Coast flashlights

I bought a small one like that, it doesn't work well at all! Sometimes it comes on and sometimes it doesn't. When it works it's nice!! I have had real good luck with streamlight! I carry one, use one, and abuse one everyday! Never failed!
 
I messed w a friends at work the other day inside a semi lit warehouse and was impressed. He said it would light up the whole side of his neighbors house on high/spot a hundred yards away. They were 49/59 dollars @ wallyworld but it seems their out of stock now. On low/wide beam it will light up a large area like a lantern, I saw that in the warehouse. The spot was brilliant and I could tell it would be much brighter in real darkness. 60 hrs on low only 6 on high and I like that it's not a rechargeable and uses cheap batteries. It also seemed solid and well constructed.
 
The feit from Costco kick its azz and cost less than half for a pair.

I think @Blkvoodoo has the same
 
Ron said:
The feit from Costco kick its azz and cost less than half for a pair.

I think @Blkvoodoo has the same
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I do have a pair, I haven't used them for awhile, bouncing around in my tool box and work van they have a tendency to turn themselves on and off. the switches get dirty and finicky. they are bright as hell and I like them for that reason, but they were too large to handle while working on something and still have hands free.

As for the Coast light, I had a different style several years ago that I bought off tool truck, I warrantied 3 of them because the switches would get flaky. let one sit for a few months, got back to it and the batteries and leaked and eaten it.

I have a Maglite XL50 that I carry every day in my front left pocket, it gets turned on in my pocket all the time, it eats batteries because of this, I've had it for at least 5 years, it works. with this and couple EZ RED PCOB lights I can usually get shit done. the down fall with these lights, I stick them in my pocket and the end cap comes off and the batteries fall out.

I don't believe there is a "perfect" light out there, just ones that you're willing to live with the down side VS cost

besides, I've lost too many flashlights to spend more than $20 on one, more than that I'm pretty much guaranteed to loose it.
 
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Hard to beat Streamlight, Fenix, and the other "high end" brands. If you're looking for China cheapie LED flashlights, www.goinggear.com has a tremendous selection and usually has pretty good prices. I've got a Spark 460 lumen headlamp that I've been very pleased with, but it wasn't cheap.
 
Coast is a decent light, I've had probably 5 different styles of them. As stated above, the switches can get finicky, but you can send them in and get them replaced, no problem. Sometimes they will just ship the switches, and you don't have to send your light in.

With that said, I've switched my daily lights to Streamlight, and haven't had one but of trouble. The Strion LED is my daily carry, and I have a Stinger if I need more. It sits in my toolbox, hardly ever used.
 
Streamlight stylus pro get em for around 15 bucks on amazon. I have left one at camp for months went back to uwharrie found it and it worked good as new.
 
Streamlight Microstream is almost as bright and lays in the pocket better. I've carried one every day for the past 5 years, and now I don't know what I'd do without it.
 
Look at the PX1 or the G5. I have older versions similar to those. Never had a problem.

Headlamps, on the other hand... Looking for suggestions there.
 
I don't think any of the suggested lights throw a beam as large and adjustable as the Coast 550. I'm not looking for a pocket sized light, I have plenty of them already. I recon I'm gonna get the coast if I can find it and I'll give a review of it good bad or ugly.
 
For the kind of money that Coast costs, why not pick up a Surefire or a Streamlight? I am not sure about this particular model since I gave up on Coast years ago when I bought a couple from Lowes. They just weren't made well back then. They may have gotten better since, but I wouldn't gamble 90 bucks on it.
 
I picked up a Polysteel 400 the other day from my local Ace Hardware. Didn't know anything about them, but it came was about the best deal and had the best specs of the ones they had on their shelves. I like it for the price. I think it was 30 bucks. It's a bright little thing too!

Coast Polysteel 400 Flashlight
 
superman27344 said:
For the kind of money that Coast costs, why not pick up a Surefire or a Streamlight? I am not sure about this particular model since I gave up on Coast years ago when I bought a couple from Lowes. They just weren't made well back then. They may have gotten better since, but I wouldn't gamble 90 bucks on it.
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my buddy paid $49 for his at wallyworld a few weeks ago he said they had a bunch. He said he went back after another one but they were out of them on the shelf. He thinks they have some more but the idiots he talked to @ wallyworld are too stupid/lazy to look for or restock the ones they may have. He's gonna talk to a manager and said he'd get me one if they have any more.
 
I have a coast hl7r head lamp I use for fishing I've had no issues out of this one The last one I paid 30 for broke in no time tho I fish in downpours and no water has gotten Inside yet! This year I've put well over 400hours on it and still lighting up the river bank just as the day I bought it!
 
So I got the Coast hp550 today @ wallsquirt for 59.99, 1 more was left on the shelf. It came loaded w 9 AA Duracells and the switch exposed so you can check it out in the store. None of the other high priced/lumen flashlights had that but some came w batteries uninstalled. The hp550 had the most listed lumens of the bunch, I think 700 was the next highest to the hp550s 1075 stated lumens. On flood the package says a 10' wide beam @ 6' from the light proved true. On flood/ high at 50' it's lighting about 100' in diameter w enough light to see very well while holding it, I imagine I could see well all around me if I was 50'/70' away from the light or more. On spot I could easily read the fine print on a newspaper standing 50 yrds from the light @ 60yrds I could still read but it was getting tough...... but my eyes are 50yrs old and I used to be able to see pretty good in the dark w/o any light ;) The spot beam is about 25' wide @ 65 yrds w a dimmer but revealing halo about 80' dia............ as far as I can shine it in the backyard about 75 yrds I can see details, logs on the ground, tree trunks, branches etc. while holding the light. The combination of the wide angle on flood and intense spot when on high is very nice. On low power/flood it can light up a dark room/area enough to to see plenty, on low spot it shines a decent beam @ 25 yrds or similar to a non led flashlight. It is a hefty chunk, almost, 2 lbs and 9" long, but I have not seen another small, tubular flashlight this bright w this amount of flexibility of the beam so I consider it to be an awesome flashlight well worth the money.
 
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