CoastHL27 360 Lumen PURE BEAM® LED Headlamp with TWIST FOCUS™ and Variable Light Control Wheel

This review is for the Coast HL27 model. I looked around for a robust headlamp for backpacking and immediately rejected all the cheap Chinese crap here on Amazon. Ridiculous light output specs like 1,000 lumens which I know are lies makes me immediately wonder about battery life claims and quality. Useless features like flashing strobe effect and multi color LED's add needless complexity. The size of some of these units with three separate light housings is absolutely comical. And the ergonomics are horrible with controls that require multiple presses of a button to move through features sequentially to get to the one you want. Paid reviews are the final straw. I wanted something better.I've had Coast LED Lenser flashlights in all our cars for years. I also keep one in my work backpack. I've given them as gifts. They are rugged, light, provide great output, and are waterproof. So after getting discouraged about the quality of headlamps on the market it finally occurred to me to check and see if Coast made headlamps. It turns out they make a lot of them.Here's what I was looking for in a backpacking headlamp.....1.) Rugged construction. The ability to survive being tossed in a backpack and all sorts of weather.2.) High light output. The ability to see trail signs in the dark or bad weather.3.) 8 hour battery life at max output. Enough to get through a tough night maintaining a camp in a storm if needed.4.) Variable light output to suit the situation and maximize battery life.5.) Reasonable weight. I'll be carrying this thing for a week at a time.6.) Ergonomic controls. Simple, easy to operate with gloves on, few in number and easy to learn.7.) The ability to focus the beam narrowly for distance when on the move or wide for work around camp.8.) Comfort. No one wants to use an annoying, uncomfortable, or heavy thing strapped to their head.9.) Cost. I'm willing to pay for quality but I'm always focused on value.The Coast HL27 met all of my criteria very well.....1.) The construction looks and feels solid just like Coast flashlights.2.) At an honest 309 lumens, this thing is powerful and that's backed up by independent tests by backpacking magazines.3.) Using 3 AA batteries rather than AAA's adds weight but boosts life dramatically to at 8.5 hrs full power and 93 hrs at low power4.) Coast rates the light output from 1 lumen to the full 309 lumens. That's about as much adjustment as you can ask for..5.) This is no ultralight but it's not ridiculous either. 6.9 oz or 195 grams is OK for this level of performance.6.) All 4 controls are up front, easy to find and few in number. On/off, focus ring, dimmer wheel, and tilt angle. That's it.7.) The focus range on the HL27 is great. It can go from maybe 15 deg to about 160 deg. That's plenty.8.) The forehead package and the battery package at the back are both curved to fit a human skull. The straps are comfy.9.) For the roughly $40 price here on Amazon, nothing comes close to this headlamp if you need something to depend on in the wilderness.Nice to have wish list......1.) A red LED for preserving night vision would be nice but it would complicate the controls / ergonomics and Coast gets around that neatly with the extreme adjustability of the output on the HL27. I'm OK with the trade off for simplicity.2.) Beam focus range could be a lot tighter at the long (narrow) end of adjustment. I compared it to my Coast LED Lenser flashlight and my flashlight throws a much tighter beam albeit with no ability to adjust. The HL27 would have incredible range if the beam width could be focused as tight as the flashlight. On the other hand, I measured beam width and output by pointing both lights at my shed which is about 150 feet from my driveway. The flashlight illuminated about the 12 foot width of the shed before light output fell off at the edge of the beam. The HL27 illuminated about a 50 foot swath so, maybe 20 feet to each side of the shed as well as the shed. And it was lit brighter than the flashlight at center and edge of the beam. If I think of that in terms of a trail at night, the 12 foot width would be the trail and I'd have visibility 20 feet to either side. That's probably a lot more useful than a narrow beam that goes out another 100 feet with increased brightness when you're looking for signs of a meandering or branching trail you're not familiar with. Once again, I'm betting this was a conscious decision by the designers at Coast.3.) A hefty rechargeable Li Ion battery pack would be nice. But that would drive up price and probably weight. Alkaline batteries do just fine in this headlamp but if you want a 25% increase in battery life just use Energizer Ultimate disposable AA Lithium Iron Disulfide batteries in place of the alkalines. They are also 33% lighter and performance in cold weather is dramatically better than alkaline batteries. You can see a 50% better life depending on temperature. They also have much better shelf life.All in all, I don't think there is really any competition for the Coast HL27 as a backpacking headlamp for serious use at anywhere near the price. And while my personal feeling is that wearing a headlamp makes you look like a dork, there is no denying that in any situation where you need your hands, a headlamp is just a much better solution than a flashlight. If you're hiking in the dark, trying to pitch a tent, cooking and cleaning up, or trying to hang a bear bag, having both hands free and having light wherever you point your eyes is really valuable. So call me a dork, I'm embracing headlamp fashion.Highly recommended!!!Edit 11/19/2016: I used the headlamp a bit now and I'm still impressed. One comment I've seen repeated here about the HL27 concerns the front mounted dimmer wheel. Apparently some people found theirs to be "loose" and unable to hold a set position with normal vibration or head motion. I was a little worried about that when I ordered this headlamp. I'm happy to report that my HL27 doesn't suffer from that problem at all. The dimmer wheel has a nice feel with enough resistance to maintain a setting while still being easy to adjust.Another comment I saw here from other users is that the focus ring was very stiff and required two hands to use. That also concerned me as tying up both hands sort of defeats the purpose of a headlamp. Once again, my HL27 does not suffer from that problem. I can easily adjust the beam width with one hand and there is enough friction that it doesn't drift from whatever setting I choose.I don't know if comments like those I mentioned above come from user error, variability in manufacturing, or a design issue that has been corrected over time. But my headlamp doesn't seem to have any of the problems other people have noted.

I have been a fan of Coast flashlights for years. This headlamp is exceptional especially for this price of 35$. I bought my original one for quite a bit more, and got this one for a girlfriend. I see some bad reviews and understand that most items will at some point have a defect down the assembly line, but this company has a very fair policy in general. Operator aggression can be another failing point, sometimes it's not just the company. I have had mine for going on 3 years I believe. It gets a lot of use when I am fishing, kayaking or just outdoors at night. The reason I praise this one so highly is because of the incredible battery life among other things. I opted out of going lithium for the sole reason that this thing lasts over 9 hours on a set of 3 AA's, which is usually far longer than even lithium when comparing the same lumens. I always use rechargeable batteries. Battery life, focus beam, dimmable, hinge adjustment, brightness and the price are why this works for me. I can't find another one that shares all these combination of features. I dropped it for the first time a few days ago on cement at about the meter mark if not more and it got a scuff and that's it. I do worry sometimes about the hinge and the dimmer dial. They look like parts that could carry issues but so far mine has not. I am careful when using the light hinge and dimmer dial. I am also am careful not to tug the cord from the battery compartment. I use this light with a bit of good judgement as to not over stress the components. I hope with any common part failures they will simply improve the parts. I would hate to think of them discontinuing this product.Update 9/16/23: Light is still going strong. I do wish I could get a brighter version with all the same abilities. Lamp hinge adjust, focus beam and dial dimmer. The dial dimmer is an absolute must for keeping bugs away when you only need a drop of light to bait the fishing hook or to look around for something in a kayak at night. This also helps to not destroy your adjusted night vision. I notice many other headlamps have low lumen settings that are not enough. You are not buying this light because it’s the brightest. You are buying it for its own very unique versatility.

I use a headlamp daily as a log truck driver. I attach the headlamp to my hard hat with adhesive Velcro as I don’t find the included hard hat clips work very well.I have tried 7 different headlamps through the years and nothing compares to this one for ease of use. My first HL27 eventually failed- I immediately bought one to replace it and another for a spare. Why did my first one fail after 4 years of use at work daily? No idea, it just wouldn’t turn on one morning. After throwing it away- I discovered the lamp has a lifetime warranty.The power switch is simple on and off- no fumbling trying to push the button 3 or 4 times to “cycle” the brightness till it turns off. The dimmer dial could be handy but I operate the lamp on max all the time.The lamp does burn through batteries fairly quickly but replacing 3 AA batteries once every 2 weeks is better than realizing you need to “charge” your hard hat lamp when you need it the most.I can’t speak to the comfort of the straps- I permanently attach the lamp to my hardhat. However, the straps have plenty of adjustment and seem soft to the touch- I would expect comfort.I wear the lamp in temperatures from -30 to +35 and it functions perfectly. It sustains regular impacts from debris and when my hardhat falls off. It stays on during pouring rain and heavy snow.This may not be the ideal headlamp for the casual user or even a backpacker. But... for a work environment where simplicity, durability, and easy power-supply management is CRITICAL.... this headlamp is unbeatable.

Wow solid product best quality and design.

I do animal rescue and feedings every night, late and this light never let's me down! Great battery life, super bright when needed. Comfortable to wear under my toque. The adjustable brightness control I use all the time. Nothing bad to say. For me well worth the money and lifetime warranty to boot. Highly recommend it.

I have been using this headlamp since 2016, with zero complaints. I just bought another one to replace the first one, since the strap is getting worn out. This is the ONLY headlamp that I have found comfortable to wear for more than 10 minutes. I wear this headlamp for work-sometimes for 8 hours at a time, with no discomfort. It does feel like I use a lot of batteries, but since I use it literally every day at work, that's no surprise. I have considered rechargeable, but due to the nature of my use- they are impractical for me(nowhere to charge on job site). If I could use rechargeable, this would probably be perfect. It is simple to use(doesn't make you cycle through a bunch of useless modes-seriously, does anyone need a strobe light day to day?) with high-low-off. Beam focus is very good, and the hinge for aiming is smooth and still holds position perfectly after three years of heavy use.Pros-Bright-COMFORTABLE-very durable-simple (doesn't have a million modes to cycle through, thankfully)-reliableCons-none really, if you can use rechargeable batteries.

I have had his headlamp for 4 years now, its been working good since but awhile ago the swivel part of the light that moves the led up and down started to fall apart(after years of using it). I Contacted coast and told them the light still works but it won’t stay in once place. they asked for a picture of the damage and then send out a new one. Very happy with the customer service I received, i will be buying another coast light in the future. the head lamp is good, I use rechargeable AA batteries in it and they last quite awhile.