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Petzl Nao + Review

Full Review

There have only been two occasions where technology and an app has made any difference to my running. The first was the astonishingly good navigation app Maverick and the GPS apps for My Garmin Connect . I never thought that an app for my torch would be the third most useful app for running until now.

I’ve had the original Petzl Nao torch for years. Its been my trusty indestructible waterproof super bright headtorch for all my adventures from the Sahara Desert, Frozen Mongolia and all my FKTs. I was intrigued to look at the latest offering in the form of the Petzl Nao + with upgraded brightness and more importantly an app that allows a large amount of customization.

Petzl Nao + Review

I’m a firm believer that you CANNOT run safely or easily in the dark at night in the countryside with anything less than 300 lumens or night vision goggles. The original Petzl Nao headtorch was a superb part of my kit for quite a few years with many features that made it the absolute BEST torch for outdoor adventures. It was very bright at around 550 lumens, could be adjusted into a reactive mode saving battery power and had a USB rechargeable pack so you could charge one pack on the go with a power pack while you used the other. 

Petzl NAO – Power Remaining

The original Petzl Nao also came with a few quirks that I put up with but always thought they could improve on. Firstly the on off switch is weird and non logical with a series of on and off clicks that aren’t intuitive and mean you are ever quite sure if you are in half or full power, reactive or non reactive. The removable battery pack had 3 lights to tell you roughly what power you had but you never really knew when it was going to give out.

If you are a standard normal non mental runner stop here. You don’t need the new Petzl Nao + but if you are the kind of lunatic that likes to run right through the night then the Nao + may just be what you are after.

Petzl Nao + Review

Petzl NAO+ is brighter at 750 lumens

The new Nao + claims to have a few more lumens brightness, but I’ll be honest the original was always described as ‘like a bloody scooter coming at you in the woods’ anyway so I couldn’t tell the difference.

Amazing App

The Nao + has the same annoying on off switch system as before, so it sadly takes some getting used to. But the real party piece is the app. The MyPetzl Light App alone is worth the extra money if you do long 50 to 100 mile races through the night. The app makes me smile.

Petzl Nao + Review

Customizable Burn Time and Brightness

The app allows you to adjust the brightness settings on the torch in real time from your smartphone via a bluetooth connection. If you run through the night what this means is you can see in real time EXACTLY how many minutes of burn time you have remaining. What this means is you can dial up or down the brightness off the torch to give you exactly the most burn time you need to get to sunrise whilst still having exactly the brightest light possible through the night. 

Petzl Nao + Review

The app is glorious. Its well written, stable and easy to use. It also finally gives me the option to use a Bivouac mode with  a 50 lumen setting to use when I’m in a tent and I don’t want to waste power looking for a sleeping bag or getting ready for bed. It takes a while but you can also turn on and off a little red light on the back of the battery pack ( that has become compulsary in some overnight races). 

Head Bungee Cord

On the outside everything is still the same. Same robust very waterproof design, same slightly fiddly bungee style headband that could do with being easier to remove so you can wash it when it stinks and same easy to change waterproof battery packs. 

Petzl Nao + Review

Rechargeable Battery Pack

The old battery packs on the original Petzl Nao are great because in an emergency you can open them, remove the lithium ion battery and put two standard AAA batteries in to help you get by. The new Nao+ DOES NOT HAVE THIS FEATURE which is very annoying. The battery pack with the new Nao + is the same mAh as the old one but red instead of white. I say this because the new Nao + battery pack doesn’t fit the old connection on the Nao and this is a deliberate bit of engineering to make you buy a new extra pack and the sort of dirty stunt you only see Apple do. 

Petzl Nao + Review

Nothing else is different other than a subtle change in the connector so all my 3 previous spare packs are now useless with the new torch.

Gripes

I’d like to see this torch have a long USB connector cable connection to allow me to run the torch live off any USB battery power pack, and even charge while being used from a power pack but sadly we aren’t there yet.

Closest Contender

The LEDlenser MH11 has a brighter output for all of the same features and price and well worth considering.

Verdict

I love the same features as the old Nao, its super bright, a decent long burn time, hugely robust and waterproof and brilliant in almost every way. There is no better torch on the market for quality and performance. If you don’t run through the night or do FKTs Id stick with the Nao. Youll put up with the weird fiddly on off button and smelly bungee thats hard to wash for one of the best torches on the market. Th e new app is compatible with Android and Apple and has a 6 to 8 hr charge time with a burn time of anything from a few hours to over 20hrs depending on the settings you use.

On any long run or overnight hike to know EXACTLY what battery % my torch is on is very useful.  Its a shame about the battery pack connector stunt and Id like to see this torch be able to be charged while being used via a large portable power rechargeable pack.