8,000-Lumen COAST XP40R Evaluate | GearJunkie Examined

I pushed the button, and my eyes squinted into the all of the sudden very shiny night time. Good grief, I believed. This Coast XP40R is one shockingly shiny flashlight.

My buddy was unimpressed — that’s, till we in contrast beams. I shut down the XP40R and let him gentle up a robust headlamp with round 1,000 lumens. It didn’t maintain a candle to the sunshine cannon in my proper hand.

Briefly: The Coast XP40R is among the model’s strongest flashlights, quick solely of its massive brother, the XP80R. Whereas removed from essentially the most highly effective flashlight in the marketplace, its modest measurement and cheap worth make it a really compelling selection for many who want main lumens with a mid-length throw. However it has a number of shortcomings, together with a pair that could be deal-breakers for many who want genuinely long-throw lights and sturdiness. Examine the value at COAST.

COAST XP40R Evaluate

Proper to the purpose, the XP40R is a reasonably area of interest flashlight. It’s giant, weighing over 2 kilos and measuring greater than 12 inches lengthy.

It’s tremendous shiny with a turbo mode able to blasting 8,000 lumens — for about 45 seconds. However it doesn’t have a really lengthy throw, particularly given its whopping energy. In testing, I instantly began to contemplate how of us would use it and got here up with a handful of use instances.

First, it could be wonderful at job websites or on safety particulars, the place the consumer must gentle up a big space shortly and briefly. It does this job properly, turning night time into day in a proximity of about 75 yards.

The opposite good use can be in blood trailing throughout searching. The medium-power 1,100-lumen setting can burn for 7 hours. That’s an amazing energy setting for blood trailing, particularly when coupled with the whopping turbo energy for temporary seems to be farther forward.

However I’m getting forward of myself a little bit.

The COAST XP40R is a $90 gentle. Nothing else comes near this brightness for the value. So, when you simply want a lightweight cannon able to a lot of energy for a brief period of time, this one will do it for a lot lower than different fashions. However it comes with fairly a number of caveats.

COAST XP40R: A Vibrant Gentle, Restricted Throw

That is my greatest gripe with the XP40R: At 8,000 lumens, it solely has a variety of 754 toes (230 m). That may be a shockingly quick throw for a lot energy. For context, my present favourite flashlight, the Fenix PD36R Professional, manages a beam distance of 1,247 toes (380 m) with simply 2,800 lumens. And it’s small and remains to be very helpful at shut vary.

The XP40R has a zooming operate, which is cool (though some would possibly argue pointless). However it merely doesn’t zoom sufficient. Even at full zoom, the beam is about 20 toes vast at 20 yards. Given the sheer energy of this gentle, it actually wants a greater throw and vary properly past 400 m.

However boy, the sunshine is shiny. At shut vary, and particularly with the sunshine zoomed vast open, it lights up an enormous space. It offers wonderful space lighting. I simply want it might attain out farther.

Button, Readout, and Charging

The consumer interface of the XP80R is straightforward and straightforward to make use of. One button turns it on and adjusts the ability. Push to activate, and it lights up at medium energy. Press once more to excessive, press once more to low, after which another time for moon (lowest) energy. Press another time for off, or press and maintain for turbo mode.

In every mode, it can learn out the ability mode and time remaining on a display. It’s intuitive and straightforward to grasp.

To zoom the top, first be sure it’s unlocked. That requires a twist. Then, push it ahead for a slim beam and pull again for a large beam.

Drawbacks

However herein lies a major design flaw. If you pull the sunshine head again to interact the vast beam, it compresses air into the physique of the sunshine. That air must go someplace, so it pops the rubber cowl off the charging port to permit the air to flee.

I believe this might enable air and mud to get into the inner workings of the sunshine. It’s simple sufficient to push the rubber cowl again on, however that is simply a kind of bizarre design oversights that needs to be mounted within the subsequent iteration.

Talking of charging ports, the rubber cowl encloses two USB-C ports, one marked “in” and the opposite “out.” That’s as a result of the sunshine can double as a battery charger. Cool, I assume. To me, that is one complication that doesn’t actually have to be there. It would come in useful throughout an emergency — when you occur to have a cellphone wire.

However realistically, simply plan for cellphone charging. I don’t need to drain my flashlight to cost my cellphone.

So I’m impartial on that performance. It doesn’t harm the sunshine, however I personally would simply plan to plug into my truck or a battery pack, and preserve my gentle charged and prepared for motion.

Conclusion: Who Ought to Purchase?

So, must you purchase the XP40R (or the massive brother, 15,000-lumen XP80R for $130)? In order for you a super-bright proximity gentle, it’s an amazing deal. It has a number of flaws however will certainly offer you an excellent, shiny, workable gentle for shut vary.

If, however, you need extra vary (and fewer room for malfunctions), I’d look elsewhere. My suspicion and hope is that COAST will tackle the issues on this mannequin — notably the compressed air-rubber cap explosion — with a second model quickly.