Nitecore NU20 Classic Headlamp – Reviewed & Tested

How much punch can one tiny headlamp pack? Julia put the Nitecore NU20 Headlamp to the test on a series of night-time adventures and found an ultralight torch that’s brighter than expected – just don’t stray too far from a power source.

When gearing up for an overnight adventure, a camping trip, or a sunrise hike, I’ve long relied on a trusty old battery-operated headlamp. Clunky, and a little heavy, but it did the job.

When my old faithful finally carked it, I was curious to see what else was out there. Enter the Nitecore NU20 Classic Headlamp – a teeny-tiny, featherlight torch from a brand known for pushing the boundaries of ultralight performance gear.

I popped it in the kit and set out for a few pre-dawn and nocturnal adventures to see how it handled the dark. The result? A handy little unit and a surprisingly strong beam – with just one caveat.

You can’t hide from me, trees!

Why am I the right person to do this review?

I’ve been rocking the same headlamp for years – a pretty bog-standard unit that saw me through adventures from peaks to islands. It’s done me well, but I’ve had my fair share of gear envy at the campsite (especially when seeing how useful a brighter beam can be), so when a new set of batteries didn’t revive the old gal I was ready to try something new.

I’ve put the Nitecore NU20 to the test with a fairly simple set of needs: I want to see in the dark, and without too much fuss.

Quick Specifications

Lumens: 360 lumens
Light modes: White light, Red light, SOS
Power: Built-in 500mAh Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
Waterproof: IP66 Weatherproof
Weight: 38g
RRP: $49.95

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Performance

Brightness

Happy to report that the Nitecore NU20 fulfilled my main requirement – it’s bright! A caveat to note here is that my yardstick was a slowly failing headlamp I’d had for some time, and there are definitely brighter headlamps by lumens. 

I’ve got no qualms though – it’s strong and casts a solid beam – it reaches 190m and has a nice wide 100° range. This combo has served every purpose I’ve needed it to, whether lighting a path through the bush for a nighttime wee, illuminating a trail before sunrise, or allowing me to maneuver around the camp kitchen with no issue.

It can cast a decent beam! But use the turbo mode sparingly

Dual Auxiliary Light

The Nitecore NU20 comes equipped with dual auxiliary lights – for the laymen like myself, that’s a white light and a red light. It’s a pretty common feature across headlamps these days, but after rocking a single white light adjustable only by brightness, I’ve been loving this feature. 

The red is far less disturbing to other campers if I’m up late, and especially handy if I don’t want to blind my tent buddy while on the hunt for my water bottle in the middle of the night.

Covert red is essential, even in a minimalist head torch

Both lights come with a variety of modes, adjusting from LOW (1 Lumen) up to HIGH for the red light (13 lumens) and TURBO for the white (the full 360 Lumens), as well as SOS, Beacon and Slow Flashing modes. 

Thankfully, I’ve not had to make use of the safety modes, but I have played with the light strength plenty. The TURBO drains power pretty darn quickly (more on that shortly) but the middle brightness modes on the white light (MID – 28 Lumens and HIGH – 200 Lumens) seemed to sort me out for most use cases.

Durability

My main issue with this headlamp is easily how much you get out of a charge.

The first time I took the Nitecore NU20 out for a spin was on a solo camping trip in New England NP. Not paying too much attention to the runtime per setting, I’d simply popped the headlamp in my pack and enjoyed the brand new beam my first evening at the campsite. By the time night two rolled around, it was late in the eve and I was settling down in my sleeping bag – when to my surprise, the headlamp ran out of juice.

Was I perhaps a bit gung-ho with the TURBO setting that first night? Sure – but I’ve noticed a similar lifespan on a charge in subsequent (and more conservative) uses. So far, I’ve averaged around 1-2 nights of use before it needs to be plugged into a power source. The Intuitive Power Indication (basically, lights indicating power level) do mean you can keep track of the charge – and it comes equipped with a USB-C charging port which means I can plug it right into my Mophie powerbank (very handy). But I personally would like a little more light before needing to do so.

Batteries vs. Rechargeable?

Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve come off a battery-operated unit which lasted countless adventures before needing a new set of AAAs, but I’m not sure I’m sold on fully rechargeable gear when it comes to headlamps.

There’s definitely a massive saving on weight, but I do wonder if it’s a tradeoff that’s worth it when packing a powerbank becomes a safety requirement for a multiday hike longer than 1-2 nights (or when you need to spend power that you’d prefer to charge a phone or a camera with). 

It’s also added a new step to my adventure prep – making sure the headlamp is charged. Not the end of the world, but it felt simpler to just do a quick test before I left and always have a spare set of batteries stowed in my safety kit.

Want dual power sources? Check out our Nitecore UT27 Trail Running Headlamp review

Design

The Nitecore NU20 has a solid intuitive design, alongside a few particularly handy features. The dual buttons – one for power and the white light, the other for the red light – are straightforward to operate, and it’s easy to get around the settings after a fiddle. 

It’s also IP66 rated weatherproof (this means it’s completely dust-tight and can withstand a strong jet of water), however I’ve luckily been blessed by the weather gods and so haven’t needed to put this rating to the test just yet.

Dual buttons make it super straightforward to operate

My fave feature out of the bunch is easily the lockout mode for accidental activation prevention, which stops the headlamp from being accidentally turned on in a pack with a long press of both buttons. It’s a necessary feature considering the battery life, but no less appreciated. I’m also a big fan of the glow in the dark headband which makes it super easy to spot in the tent at night.

Ultralight Weight

This headlamp puts the ultra in ultralight – coming in at a (frankly shocking) 38g, making the Nitecore NU20 one of the lightest headlamps on the market. This comes down to a combo of the lightweight polycarbonate material used for the casing and the cord-style headband. If you’re firmly aboard the ultralight train, there’s not much better you can do for cutting down on grams, especially if you’re fine packing a powerbank as a part of your kit.

It’s seriously simple

Comfort

I wasn’t sure how much I’d love the feel of this headlamp on – mainly thanks to the elastic cord headband (a big contributor to the featherlight weight). My verdict? It’s not bad. I do personally like the feel of a thicker band however I had no issues with the corded version – nothing to write home about, but it did its job. I’m also a big fan of the toggle at the back for size adjustments – nice and easy to get it sitting snug on the noggin.

For a simple headband it worked just fine. Love the toggle!

Sustainability

Nitecore unfortunately don’t have any info online about their sustainability, across production or individual materials.

The main mention when it comes to the environment is the Li-ion Battery, which is listed as environmentally friendly as it reduces the discard of 700+ AAA batteries over a battery life cycle. This is a nice win but I’d like to see more across the board both for the product and the brand.

We expect environmental commitments from every brand we review, and it majorly affects their overall score if they ignore them

Price

The Nitecore NU20 isn’t just efficient on weight, it’s light on cost too. Retailing at $49.95, it’s an affordable addition to any adventurer’s kit, and generally feels like a good return on investment for the use and features you get out of it.

At the time of writing it’s $39.47 from Ultralight Gear, which is a certified bargain. Any of the links in this article earn us a small commission but you don’t pay any extra.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I’m a fan of the Nitecore NU20 Classic. Despite my gripes with the lifespan on the battery before needing a recharge, it’s a handy headlamp that lights my way perfectly in the evenings – and does it all while adding only a few grams to my pack weight.

Ok camping time now byeee