It’s been over 18 months since we reviewed the HP21 LED flashlight from Coast. At the time, we were impressed by its output (1317 lumens from seven LED bulbs), and effective range of 852 feet. In no time at all, it became the single most requested piece of gear by our contributors and guest testers. While it’s been impressing everyone within sight (that’s a considerable area at night), the designers at Coast have not exactly been sitting around patting themselves on the back. LED technology has been advancing at a rapid pace, as has lens design, and they’ve taken full advantage of that with their new HP314. Note that its 1,132 lumens is from a single LED!
How do you improve upon such a beast of a flashlight? Well, if distance is your thing, the Long Range Focusing Optic System is your new best friend. A ridiculously deep lens with an egg-shaped protuberance in the middle, this monster throws its beam an astounding 2,240 feet! It does have a pretty impressive Broad View Flood Beam as well, but it’s the long end that’s going to have everyone talking. To continue the comparison against the HP21, the run time on high has been nearly doubled, from 2 hours, 15 minutes to 4 hours, 15 minutes. By cutting the low setting down to 95 lumens, which is still plenty bright for closer work, a set of four batteries will last up to 192 hours. A new strobe setting with varying flash rates has been programmed as well. And Coast still includes a set of Duracell batteries to get you started. There’s also the same fitted case, shoulder strap, belt loop, and a new rubber bezel and tail cap.
Although we’ve been comparing it to the HP21, that’s probably not accurate, since the actual design has changed significantly. They may share similar features, but the bulb selection and lens design are completely different, making the changes a huge evolutionary step. Of course, comparisons are inevitable, so we’ll break it down for you. Overall length is up almost two inches, to a 17.12 inches. With that length comes a nearly imperceptible increase to 3.1 pounds. A slightly larger bezel, now 3.35 inches, houses the Speed Focus lens, which still operates in a push-pull manner for ease of use and low maintenance. A quick test indicated that at the widest setting, the HP314 has a somewhat narrower flood beam than the HP21, but not enough to make any practical difference.
Despite having an extended testing period, we haven’t come up with a way to visually demonstrate just how impressive the HP314 is. Taking a photo of something over 2,000 feet away at night probably isn’t sufficient. So we ran it through a couple of likely scenarios future owners might use it for. Ideal for security work, it completely illuminated the unlit employee parking lot in the back of a strip mall from a full two blocks away. Win. Spotting deer in nearby Provo Canyon just after sunset was as simple as sweeping the hillside for a reflection from their eyes, then zooming in to light them up. Win. Illuminating a fairly wide ravine from above while on an overnight camping trip. Win. For search and rescue work, it’s the next best thing to a helicopter. Speaking of which, we were checking out how visible the beam was during a rare evening when we had a bit of humidity. Shining it into the air just a few miles from a municipal airport, we realized that the beam distance is more twice that of the altitude of incoming planes. I mentioned the HP21 should be handled like a weapon, and the HP314 is no different – you really do need to be careful where you point it.
Coast has already gotten favorable comments from high performance flashlight enthusiasts, security personnel, and even personal defense and tactical publications. Their optics offer bright, even lighting, good ergonomics, excellent build quality and finish, plus lifetime warranty on materials and workmanship. If you need a massively powerful light that’s not terrible expensive, highly portable, and comparatively easy on batteries, then Coast has another winner for you. coastportland.com
– Brian