More Information
 On: 2008-01-27
Great product, I see can see for miles, in the dark, using this rechargable good looking flashlight, it can also serve as a crime deterent.
On: 2006-07-16
This light is BRIGHT.
Ive seen LED lights before. Yes, theyre bright, but on a lesser scale. This is above and beyond. Is it worth $200 for a flashlight? Well, its still just a flashlight. Given that, youd have to be a serious gadget geek to justify buying one if you didnt use a flashlight as part of your job. But for $200, this is the flagship light of the coast flashlight line, and youll know where that $200 went.
This is the whitest LED light that Ive ever seen, and I have seen a few. Thats for starters. And its incredibly bright. I turned all the lights out in my apartment, and set this light on its end, pointed at the ceiling. In a 12x12 room, there was enough light reflected from a matte white ceiling to read comfortably by. The walls are a darker color, which reduces the amount of light being reflected.
I talked to a sales rep at another company that I almost bought the light from. He had previously sold one to a fire chief for testing. The chiefs review: "My God, what a light. Never leaves my side." His only complaint was that it was so bright, that using it in a smoke filled building was like driving through fog with your brights on.
One other advantage LED lights have is durability. Without a fragile filament to break, they can survive drops more easily. That was kind of ok when LEDs were bright, but maglites were still brighter. Thats not the case with this light.
Combine that with the rest of the design, and you have a light for serious work. Nickel Metal batteries, which are known for having more Amp-hours than NiCad batteries. English translation means they put out more juice for longer. Maybe this sounds unnecessary for an LED light, since LEDs are known for consuming less electricity, but this light goes through juice. The light-emmitting end actually does get hot. Too hot to hold comfortably for too long. My guess is thats why they skinned it in stainless steel, which doesnt conduct heat like aluminum, so the rest of the light stays as cool as the hand holding it. Its more durable than your normal aluminum flashlight, and I think it looks cooler, too.
Coast doesnt market a car charger specifically for this flashlight, but I spoke to Jennifer at Coast, and she did find a car charger that will work.
Why is that last part relevant? For the average joe, this light is probably overkill. Yes, its insanely bright, and it will light up an area like nothing else this size. But if all youre doing is walking through the basement to change a fuse, a 4D maglite will do that for 1/10 the cost. But for emergency services... police, EMS, Firefighters... anyone who spends the business part of their day en route via automotive transportation, this light will really appeal, and a car charger would really be nice. I cant think of a group of people who could could put this light to better use on a large scale.
Its brighter, tougher, and whiter than anything else Ive seen. This thing is every inch a $200 flashlight. For less money, theres a 5 C cell version, which should be just as bright and just as tough, and a wee bit longer.
Yeah, its expensive. Its hard to make myself say the words "cutting edge flashlight." But this is where flashlights are going. Its a little smaller, and incredibly brighter than any maglite Ive ever seen. Its just expensive.
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