8,000-Lumen COAST XP40R Assessment | GearJunkie Examined

I pushed the button, and my eyes squinted into the abruptly very vibrant night time. Good grief, I assumed. This Coast XP40R is one shockingly vibrant flashlight.

My buddy was unimpressed — that’s, till we in contrast beams. I shut down the XP40R and let him gentle up a strong headlamp with round 1,000 lumens. It didn’t maintain a candle to the sunshine cannon in my proper hand.

Briefly: The Coast XP40R is without doubt one of the model’s strongest flashlights, quick solely of its massive brother, the XP80R. Whereas removed from probably the most highly effective flashlight available on the market, its modest measurement and affordable value make it a really compelling selection for many who want main lumens with a mid-length throw. Nevertheless it has a number of shortcomings, together with a pair which may be deal-breakers for many who want genuinely long-throw lights and sturdiness. Test the value at COAST.

COAST XP40R Assessment

Proper to the purpose, the XP40R is a fairly area of interest flashlight. It’s massive, weighing over 2 kilos and measuring greater than 12 inches lengthy.

It’s tremendous vibrant with a turbo mode able to blasting 8,000 lumens — for about 45 seconds. Nevertheless it doesn’t have a really lengthy throw, particularly given its whopping energy. In testing, I instantly began to contemplate how of us would use it and got here up with a handful of use circumstances.

First, it could be wonderful at job websites or on safety particulars, the place the person must gentle up a big space shortly and briefly. It does this job effectively, turning night time into day in a proximity of about 75 yards.

The opposite good use can be in blood trailing throughout looking. The medium-power 1,100-lumen setting can burn for 7 hours. That’s an incredible energy setting for blood trailing, particularly when coupled with the whopping turbo energy for temporary seems farther forward.

However I’m getting forward of myself a little bit.

The COAST XP40R is a $90 gentle. Nothing else comes near this brightness for the value. So, in case you simply want a light-weight cannon able to a number of energy for a brief period of time, this one will do it for a lot lower than different fashions. Nevertheless it comes with fairly just a few caveats.

COAST XP40R: A Vibrant Mild, Restricted Throw

That is my greatest gripe with the XP40R: At 8,000 lumens, it solely has a spread of 754 toes (230 m). That may be a shockingly quick throw for a lot energy. For context, my present favourite flashlight, the Fenix PD36R Professional, manages a beam distance of 1,247 toes (380 m) with simply 2,800 lumens. And it’s small and continues to be very helpful at shut vary.

The XP40R has a zooming operate, which is cool (though some may argue pointless). Nevertheless it merely doesn’t zoom sufficient. Even at full zoom, the beam is about 20 toes vast at 20 yards. Given the sheer energy of this gentle, it actually wants a greater throw and vary effectively past 400 m.

However boy, the sunshine is vibrant. At shut vary, and particularly with the sunshine zoomed vast open, it lights up an enormous space. It gives wonderful space lighting. I simply want it may attain out farther.

Button, Readout, and Charging

The person interface of the XP80R is straightforward and simple to make use of. One button turns it on and adjusts the ability. Push to activate, and it lights up at medium energy. Press once more to excessive, press once more to low, after which yet another time for moon (lowest) energy. Press yet another time for off, or press and maintain for turbo mode.

In every mode, it is going to learn out the ability mode and time remaining on a display. It’s intuitive and simple to grasp.

To zoom the top, first make certain it’s unlocked. That requires a twist. Then, push it ahead for a slim beam and pull again for a large beam.

Drawbacks

However herein lies a major design flaw. While you pull the sunshine head again to have interaction the vast beam, it compresses air into the physique of the sunshine. That air must go someplace, so it pops the rubber cowl off the charging port to permit the air to flee.

I believe this might enable air and mud to get into the inner workings of the sunshine. It’s straightforward sufficient to push the rubber cowl again on, however that is simply a kind of bizarre design oversights that ought to be fastened within the subsequent iteration.

Talking of charging ports, the rubber cowl encloses two USB-C ports, one marked “in” and the opposite “out.” That’s as a result of the sunshine can double as a battery charger. Cool, I assume. To me, that is one complication that doesn’t actually must be there. It’d come in useful throughout an emergency — in case you occur to have a cellphone wire.

However realistically, simply plan for cellphone charging. I don’t wish to drain my flashlight to cost my cellphone.

So I’m impartial on that performance. It doesn’t damage the sunshine, however I personally would simply plan to plug into my truck or a battery pack, and maintain my gentle charged and prepared for motion.

Conclusion: Who Ought to Purchase?

So, do you have to purchase the XP40R (or the large brother, 15,000-lumen XP80R for $130)? In order for you a super-bright proximity gentle, it’s an incredible deal. It has just a few flaws however will certainly offer you a very good, vibrant, workable gentle for shut vary.

If, alternatively, you need extra vary (and fewer room for malfunctions), I’d look elsewhere. My suspicion and hope is that COAST will handle the issues on this mannequin — notably the compressed air-rubber cap explosion — with a second model quickly.