Words by Bryan Irons
We look at any project as a challenge rather than an obstacle. Don’t get us wrong, we’re not adrenaline junkies looking for an ‘honourable mention’ Darwin Award, but a win is a win. Our adversities come in many forms. Some are home projects while others are work-to-be-accomplished in the shop or on the trail. However, the scariest kind of project of all is the dreaded ‘honey-to-do’ list.
One of the most recent projects involved my lovely wife’s purchase of a derelict travel trailer and her firm belief that ‘we can fix anything.’ The first step for getting any job done is knowing what tools are required to vanquish the cobwebs, spiders, the monster from under our kids’ bed, or whatever else may languish in the shadowy recesses of a project. To begin with, we needed light, lots of light. We grabbed a few additional flashlights from Coast Products to go with the arsenal we already have, which would enable us to see what we were up against.
The Polysteel 600R has been with us on the trail for some time. It has an extremely bright LED unit with three different light settings and an adjustable focus that makes it perfect for everyday use. Plus, with the poly-nylon exterior, it won’t freeze to the hands in winter. The 600R can be plugged into an USB port to recharge the included Li-ion battery and it can also accept standard AA alkaline batteries. Remember, a micro USB is required for charging so make sure not to leave it at home. We keep have the light and cable in the glove box of our Jeep so it’s always there when we need it. The Li-ion cell can also be used to charge other USB devices.
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Bryan Irons
For off-road repairs, the Polysteel 600R is a great light to have.
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Bryan Irons
The 600R comes complete with both the Li-ion and AA battery holders, and batteries are included.
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Bryan Irons
The HX5R is just so simple. It’s water-resistant, easy to recharge, and has an extremely bright beam to boot.
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Bryan Irons
We picked up the FL75R and it’s extremely bright with plenty of adjustability for working in odd locations.
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Bryan Irons
Included are the charging cables, Li-ion battery pack and some batteries.
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Bryan Irons
We really don’t understand the purpose of the two red LED’s, but we’re bat blind. The adjustable beam makes it great in tight quarters.
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Bryan Irons
All of Coast’s rechargeable units include charge indicator lamps to indicate when the units are topped up.
The most recent handheld for monster duty is Coast’s HX5R aluminum-bodied LED and it is a great light to keep in your pocket. The light includes two output settings and an adjustable beam pattern. What we really like is it doesn’t require a charging cable or the need to pack batteries. The back-sealing cap of the light can be unscrewed, and a standard USB connection is right there – no cables or widgets required. This one will be staying in our new home-away-from-home in the event evil decides to rise again.
Our hands are normally full when we’re working so we scooped up Coast’s FL75R headlamp as well. Our old one clipped onto our hat brim, but we needed something we could wear without a hat – like a hazmat suit. The FL75R works great to skulk around on our belly while under the new digs. Again, it’s Micro USB rechargeable and has an included Li-ion battery pack or it can use three AAA alkaline batteries. Two light outputs and an adjustable beam make it a great choice if your work is right in front of you, or way down a rabbit hole. Red LED lights are included on the side as well. To be honest, we’ve never needed to use the red beam, but they are included if we ever do.
We keep going back to Coast without hesitation for a number of reasons (besides the obvious bang for the buck). If a light requires batteries, Coast includes them. If it needs charging cables, they include them as well. We would like to rave about their repair and warranty work, but we’ve never had to call them on it. There are no long tales or stretched-out specifications found in any of the Coast packaging that we have ordered and that speaks volumes to us.
So, the next time we have to dodge venom-tipped spears underneath the floorboards of our derelict home on wheels, we’ll be packing a trusty Coast light… or four.