Are there any good coast lights?

Ive never been a big fan of coast/Led Lenser but they are somewhat popular. My question is are there any good ones? Are there any with decent regulation as well as decent output?

1) with noobs yes, with more flashlight educated people not really
2) no
3) no
4) not with reasonable runtimes

I have one coast tactical light and it's alright. It's reasonably well built and decent output but it uses the dreaded 3AAA carrier, and it's direct drive I believe so you can't expect to get maximum output for very long. Runtime estimates seem to be calculated on runtime til zero output. That's the biggest gripe on CPF with their lights: exaggerated output and runtime claims. As far as build quality I think they're doing a decent job.

Some uneducated fools like me love Led Lenser torches. I have several (P7, p17, p5) and they hold their own with most of my fenix, quark, nitecore, maglite and eagletac torches, they just do things differently. I'm so stupid that I run them on NiMH eneloops and find they run very bright for a very long time without any need for regulation circuitry. That makes them better than the rest in my eyes. I also like the fact that with their adjustable focus system, they can be used over much longer distance than most of my other "mainstream brand" torches despite those other torches offering higher lumen counts.

Coast lights are good if your into flood and throw combo. Other than that nada.

Steveo said:

...Are there any with decent regulation as well as decent output?

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Decent regulation = IMHO no, at least not with Alkalines, which is the only cell chemistry LL recommends.
Decent output = IMHO yes (when you consider many tasks do not require more than 10 Lumens)

Another Led Lenser fan here.I only bother with small and single cell lights and give all my lights a turn in use.For the work needs I have for them I find them perfectly fine and I like the extra bits you get with them.On my P3 I got a little holster and a carabiner together with battery and clip to use,focus is great and bright little light,I will feed it on Procells but to be honest still running on the Led Lenser battery it came with,gets used a few times a day but never on for more than a few minutes each time so it will never be an issue without regulation.

My favourite light though is my ITP A3 and my edc main.If I need extra lumens I just take a bigger light out with me.

I just bought a Terralux Lightstar 100, 100 and 50 lumens and strobe with regulation,so simple but a really nice and simple light for £20 UK pounds.

don.gwapo said:

Coast lights are good if your into flood and throw combo.

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Not if you compare them against a Romisen RC-29 that is fully regulated on a single AA, has low battery indication, forward clicky, Q5 emitter and tailstands. All this for $15 shipped.

M5 and M1 have some kind of regulation.

I like the "flood" setting of my Lenser P4. I keep it with me when I'm at work as it's ideal for fiddly wiring work in the back of equipment panels - bright enough to see what I'm doing and an impressively even spread of light in "flood" mode. And as it's only ~11 lumens it won't blind me if the beam reflects off something into my eye :thumbsup:

PerttiK said:

M5 and M1 have some kind of regulation.

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Since when?,no where on there main web site does it state they are regulated.

I don't have any means to test the regulation, but to naked eye it seems to stay on same level about an hour.
Low mode has pwm.
I'm not saying it isn't overpriced, nor would recommend it to anyone, there are better lights for the money.
I can measure tailcap current, to see if it draws more current when the voltage goes down.

Thanks for all the input guys. Everybody here is very helpful. Im not really into buying a light unless its regulated. That advancement right there has made me a flashaholic. Coast lights have some decent build quality but their lack of regulation and there fluffed lumens have shied me away.

In my opinion, no. If they were 1/2 or even 2/3rds their current prices, I wouldn't have a problem with them, being a relatively useful budget light, but whenever I see them with a $50 to 60 price tag, I get kind of angry. For that much people could really be getting much higher quality lighting tools.

I'm also not a huge fan of the optic. I much prefer a hotspot, and gradual fade to darkness outdoors. The sudden transition from very bright to dark is horrible, IMO.

Did some testing on M5.
The led seems to be xr-e.
I removed the tailcap for every measurement, so there's a little pause during that, maybe half a minute.
Battery is gp recyko AA lsd nimh.
This is what i got:
Minutes Amps
0 0,91
10 0,86
15 0,85
30 0,89
40 0,89
50 0,85
60 0,79
65 0,80
70 0,78
75 0,75
80 0,70
85 0,67
Then I had to call it a day.

Next day, same battery:
0 0,80
10 0,56
15 0,45
20 0,30
25 0,20

PerttiK said:

Did some testing on M5.
The led seems to be xr-e.
I removed the tailcap for every measurement, so there's a little pause during that, maybe half a minute.
Battery is gp recyko AA lsd nimh.
This is what i got:
Minutes Amps
0 0,91
10 0,86
15 0,85
30 0,89
40 0,89
50 0,85
60 0,79
65 0,80
70 0,78
75 0,75
80 0,70
85 0,67
Then I had to call it a day.

Next day, same battery:
0 0,80
10 0,56
15 0,45
20 0,30
25 0,20

Click to expand...

Thanks for doing this... your efforts are definitely appreciated.:thumbsup: Looks like current draw is constant within the first ~65 minutes, with gradually dimming output out to the 90 minute mark.

Ragiska said:

1) with noobs yes, with more flashlight educated people not really

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EXCUSE ME!!

Bill

Just to add to the M5...
The knurling is really slippery, and the focus system probably won't hold water if its used during rain.
But the flood is really wide, and the throw is quite impressive for the 16mm hole it has on the front.

Are Coast brand LED flashlights any good?

I was at Lowes yesterday, and I stopped at the end cabinets behind the cashier to look at the flashlights they had there. One brand they carry is called 'Coast'.

They had several models of their lights, from like 13 Lumens to 204 Lumens. I looked at the 204 Lumen model, which was $49.99. That is somewhat competitive with other brands like Fenix, who sell the PD30, with like 260 lumens for around $55-$65, depending upon the source.

But Coast doesnt list other important specs, like what grade of anodizing they use. I didnt see which LED they use listed at Lowes or at the website which sells them.

Anyone own one or know anything about them?

Re: Are Coast brand LED flashlights any good?

this has been a topic here in earlier postings. Coast was one of the first LEDs available in stores and has always been packaged attractively. So great marketing with product placement and packaging. I would suggest other brands instead like Fenix or O Light.