COAST Flashlight: HP7 Review

I recently received the COAST HP7, a high output LED flashlight. It shipped in a custom box containing the flashlight, a pouch and strap.


Features

- High (251 lumen flood) & Low (58 lumen spot) Beam Output settings- Beam Focus and lock- Uses (4) AAA batteries
- Impact and water resistant
- Battery Life: 5-10 hours
- Dimensions: 5.54" x 1.24"
- Lightweight (7.2oz) 

Construction

The HP7 is lightweight and durable, made of aluminum, and has a slight texture around the barrel of the light making it grip well in your hand. It's bigger than most handhelds I own, but still small enough to fit comfortably in your hand, a deep pant or jacket pocket, though it's slightly too long to fit in a pocket of the women's jeans I own. It also is small enough for a camera bag, glovebox, backpack or toolbag. 

The push/pull feature of the beam focus is smooth. It works best when using your thumb (not forefinger as shown in the diagram), but it's still a bit stiff and not easy to do with one hand. I found the beam focus lock to be helpful, but it didn't always lock well and often it would slip when pulling the light out of a tight pocket. 

This light runs on just (4) AAA batteries and ran strong for about 4 hours at high power before beginning to dim.

(Left below) Front element; (Right below) Rear on/off button

Output/Beam

I found the two output settings to be very useful. The high output setting at 251 lumens was too bright for navigating the dark since it killed my night vision, but worked well for light painting subjects from 20ft or more. The low 58 lumen setting was better suited for navigating or light painting detail shots. 

The HP7 beam is impressive. When the beam is at the narrowest setting, it contains a hot spot, but at a distance of more than 10 feet, that hot spot has smooth edges. When the beam is set on the widest setting, there is almost no perceivable hot spot. It's smooth all the way through with a nice smooth, feathered edge. 

The HP7 has a fairly consistent cool color temperature, with a slight green-ish hue that's most noticeable around the edges when set to the wide beam setting (see below.)

(Left below) Showing high output beam, wide; (Right below) Showing high output beam, narrow

(Below) HP7 on high output setting against white wall showing green tones around the outer edges of the beam. 
 

Recommended Uses

- Photography: Bright light, good for light painting. Small enough to fit in a camera bag. 
- Night Navigation: Dual brightness modes are good for navigation. Dim mode isn't so bright it destroys night vision, but high output mode is good for seeing long distances. 
- Vehicle: This light's long run time and bright beam make it a good light for car emergencies. 
- Tactical: Lightweight and small for how bright it is.   

Sample Photos

Full moon night. 120 second exposure. f/9. ISO 200. Right face of structure lit with HP7 flashlight on high setting for approximately 15 seconds from 50+ feet away. 

Full moon night. 9 seconds. f/5. ISO800. Lit by HP7 on high setting, in left hand.


Night. 40 seconds. f/9. ISO 100. Lit from camera perspective using wide beam for foreground and narrow beam farther down tunnel.
 

Full moon night. 9 seconds. f/5.6. ISO 800. Lit via HP7 on high setting, held in right hand. 
 

Full moon night. 9 seconds. f/5.6 ISO 800. Lit with HP7 on high setting, off camera right. 

Before (left) and after (right) using the HP7 at high power setting. 

Comments

[Greg Bishop]

An impressive review, Amy.
What's the price like?
Did you use standard AAA batteries? I swear by the Energizer Lithium for longer life, or their rechargables.
It seems I could use this inside the battleship Iowa for photography... bounced light?
Can you 'crank it down' enough to not blind yourself while climbing in tight quarters?
Thanks for the review! Greg Bishop

[Amy Heiden]

Hi Greg,

I used the AAA batteries COAST sent with the flashlight. The Energizer Lithiums are pretty good. I try to avoid generic if possible because I haven't had much luck with them.

This flashlight would work well when bounced off the ceiling. In fact, a few shots I took out at the Mothball Fleet were shot that way with a light more dim than this one. I'd be curious to see how that works with this light.

You can use the dim setting (58 lumens) for navigating the ships and it isn't too blinding. One of these days if I get out to the Fleet again, I'd love to try out some of these lights.

Keep up the good work with the Iowa.

Cheers,
Amy