Why are there so many LED flashlight brands we never hear anything of?

peacefuljeffrey

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I was perusing flash-lights.com and came across this
and I was wondering if it was anywhere near as good as they make it sound?

If not, what's wrong with it? Why doesn't it stack up and why are the Coast LED-lenser flashlights never mentioned around here?

-Jeffrey
 

TorchMan

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Actually they are mentioned around here, just not frequently. One memeber, I forgot which, has an extensive collection of Coast lights.

My take on the LED Lenser I saw is not good. Most tint I've ever seen in a Luxeon light. If I recalll correctly, it ran on N cells. :thumbsdow

If you look at my sig line, you'll see I have some Coast lights. They are all the smaller type LEDs. The keychain light was bright, but would unscrew in pocket. When I wore it on the keyring hung from the belt loop, it still manged to come apart. The gooseneck drained the batteries faster than expected, at least to the dimming of the beam. Coin cells are not the best for heavier use.

The V2 Triplex was the most dissapointing. The N cells proved terrible for duration. It has no lens over the recessed LEDs, this tended to allow dirt and lint and was hard to clean. The reflective material in the recessions is tarnished. It's a heavy light, which seemed good to me at purchase, but not anymore. Fit and finish were fine, I liked the metal switch button.

It's hard to put this in proper terms, since I'm a flashaholic and have many awesome lights - but if the Coast were good enough for the job, I doubt I would have been drooling over other LED lights. I'd have bought a Coast Luxeon model too, if not for the disappointing results with the afore mentioned. That's just my opinion.
 
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Ousanas

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I have 2 coast lights, both 3xaaa lights with the battery carrier. one is the 5 white one red LED, the other is the V2 tac torch (1.25 watt).... both are VERY nice lights, the multi led is a FLOOD light, decent distance for a flood but nice large coverage. the v2 is a decent flood good thrower, not a very tight hot spot, but nice overall light...

never tried any of the other lights they make.. but I like those 2.. the wife has the multi led for work. I carry the other on my belt along with my l1p and a cmg infinity.
 

flashlife

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peacefuljeffrey said:
I was perusing flash-lights.com and came across this
and I was wondering if it was anywhere near as good as they make it sound?

If not, what's wrong with it? Why doesn't it stack up and why are the Coast LED-lenser flashlights never mentioned around here?

-Jeffrey

Coast seems to suffer here from an early bad reputation. That said, however, I highly recommend the light you linked to...also called the "David 19". I have that light and its little brother, the David 15. Both are identical except the 19 has a larger reflector. The David 15 is my regular EDC.
Some here have asked: ' For the price, why not get a Fenix?'...the answer is runtime. The Coast is plenty bright, has a good beam, and runs a lot longer than the L1P. In 3 hours the L1P is just about dead, while the David 15 runs hours longer.

Fry's Electronics has them at a cheaper price than the site you visited.

David 19:
http://shop2.outpost.com/product/4805110

David 15:
http://shop2.outpost.com/product/4641178

See also, Quickbeams Review:
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/ledlenser_d15.htm
 

yellow

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First of all, Ledlenser is germany-based, and they are EXPENSIVE here.
So over the ocean, price might be even higher.

2nd: the older models SUCKED WAY TOO MUCH!!!
Man, what I hated these "photon tunnel" optics with some kind of hole going directly from the front to the led, and no means of covering against dust or whatever. These pieces will be clogged with everything in no time.

Now the newer models (David especially) are nice, but still not waterproof, no HA3, less bright (=more runtime) than Fenix or Triton and 1.5 times the price (even considering shipping from america).

...but a positive clickie, for the "positive clickie" users.
(actually not completely sure about this, the blister pack allows for momentary light by pulling a lever that pushes the back switch, but not deep enough to activate the clickie, if it is one. But I am pretty sure it is)
 

flashlife

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yellow said:
First of all, Ledlenser is germany-based, and they are EXPENSIVE here.
So over the ocean, price might be even higher.

2nd: the older models SUCKED WAY TOO MUCH!!!
Man, what I hated these "photon tunnel" optics with some kind of hole going directly from the front to the led, and no means of covering against dust or whatever. These pieces will be clogged with everything in no time.

Now the newer models (David especially) are nice, but still not waterproof, no HA3, less bright (=more runtime) than Fenix or Triton and 1.5 times the price (even considering shipping from america).

...but a positive clickie, for the "positive clickie" users.
(actually not completely sure about this, the blister pack allows for momentary light by pulling a lever that pushes the back switch, but not deep enough to activate the clickie, if it is one. But I am pretty sure it is)

The the 'hole" in the "photon tunnel" optics is not actually a hole, it's just a small central lens, surrounded by a larger semi-collimating lens. The lens does seal the guts of the light from the outside world...there is no path for dust, etc to get inside. On the whole, the David models offer very good beams ...a broad spot with adequate spill...call it a "directed flood". After carrying the David 15 for several months now, I've noticed NO disadvantage of the David lens vs a flat lens..just wipe both of them off occasionally...no big deal. Can't comment on waterproofness, have never got mine wet. Both the David models can be bought for under $35 dollars..the David 15 at Sears.com and the 19 at Outpost.com (Fry's).

Yes, the clicky is tactical..push for momentary on...push more for (Click!) constant on.
 

adirondackdestroyer

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I think the main reason why you don't hear much about these lights is because there are way better options in the same price range. The Fenix L1P can be had for about $35 shipped and it is far superior to anything that Coast makes. The new Jetbeam is looking to be a real winner and it is about $45 shipped.
The Jetbeam has good output on a AA, and HUGE output on a 14500 rechargable.
You might also wanna check out the Streamlight 4AA Luxeon. It sells for around $30 shipped, and is the best bang for your buck of any flashlight on the market.
 

yellow

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as I typed "the older models"
they featured deeper optics, and in the middle there was a real hole, diameter about 4mm, that goes down all the way to the led. Here any debrits will clog in, removing would be difficult (AND no lens to change this "error", thats my main critic of the concept).
The davids I have seen by now dont have this hole, but still a recession; and I think, that a flat glass lens is much easier to wipe than any strange surface (besides I do not want to wipe around one of the optics, dunno how much more scratch resistance the front offers, on the back there is no resistance at all).

The 1AA David model goes for around € 55,-- here :(
 

JanCPF

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Denmark
Our esteemed member Kiessling is the one with the extensive collection of Coast lights. I don't think he likes them very much though. He probably developed a taste for higher quality flashlights :naughty: - Bernie: you there?
 
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