Petzl Bindi E102AA00 vs Nitecore NU25-400UL

Buy the Petzl Bindi, model E102AA00, when you want the black rechargeable headlamp the color cell names, at the 35 g the weight cell names, with 200 lumens in both brightness cells and a runtime cell that says 50 hours. Buy the Nitecore NU25-400UL, MCT Yellow, when you want the 400-lumen cell, the USB-C bullet, and the model number that is actually printed. One card says micro USB and then says two CR2 cells. The other card says 2 hours and 45 hours. Read the cells before you trust a lumen.

Short version. A canister stove is how you boil, not how you walk. A Flash and a WindBurner are pots with burners. A camp chair is where you sit after the headlamp comes off. A 32-ounce bottle is the water, not the light. Match E102AA00 or NU25-400UL before you match the word headlamp.

The Petzl title is Petzl Bindi Headlamp, Ultra-Compact Rechargeable 200 Lumens, Black. The model cell and the manufacturer-part cell both say E102AA00. The color cell says Black. The size cell says One Size. The weight cell and the item-weight cell both say 35 g. The white-brightness cell and the light-output cell both say 200 lumens, so those two agree. The runtime cell says 50 hours. The battery-type cell says Lithium Ion. The battery-description cell says Lithium. The included-components cell says Battery, Head Band. The bullets say a lithium-ion 680 mAh battery, rechargeable via a micro USB port, with a charge indicator. They also say a lock, a tilt, a red light that preserves night vision, and three lighting modes named proximity, movement, and distance. The water-resistance cell says Water Resistant. A product reference table on the card mentions IPX4. The number-of-batteries cell says 2 CR2 batteries required, included. A Bindi is not a two-CR2 lamp. CR2 is a camera cell. Micro USB and 680 mAh are the bullet. The CR2 line is a bad cell. The bulb-base cell says GX5.3. The bulb-shape cell says B9. Those are household-bulb names on a headlamp that does not take a household bulb. Ignore them. The manufacturer is Petzl. The GTIN on the card is 03342540819801.

The Nitecore title is Nitecore NU25 400 UL, 400 Lumen, USB-C rechargeable, MCT Yellow. The model cell and the manufacturer-part cell both say NU25-400UL. The color cell says MCT Yellow. The white-brightness cell and the light-output cell both say 400 lumens. The battery-life cell says 45 hours. The runtime cell says 2 hours. Those two cannot both be the high mode and the low mode unless the card says which is which, and it does not. The item-weight cell says 1.6 ounces. A comparison module on the same page prints 1.66 oz in the MCT UL column, and 45 hours, and dimensions 2.36 by 1.30 by 1.01 inches, and a max throw of 144 yards. The detail dimension cells say 2.36 inches by 1.01 inches by 1.3 inches. The light-path cell says 70 yard, singular. 70 yards and 144 yards are not the same throw. 1.6 ounces and 1.66 ounces are close. 2 hours and 45 hours are not close. The bullet says IP66. The water-resistance cell says Water Resistant. The bullet says a pair of paracord instead of a traditional headband, and the package line says paracord, a USB cable, and a Nitecore sticker. The included-components cell says Charging Cable, Head Band, Headlamp. Head band and paracord are not the same strap. The number-of-light-sources cell says 3. The battery-type cell says Lithium Polymer. The battery-description cell says Lithium-Ion Polymer. The number-of-batteries cell says 1 lithium polymer battery, included. The specification cell says ANSI. The warranty cell says 1 year manufacturer.

Petzl model E102AA00, black, GTIN 03342540819801, 35 g, 200 lumens. Nitecore model NU25-400UL, MCT Yellow. An older NU25 with a micro USB port and a 360-lumen claim is a different card.

Who should buy the Bindi, and who should buy the NU25-400UL?

Buy E102AA00 if you want the 35 g black lamp, the 200-lumen cells that agree with each other, and a single runtime cell that says 50 hours. You are accepting a micro USB bullet, a headband in the included cell, and a lock plus a red mode in the bullets. You are ignoring the CR2 cell, the GX5.3 cell, and the B9 cell. Those three are not this lamp. One Size is the size cell, which tells you nothing about the strap length. If you needed a yellow body, this card is black.

Buy NU25-400UL if you want the 400-lumen cells, the MCT Yellow color cell, and a USB-C bullet. You are accepting that the runtime cell says 2 hours and the battery-life cell says 45 hours, and that a comparison module on the same page prints 144 yards while the light-path cell says 70 yard. You are looking in the bag for paracord or a headband, because the bullet and the included-components cell do not agree. You are not buying an older NU25 that charges on micro USB and prints a different lumen. The model cell is the check: NU25-400UL.

Do not buy either lamp to replace a stove or a bottle. A pocket stove boils water. A headlamp does not. Do not buy the Bindi because a listing photo is orange or emerald. Those are other references. E102AA00 is the black model cell. Do not buy a Nitecore power bank and call it this headlamp. The model is the lamp.

What the Petzl E102AA00 is actually for

The Bindi is a small rechargeable lamp for a short walk or a run where 200 lumens is the number you meant and 35 g is the weight you meant. The bullets give you a lock so it does not turn on in a pack, a tilt so you can aim it, and a red mode. They give you three white modes by name and do not give you a lumen for each mode. The 50-hour runtime cell is one number for all of that. It is not a high-mode burn. A high mode on a 680 mAh cell does not last 50 hours at 200 lumens. Treat 50 hours as the cell, and treat the low mode as the only way that cell could be true. The card does not print the low-mode lumen.

Micro USB is the port the bullet names. A USB-C cable from a phone will not seat in it. Pack the cable that fits, because the included-components cell says Battery, Head Band and does not say cable. The 680 mAh figure is in the bullet, not in a battery-capacity cell. The CR2 line is the cell to cross out. If the box contains two CR2 cells and no built-in pack, you did not receive E102AA00 as the bullets describe it. IPX4, where the reference table prints it, is weather resistant, not a swim. The water-resistance cell only says Water Resistant. Do not take it under. The High-tech Mountain clip linked below is a one-minute look at a Bindi and the 35 g claim. The Nitecore is not in that clip.

Do: charge it on micro USB before the trip, and learn the lock so the lamp is dark in the pack. Don't: believe the CR2 cell and buy a sleeve of camera batteries. Don't: believe GX5.3 or B9 and buy a household bulb. Don't: expect the 50-hour cell at the 200-lumen cell at the same time. Don't: order orange and call it E102AA00.

What the Nitecore NU25-400UL is actually for

The NU25-400UL is the yellow ultralight lamp with a 400-lumen ceiling in the cells and a USB-C bullet. The bullet's modes are a combined spot and flood, a spot, a flood, and dual red LEDs. The number-of-light-sources cell says 3, which can sit next to that list if you count spot, flood, and red as three, and it can fail if you count the combined mode as a fourth source. The card does not draw the picture. The package bullet names paracord, a USB cable, and a sticker. The included cell names a charging cable, a head band, and the headlamp. Open the bag and write down which strap you actually got. A paracord harness and a wide headband carry differently on a hat.

The runtime fight is the reason to be slow at checkout. Two hours is a believable high-mode burn for a small cell at 400 lumens. Forty-five hours is a believable low-mode or red-mode burn. The card prints both and labels neither. The comparison module's 45 hours sits next to the battery-life cell, and its 144-yard throw does not sit next to the 70-yard light-path cell. Use the model number, then use the lamp, and do not quote 144 yards as if the detail cell said it. IP66 in the bullet is a dust-and-water claim. The water-resistance cell still just says Water Resistant. IP66 is not a dive. The 1-year manufacturer cell is the warranty line. It is not a spare battery in the box. The number-of-batteries cell says the one polymer cell is included and does not say you can swap it on the trail.

Do: charge it on USB-C and confirm the strap before you leave the driveway. Don't: quote 45 hours as the 400-lumen burn. Don't: quote 2 hours as the red-mode burn. The card never tied those numbers to modes. Don't: buy an older NU25 because the family name matches. Don't: ignore MCT Yellow. A black NU25 is a different card.

How to carry the two without mixing the cables

The Bindi wants a micro USB cable the included cell forgot. The Nitecore wants a USB-C cable the package bullet remembered and the included cell calls a charging cable. Put the right cable in the same pocket as the lamp. A dead lamp at the trailhead is a cable problem more often than a lumen problem. The Bindi's lock is in the bullets. The Nitecore bullet mentions the lamp and does not, in the lines quoted here, give you a lockout ritual. Read the card that arrived. A lamp that turns on in a stuff sack is a flat battery by morning.

Weight is the other honest difference. 35 g is the Petzl cell, twice. 1.6 ounces is about 45 g, and 1.66 ounces is the comparison module. The Bindi is the lighter claim. The Nitecore is the brighter claim. If you are counting grams on a fast overnight, the Bindi's cell is the one that matches a 35 g conversation. If you want the 400-lumen cell for a camp chore, the Nitecore is the card that prints it. Neither card is a hands-free promise if the strap in the bag is not the strap in the cell.

Store both dry. Water Resistant is the shared vague cell. IPX4 on the Petzl reference table and IP66 on the Nitecore bullet are more specific, and they are still not swimming ratings. Wipe the port before you plug in. A wet micro USB port and a wet USB-C port fail in the same way: they corrode, and the lamp looks dead. A foam pad is where you will set the lamp down. Do not set it face-down on the pad and walk off. The lock exists on the Bindi for that mistake.

What actually fails on these two cards

The Bindi reorder fails when the color is not black and the model is not E102AA00. It fails when you buy CR2 cells because the number-of-batteries cell said so. It fails when you buy a GX5.3 bulb. It fails when you expect 50 hours at 200 lumens because both numbers are printed and nobody said they happen together. It fails when the cable in your pouch is USB-C only. It fails when One Size is treated as a fit guarantee for a hat you have not tried.

The Nitecore reorder fails when the model is an older NU25 and the cell you needed was NU25-400UL. It fails when 2 hours and 45 hours are quoted as one runtime. It fails when 70 yards and 144 yards are quoted as one throw. It fails when you packed a headband and the bag has paracord, or the reverse. It fails when MCT Yellow is not the color in the photo and you did not read the color cell. It fails when IP66 is treated as a dunk test because the water cell only says Water Resistant and you averaged them into a swim.

The shared failure is buying a headlamp to solve a different job. A stove, a chair, and a bottle are already on other cards. This pair is a light you wear. Buy the 35 g black lamp or the 400-lumen yellow lamp. Then throw away the CR2 line and the untitled runtime, and pack the cable the bullet actually named.

What this comparison is not

It is not a flashlight you hold, and it is not a lantern for a table. It is not a power bank. It is not a spare CR2 cell. It is not a promise that every Petzl at 200 lumens is E102AA00, and it is not a promise that every Nitecore NU25 is NU25-400UL. It is not a mode chart. The Petzl card gives one runtime. The Nitecore card gives two and does not label them.

It is not a license to ignore the strap in the bag. The Bindi included cell says a head band. The Nitecore bullet says paracord and the included cell says a head band. Write down what you unpacked. Then charge the port the bullet named, and leave the household bulb names on the Petzl card where they belong, which is unread.

So which headlamp should you buy?

Buy the Petzl Bindi, model E102AA00, black, GTIN 03342540819801, when you want 35 g, 200 lumens, a 50-hour runtime cell, and a micro USB bullet, and you will ignore the CR2 cell and the GX5.3 cell. Buy the Nitecore NU25-400UL, MCT Yellow, when you want the 400-lumen cells and USB-C, and you will not pretend that 2 hours and 45 hours are the same burn or that 70 yards and 144 yards are the same throw. The Bindi clip shows the Bindi. It does not show the Nitecore. They are both headlamps. They are not the same card.