Thank you for a great comparison video! I've been using the Bindi for several years and a lot of thru-hikes (CDT, AZT, LT, GET, AT). It's just worked for me all that time and so I hadn't really been seeking anything else. I have really good night vision and so I'm even able to hike with the lamp in the lowest white light setting (5 lumens). And believe me, being a sobo hiker on most all these trails, I spent a lot of hours hiking fall mornings and evenings in the dark. I also just barely managed to see 2 rattlesnakes across the trail on the AZT...I stress barely. I agree that the red light on the Bindi is pretty useless and finally decided I'd like something that has a red light strong enough that I could hike with it, hence my curiosity about a suitable replacement. Your comparison images are great in helping me see how well it would work, based on my experience with the Bindi.

I used a bindi on my 2019 thru hike of the PCT. It worked great. I didn’t do that much night hiking but when I did, the dimmest or second dimmest setting was enough for me. I agree its red light is super dim. I never needed the bright one but I could see people who stay in shelters or hike in a big group might benefit from the brighter red light. I think I paid about $40 for it late summer in 2018. $60 seems a bit pricey. Maybe they had a low come on price when they first released it. I like that I didn’t have to add custom shock cord to it. That makes up for a more expensive price for the less handy. The square usb plug is weird at first but once I figured out which way was “up”, I never had a problem plugging it in again. Never damaged it. It’s plenty dust and water resistant to survive a six month PCT thru hike. It’s still going strong. The white color makes it easy to find on the ground or in a tent. The cord does get dirty fast. The little button never bothered me. Loved that I could recharge it but really didn’t need to on the trail since I didn’t do a lot of night hiking. I liked the indicator lights that told me how much charge it had left.

I watched maybe 10 such videos yesterday, and this is by far the best one..! Both with the manual camera settings, and the actual presentation 👍 Only thing i would add is that the Nitecore NU25 has a 61 meter light beam on the 190 lumen setting (81 meters on the boost), while the Petzl Bindi only has 36 meter on the 200 lumen setting (according to the specs on the manufacturers website). Considering that a lot of trails have sections where it can be difficult to see where to go even in broad daylight, with markings being pretty far apart (if there even is any markings at all), i would argue that the Petzl Bindi is not really ideal for night hiking... People probably bring a GPS device for night hiking, so it should not be a serious issue, but it is still nice to have access to a somewhat powerful light source... I ordered the Nitecore NU32 the other day as it was on sale for $11 cheaper than the NU25. This weighs 76g without the headband, so the NU25 is probably a lot more comfortable to wear, and with 5 hours at 190 lumen, it will be plenty for dayhikes, but somewhat limiting for night hikes... The NU32 gets 17 hours on the 190 lumen setting (77 meter light beam), which may seem like complete overkill, but this means that i can hike as long as i can muster, and use the boost setting pretty liberally (1 hour, 550 lumen, 125 meter) 😋

Nice review man. I have the Nitecore NU25 but wanted to compare it to the petzl and here we are 👍🏼. I'm one of those rare flashlights channels that keeps the camera in manual as well. It's nice to see someone else doing it as well. Awesome work buddy 😎👍🏼🔦 thanks for a great review man. Looks like I'll be picking up a second NU25 for my other backpack.

Thanks for your review. I am not sure if Petzl has changed Bindi since the time of your review to present day 2/2023. I am an avid solo multi day backpacker. This little lamp has exceeded my expectations. The low light setting is perfect for doing chores at camp and walking on trails at night. The red light is bright enough to do everything I need once I am in my hammock. The button for turning the light on and going through the lighting options is straight forward and easy to use. I would recommend this light.

Nice video my friend. I had the NU 25 on my thru hike and still use it and it’s the best I’ve ever had especially with how light it is

Fully pro review. Haven't seen yet such a good one like this one.

Jay, thanks for the reviews. Also, I agree with your statement about reviewing products one has had *and used* for several months. That's why I asked you about your solar panel on the PCT. Again, thanks!

Thanks! Was considring the nu 25 or the revolt.. first red light review that made sense.

Absolutely the best comparison video that I have seen regarding these two headlamps. I have the NU25 but I also have an Olight S1R Baton II if I really want to light up my surroundings.

One of the best recensions!

Based off of this video review I bought the Nitecore NU25 (uL version from LightSmith). I am very impressed with the light brightness settings and their functionality for what they are intended for. This light is so lightweight that it’s quite comfortable for long ware times, and it is so small in volume it will sit in pocket without being much a bother. Thanks Jay!

Setting the camera to manual and using the same settings for all lights to get a good comparison is something that is commonly done on bicycle headlight (and taillight) comparisons, for their "beam shots"

I have seen that Nitecore on some other videos. I really want to switch to a rechargeable headlamp. Very good video and information. Thanks for sharing. I have enjoyed your videos.✌️

Thanks for the review, Jay. I like the NU25 and is my go-to and I used it on my PCT section night hike last September. Great price as well. While both have locking functions, I do like the physical locking mechanism of the Bindi. BTW - Nitecore has some really ridiculous flashlights, including a 10,000 lumen “mini-sun” contraption. Very creative company.

Great video. I was trying to make this exact decision. This has really helped. I was leaning towards the Bindi but now know I want the NU25. I am sensitive to pwm.

Great review! I had both head lamps in my cart and was trying to figure out which to buy.. it’s like the review was made for me.. thanks!

Thank you, good fellow, for this review. Very clear, concise and informative. A thumbs up from me.

Awesome, thorough review dude!! Keep up the great work. I look forward to more of your gear reviews! Hike on!

good review but I chose and have the Petzi because everything is "out of the box" and I can deal with any of the negative comparisons. Matter of fact the Bendi works super at home assisting with any needs for illumination regarding various tasks.

Wonderful review, thank you for putting so much effort.

Nice review; very thorough. Based on advertised literature, the Bindi has a 680 mAh battery vs NU25 610 mAh which should make the Bindi last longer. unusual for the Nitecore to last longer..... The Bindi also has a power revive for about 90 minutes on low once the main battery is depleted.

my guess is that square port was the only one they could find with some water resistance. thanks for the review and comparison!

They fixed the USB-port, thanks for pointing it out 🌌💟☮️

Solid review. I just got the NU25 and added the shock cord. Saved about 15 grams lol. Thanks Jay!

I really appreciate your opinion on review videos. It bugs me when someone titles a video "review" and it's at best an unboxing. Reading the specs on the box does not constitute a review.

So I personally have and use the bindi, and a little trick I found is if you press and hold the button while its off, it will automatically turn on the red light

The flicker makes complete sense once you think about how LEDs work. They don't dim like an incandescent bulb, the lower power modes use the same bulbs, at the same brightness but use pulse width modulation to only have them on say: 75% of the time for medium, 50% for low and 10% for super low. The rate of the pulse is faster than your eyes refresh rate so you don't see it, but certain camera settings show it clear as day.

This is so funny because Emilee (Coins) uses the Bindi and I use the NU25. I really like it so far. Glad you made this video because it makes me even more happy with my purchase. I didn’t want to spend the $60 on the Bindi. I need to make the shock cord headband that you made. That’s awesome. -Timber

Very nice and helpful review, thank you!

Cool. I like your review very much. Very informative one.

My engineering brain loves how detailed you are with all your videos 😊 You’ve always done loads of research and testing which is greatly appreciated! NU25 for the win! Better features and not really any drawbacks. Petzl has multiple design flaws. I haven’t done Instagram in years but I think I’ll probably get back on. I saw that your acct is new so I’ll follow you and Tina! She has CDT 2020 on her insta bio. Are y’all hiking it together?

Good stuff Jay

I have never used a power pac plugged into anything while using the power device but a thought of caution comes to mind. Consumer grad Lithium ion batteries are damaged when charging them in temperatures near 32°f and below. What happens is the anode pole ends up getting an electro plating covering, rather then forming the crystal medium it is suppose to form for charging use. this damage is not reversible. So maybe be judicious about when you power off the power pac. nice review. I need a new head lamp, my problem is I keep loosing them.

I'm pretty sure ALL LED lights use PWM to dim the light. It's far more efficient so if you want the battery to last a long time, you use PWM. The difference on the better lights is that the PWM frequency is quite high, they're probably pulsing at 1000 or more times per second so you won't notice it so much on the camera.

Excellent Review!

Yeah too many headlamps , I looked at both but being clumsy and hard on gear I went with the Petzl Tikka with 300 lumens because you have to open it to recharge directly into the battery thus the port doesn't get dirty . Jay enjoy your time and don't forget Germany as I did , Mom reminded me when I reached 60 that I went to kindergarten in Germany before the P.N.W.

I had a NiteCore fail on me. I’m not a second chance kind of guy with gear. Been rockin Black Diamonds forever and they haven’t failed. But I have been looking at The BINDI, has pretty good run time and it’s really small and light. Thanks for your posts, keep them coming, really enjoy them

What knot did you use for your paracord headband?

great review!

The Olight H1R is no longer available and it's replacement, the Olight Perun Mini 1000 uses a proprietary battery. The Fenix LD15R uses a standard COTS Lithium battery and has features similar to the Nitecore NU25 so that may be an option (although it's heavy like the Olight). The Fenix doesn't have a headlamp adapter however there are 3rd party products available.

Been using the bindi and bought multiple to have in case the current one fails or stops working for whatever reason. Bindi 100%

Exactly the video I was looking for ..such a coincidence because I've been watching your AT videos 🤣🤣

I like petzl. And now I have also the new model of nitecore but I miss low red light mode.

Pretty good review with useful information on both lights, given you really don't like the Petzl lite. I'm surprised you didn't complain that in this day and age, both Mfgs should have used USB C, instead of micro USB, thus eliminating the charging cable orientation problem. We have grown to really dislike Micro USB plug ins.

Just used the Bindi other night hiking the LA Aqueduct and it was not bright enough for me.

Thanks 👍

New subscriber here! Thanks for the comparison! It helped me decide what I wanted! I think I am going with the Nitcore. Do you have a video that goes over how you made the shock cord customization? I like that you set the video to a manual adjustment, Pro move.

Thanks Jay

I like to use lights that use the lithium 18650 batteries because they tend to last long and I can quickly change the battery out with extras that I carry. Not as lightweight as yours but I don't worry about being caught without a light. The ones I have have a red light setting and one has two 18650's on the back of the strap. I like the strobe light in case of confrontation with a wild animal. Hopefully, it will disorient them.

Great review and I'm THIS close to replacing my Bindi now. lol Question though - even with the lock-out feature - was there any time that the Nitecore got accidently turned on in your pack? That's always one of my greatest worries.

The battery bank would be a huge difference! Very good to know. I also had some question about how long the shock cord would last on the Bindi and it seems like the ability to replace the Nitecore with a shock cord of your own design is also a benefit.

The shutter speed is resonating with the Hz rating of the bindi.

Nice review Jay! I have a Petzl Tikka and I'm trying to decide if I should buy the Petzl Accucore rechargeable battery and then modify the strap to reduce weight OR just buy an NU25 for PCT next year. I think the weight difference may be about an ounce. Do you get more life out of the built-in battery on the Nitecore or the Accucore rechargeable. Any idea?

Not the lightest but I went with the NU20, not NU25 because the NU20 has a guard that prevents the button from being pushed and draining the battery while in my pack.

My Biggest negativ Point with nitecore was the Self-discharging by not using, i‘ve had by another Model. Thu, they will not geht another chance.

Спасибо большое! Отличный обзор! 👍

THE spark drone RC controller had same fault , rectangular micro usb port ....

So again, in the olight I can use lithium batteries in case my charge were to go dead? Also, where can I get those other straps?

good review

Do you know what the differences are between the 25 and the 32? (nightcore)

The nu25’s main beam is too narrow which is a common complaint about it.

Would this nu25 work for trail running in your opinion?

Good info

I’m a huge gear slut, especially with headlamps. I bought the Bindi and don’t really like it. Not that it’s bad....but it’s probably the worst headlamp that Petzl makes. Great review though!

Love you

NU 25 all day ! Great headlight

What cord diameter did you use with the nitecore?

GO NAVY!!!!!!!!!!

Count on a military guy mentioning red light hahaha

To be clear....we all know what a bindi is right? who named it that

Very nice review. I have a small edc bag im working on for my side pocket and im caught between a bindi and that nitecore and streamlight bandit. I made a light video as well and I lock my camera (panasonic gh2) to manual settings always. Led lights today come in different tints and type of leds (Nichia 219 b vs XML 2 etc etc.) will give you different levels of warmth or coldness based on a kelvin factor. cooler leds ar higher around 5000k+ and warmer are less than 4500k+ Also note the white balance of your camera. You should be able to also lock in your white balance to a number value as well. Great review! I went over my edc lights currently as well here kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bpZ4p86Yr7fTiYk.html

the red light is for map reading

A marine with a democrate commercial...yikes.