# Headlamp: Fake Coast LED-Lenser?



## AnAppleSnail (Apr 4, 2010)

I have one or two LED Lenser hand lights, and while they're simple, they survive abuse fairly well. When I saw one of their headlamps on sale at a bargain store, I sprang for it. The picture on the box and description don't match what I got, though - it said 3xAAA, and looked like their usual front-of-a-flashlight attached to a battery back. What I got was a 2xAA thing with a boost circuit driving some random LED behind an aspheric. It got browner over a few hours use, so I replaced the LED.

It's a 2xAA box with a wire going along the rubber (argh, so annoying on wet hair!) head strap. The light unit is hinged to point down, and it doesn't put light in the eyes. Because it looks so different from most Coast products, I think it may be fake. Aside from the LED quality it seems to do quite well as a low-power light. I replaced the dying LED with a random white one from an Edison-fixture 40-LED bulb whose power supply burned out.






Aspheric lens on the front, creates a sharp circle of light. A fair amount of blue fringe, with a ghostly peripheral light that's fairly useful. I just don't like aspherics for close-up work.





The inside of the lamp box. Note that the cord is held in by a knot. The LED sits in a shiny plastic cylinder, lining it up with the aspheric lens.





The bare 5mm LED and the aspheric lens exposed. It works ok as a work light, with the scattered light allowing you to see your hands, and the aspheric working for farther vision. With another 20 cents for a better LED, this would be a decent headlamp. Not waterproof for swimming, but it'd likely survive rain and splashes.

Here's the driver circuit.






Any thoughts? I couldn't find this headlamp in my research about it. I'm glad to have a 2xAA work headlamp, because I hate AAAs.


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## FroggyTaco (Apr 5, 2010)

Probably the factory that makes coast lights is using cheaper components to sell their own version.


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## Appleonius (Apr 6, 2010)

maybe someone pulled a switch-a-roo & now you're the victim?


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## AnAppleSnail (Apr 21, 2010)

Appleonius said:


> maybe someone pulled a switch-a-roo & now you're the victim?




It's badged as LEDLenser, but it's unlike any of their products. A manufacturer would have had to do the switcheroo - the box was certainly wrong. I'm going to replace the strap on it.


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## jirik_cz (Apr 21, 2010)

There is 2006.7.09 written on the PCB so it is probably almost 4 years old. Might be a genuine led-lenser then...


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