COAST HL7 330 Lumen Focusing LED Headlamp with TWIST FOCUS™, Black

When Hurricane Sandy hit the New York area in the fall of 2012, it had an effect on over 200,000 of us who got caught up in the fury of the deadliest and most destructive hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season. With electrical power out for much of us in Lower Manhattan for days, it became time to take a more serious look at real emergency preparedness. I was luckily well-prepared in advance for the five-day power outages we went through, but one can never be prepared enough.Bought this Coast HL7 Focusing 196 Lumen LED Headlamp here as a result of having to frequently go up and down pitch black internal stairwells holding a regular flashlight in one hand while having to carry food and supplies, and decided that it was an experience that I never wanted to repeat. Ended up acquiring my Coast HL27 Focusing 309 Lumen LED Headlamp as a result of an online contest held by Survival Bros, which became an excellent addition to my emergency essentials. Each has their strong points, but which one is better for general emergency use when one has to be hands-free? I'll list first the features that they have in common, then a subjective breakdown of how they have worked for me.◆ Key Points in Common:+ Adjustable focus light beam; offers spot to flood single-hand twist focus+ Headband; adjustable elastic straps, expandable Z-Cord for power in headband+ Hinged beam adjustment; allows positioning of light where needed+ Front power switch; easy to operate with one hand◆ Coast HL7 Focusing 196 Lumen LED Headlamp:+ 196 lumen maximum light output; has 357 ft beam distance, adjustable+ Uses 3 X AAA batteries; 5 hour 45 minute run-time at full power+ Weighs 4.8-ounces (including batteries), can be worn for hours+ Light output control lever on rear; can be adjusted with one hand◆ Coast HL27 Focusing 309 Lumen LED Headlamp:+ 309 lumen maximum light output; offers 400 ft beam distance, adjustable+ Uses 3 X AA batteries; 3 hour 45 minute run-time at full power+ Weighs 4.4-ounces (including batteries), can be worn for hours+ Light output control wheel on front; fast fingertip adjustments+ Hardhat compatible; has removable top strap, can be used with safety helmet◆ In Use:Speaking subjectively, I would be hard pressed to say the one of these is better than the other. They may look similar, but each has it uses. Both offer very convenient hands-free illumination in the direction you look, and both have adjustable light beams and power rates. Both headlights have an expandable and protected Z-Cord, which supplies electrical power to the LED from the battery pack on the rear, and is built into the headband to lessen the possibility of being snagged.It might be easier if I explain my subjectively personal uses for each. The HL7 196 Lumen LED Headlamp has proven to be a good one for wearing on a baseball cap when cycling, when additional supplemental illumination is needed. It has longer battery life, and more that enough directional illumination to work well, especially when changing the focus with one hand using the focusing bezel on the front of the light.The HL27 309 Lumen LED Headlamp has a primary purpose, and that's to be used with my 3M Hard Hat as a semi-permanent setup. This goes back to part of my emergency prep hit as a result of 2012's Hurricane Sandy, when going outside where debris was flying and tree limbs were falling was a necessity. Since this one has the removable top strap and comes with a set of helmet clips, it's a good way to use it. Have tested this combination in inclement weather, and as the HL27 Headlamp is both impact and water resistant, it's an excellent combination that works well.On a personal note, I trust these products from past experience last year with my first experiences with the brand using the Coast A25 Stainless Steel Focusing 226 Lumen LED Flashlight with Tactical Strobe during the aforementioned hurricane. This product not only held up under severely inclement conditions, but kept working when other products failed. Those experiences were enough to inspire a bit of brand loyalty for lights that work better than expectations.◆ Summary:The Coast HL7 Focusing 196 Lumen LED Headlamp and the Coast HL27 Focusing 309 Lumen LED Headlamp are both good, solid illumination products that allow one to position light where it's needed: where you look. Both offer no fumbling in the dark to get your light quickly turned on and adjusted. Either of these focusing LED headlamps offer hands-free lighting when you need it.7/31/2012

I have bought 3 of these and lost 2 due to people liking them more than me.This is the most simple of headlamps ever. On/Off. No having to cycle through 5 different settings to shut it off.I love the focus beam. If I need a wide angle while working in a cabinet or space it is there. When I need a narrow beam for distance it is there.Easily adjustable brightness adjustment. Right there. I have noticed that sometimes, the brightest setting is not always needed. The adjustment on the fly depending on conditions is easier than having to toggle through various modes.The only negative, but I will still give it 5 stars, is AAA batteries. If this had a rechargeable pack, definitely a game changer. Hardhat use, headlamp use, etc.. I keep going back to this because it is simple, no frills, and BRIGHT.I use this in some of the worst environments.. Paper mills, rubber plants, etc.. It still works strong.

This is a solid an versatile headlamp for the price tag. The ability to switch between spot and flood lighting is extremely useful. The flood setting has no hot spot, and it illuminates a very wild field of vision. This is awesome for you, especially at a campsite or while reading, but a bit rough for your friends, as anytime you look near them they will probably see spots. The profile of this newer version is better than the older model; it has less artifacts in the beam and the spot is larger and more useful for a headlamp. The infinite adjustment is very nice and more flexible than preset outputs, but it comes at the cost of not knowing how much battery life you have left. My three cons for this light are battery life, weight, and a lack of waterproofness. The runtime on max is quite short at 1:30, but 70hrs at low is decent. In between that, you're guessing how much battery life you have left. The unit is a little bulky, but not uncomfortable. I expected it to feel much clumsier, but I still prefer lighter weight designs without an external battery pack. The unit is NOT watertight. I think it would resist a light to moderate rain fairly well, but if you put it underwater or it fell in a puddle, I have no confidence that the battery pack would keep water out. Overall, this is a versatile light that would excel at a campsite and in dry weather. The value of a complete flood mode is probably underestimated by most, until they gain some experience with it.I have this version, as well as the previous 215 Lumen version, currently being sold at Walmart and some other box stores. I'll give a quick comparison. First, I would like to point out that this is in fact the 285 lumen model, so don't be confused by the outdated listing information that reads 196 lumens (that is 2 generations ago) on Amazon. Second, note that there really isn't an appreciable difference visually between the 215 lumens of the older model and the 285 lumens of this update; their brightness is virtually identical to the eye. The differences between the 285 lumen model and the previous 215 lumen model are found in the beam profile and run times. With the update, you get a bigger hot spot and a smoother looking beam with less artifacts than the old model. This comes at the cost of considerable spot distance, but the larger hotspot, in my opinion, is much more useful for a headlamp than a super tight beam profile of the older model. Yes, you won't be able to see as far ahead with this model, but you also won't have the tunnel vision effect of a narrow spot beam. The biggest downside of the newest model is run time. The high output of this model is 1:30, vs 3:45 for the previous model. That, to my mind, is a BIG negative, especially because it doesn't actually appear very different to the eye in terms of output. The old model gives you 80hrs on low, vs 70 for the new model. Overall, I would say if you like to tinker and modify your equipment, you might be better off getting an old model and putting frosty scotch tape over the lens to improve the beam but keep the longer runtime. This would give you three different beams, one that is tightly focused and shines quite far, one that is a good general purpose beam with a spot that blends into a larger flood area, and an unfocused flood mode for camp. If you don't want to bother with that, the nicer beam on the new model probably makes it the better choice.

My job often requires hands-free lighting and this works great. My favorite feature is the sliding dimmer switch. Some headlamps I’ve used have dimmer switches but they give you dim or bright… nothing in between. This lets you adjust brightest exactly to your needs. I do wish the lumens were a little higher but this has served me well for years.