Coast WPH30R WATERPROOF Rechargeable Headlamp

A bit heavy, but built like a tank. This could (and has) survived a lot of rough use. Everything about this light says hi-quality. Throws good, bright light. Good longevity on a charge. Highly recommended.

Just for context, I do a ton of DIY work and an occasional job for hire, and I use headlamps all the time because most of my work is in tight spaces without a lot of light. I bought this in the unlikely event I need to jump into the water to do an emergency night time repair on my boat. That scenario aside, it functions very well as a rugged everyday headlamp. The charging port is actually waterproof and dust proof because you screw the cap down over it. This is much better than the flimsy plastic plugs that always seem to open on their own and disappear. Same for the battery compartment. Like the charging port, it has an o-ring to ensure a good seal. I like the red light option so it's less blinding at night. Once you turn it off, you can still see pretty well because your pupils aren't closed down all the way. It's easy to toggle through the various light modes and easy to turn off. If there's one drawback, the unit is slightly heavy. Not enough to cause any issues for an hour or so, but I could see how wearing it longer than that could start to get uncomfortable. Having had 5 or 6 lightweight lamps that claim to be water resistant and durable, but turned out to be neither, I'd say give this one a try. It's certainly worth $20 more than most of the others in this range.

got this to replace a 10 year old Nitecore model that was heavier and was beginning to fail. I like the multiple settings with both broad and focused elements. I tend to mostly use the lowest 2 settings most just to see my work in front of me so can't speak to the longer range functionality. Some may like the red output for longer night use but I don't need it since mostly this is for being able to get outside chores down after the sun goes down early in late fall here in New England. I ran it for a several 2-3 hour long sessions in the evenings hand splitting/stacking firewood while wearing it on top of my baseball cap which worked OK (need to tilt the light up a bit and the brim of the hat will shade some of the light). I used it for about 6-8 hours on lower settings during a power outage and it worked fine. My old light had a strap that went across the top of your head but was heavier. Since I tend to wear the light with a hat the brim of my hat keeps it in place but others that are very active with it might want that top strap but this works OK for me and I appreciate the less clutter of that 3rd top strap so I personally prefer this headband only design. Seems like a good unit for a fair price and I like that its also rated to be waterproof in case I ever need to use it in wet conditions. The only negative is that you need to remove the battery to charge it as the USB-C port is on top of the battery and not on the chassis of the light. Not a big deal for me since I don't charge it daily (or too often), and maybe that is needed for the waterproof rating, but some who are used to charging the light without removing the battery might be anoywed by that design choice.

Attached images are High Flood, Beam (straight), Beam (up/out), and Red Light. I'm mostly writing this review because I've already scoured the internet and there are very scarce reviews on this lamp, despite its obvious advantages. I know Coast is not a major player in this space, but I felt like this was really a winner and wanted to try it out and share my impressions to help others. This basically is one of the few headlamps that hit all my wickets, albeit just a little bit on the heavier side- but I'm ok with that. I own Zebralight 18650 torches, and those are absolutely amazing but lack a red light for practical camping/hiking utility. But once you've experienced real bright lights, it's hard to go back to crappy headlamps. I REALLY enjoy the safety of being able to look out into the night in the wilderness to see what's happening. (Bears, mountain lions, extended trails, bluffs, cliffs, etc.) So I wanted to keep that option but also get the main staples of a regular camping light. Pros: - IP68 rating. Maybe not necessary for the average Joe, but I am always looking to steel up my gear as much as possible for unknowns. - Very sturdy construction. Feels much more solid than some of the lighter, cheaper lamps. You could probably toss this around all kinds of dirt, debris, and water, and it doesn't seem like it will damage it much. Time will tell, but I hope so. - Removable 18650 Cell (button top w/ charge port). HUGE WIN. Charge backups and swap out when needed. Can buy new batteries when necessary and not junk the whole light cuz it's "Built-In". Keep in mind this battery is a little bit longer than a regular 18650- probably because of the built in charge port. - Good bright flood light that did last about 7 hrs on medium when tested. Have yet to test the other modes. - Super bright for beaming out into the night when needed. This is why you get an 18650 light. - USB-C charger directly on headlamp- charge in the light, or charge battery by itself (no extra charger needed). It might be slower than a dedicated 18650 charger, but so convenient to not have to find/bring a charger and deal with all that. Just plug it in. - Has red lamp, directly accessible by double click. Avoid the bright lights when needed. - "Decent" run time all around. I tested the medium flood and was 7 hrs (about what they claimed- impressive that it was accurate). If the other modes are accurate, it's 5h on "high" (Beam), 7 hrs on "medium" (high flood) and 23 hrs on "low" (low flood). Those are ok, but only acceptable because I know you can swap out batteries which makes it all buff out. Also, those numbers are for the included 2600mah battery, and I am hoping a [not endorsed] higher capacity battery will boost those numbers slightly. I will update my review if so. Cons: - Still on the "heavy" side. I don't mind cuz I'm not a wuss. It's NOT that heavy. It is a well made light that's IP68 rated and beams out into the dark night like a laser beam- it's worth it for the weight. But, it is definitely "there" on your head. Not like the Nitecore NU25 I got which is barely even noticeable. This is not a huge con, but something to consider for some people. The utility of it for me is worth the trade off. - Included battery is only 2600mah. They say "ONLY USE COAST" proprietary batteries... I ordered some 3600 Nitecore batteries because honestly I want more runtime than just 2600mah. Sorry, Coast. We'll see how it affects runtimes when they get here. I imagine it's a liability thing, because if people put cheap batteries in anything they will have issues, so.... just don't buy cheap batteries. Get quality 18650 (button top). Or just buy extra Coast batteries like they want you to. You would still be fine by keeping a couple extra 2600 probably. - The "modes" are "just ok." As much as I like the simplicity of it, I wish there were multiple brightness levels for each mode to preserve battery life. There's basically a red flood, a low flood, high flood, and then one beam, then combo of both. I feel like battery life could be extended by allowing lower levels on some of them, and then just ramping up for beam outs in the night when needed, then return to the lower settings. But maybe a larger battery will fix that. I don't mind the brightness, I'm just conscious of battery life. - The cut-off is very sharp. There's a clear circle on both the beam and flood lights. The pattern is wide enough that you can still see what you're doing, but it doesn't scatter the light very much like some of the other headlamps out there. Not sure if it's a huge con, but it's definitely something worth noting depending on your use case. - I saw this mentioned in another review, and I find it true- the "click" to rotate the headlamp up and down is VERY stiff. Like... you can't just reach up and rotate it. You have to have a solid grip on it, and really crank it up or down. It could probably have been just a little less tight... This is a slight annoyance, but... it also means that light isn't going to move no matter what you do. So, could really be a pro or a con. I would probably rather have it stay put vs. flopping around during movement. Overall, this is still one of the most functional headlamps I've come across with a super bright output and removable, rechargeable battery so you can keep spares on you, and then also have a super bright light when needed. Plus totally waterproof at IP68. Impressive. My plan is to use this as my primary hiking/trail light, with a few backup batteries to switch out, and then the Nitecore NU25 (2nd gen) as a lightweight backup or alternate to just use around camp.

Most of these headlamps I've found don't have near the lumens they claim, I'm not sure if this does or not but it is fairly bright, definitely better quality than most, I can recharge over and over and haven't had an issue, good value for the money! Easy to use!

Amazing quality which is no surprise coming from coast. All aluminum construction. Super bright light! Quick access to red light with a fast double click of the power button. And after 5 seconds you can click the power button to turn the headlamp off without having to cycle through every option which is amazing. Ready to use right out of the box, I got 3 hours of use before I charged it for the first time. Fabulous product!