail of a torch first time lol!😆
You are right this is now one of the lights I recommend. I did more testing recently and couldn't get it to step down on its max output in a 20c room. But for this price with a nice battery level indicator and a good high output I think it's great. I still like to recommend the Sofirn sp40 as well but this is a great grab and go light. I do a lot of beta testing for brands, they send me prototype units. I don't know how much notice they take off me at times, sometimes they come back and say thanks other times I'm not sure how much my voice makes a difference. I also test things I love and they never release them!? Figure that out of you can.
my nu33 does not charge from a 5v 1A block from an iPhone, does it charge either from a power bank or from power blocks with 2A do you have the same? One light flashes, then goes off and then goes off again.
ok I'm testing this right now so I'm using a powerbank with type-C out and its going from type-C to type-C on the headlamp. the output is 5v and 0.4 of an amp its charging great I can see the battery level leds on the side going up. When I just plugged in one end of the cable i noticed the main beam flash then go off but charging type-c to type-c is fine for me. I wonder if the iPhone power block lacks all power delivery negotiation? this is a guess I don't know that for a fact.
@@TrailTrek Get yourself a lux meter. The cost of such a device from Uni-T is around $20. Then you will be sure whether the power drops or not. The eye gets used to the light, so slight drops may not be noticeable.
If I make them shorter I spend all day answering questions in the comments section, or my subscribers complain. Cheers for the feedback though i appreciate you taking the time to let me know. There are a few channels which do the 5min long type reviews I can recommend if that's why help. I do some short form videos for each light now where it's just me walking about in the dark but I guess this is a channel for long never ending stories 😃
Im waiting on amazon to deliver my Nitebore NU33! All of your work and effort is very much appreciated. Very entertaining content! new sub
That's great I hope you enjoy this one as I feel nitecore made a nice lightweight but decent headlamp. Mine is still working fine and no issues yet. If you have any questions let me know, we are helpful here in this channel.
Have a great day 😃👍
What a deep and thorough review man, the best one I've seen so far!
Thank you very much, I like to put them through the ringer a bit and make sure I'm covering everything, so you can watch it then know exactly if this is the right light to buy or not. Mine still working fine and I think nitecore did a good job.
Wow the multiple side by sides was awesome, thanks for the effort. 👍
Thank you very much. I always aim to give as much info as I can so you can see for yourself which is best for you. Also I have a bit of fun out testing then editing. 😊👍
Excellent review TT. I would give it a 9 for regular users and an 8 for flashoholics. Agree with the lower lumen mode for the red light option. I have the 4 year old Nitecore NU 30 headlamp and this is a big improvement over mine. Good to see the Skillhunt H03 still a contender 5 years later. Excellent use of the red light to show the width of the light beams. Can't wait to see what new innovations you come up with in your next review. 👍
They came up with something I would be happy to grab or hand to someone and use. The piece needs to stay lower and it's a winner.
Thanks for the comprehensive review, needed something for walking the dog over winter and this fits the bill perfectly without having to worry about risking it with a cheap amazon jobbie.
This will be perfect for walking the dog. I hope you enjoy it, I've not had any issues using it since. I did a bit more testing recently and let it run for 15 mins and it never stopped down from it's top output. Very impressed.
Hey man, I am a bit confused between the NU33 and the HC65 v2. I wanna mainly using it for camping trips and hikes. Battery life is important for me. I am super confused as to what to get. The HC68 is also an option i am looking at. what do you think i should go for ?
Good question. The hc65v2 is way brighter and you can take a bag of spare batteries so for calling I think that's safer. But both are perfectly acceptable for camping. If you want to safe money get the nu33 but if you want more lumens, more modes and longer run times then get the hc65v2. I hope this is helpful for you. Go watch my review of the hc65v2 if you need a bit more background info though.
@@TrailTrek thanks so much man !! Highly appreciate it
Very welcome mate. 👍😁
Would you say this light's good for climbing/mountaineering? I'm looking for something like this, but I'm not sure if there's better alternatives for the job, you seem to know a bit about flashlights. A higher CRI would be nice indeed... Not sure how useful a separate high cri light is though and wonder if there's any on the market that are high cri by default. Also what do you think about the Black Diamond Spot 400?
I think it depends how much climbing you are going to be doing. I would rather carry a slightly bigger light, this one is lovely and light but if I was away in the middle of nowhere at night I would personally carry something slightly bigger where I can carry spare cells. This has a cell inside it but if you run it down that's it until you recharge again. So you may be better off with an 18650 type light. If you are doing the ultra light thing then the black diamond and this are perfect. But if you don't care about slightly more weight and way more power and robust metal construction. I think the olight Perun2 or armytek wizard pro, Nitecore hc65 v1 and the V2. I have all of these light reviews on my channel if you go to the headlamp playlist they are all there and I have genuinely used and tested at night on hikes and trail runs. I hope that helps, like I saw it depends if you want ultra light or a super robust workhorse which is slightly more weight.
Nitecore do lithium ion cells that work better in lower temperature. You never get as good capacity in the cold so a larger light might be better unless you have a warm forehead 😁. For me I like a larger light I've been stuck in the dark with a battery running out before and it's a horrible feeling. Last time I made it back on a super low setting but I'm lucky I didn't fall out twist an ankle. For a grab and go I love the nu33, I'm about to go into the Cairngorms range in Scotland here tomorrow and it's in my pocket. But I'll be using an armytek on my head most of the time. Magnetic charging is lovely to have.
Did you have any issues with the head strap loosening up over time? I've heard this by a couple of other UA-camrs. This is my new "go-to" flashlight UA-cam channel - Keep up the good work!
I have not had this happen yet however I can say that did happen eventually on the Nitecore HC65 so I had to tighten it up a lot. It's almost as if the elastic component in the band loses it's elasticity. Although I have the hc65v2 and that's not gone like that. With this light the band feels like a different material so only time will tell if it losens off. But it feels premium. I'll keep an eye on it I did some extra testing after the review for run times and step down where I couldn't get it to step down on turbo after 15 mins which is great. But the band is something I'll keep testing I'm out in cold and wet weather a lot so we will see if it survives for me. Thanks for the reality kind support its incredible to think my humble stuff is well regarded thank you.
Awesome and quality content. Well done sir.
Thanks for the very kind words. I try to make something useful for everyone thinking about choosing a light. Keep it honest and plenty of info and details. Thanks again and if you have any questions I'm always happy to help out.
Many thanks for the detailed review. I was looking at the NU25 UL, but feel that this might be worth the extra weight.
I would definitely go for this mate its very light in comparison to many other head lights I have, its a simple and capable light I can just grab and use I also like to hand this to people to use so I don't have to give them a massive heavy light and spend 30 mins explaining the UI to them lol Also the run times fort a small light light are very good. I've used this for night hiking and also let others use it for same reasons and no issues yet.
Thanks for another great review! I've been looking at the Fenix HL18R, but at least on paper this just seems better all around (except no replaceable batteries)...
Interesting idea to use the red flood to show the areas the lights don't hit. I will say that I'm red/green colorblind, so for me personally its harder to distinguish the areas lit red vs. if they were just dark. But I realize I'm in an unusual situation there, so would be interested to see what others think. Either way I haven't seen that before, so good to see someone innovating on these reviews!
I never considered colourblind viewers sorry about that mate. I was trying something new but now you make me think it through il stick to the normal setup. Can I please ask how you find using red and green lights? Are they horrible for you? I use red light for manually stargazer stuff, camping, other tactical things.
But I also sometimes like a really low one lumen white light mode as well.
@@TrailTrek Not a problem at all, just thought I'd throw it out there!
For a little background on colorblindness, (most forms) you can still detect the light, you just can't distinguish which color it is (as clearly). I also use red light pretty regularly, and can't say I've ever noticed a difference from anyone else. It still seems to help with night vision. I suppose if everything is lit in pure red, we're all colorblind in a way.
I don't own any lights with a green mode, so I can't really speak to that, although I imagine it would be similar. I will say, I can never really notice the green tint that some emitters apparently have at low outputs, so that's kind of nice I guess!
Very interesting thanks for this I'd always wondered. Thanks for getting back to me and my daft questions you have a great weekend.
I like the twisting 180 lights. I worry the click click click of plastic hinge will degrade after longer heavy usage. I just wish Nitecore HC 68r had a brighter red light. Brighter than 11 lumens. Near perfect light.
I must try to get the 68. I loved the 65v1 and then the 65v2. Nitecore do make lovely headlamps and they are a joy to use.
I think the Nu31 does have high and low modes for the red option, but I’m not sure how to toggle them. But I’m sure I’ve seen that in reviews. Would be weird for the nu33 not to have it.
I couldn't find out a way to alter it, all they have is RED constant on then a flashing RED mode as well: flashlight.nitecore.com/Uploads/FLASHLIGHTS/download/nu33_15th_le.pdf
Why didn't they make the battery replaceable? Now, when it goes bad, you have to replace the whole unit. Even though the electronics and the LEDs will be fine.
Some companies like Apple for example consider a replaceable component wastes a tiny bit of space they can save. so I'm guessing it's the same here. Also you have the usual planned obsolescence issue which makes companies more money.
"Intentional product aging". Instead of a 5-year warranty, there is a two-year warranty - this is the answer why there is a built-in battery 😁
@@TrailTrek In smartphones, it is possible to replace the battery - services do it. As far as I know, flashlights don't have that option.
@@stefanp5261 Cheers ive never seen or heard of that in my entire life. Thanks for this info, I wonder when this will become common with end users?
@@TrailTrek Watch video "The light bulb conspiracy".
Honest review, especially bringing up the green tint, it's not for me but like you say the broader market probably won't care :) just us nerds haha
Exactly. I realise that what I want and what the broader market want are sometimes different.
Great content, i was looking at nc65v2 but value for money i think this wins. Cant find anything else currently on the market with all these features for the price. Please let me know if there is :) - side note why dont torch manufactures just employ you at the development stage so they get the perfect holy grail of a torch first time lol!😆
You are right this is now one of the lights I recommend. I did more testing recently and couldn't get it to step down on its max output in a 20c room. But for this price with a nice battery level indicator and a good high output I think it's great. I still like to recommend the Sofirn sp40 as well but this is a great grab and go light. I do a lot of beta testing for brands, they send me prototype units. I don't know how much notice they take off me at times, sometimes they come back and say thanks other times I'm not sure how much my voice makes a difference. I also test things I love and they never release them!? Figure that out of you can.
my nu33 does not charge from a 5v 1A block from an iPhone, does it charge either from a power bank or from power blocks with 2A do you have the same? One light flashes, then goes off and then goes off again.
ok I'm testing this right now so I'm using a powerbank with type-C out and its going from type-C to type-C on the headlamp. the output is 5v and 0.4 of an amp its charging great I can see the battery level leds on the side going up. When I just plugged in one end of the cable i noticed the main beam flash then go off but charging type-c to type-c is fine for me. I wonder if the iPhone power block lacks all power delivery negotiation? this is a guess I don't know that for a fact.
how long does turbo mode stays on?
Nitecore stats say 4 hours but I expect this to be in absolutely ideal lab conditions. So in the real world is go for 3 and a half hours max.
@@TrailTrek oh. Cool i thought that boost works only for 30sec as older models
I found that a bit strange as well, they call the top mode turbo but really it's a highest setting. Unlike a normal turbo where it steps down rapidly.
@@TrailTrek insane! Thanks a lot.
@@TrailTrek Get yourself a lux meter. The cost of such a device from Uni-T is around $20. Then you will be sure whether the power drops or not. The eye gets used to the light, so slight drops may not be noticeable.
Painful to watch...twice as long as needed
If I make them shorter I spend all day answering questions in the comments section, or my subscribers complain. Cheers for the feedback though i appreciate you taking the time to let me know. There are a few channels which do the 5min long type reviews I can recommend if that's why help. I do some short form videos for each light now where it's just me walking about in the dark but I guess this is a channel for long never ending stories 😃
Thanks for the details, man. Much appreciated. (for those who are interested only). 😅