– More Options, More Value, More Lumens!


The middle of August is perhaps not the best time to get some headtorches for review since the days are long and nights short however when you have to order in many thousands of torches for the winter months, as COAST does, forward thinking is vital. As it happens, I was pleased to have a couple of headtorches around the place


because I did end up using them in real life situations where they were able to prove their worth. Headtorches seem to be increasingly used by consumers – whether


professionally in various trades such as Building, Plumbing, Electrical or Automotive, also by keen outdoor enthusiasts such as anglers, hunters, campers, hikers and used around town by joggers, cyclists or dog-walkers. Bright LED chips have made it


possible to have compact torches that are light enough to wear comfortably on a headstrap and they have the advantage of always being automatically focused on where we are looking, which is a much easier way of using a torch beam in the dark. The 2 products sent for review


were COASTS new HL44 and HL55. Both of these are upgraded


versions of their popular HL4 and HL5 models and in typical COAST fashion, they have been made brighter and with added features to appeal to their target users. The major difference that users will


notice is that the LED housings on the HL44 and 55 are elliptical in shape. This is specifically to allow the LEDs to be arranged in such a way as to increase the amount of lateral or sideways light that is generated so as to increase the users’ side vision. I was fascinated to hear an old fisherman explain to me recently that he needed more side vision when he was digging bait so that he could keep an eye on all the holes he had dug in his vision circle (oval?) in case the bait beneath the sand revealed itself on the surface after he had dug at it.


The wider-angle is further


enhanced by 2 LEDs providing peripheral illumination at each side of the elliptical housings which are very clear to see as they appear to have a slightly yellow colour, but they are in fact aimed outwards on left and right to give a wider spread beam, whilst the other 6 LEDS shine straight ahead. The HL44 is first up to the blocks.


With a RRP of £26.95 it is pretty competitively priced bearing in mind the features and benefits. Like all other COAST torches,


batteries are supplied. It is powered by three quality name brand AAA batteries that are already loaded so that the light will come on in “try me” clam packaging allowing the customer to test the light in-store before buying. The battery housing is located at the back of the headstrap where it is a useful counterbalance to the light in the front. A flexible rubber cover on the battery case provides a good seal, and COAST users should not have any worries about using these headtorches in the wet and wind of a typical British winter. Adjustability in a headstrap is important, and both the “round” and “over the


head” straps are 25mm wide and comfortably elastic with adjustable buckles for optimum fit.


6 ToolBUSINESS+HIRE However, the business end of the


headtorch is where users’ interest should be focused. A button switch on top of the housing selects full power with one push and low power when pushed again. On full power the beam is a powerful 180 lumens while on low power it is a battery saving 30 lumens. In real life, it is possible to use the torch on half power most of the time since the beam will still stretch to 20 metres – enough for campers and fishermen to find their way about in the dark. Full power with a beam reach of 49 metres is probably only needed for very dark walks in the woods or animal spotting. On full beam the batteries will last two and a half hours before any noticeable drop in brightness, but this is increased to 28 hours at low beam. Underneath the housing a red


Independent Review by Peter Brett


button is used to switch on the red LED light that is favoured by fishermen and outdoor types as it does not disturb wildlife and preserves night vision of the wearer, plus it does not dazzle or blind others on the receiving end of the beam. This red beam is also useful for tradesmen when working in tight spaces as it prevents dazzling the wearer and avoids “spots before the eyes”! For the intended market sector,


there is a lot to like on the HL44 as it is packed with features for less than £30 and it delivers on its promises spectacularly. For a slightly less complicated


option, the HL55 may be the answer. With an RRP of £25.95 it looks & operates very similar to the HL44. It has the same adjustable and


comfortable head strap arrangement as the HL44 but there is only one button switch on the casing. One push selects full power and another push selects low power. On full beam, 195 lumens from the eight LEDs is enough to give a beam distance of 55 metres which is more than enough for trade use such as lighting a dark loft – space or room, also plenty enough light for dog walkers and other users. On full, the beam should last at least 2 ¼ hours before some power is lost. Low beam is a mere 30 lumens in comparison, but when I tested it in my fully dark house and garden (no street lights here in the country) it was more than enough to enable me to work. I could have cooked a meal quite easily, for example, without danger to my fingers or other body parts. Low beam batteries give a substantial run time of 33 hours.


Both the HL44 and 55, (as well as 6 other COAST head-torches), come


supplied with hardhat clips and are covered by a reassuring Five Year COAST warranty. As usual when testing this Company’s brand of products, the prices are very


fair indeed when you see what you get for your money and experience how impressively COAST products perform in use! Use the ToolBusiness website to follow the links if you are interested in


stocking the wide range of COAST torches, knives and multi-tools – it is amazing how many people need torches.


www.toolbusiness.co.uk


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