****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
The light is bright but it battery life isn't long enough for me I use the flashlight alot at workOne of my favorite lights. Durable and always ready from something small to large job this gets it done.Bought this on Dec. 13, 2013. It was a lightning deal at 18 bucks. I keep this in my left top pocket on my dickies shirts that I wear every day. I use the flashlight at least once a day! I drive big rigs and I'm a mechanic so I am surprised that this thing lasted so long with so many uses. I used to get the streamlight 66118 but in the summer, my body sweat makes the batteries corrode in the streamlight and renders it useless after a year. I don't know why because all the seals are intact and lubed. Maybe it's my body heat making the batteries leak, I don't know but it's funny how it hasn't happened to the hp4 in 7 years! Sorry streamlight. Just looked at my receipts, I got 4 streamlight 66118's one for every year before the coast hp4 purchase. LOL 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. Needless to say, I will buy another hp4 when this one retires. Thanks Coast!I have quite a few flashlights. Some are ALOT brighter than this one. And others can double as a weapon should the need arise. On the other hand, if I needed to have only one light, this one would certainly be one of the best. Perhaps its best feature is its portability. Given its small size and slender profile, this is a light that I can carry around with me in my pocket at all times. Even the Coast PX25 (which is still small and a good deal brighter) is kind of fat and bulky to carry in your pocket at all times. But the Coast HP4 both goes everywhere I go AND produces better light output than a four D-cell Maglite!For hiking use, it weighs next to nothing. Yet it easily produces more light than most flashlights and headlamps that you see out on the trail. The small size also makes it great for such things as lighting up tight spaces for tasks such as automotive work. In fact, Coast specifically refers to this light as an 'inspection light', meaning it is designed specifically for this sort of thing.There is one downside (although a slight one). Although the beam works well for most uses, keep in mind that it is not focusable. It DEFINITELY tends more toward a flood beam than a spot beam. So if you want a light with a long throw and tight beam, this is not the best choice. Better would be the HP3, which is focusable.Battery life is okay with this light. I got somewhat over three hours with a pair of NiMH batteries, which is pretty good. And to top things off, the price of this light is pretty good.I bought this so I could carry an inspection light in my pocket comfortably, as an aviation mechanic I seem to need a light every few minutes. I was prepared to live with a decreased brightness, but that's far from reality. This light is as bright or brighter than any light we have in the shop. I've also beat it up pretty bad (dropped, smashed, and it keeps on going. The black finish is starting to come off in a few spots after about 6 months of use, but it's mostly because I wear right next to my knife in my pocket and they rub together. Couple this thing with rechargeable AAA's and it beats most lights out there.The only thing that could be improved is the clip, it works 98% of the time, but every now and then it'll pop off the light and slide into my pocket. Maybe a little creativity and I can find a way to keep it on indefinitely.EDIT: One year later it's still going strong. In fact I just ran it through the clothes washer, pulled it out and it clicked on. Out of Coast's lights this one seems to be the best balance of portability, brightness and battery life(which seems to be a problem with Coast). Highly, highly recommended. Also, I lost the pocket clip after it popped off late one night out in a gravel parking lot. I called Coast and they sent me two clips for free, no questions asked. I'll be buying a few backups for the car and such in the future.This is a great little light! I have been carrying one for 2 years clipped in my front pocket and use it every day. I have been so impressed, I decided I needed another.This thing is BRIGHT for it's size.I find it to be a great size in that it isn't too small, but definitely small enough to carry all the time. Roughly the size of a Sharpie pen. At about 100 lumens it is brighter than any penlight I've used before and enough to reach across the back yard but not so blinding bright that you can't use it up close too. Durability is great. My old one has been dropped on the concrete multiple times and severely abused. It has a scratched lens and scuffs on the body, but still works great. It is o-ring sealed and I've had mine under water briefly multiple times with no issues at all.One minor issue I have is that the body is just a little bit bigger internally than the AAA batteries it requires. This causes just a slight rattle that bugs me, so I put a wrap or two of electrical tape on the batteries and that keeps it quiet. I highly recommend this light for EDC, the toolbox, car, junk drawer, or as a gift.I purchased this pen light for looking at dark panels as well as anytime I needed better light in lower lit situations. I love this light and it is surprisingly bright considering the AAA battery source. This is an amazing pocket solution to everyday maintenance situations.Further, the warranty is simply second to none!!! I purchased this unit in 2013 and it stopped working in 2022. I contacted the company and was sent a replacement unit immediately. This is what companies should do in this day and age. I will always continue to support Coast products in the future. Thanks very much!Overall build quality is good and light level for inspection or repair work in a pocket device is good.I still carry a second brighter light in my kit for more illumination while working.The beam is well focused and button is well positioned.The only negative is the batteries are a tendency to rattle.A better designed more solid case would be an improvement.I find removing the cap and re tightening seems to remove the rattle temporarily.I have the G20 version of this flash light and the HP4 version is much brighter. I use it daily at my job. But either are good flashlights. My G20 has been through the washer and still turned on afterwards.It is extremely well engineered, very durable, small and lightweight, but most importantly VERY BRIGHT. I am a Dryer Vent Wizard that uses a penlight for critical inspections, this is where my replacement search stopped. 100 lumens focused will illuminate all that is possible.Best pen flash light i ever had and i went through some in the past 5 years. Very bright, even comes with Batteries. The price for the quality of this product is awesome. I bought 2 right away. The shipping was ultra fast. I can only give not less than a 5 star rating out off 5 for shipping / Quality / packaging.
