Best Coast HL8 Focusing 344 Lumen LED Headlamp Deals

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List Price: $99.99
Sale Price: $63.22
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program The Coast HL7 headlamp is a great headlamp. I've listed to pros and cons (which are minor) below:

PROS

It's a bright 196 lumens, bright enough for most any application I can think of.

The spot mode gives a nearly pure white circle.

The dimming function is infinitely adjustable from 3 lumens to 196 lumens.

The lamp can be adjusted to four different angles, and it stays where you put it.

CONS (you can decide if any are important to you)

The head band is tight on me at the longest setting. If you have a large head, it might be too tight.

Focusing mechanism is hard to turn. If you plan to switch from spot to flood a lot, it could get annoying.

It comes with no instruction manual, nor is there one on the Coast website.

There are a few misstatements in other reviews. This headlamp uses three (not two) AAA batteries. It produces 196 (not 195) lumens, and is adjustable from 3 (not 76) to 196 lumens.

Note: Coast's literature says their LED lights are designed in the USA, but they are not made there. The headlamp says "Made in China."

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In this review I will point out the differences between the HL7 and the LED lenser H7. Both are great headlamps, but the LED lenser is better overall. I'll refer to the LED lenser H7 and "LED Lenser," and to the Coast HL7 as the "HL7."

I broke my LED lenser H7 (it was my fault), and this Coast HL7 headlamp was available at a local store so I bought it as a replacement. I've only had it for less than a day, and although it is essentially a LED lenser H7 (both are made by Coast) there are a couple major features that I really miss about the LED lenser H7:

1. The Swiveling Mechanism On the LED lenser the lamp swivels downward smoothly and continuously. On the LED lenser the lamp is held in place by friction. On the HL7 there are 4 possible positions and a "click" sound is generated by plastic-plastic movements upon switching between positions. The HL7 lamp is held in place by plastic parts that rub together as you are clicking. I use the downward swivel every time I use the lamp and I feel that the plastic parts that hold the lamp in place will not last very long. Even if the plastic is very high quality and proves to be extremely durable the design on the LED Lenser is much easier to manipulate, and much more functional. I think the swiveling mechanism is the HL7's worst feature.

2. The Focusing Mechanism The LED Lenser focusing mechanism consists of a sliding switch under the lamp. The LED Lenser focusing switch is not perfect in my opinion because when the light is set to the flood setting (which I use the most) the gasket protecting the LED becomes visible (this undoubtedly reduces the environmental sealing). An exposed gasket is not a problem with the HL7, but the LED Lenser's focusing mechanism is functionally superior to that of the HL7. On the HL7 the black rubber part that forms a ring around is rotated to focus the beam. With the LED Lenser I could place my index finger on the top of the lamp and use to brace my thumb as my thumb moves the switch. With the HL7 I use four fingers (all but my pinky) to grip the rubber ring and twist the focusing mechanism (it works like an SLR zoom lens). Because all four fingers are in contact with the focusing mechanism I can't use my index finger to absorb the torque applied by my thumb (like I could with the LED Lenser). This is bad because of two things: 1) The torque is transferred to the entire forehead assembly and to the headband and is ultimately absorbed by my head causing irritation, discomfort, and a change in exact positioning of the headlamp on my head. 2) To comfortably rotate the focusing ring I place my hand in front of the lamp causing my hand to illuminate with blinding brightness and shade the objects/path in front of me for a second or two. Focusing can be done with two fingers without obstructing the lamp, but it's not easy like on the LED Lenser, I'd rather just use 4 fingers.

There are a couple of things I like better on the HL7, but these features are much less important than the two previously described:

1. The Headband and Chord On the HL7 headband forms a sheath that completely conceals more than half of the chord. The chord under the sheath is in a permanent zig-zag shape for elasticity. On the LED lenser the plain (not zig-zagged) chord is held to the headband by a few clips that you sorta need to create your own slack-giving configuration with.

2. The Power Switch The power switch on the LED Lenser is a small button about 1/4inch in diameter. The power switch on the HL7 is a large rubberized button that comfortably matches the size and contour of any one of my fingers.

Like the LED Lenser H7 the Coast HL7...

(pros:)

is bright

has LED Lenser's/Coast's focusing lens technology (my main reason for buying these headlamps and LED Lenser flashlights)

produces a clean flood beam (I won't comment on the spot beam, because I feel the LED Lenser was more concentrated but I don't have a LED Lenser H7 to compare spot beams right now).

has a nice variable dimming feature down to about 2-3 lumens.

has a soft headband (compared to energizer headlamps)

(cons:)

Lacks controlled power supply and the luminosity decreases with battery charge. Coast/LED Lenser seems to be catching on with this technology with the new LED Lenser H14.

Best Deals for Coast HL8 Focusing 344 Lumen LED Headlamp

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program The Coast HL7 Focusing 196 Lumen LED Headlamp is a good value for the money. It's no $400 +, 350 lumen, multiple LED, waterproof extravaganza, but in the sub-fifty dollar range, you'd be hard pressed to find a better deal.

The lamp is lightweight and is packaged in an easy to open, solid cardboard box. It comes with a handy, soft nylon carrying pouch with a simple Velcro closure, that has a loop to fit on your belt. Additionally it comes with four clips, ostensibly to attach it to a helmet. Mine did not come with an instruction manual, but it seems straightforward enough.

The HL7 boasts 195 lumens and throws a beam to 109 meters. That's far beyond the 70 to 100 maximum lumens for similar headlamps in this price range. There is a lever on the battery pack that can adjust the light output from 3 lumens to the full 196 lumens. Additionally, the beam of the HL7 can be focused by turning the thick ring around the central light. Even at the highest power, the focus is good enough to diffuse the light so there is limited glare at close range and concentrate the light enough at a distance. There is also a hinge at the bottom of the lamp to aim the lamp without moving your head. And the build quality appears excellent.

The light is connected to a standard elastic headband. Unlike higher range models, there is no third strap to keep the light more secure. Given the fact that the lamp is so lightweight (even with the batteries included it's only 4.8 ounces) and meant for light duty, I don't think that this is a disadvantage. Like some of the higher end models, though, the cord from the battery pack is integrated within the strap and not held on by an external hook. This prevents tangling and the cord getting snagged on something while your working. The lamp itself is water resistant, which means that it will tolerate splashing, but not submersion in water. It is also impact resistant.

The HL7 runs on three, standard AAA batteries. It has a great battery life, rated to last 76 hours, 30 minutes at a 76 lumen setting and 5 hours 45 minutes at its 196 lumen setting.

So what can't this little lamp do? It can't blast out at 350 lumens. It doesn't have rechargeable lithium ion batteries. There are no side LEDs for close up work. It doesn't have a feature that it jumps into power-save mode when the batteries are running low. But in this price range with this kind of solid build, it would be hard to argue that any of this matters. For light duty spelunking to camping to working around the house, the HL7 is an excellent value for the money. Highly recommended.

Honest reviews on Coast HL8 Focusing 344 Lumen LED Headlamp

this is an unreal light. the adjustable beam and brightness is great. Lights up the path in front of you. You can walk and see great with the wide beam. the light is so bright that you can conserve battery and turn it way down and still see fine. the focused beam on high is better that most flashlights and because it's on your head it points where you are looking and is hands free. I really like this light.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I own several LED headlamps. They're tremendously useful for working on a vehicle, changing a tire, cleaning out a crawlspace, or doing anything else in a dark place where you need both hands and can't easily prop a regular flashlight to illuminate your work. Unfortunately while this one has a strong, fully adjustable light, it's also heavy, awkward, and uncomfortable and sweaty to wear for any length of time. Unlike other models I own, it only has a headband strap, not an over-the-head band to help secure it in place and balance the weight. The neoprene band has a decent flex fit, but needs a lining for comfort and cooling, particularly in moderate to warm weather. The beam adjustment is on the battery pack, with an on/off switch on the light, an unusual but viable arrangement. I'd give the light itself 5 stars, it's very clear and long-lasting, but the setup is so uncomfortable that knocks the overall rating back to just three stars.