Let there be light!

March 22, 2012

101_2867 — The Coast HP7 fills your hand and at 251 lumens fills the room with light.

Bad things typically happen in low or reduced light. So, in addition to your fully functional concealed carry handgun and your super-slick concealed carry holster, you should seriously consider carrying a light with you and using it often. I stumbled across a nice one recently. The Coast HP7 cranks out 251 lumens with a 5-hour run time and is powered by four AAA batteries. When using the 58-lumen, low mode (which is great for reading ID cards) you get 10 hours of run time.

A couple other features I like are the focusing bezel, which allows you to go from a spotlight that reaches out 640 feet to a wide flood light with just the touch of your finger. And, if you wish, you can lock the bezel in place. I also like the indexing grooves on the tail cap switch. Though the functionality is a bit confusing. The switch works well. Press it partially to blip the light and press until it clicks for constant-on. BUT, the switch is also how you move from high beam to low and vice versa. And this happens EVERY time you hit the switch. So blip the light and you get a high-beam sweep, release the switch and blip it again and you are on low power. Release and blip again and you go back to high power. This is no serious problem and it is simple enough to overcome. This system is way better than some manufacturer's silly ideas about light controls. Remember, when you are under stress you want things simple. This is simple.

The light is well built with o-rings and a stout aluminum tube, but some CCW holders might find it a little big for every day carry. It is a little over an inch in diameter. It certainly fills your hand. I, on the other hand, am considering it as a duty light for my police work. The light comes with a tough nylon sheath and a lanyard. While I do have concerns about anything tied to my body that a bad guy could get hold of, this lanyard is set up to allow you to loop the cord over your four fingers, not your wrist. So if you need to do something with your hand you can let the light dangle, but if someone grabs it, you aren't going to stay attached to the light if you don't want to.

I have found the light on-line for between $46 and $74, so shop around. It is a good light ready to work for you. And the reality is, if you think you need a gun, you