# Coast HP1



## Fireclaw18 (Nov 13, 2014)

I recently came across the Coast HP1. It's $10 at Amazon, so is well within the price range for typical budget lights like the SK68.

Here's a picture of mine after I modded it. The unmodded light looks largely the same but is slightly longer and has a longer tailcap.




I was intrigued with this light because it's the same price range as a Sipik 68, but uses the same type of movable TIR optics found in Coast's other lights and in LED Lensers.

When mine arrived I took it apart and was impressed with what I found:

The optic is indeed a movable TIR like in LED Lensers. 
This particular one produces a very wide flood in flood mode.... nearly 90 degrees. Much wider than the flood from an aspheric light like the Sipik 68. 
Spot mode is a narrow fuzzy circle surrounded by a medium amount of spill. The throw comes from the side part of the optic when the LED is in spot mode. Some LED Lensers have a small aspheric over the LED to provide throw from the center of the optic as well. This one has a very mild center aspheric that is nowhere close to focus when the light is in spot mode. Instead it provides spill. Think of the spot mode as being more like the output you'd get from a traditional reflector light with a small emitter.... it won't throw as far as a generic aspheric, but it still looks good.
Lumen output is largely unchanged when going from flood to spot due to the moving TIR optics with the LED mounted on a post. This is quite different from typical aspheric lights which see a reduction in lumens of 50% or more when going into spot mode due to light being absorbed into the sides of the bezel. 
The LED is mounted on a post that retracts into a pocket in the lens. On top of the post was a tiny copper star with what appeared to be AS5 thermal grease underneath. 
The light has lots of o-rings and appears to be very well made. No rough edges or cut corners like in most budget lights. 
The battery compartment is double-sprung. 
All o-rings appeared to be well-lubed. 
The sliding bezel is insulated with 2 o-rings giving a very good and secure feel. Bezel travel is minimal... just 5mm movement between spot and flood. 
Fit and finish looks excellent. The flat black anodizing looks perfect out-of-the box.... it looks like what you'd find on a Fenix. However, I expect that like my earlier LED Lensers, it's actually type II anodize and will wear much faster than the Type III found on premium lights. 
Knurling on the body is quite aggressive. 
The clip is removable. It is held on with two T6 torx screws. Same for the plastic cover around the LED. 
Negative contact from the battery tube to the driver is made via a large spring. This is different from most budget lights that instead make connection via bare screw threads around the pill. 
The unmodded light is 104mm long, which makes it longer than the 92mm Sipik 68. 
The emitter is a CREE XPE. 
The driver is single-mode and is 14 or 15mm. About the same size as a Sipik 68 driver. It is press-fit into the pill. 
The switch is a forward clicky with momentary. 
The light tailstands perfectly. 

The fit and finish were well above what I'd expect in a budget light. However, the output and size didn't meet my standards for EDC. A few nights of modding produced the version in the picture above. I made the following changes:

replaced XPE with dedomed cool-white XPL 
replaced stock driver with 3-amp Nanjg 105c with off-time memory from Mountain Electronics. Had to file driver to fit and it sits below the pill. 
Filed down pill to allow the driver to sit higher. This also allowed the bezel to sit further back, shrinking the light. 
Replaced stock tailcap with one from an MT-104 zoomie from DX. They have compatible threads. The new tailcap is half the height and accepts standard Sipik 68 type switches. I installed a reverse clicky switch with solder-braided tailcap spring. 
The modded light is 94mm long. That's 2mm longer than a Sipik 68, but the light feels much cleaner due to the battery tube shape.


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## twin63 (Nov 13, 2014)

Thanks for the excellent write-up. I received a "you might also be interested in" email today that suggested the HP1. I have 4 G26's, a G19, and a couple of Coast headlamps. I'm impressed with their quality vs. price. Based on your review, I think I'll have to add this one to the collection.


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## Fireclaw18 (Nov 13, 2014)

twin63 said:


> Thanks for the excellent write-up. I received a "you might also be interested in" email today that suggested the HP1. I have 4 G26's, a G19, and a couple of Coast headlamps. I'm impressed with their quality vs. price. Based on your review, I think I'll have to add this one to the collection.



Definitely worth it. The HP1 is so much cheaper than previous Coast and LED Lenser offerings. This is the first light of theirs that I've seen that competes in the same category and price range as the Sipik 68. ... and they did this without skimping on quality.


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## ven (Nov 14, 2014)

Thanks for the insight,many times i have pondered over coast as seem very similar in production to lenser. Here in the UK the prices are around the same,i almost imported the 1000lm version. I find the hp7 and hp14 similar to the p7 and p14 in many ways(but the coast has an anti roll which is a bonus).

In UK they are around £14 or about $20 ish


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## Fireclaw18 (Nov 14, 2014)

Coast used to be the USA distributor for LED Lenser. Back then the lights had the words "Coast" and "LED Lenser" together on the same packaging and same lights.

A few years ago they separated and Coast began making its own lights. I assume Coast has a licensing deal with LED Lenser to use their technology. Coast lights seem to differ from LED Lensers mainly just in minor differences in the external aesthetics.

The only other brand that I know of that uses optics similar to LED Lensers is Poplite. I assume they also have a licensing deal with LED Lenser.


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## ven (Nov 14, 2014)

I have a poplite,very very similar to the p7 as in almost identical other than print and modes. Its reverse clicky 3 mode and takes 4xAAA,from DX iiirc for around £18 however i find the zoom/focus just not quite there nor as smooth as lensers. Imho i think just copies but without the cheek of using the lenser name,still well made and might even be HA III from the advertising! Feels pretty solid in the ano department anyway


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## chazz (Nov 29, 2014)

Thanks for this writeup, some very useful information here. I may have to pick one of these up... 

I am curious if there are any other reviews of this light? 

I did some searching and did not come up with much other than this thread. I would be interested if anyone has done beam-shots, runtime tests (with different type cells), some more pics of light and the like?


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## bright star (Dec 7, 2014)

Coast is the light] I started out with . excellent for what they are . My local retailer carries Coast only.


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## bykfixer (Aug 21, 2015)

Amazon keeps saying "out of stock" and the slot at Home Depot is always empty.

Nuf said. I'm buyin' some when they restock!!!


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## bykfixer (Aug 21, 2015)

inadvertant double post play through...

Amazon has them in stock. Bought one for each of my eneloop pro batteries that came with the charger.







^^ pix are from the amazon site.

Buying 4 gets you no cost (to you) shipping

When they arrive I'll post some typical beam pix.


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## bykfixer (Aug 27, 2015)

The HP1 arrived today.
It did not have a battery, so I pulled out an alkaline from my Radio Shack going outta business priced battery stockpile.
Couldn't wait until it was completely dark. Yet it was dark enough where a flashlight would be used to say...find your dropped car keys.

First, indoors from about 8' away.




^^ spot
The real thing is nowhere near as yellow as my phone cam shows. But it aint pure white...maybe a hint of tan perhaps?




^^ about 50/50 flood/spot. 
Flood is at least 90°…… Note the defined edge




^^ very distinct edge

Ok now some outdoor, nearly dark pics.




^^ about 40' to the basketball goal, 60 to the tree.




^^ about 75' to the tree
Shows the halo when using spot.




^^ about a football field away.
Waited until dark for this one. Note sheds about 100' away are also slightly lit.

Now to be fair this little guy makes a better flood light than spotlight imo.




^^ dark by this picture.
This was about 75% flood.

For $10 plus a battery...not bad at all.
After using it for some 20-30 minutes I ready didn't notice any significant dimming. I suppose a meter would show what was what. But for a 10¢ battery in a $10 light...
No low setting, but who's complaining?


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## bykfixer (Aug 30, 2015)

After a few days:

I've been carrying this light in my front pocket for a few days with keys, coins etc and so far no scratches. No scratches on the recessed convex lens either
If I put it in my pocket at say 50% zoom, it's at about 50% zoom when I go to use it. Yet one hand zooming is easy enough. 
So far I've left the pocket clip on it. Once removed the 6 side anti-roll device remains. 

I've used it often. I had never noticed how many times a day a flashlight comes in handy until joining this forum, and the HP1 being pocket sized causes me to find even more uses. 

Part of me wants to mod it for a lanyard, while part of me says "my pocket _knife_ doesn't, so why would the pocket _light _need one?"

All in all there is probably 2 hours of on/off cycles of a few minutes each on the battery. So far it's still bright enough to spot way down in the abyss of my Honda Prelude engine bay with enough spill around to light up the nearby surrounding area.
Way more useful for that than a pen light. 

If this guy does any mods to the HP1, it'll be to somehow add a magnet. 

Now the real testing begins. I've issued one to my teenager who typically voids warranties.

Ok, an edit:
After carrying a couple of weeks in my pocket with other stuff....





The finish hardly shows wear.





A few nicks in the raised areas.
So basically you can forget about this thing scratching when the knurls are used to scratch your face with 5-o'clock shadow. Hardened? Certainly not. Now it's just a coating over the alluminum. But it's fairly durable. 

And after dozens and dozens of cycles, uses and a brightness longevity test lasting 30 minutes, I'm still using the old 10¢ radio shack alkaline and it's still blinding if you accidently aim it at yourself.


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## Wishiwereaskibum (Sep 3, 2015)

Is this new configuration dim able?


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## Dr. Strangelove (Sep 10, 2015)

Ordered one from Amazon, this is a surprisingly nice light for about $10.

I found it a little too big for EDC, but it would make a perfect utility light for a non-flashoholic. Simple, single mode interface with easy to adjust flood to spot, adequite brightness, runs off a single battery, reasonably priced, it's a great stocking stuffer. I'll probably get a few more for myself.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that using my very unscientific method (comparing against a 65 lumen Streamlight Stylus Pro), I got about 2.5 hours before significant dimming on a 2000 mAh Eneloop. Stopped once the HP1 (in spot mode) dropped below the Stylus and probably had a little more run time left, but didn't want to over discharge the Eneloop.


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## RickZ (Sep 29, 2015)

Fireclaw18 said:


> I recently came across the Coast HP1. It's $10 at Amazon, so is well within the price range for typical budget lights like the SK68.
> 
> Here's a picture of mine after I modded it. The unmodded light looks largely the same but is slightly longer and has a longer tailcap.
> 
> ...



How do you take apart the head of this light? I can't seem to take mine apart at all, and I have dust that got into the slide, so I need to clean it but I don't know how.


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## bykfixer (Oct 6, 2015)

Had to change the battery finally. Well didn't have to, but it began flickering today and turned off a second or two.I'd noticed it was getting dull but still out shined my 125 lumen Malkoff drop in. Today the lights went out in my office with no windows. So I got out my HP1 to dig up a mini mag I was going to use for a mule. Well that thing failed to light. So 10 minutes into the tail cap stand table lamp the Coast began to flicker.Got the lights turned back on and set about diagnosing my brand spanking new aaa mini mag. Mysteriously it began working.Ok so I've used the HP1 daily since late august on a 50 cent alkaline. Not bad. It now has an eneloop pro, so we'll see how long until that one flickers.


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## bykfixer (Oct 6, 2015)

Had to change the battery finally. Well didn't have to, but it began flickering today and turned off a second or two.

I'd noticed it was getting dull but still out shined my 125 lumen Malkoff drop in. 
Today the lights went out in my office with no windows. So I got out my HP1 to dig up a mini mag I was going to use for a mule. Well that thing failed to light. So 10 minutes into the tail cap stand table lamp the Coast began to flicker.

Got the lights turned back on and set about diagnosing my brand spanking new aaa mini mag. Mysteriously it began working.

Ok so I've used the HP1 daily since late august on a 50 cent alkaline. 
Not bad. 
It now has an eneloop pro, so we'll see how long until that one flickers.


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## KeepingItLight (Oct 7, 2015)

I found the *Coast HP1* at Amazon. Surprisingly, I could not find it at CoastPortland.com. Although it is listed there in a pair of stories on the New/Blog, it does not have a regular listing among other flashlights.

Has anyone made a runtime chart for the HP1 running on an Eneloop battery? 

Most of the Coast flashlights I have looked at use multiple batteries, and seem to use some sort of buck driver. When input (i.e., battery) voltage drops below the driver’s output voltage, light output slips into a continuously declining direct-drive-like pattern. 

Since the HP1 uses 1xAA, it must have some sort of a boost driver to raise the 1.2 volts of an Eneloop up to the voltage required by the emitter. With a boost driver, it is possible to design a flashlight that has flat regulation. I like this much better than the continuously declining output I see in other Coast flashlights. 

Does anyone know whether the HP1 features flat regulation?

Thanks in advance.


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## Phlogiston (Oct 7, 2015)

I've just received a couple of HP1s today, and I can confirm what's been said about finish, output and beam profile by the reviewers posting above. 

There is one thing I haven't seen mentioned yet, though. Unfortunately, the transition beam profile between spot and flood is very scruffy - a doughnut ring with a smooth outer edge and a rough inner edge. Think "Eye of Sauron with a concussion". I find it remarkably irritating. 

By comparison, an SK68 clone I have lying around produces a fairly smooth beam at all zoom levels right up until the spot coalesces into the LED die image. I much prefer that. 

That said, I have no luck with SK68 clones in the durability stakes - they keep failing on me. I haven't broken any other light in years, but my SK68s are cursed. 

As I only use the HP1 / SK68 style lights as loaner lights for random strangers I'm with who don't have flashlights when we need them, cheap and durable are the main criteria. Cheap in case I don't get one back, durable in case somebody drops one. 

I'm still going to put an HP1 in my backpack and carry it around for a while. If it's more durable than the SK68 clone, it'll take the SK68's spot, scruffy transition beam or not. If my loan recipients want nice lights to play with, I'll be happy to help them decide what to spend their money on  

One last note: I tried tailstanding the HP1 and the SK68 for ceiling bounce with the room lights off, to compare their potential as power cut lights. The two lights did equally well in full flood, but the HP1 did a lot better in spot mode. As Fireclaw18 says in his review: 



> [The HP1's] Lumen output is largely unchanged when going from flood to spot due to the moving TIR optics with the LED mounted on a post. This is quite different from typical aspheric lights which see a reduction in lumens of 50% or more when going into spot mode due to light being absorbed into the sides of the bezel.


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## RickZ (Oct 8, 2015)

KeepingItLight said:


> I found the *Coast HP1* at Amazon. Surprisingly, I could not find it at CoastPortland.com. Although it is listed there in a pair of stories on the New/Blog, it does not have a regular listing among other flashlights.
> 
> Has anyone made a runtime chart for the HP1 running on an Eneloop battery?
> 
> ...



I own the hx5, to my knowledge it is the same flashlight, except the hx5 has a better pocket clip, and hydraulic slide that is supposed to lock-though mine doesn't lock.

It stays approximately120+ lumens for the full 2 hours on 2400 mah rechargeagles, but please understand, you won't get more with any rechargeable, since it needs 0.75 volts to work, you can get 4 hours off of Duracell continuous, now, because what it is really trying to use is actually amperage, and since that amperage can exist for brief amounts of time, momentary use as noted above could be months at a time. I use it for cycling among other things, because it isn't too big to carry with me , and gives a wide enough flood that I can literally just place it on the ground without support and it will light up my bike so I can work on it when I need to. The hx5 is overpriced, but I didn't know that much about lights when I got it. I still would like to know how to open it up. I can't remove the head and dust got in there, so it sounds gritty when I move it,


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## KeepingItLight (Oct 8, 2015)

RickZ said:


> I own the hx5, to my knowledge it is the same flashlight, except the hx5 has a better pocket clip, and hydraulic slide that is supposed to lock-though mine doesn't lock.
> 
> It stays approximately120+ lumens for the full 2 hours on 2400 mAh rechargeables, but please understand, you won't get more with any rechargeable, since it needs 0.75 volts to work...



Thanks for the info! 

So your HX5 has flat regulation. Nice.


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## Fireclaw18 (Oct 9, 2015)

RickZ said:


> ...I can't remove the head and dust got in there, so it sounds gritty when I move it,



From the pictures the HX5 head looks identical to the HP1.

For the HP1, the head is in two pieces separated at the indented ring. You'll need to unscrew the top piece from the bottom piece. Once you get the head disassembled everything is pretty self-explanatory from there.

The kicker is Coast does use some clear threadlocker to hold the head together. You'll need a very strong grip to break the threadlocker and unscrew it. Personally, I use 3M Indoor stairway grip tape. It's a very thick and grippy grey rubber tape. I apply some above and below and then turn. For most lights that's all I need. Occasionally I might encounter a light where I also need pliers to unscrew it.

I've only ever encountered one light where this method didn't work: The DQG 18650 Tiny III. I never could get the head off on that light, but was able to get around that problem when I modded mine into a triple.


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## bykfixer (Oct 9, 2015)

3m indoor grip tape. Nice! 

My mom used to have a bunch of 6" round "grippers" called of all things "grippers", which were for getting open stuck jars etc. 

Sounds like 3m has rolls of that. 

Ima try that as all those old grippers are long gone.


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## Fireclaw18 (Oct 12, 2015)

bykfixer said:


> 3m indoor grip tape. Nice!
> 
> My mom used to have a bunch of 6" round "grippers" called of all things "grippers", which were for getting open stuck jars etc.
> 
> ...



You can buy a rubber pad for opening stuck jars at your local grocery store. Those pads are great for removing bezels on lights like the Olight S10.

However, personally, I prefer the 3M indoor stairway grip tape. It grips even stronger than those rubber pads, and is much more flexible. For instance, on this HP1, you need good grip around both parts of the bezel. The upper part should be easy, but the lower part is small and in the middle of the light. The grip tape works great on it. You can buy the 3m grip tape on Amazon.

Make sure to buy the grey indoor grip tape (it's made of solid rubber). Don't buy the black outdoor grip tape (has crushed glass and feels like sandpaper).


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## cccpull (Oct 12, 2015)

RickZ said:


> I own the hx5, to my knowledge it is the same flashlight, except the hx5 has a better pocket clip, and hydraulic slide that is supposed to lock-though mine doesn't lock.
> 
> It stays approximately120+ lumens for the full 2 hours on 2400 mah rechargeagles, but please understand, you won't get more with any rechargeable, since it needs 0.75 volts to work, you can get 4 hours off of Duracell continuous, now, because what it is really trying to use is actually amperage, and since that amperage can exist for brief amounts of time, momentary use as noted above could be months at a time. I use it for cycling among other things, because it isn't too big to carry with me , and gives a wide enough flood that I can literally just place it on the ground without support and it will light up my bike so I can work on it when I need to. The hx5 is overpriced, but I didn't know that much about lights when I got it. I still would like to know how to open it up. I can't remove the head and dust got in there, so it sounds gritty when I move it,



I just got that same light locally (Coast HX5 $20). Was looking for an AA for EDC and what sold me was it's suppose to output 345 lumen with lithium ion batteries, which I'm about to order. So I didn't find it that overpriced for a local buy.


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## RickZ (Oct 14, 2015)

cccpull said:


> I just got that same light locally (Coast HX5 $20). Was looking for an AA for EDC and what sold me was it's suppose to output 345 lumen with lithium ion batteries, which I'm about to order. So I didn't find it that overpriced for a local buy.



As an update, the dust worked its way out. What I like is the water proofness. Most focusable flashlights don't have the best seals and are not resistant to water. This seems to work well. The hp550, is the much larger version and has great light output. Excellent light. I've never seen a light with the same level of performance the hp 550 has. 1075 lumens for 9 hours is tough to beat, even for 4x18650 lights.


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## Cleck (Dec 28, 2015)

Looks like everyone has about the same idea with this, but I'll throw in my non-technical two cents. 

I bought this to replace my temporarily lost Amazon Cree 7w light that I absolutely loved. Luckily, I found it, but anyways. I found myself comparing the Coast to it a lot. For me, I daily the Cree along with a pistol and/or a knife, so I've usually got crowded pockets. I didn't find a problem carrying it, my only complaints were with the beam pattern, but that was because I was used to the Cree. The flood that surrounds the spot, I have a love/hate with. Sometimes, I just want that spot. Pinpoint, direct, lengthy spot. Other times, I don't mind it, because I feel like the spot can make you focus too much on that, and you don't see anything the spot isn't hitting. With a little flood, you get a better idea of what you're looking at. 

As far as the body goes, I like the build and coating, it's pretty durable so far. The clip is nice, although I saw one of their other lights had a double clip for hats, that would be super useful. Mine will tail cap stand ok, the button goes beyond the cap just a hair, so it's not 100% stable. I wouldn't mind a more aggressive front/shroud like the Cree, in case you needed to use it offensively (for whatever reason). 

Otherwise, a great light and definitely worth the money. I use lithium rechargeables (not eneloop) and get pretty good life out of them. No complaints.


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## 10after10 (Mar 15, 2016)

For $10, you really can't beat it IMHO, especially since it can use either AA or 14500.


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## bykfixer (Mar 15, 2016)

Welcome to CPF 10after. 

Yup, for $10 these aint bad at all. 

I gave away some at Christmas. I got mine out and was focusing in and out (without telling folks it was a slider) to see how many would think it focuses like a Mag. 100% of them said "mine won't do that" as they were trying the mini mag twist. lol


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