Coast HL7 LED Headlamp Review
The Coast HL7 LED Headlamp is small, lightweight headlamp that allows you to operate outdoors with strong LED light, and best of all it’s hands-free. For those who are new to headlamps, as the name suggests they attach to your head. You attach them with an elastic strap that goes around your head and you can all but forget it’s there while you go about your business.
Setup and Design Features
There isn’t any real setting up to do with most headlamps, and the Coast is no different. Take the headlamp out of the box and put the 3 x AAA batteries in and you’re ready to go You can also use the power pack which is hooked up via a wire built into the strap. It looks a little more sleek and techy than a lot of other headlamps, it’s popular with the active outdoors folks.
It’s incredibly powerful for a small LED headlamp. It produces 196 lumens and has a range of around 150 meters. This isn’t the kind of headlamp you use for reading a book in your tent or rummaging through your bag. The Coast HL7 will see you through underground caves and down trails under the cover of complete darkness.
You can switch between a strong flood beam and a long spot beam by twisting the bezel. The bezel is cleverly designed with a large easy-to-grip feature, taking into account that a lot of people will be wearing gloves or fumbling in the dark.
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You also have complete control over the strength of the light, so you can dim it down for a softer light or turn it up when needed. The construction is very durable, it’s water-resistant, shock-resistant, and pretty darn tough. It comes with a lifetime warranty too so you have a solid peace of mind.
Dimensions – 24” x 3.2” x 2.1”, and weighs 128 grams.
Comparison Information
The HL7 takes 3 AAA batteries the same as the Black Diamond ReVolt . You can run it on high for between 3-4 hours, which is actually less than half the life of the Black Diamond ReVolt, but it’s around twice as powerful so the trade-off there is pretty obvious.
As for looks and all-around build between the two of these highly rated headlamps it’s pretty close. The HL7 looks a little more high-tech and is marketed more to the more active and rugged outdoors person. While the ReVolt is a little more smooth and refined in my opinion. Both are great headlamps though, it’s hard to split them on quality.
Pros
- Very powerful 196 lumens
- Good functionality and range of control
- Light has adjustable angle and direction
Cons
- There are models with longer battery life
- Headband is thin and some people find it a little uncomfortable
Insider Tips
The battery pack isn’t the most comfortable. It sits on the back of the headband and can get in the way if you’re wearing headgear. My tip is to always have some spare batteries with you. Use rechargeables and cycle them as you change them if that’s your preference, but the beam strength will suffer a little if you’re not using high-quality alkaline batteries.
Coast HL7 LED Headlamp Summary
The Coast is a great all-rounder. It’s one of the top performers, represents good value for money, and won’t let you down. Being one of the lighter and more powerful models it’s perfect for activities like rock climbing, cycling, and nighttime running. You have great control over the light, from changing the angle, adjusting the power, to tweaking the width of the light.
Conclusion
This is a seriously powerful headlamp and one for those who like high-performing tech gadgets. You lose a little on the life of the batteries but you can also plug it into a power pack. The Coast HL7 LED Headlamp is well worth taking a closer look, just click the link below to check the latest price and to read more feedback.
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