degarb
Flashlight Enthusiast
In 2007, I paid $40 for a Coast 30 lumen light that had a "miracle driver" that could suck a constant level of light from 4 AAA batteries for an astonishing 80 hours. After about 1.5 hours, there was no more usable light. I raced back to the store to return it, then back home for a two hour shower-feeling violated and deceived. The forums assurances that pen light is rightly considered runtime, did nothing to shed the feelings of disgust.
FF to last year. I called Coast and believe they told me the hl7 used a p4, soon to be a q5. Now they claim 7 hours at 192 lumens, from a 3 watt hour 3 AAA power supply (meaning over 600 lumens per watt led from a q5, with no driver to boot). Bunk, BS, Lies, Deceit!
I have searched two hours for current draw for the HL7 on fresh NImH and alkalines. I have search longer for emitter type and bin for this light. All I get is a bunch of thrilled people on Amazon, for whom obviously, this is there first high power head lamp.
I have been testing lights for work since 2005. All tested direct drive lights-except floody lights, which offer less useful runtime-- with reasonable reflectors offer more or less an equal number of useful hours as the milliamp hours capacity divided by the tail cap draw on the fresh batteries.
I would buy the HL7 3 hours of throwy useful 30 lumens of HL7 light (using variable POT dialed back and spot tightened). And, 1 hour at full power.
This company (Coast Led Lenser) needs to be brought to task; the real specs (bin of led and drive level and lux) need to be present in the reviews. Not the warm fuzzy feeling reviews I get on amazon: yes, hands free is great--get over it. Moreover, with a $60 HP11 available (that would stomp its butt), with a $12 xrc, and $17 xpg (home depot-true 3-4 hours of useful light), I do not see this light being a good buy at $40! Lord save us from them Over Driving the led to a burnt crisp.
FF to last year. I called Coast and believe they told me the hl7 used a p4, soon to be a q5. Now they claim 7 hours at 192 lumens, from a 3 watt hour 3 AAA power supply (meaning over 600 lumens per watt led from a q5, with no driver to boot). Bunk, BS, Lies, Deceit!
I have searched two hours for current draw for the HL7 on fresh NImH and alkalines. I have search longer for emitter type and bin for this light. All I get is a bunch of thrilled people on Amazon, for whom obviously, this is there first high power head lamp.
I have been testing lights for work since 2005. All tested direct drive lights-except floody lights, which offer less useful runtime-- with reasonable reflectors offer more or less an equal number of useful hours as the milliamp hours capacity divided by the tail cap draw on the fresh batteries.
I would buy the HL7 3 hours of throwy useful 30 lumens of HL7 light (using variable POT dialed back and spot tightened). And, 1 hour at full power.
This company (Coast Led Lenser) needs to be brought to task; the real specs (bin of led and drive level and lux) need to be present in the reviews. Not the warm fuzzy feeling reviews I get on amazon: yes, hands free is great--get over it. Moreover, with a $60 HP11 available (that would stomp its butt), with a $12 xrc, and $17 xpg (home depot-true 3-4 hours of useful light), I do not see this light being a good buy at $40! Lord save us from them Over Driving the led to a burnt crisp.
