Review on 💡 Coast HP1 190 Lumen Pure Beam Focusing LED Flashlight in Sleek Black Design: A Powerful Lighting Solution by Nathan Issa

I recently bought a Coast HP1 because I was intrigued by the unique magnification mechanism. A little background: most cheap zoom flashlights use an aspheric lens. In fact, it's a magnifying glass that sits over the LED and is mounted on a sliding frame. In the chute position, the lens retracts close to the top of the LED. This usually creates a wide, even circle of light. Rings or other beam artifacts caused by reflections within the light source may appear. In spot mode, the frame expands away from the LED, bringing the LED into focus of the lens. When properly focused, this projects a clear image of the emitter and greatly increases the range (measured in lux). The disadvantage of this mechanism is that most of the light coming from the LED misses the lens and is absorbed by the sides of the bezel. This results in a significant reduction in the total light emitted (measured in lumens). Sometimes 50% or more lumens are lost. Zoomable Coast flashlights use "reflex lens" style LED lens optics. It consists of a plastic TIR (Total Internal Reflection) reflector with a small aspherical element in the middle. There is a large pocket for the LED on the bottom of the TIR. Instead of a standard 14mm or 16mm flat circuit board (referred to as a "star"), Coast's LED is mounted on a tiny 6mm x 8mm star that sits on a small stand. This allows the LED to be in the TIR pocket in both flood mode and spot lighting mode. The result is zero lumen loss regardless of mode. The Coast HP1 caught my attention for several reasons: (1) it's very small for an LED lens type, and (2) it's cheap! At just $10, it's a lot cheaper than other similar Coast lenses or LED lenses. And that's the size and price range of Sipik 68 or other budget flashlights. My Beam Impressions: Bay Mode is almost 90 degrees wide. much wider than the flood mode of all cheap aspheres. more than twice as wide as the Sipik 68's beam. This is very good as the wide beam illuminates more. The beam shape is also perfect. This is an even circle without defects and rings. Interesting point mode. It focuses on a much brighter little blurry circle. However, unlike other zoom lights, the HP1 delivers significant spread of light even in spot mode. The result is very pleasing: it is very similar to the beam you get from a regular fixed focus flashlight with a small emitter. The light level is not as high as the Sipik 68, but in many ways this projection beam is more comfortable and useful for mid-range use. As expected, there is no loss of lumens in spot mode. Performance: The maximum light output is less than 100 lumens at AA and 220 lumens at 14500. Everything is fine. comparable in brightness to a conventional budget lamp. However, not noticeably brighter. Internals: I took it apart to look inside. I was very impressed with what I found. The internal construction is much better than the Sipik 68 or other cheap zoom flashlights. Everything was very well made and fit and looked like something you would find on a much more expensive flashlight. The build quality was much better than the typical budget zoom flashlight. A few interesting notes: 1. CREE XPE cool white LED. This is the same LED used in most similar sized budget zoom flashlights like the current generation Sipik 68.2. The star is made of copper. This is considered much better than the aluminum stars that most other budget bulbs have, as copper conducts heat away from the LED better than aluminum.3. Underneath the star was what appeared to be Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste. Again, much better than most budget devices without thermal paste.4. Very smooth zoom mechanism thanks to 2 well placed and well lubricated O-rings.5. The switch is a click forward with a short press. The light only has 1 mode.6. The anodization is flawless. It's similar to what you'll find from a premium brand like Fenix. However, I'm assuming it's actually Type II and not an upgraded Type III with hard anodizing. That means it should look good at first, but will likely wear off quicker than the finish on premium headlights. The battery compartment has a spring at each end. This provides additional shock protection for the battery and is typically only found in premium flashlights. Overall I am very impressed with this flashlight. Highly recommended.