Continuing our National Preparedness Month reviews, we have the Coast EAL40R Rechargeable+ Lantern. This is an awesome lantern for general outdoor and camping use, but also for emergencies. And before I get into just how awesome it is, I need to give Coast credit where credit is due. I reviewed the original version of this more than ten years ago. In those ten years, max output went from 375 lumens to 2500 lumens. Maximum runtime (on low) went from 80 hours to 93. And there are a bunch of other new features. Yet the price remains the same, with an MSRP of $39.99.
With that out of the way, let’s get into what this lantern offers, and why I chose to share it this month.
Coast EAL40R Specifications
Standing 7.28 inches tall, this is a compact lantern, but more than you’d want to carry in a backpack. Its fiberglass-filled nylon construction with a polycarbonate globe (hidden under the removable diffuser body) keeps weight down to 27.37 ounces. Power is from a Coast ZX740 USB-C rechargeable battery pack. It sits in a battery well that can alternatively accommodate six AA batteries. Who doesn’t like power options? A short cable is included for charging, though I feel like everyone has several these days.
Light output options include warm (3500k) and cool (7000k), plus red. Here’s a breakdown of the output and approximate run times for each color and setting. Note that the first set is for the bare globe, and the second set is with the translucent diffuser in place. Run times are of course the same in either configuration.
- Low, warm is 12 lumens for up to 93 hours
- Medium, warm is 95 lumens, up to 55 hours
- High, warm is 220, up to 24 hours
- Low, cool is 540 lumens for up to 12 hours
- Medium, cool is 1080 lumens for up to 5 hours 30 minutes
- High, cool is 2500 lumens, for up to 2 hours 15 minutes
- Low, warm is 7 lumens for up to 93 hours
- Medium, warm is 50 lumens, up to 55 hours
- High, warm is 120 lumens, up to 24 hours
- Low, cool is 300 lumens for up to 12 hours
- Medium, cool is 600 lumens for up to 5 hours 30 minutes
- High, cool is 1400 lumens, for up to 2 hours 15 minutes
Features. Lots of them.
There’s so much going on here, I’m just going to try to start at the top and work my way down. Carrying the Coast EAL40R is easy thanks to the handle that folds down against the body. That body acts as a diffuser for the surface-mounted LED array protected by the clear polycarbonate globe. A simple counter-clockwise twist separates the two. On the front of the lantern is a sealed power button which allows you to cycle through the settings. Below that is the switch for warm or cool output.
Spin the lantern around 180 degrees, and hidden under a rubber cover are a single input and two output USB-C ports. Two green, one orange, and one red LED lights indicate the state of charge. While the internal battery is just 2200 mAh, it’s useful for topping up a phone or GPS unit. Flipping the lantern over reveals a fold-out carabiner for hanging the lantern, or maybe attaching it to your backpack. Twisting the base uncovers the removable, ZX740 rechargeable battery, cleverly designed to fit into the spot which accommodates six batteries.
The ZX740 Rechargeable Battery Explained
With a capacity of 2200 mAh, the ZX740 rechargeable battery has a few tricks up its sleeve. It charges via USB-C and has a USB-C output as well. Charging can be done while in the lantern, or out of it. So it can be used as a compact power brick for other USB devices in a pinch. Carefully placed contacts allow it to power the Coast EAL40R in place of six AA batteries. Extras are just $19.99, making them a viable option for extending the run time of the lantern without keeping track of a bunch of AA batteries.
Emergency Features
Most Coast lighting products offer a red light option, and this one is no exception. Hold the power button down for a few seconds and the lantern will light up red. Tap it again and it flashes. Another tap turns it back off. Although it’s not blindingly bright, the handle on top or carabiner on the bottom allows it to be placed where it’s likely to be seen.
And no emergency lighting solution would be worth owning if it didn’t have some impact and weather resistance. The fact that my older versions of this light still function more than ten years later speaks to their durability. Throw in IP54 Ingress Protection rating, and you’ve got a lantern that is reasonably dust-resistant, and shrugs off water splashes.
Our time with the Coast EAL40R
We had a short time to try out the Coast EAL40R lantern, and didn’t get to do anything cool like get lost on a mountain top. Enjoying some quiet time and beverages in the backyard, with the warm light providing a little illumination was nice. We also brought it out for some late-night grilling after a long day of shooting, using the cool setting to light up the patio. Both times, this lantern put out the right amount and color of light for our needs. Indoors, the medium setting on warm, or low setting on cool is plenty to illuminate a room during a power outage.
I’ll cut to the chase
Yes, this is more of an overview than a review. Realistically, I didn’t need to take this lantern camping, or drag it out during a power outage to know what to expect from it. Heck, I don’t even need to drop it to know how durable it is. It’s an updated version of the same lanterns we’ve used for over a decade now. Except that it’s better in every way. It’s about an inch shorter, and ten ounces lighter, but it runs longer, is more than 6 time brighter, and does more for you in an emergency. And it’s more flexible with power options.
In a world where it seems we are paying more for less. Coast is giving us more value, for the same price. That alone makes this worth the MSRP. Check it out on the Coast Portland website.
As always, I’d like to thank Coast for providing their EAL40R lantern for our testing and evaluation. And I’m truly grateful to see that they continue to innovate and offer more, while keeping prices in check.