Contents

• Pricing & Availability
• What comes in the box?
• Design & Construction
• Size & Measurements
• User Interface
• Emitter & Beam
• Mode Chart
• Runtime
• Driver & Regulation
• Switch
• Carry & Ergonomics
• Batteries & Charging
• Competition
• Conclusion

Pricing & Availability

Nitecore sent me this light in exchange for an honest review. Here is the official product page where you can see current pricing.

What comes in the box?

I like Nitecore’s boxes. The black and yellow theme is a nice departure from the typical Apply-style white boxes a lot of products come in these days.

• The light itself
• Battery (inside the light)
• User manual
• USB A-to-C charging cable
• Wrist lanyard
• Spare O-ring
• Pocket clip
• Belt holster

Design & Construction

MH25 Pro incorporates a few unique Nitecore design features. I’ve never seen this milling pattern on the body tube or the large textured side switch on any models from other brands. It’s a cool-looking light.

Build quality is excellent. It’s got a feeling of density and quality that you don’t get from budget brands.

Size & Measurements

Mini Maglite | Olight Javelot | Nitecore MH25 Pro | Olight Warrior 3S | Olight Seeker 4

Measurement	Measured (mm)
Bezel Diameter	40.0
Maximum Head Diameter	40.0
Length	154
Tail Switch Diameter	14
Lens Thickness	Didn’t measure
Lens Diameter	Didn’t measure
Reflector Hole Diameter	Didn’t measure
Reflector Diameter	Didn’t measure
Reflector Height	Didn’t measure
MCPCB Size	Didn’t measure
LED Footprint	7070 (I think)
Body Tube Diameter	26.0
Pocket Clip Slot Width	5.1
Pocket Clip Slot Diameter	24.2
Tailcap Diameter	27.0
Tailcap Length	32.0
Driver Diameter	U/M
Included Battery Length	75.3

Weight with included battery: 201g
Holster weight: 42g

User Interface

This is a good, simple UI. It’s not as fancy as some newer independent dual-switch UIs, but it does the job without any weird quirks. It even has an Instant Turbo option.

Operation:

• Tail switch: clicking turns the light on or off. If you half-press from off, it will turn on momentarily and turn off when you release the switch.
• Side switch: When the light is on, click to change modes (ascending in Normal group or descending in Tactical group) or hold to activate Strobe. When the light is off, holding the side switch and clicking the tail switch activates Moonlight mode. If you continue to hold the side switch for a long time, it will toggle between the Normal and Tactical mode groups.

What they got right:

• There are 5 brightness levels, which is just the right amount. Enough options but not so many that it’s cumbersome to use.
• Moonlight is separate and has a shortcut. Pressing the tail switch while holding the side switch activates moonlight mode. It’s nice to have direct access to a dim mode, and you can even cycle up out of Moonlight mode if you wish. It’s not included in the main mode rotation and it’s not memorized.
• There are no fast-click shortcuts. That makes the light predictable. You can blink the tailswitch all you want and it won’t change modes on you. You can cycle through the different modes very quickly and accurately without accidentally activating Strobe or something.
• Mode memory is present in the Normal mode group. That means you can set the light to the mode you want and it will always come back on in that mode unless you change it.
• Instant Turbo is available if you use the Tactical mode group. It disables mode memory and always starts on Turbo unless you use the Moonlight shortcut.

What they got wrong questionable:

• The switches aren’t independent. It seems like every new dual-switch light over the past year or two has had independent switches. The tail switch is Turbo-only (and sometimes a secondary mode, if it’s an Olight) and the side switch is a totally independent side e-switch with all the functions you’d expect from a light with just a side switch. It’s a little odd that Nitecore didn’t adopt that new approach on this light. I generally prefer independent dual switches but I can see why someone might prefer this traditional dual-switch setup. That’s why this is “questionable” and not “wrong.

Emitter & Beam

This light has a NiteLab UHi-40 LED. It’s domeless with a round die to provide great throw. I don’t think it’s exclusive to Nitecore, but I don’t think it’s branded “NiteLab” by any other makers. I’m not 100% sure, but I believe this is a 3V LED in a 7070 footprint. The color properties are unimpressive but it is bright and intense.

I chose not to try and open the bezel. I was concerned about messing up the proximity sensor and/or the amazing focus of the beam. I also don’t think this will be a popular host for emitter swaps because I can’t think of any other 3V 7070 LEDs that you could swap in.

This beam is fabulous. This is the crispest hotspot I’ve ever seen. There’s just a hint of corona and a faint dark ring around it that only shows up in photos. It’s perfect for a light like this. Seriously, I cannot tell you how much I love this beam shape. It makes me smile every time I take it outside.

In the beamshots below, camera settings are fixed and the wall is 2.8M away. What do you think about these new wall beamshot comparison photos? Let me know in the comments!

In the beamshots below, the basketball goal to the right of the hotspot is 39M away and the power pole in the center is 185M away.

Mode Chart

Disclaimer: All of my measurements are taken at turn-on. Lumen measurements were taken on a Texas Ace 3.5″ Lumen Tube. A candela measurement was taken at 10 meters with an Opple Light Master III on the highest brightness, and other candela figures were calculated relative to that. CRI, CCT, & DUV data were taken for each mode from a few feet away at the center of the hotspot with the Opple Light Master and Waveform DUV Calculator. Runtime tests were performed with the Ceilingbounce app on my smartphone. These tests were performed with a fully charged included battery unless otherwise specified. I cannot measure moonlight directly, so moonlight readings are calculated based on the brightness relative to the next-lowest mode. None of this is professional equipment, so take these measurements with a grain of salt.

Above are the official specs, followed by my own measurements below.

Level	Lumens	Candela	Throw (Meters)	CRI (Ra)	Color Temp. (K)	DUV (Tint)
Turbo	2600	87000	590	71	7146	-0.0005
High	1100	36810	384	69	6630	0.0025
Medium	310	10370	204	69	6340	0.0043
Low	44	1470	77	66	5980	0.0074
Moonlight	0.8	27	10	67	5990	0.0070

Mode Spacing: is good. There are no weirdly small or large jumps.

It doesn’t meet specs. I’m still pleased with the performance, but this is a big enough difference that it’s worth pointing out. Usually, I’ll give my amateur-grade measuring equipment a 10-15% margin of error, but this light is measuring 20-30% less than advertised in both Lumens and Candela.

Runtime

Performance is good. Sustained output is in the 8-900lm range. Total runtime is in line with other lights of this class.

Thermal regulation is present, to an extent. Turbo stepdown is timed, regardless of temperature. My Turbo Cooled test shows significantly higher sustained output, but it’s capped at 1200lm.

LVP (Low Voltage Protection): I ended every runtime test before the light shut off. In every test, the light ran for hours and hours on Moonlight mode. I even let the Medium test run a full 24hrs before stopping the test. Each time, the cell was between 3.03V and 3.08V when I ended the test. I don’t know if MH25 Pro has low voltage protection or not.

Driver & Regulation

The driver is covered by a plastic disc and the head is glued together so I couldn’t get a photo. Based on the regulation performance below, I think it’s a Buck driver.

Regulation is average/good. Turbo is affected by battery voltage but it’s really not noticeable until it gets pretty low. All the other modes are unaffected until it’s virtually empty. I’ve reviewed competing models with worse regulation performance.

Note: All regulation measurements are taken at turn-on so they do not reflect any thermal or low voltage stepdowns that may occur. A value of 0 indicates low voltage shutoff immediately upon activation.

PWM: No PWM is visible to my eyes nor audible to my ears. My phone camera picked up some lines on High mode. I tested High mode with my Opple and it’s not PWM.

Parasitic Drain: There is no parasitic drain because this light uses a mechanical power switch. If you want lockout, loosening the tailcap works nicely.

Switch

The tail switch just turns the light on and off. It’s a forward clicky, so half-pressing will turn it on momentarily until you release the switch. It’s covered by a black rubber boot.

The side e-switch is also covered by a black rubber boot, but this one is larger, square-ish, and textured. This one controls modes. On either side of the switch are two banks of four indicator LEDs. The left side indicates brightness and the right side indicates battery level. I love this style of indicators because they’re intuitive and glanceable. They are on any time the light is on or charging.

Carry & Ergonomics

Ergonomics are great. It’s comfortable to hold in a reverse, forward, or cigar grip. You can’t access both switches in any grip though, so you’ll be switching grips or using both hands if you want to turn it on/off and change modes.

The clip feels like an afterthought. I guess that’s OK because this light is too big to pocket carry frequently, but I would have preferred a single-direction clip that carries a bit deeper and has a wider loop. I tried to fit a Thyrm Switchback, but the DF model is too large and loose and the 2.0 model is too small.

The holster is pretty standard. It’s made of nylon with a velcro closure and two loops on the back (one fixed, one velcro so it can be opened). Plus there’s a D-ring that every holster seems to have for some reason. If you know why, tell me in the comments!

Batteries & Charging

The battery included is a 5300mAh, protected, button top, 21700 cell. I’m delighted that this light uses standard batteries, not Nitecore’s proprietary “i” series batteries. The positive terminal inside the light is spring-loaded, but there’s a physical reverse polarity protection ring around it so you must use a button-top battery (or a flat top and one of these spacers from Convoy).

Charging is facilitated by a USB-C port on the side of the head, opposite the button. The switch does not have to be clicked for the light to charge. C-to-C and A-to-C cables both work fine. There’s no powerbank function and the light cannot be used while charging. I generally expect that 1×21700 lights (or larger) with a USB-C port will have a powerbank feature, so that’s a bit disappointing.

This port cover is neat. The inside and flange are rubber, but the outside (including the pull tab) is plastic. That makes it very secure when closed. The pull tab doesn’t snag on anything by accident, and it doesn’t pick up dust either.

Competition

Here are some lights in the same class and how they compare.

Olight Javelot:

• similar price
• similar size and shape
• less lumens, more throw
• great independent dual-switch UI
• worse battery indicator
• better pocket clip and holster
• proprietary battery and proprietary (but convenient) magnetic charging
• poor Turbo regulation performance

Olight Warrior X 4:

• marginally more expensive
• marginally less lumens and marginally more throw
• cool dual-stage tail switch (no side switch)
• proprietary battery
• USB-C and magnetic charging
• better holster, no pocket clip
• worse battery indicator

Cyansky K3 V2:

• marginally lower price
• more throw and fewer lumens
• extremely similar UI (only difference is no Tactical mode group)
• annoying delay when turning it on
• glass breakers embedded in the bezel
• same switch configuration
• worse battery indicator
• no holster included

This section is not comprehensive. If I didn’t include a particular light here, it doesn’t mean it’s bad or doesn’t deserve to be here. I simply cannot list every possible competitor.

Conclusion

This is an excellent light. The specs may be a little inflated, but I never found the brightness or throw lacking. The beam is delightful. It’s got the crispest hotspot I’ve ever seen and it’s wider than most other throwers this size. The brightness/battery indicators around the side switch are convenient. The dual-switch UI is straightforward and intuitive. Charging is easy and the battery isn’t proprietary. Overall, this is a great choice for a mid-size thrower with plenty of throw and plenty of lumens.

Thanks to Nitecore for sending me this light for review!