While I was going to suggest the FL19 as home and camping appropriate, I realized it has another excellent application. Halloween! If I had kids young enough to go out on Halloween, I would rock this headlamp. Nerd dad or not, it’s got a wide angle, rather than long throw. This makes it perfect for spotting ghouls and goblins while out for a walk.
In all seriousness, it’s another handy headlamp from Coast Portland.
Specs
With a max output of 330 lumens, and a minimum of 45, it gets decent run times out of three AAA batteries (included). Figure 3 hours and 15 minutes on high, or 17 on low. With an ultrawide flood view, the white beam throws light out to around 38 meters on high, and 15 on low. Batteries fit inside the lamp unit, so it’s pretty compact, and weighs just 2.3 ounces. A hinge allows for each angle adjustments. And for a little extra safety, the adjustable band has some reflective squares.
Operation
First, use the simple slide adjuster to get a good fit. It’s worth noting that Coast also includes clips with the FL19, in case you want to mount it on a helmet. From there, operation is super simple. That’s because there is a single button to cycle through the settings. High, low, red, and off. That one switch makes it easy to use, easy to keep sealed (IP{X4 rated), and helps keep the price down too. The MSRP is only $25. Tilting is limited to four positions, and it just clicks into place. To swap batteries, tilt down and pop the latch. It seems to have a little rubber seal in there too.
In use
Some days, it seems like I’m running out of new ways to test headlamps. But our new home has the most miserable filter location on the furnace. It’s near the base, not even a foot off the ground. Definitely a job for a headlamp, since I need both hands to wrestle the filter out from under the wire bale. And then replacing it is even less fun as it goes under the fan, and gets all bent. Using the low setting of the FL19 provided plenty of light. I also snooped around my backyard with the dogs. The wide angle of view was great. This would be super handy while camping too. Especially with the red LEDs.
Conclusion
Surprisingly, I have a few minor complaints. But I’m not sure they are valid at this price point. First, if you need the red lights, you’ll have to cycle through the white. That doesn’t help night vision. Remember to close your eyes and look away for three clicks. Second, I wish it was rechargeable. Again, not likely at this price. But we certainly prefer to use less batteries. Other than that, it’s great. Like all Coast products we’ve tried, it functioned flawlessly. And if it didn’t they back it with a lifetime warranty. Check out CoastPortland.com.
A special thanks to Coast Portland for providing their dual color wide angle headlamp for this review.