Coast Polysteel 600R & HX5R Review

Coast Polysteel 600R & Coast HX5R Review – Rechargeable and Alkaline Flashlights From Coast Portland

I never thought I would be this stoked on some flashlights.

Recently, Clint wrote an article on the Coast Headlamps and why they are so great. Since that article, I now own the Coast FL75 headlamp, and yes it’s awesome, along with a few other Coast Lights.

After using quite a few flashlights over the years, I have never really seen a quality light until the Coast Polysteel 600R, and the Coast HX5R.

I can comfortably say that Coast is now my new favorite flashlight and headlamp lighting company.

For years I have owned Maglites, Energizer headlamps, Milwaukee headlamps, and even a few off-brand lights here and there. Coast competes on all levels and some.

I actually added my headlamp brand comparison to Clint’s article (instead of writing a new one) if you want to check that out. All of that beam pattern testing is in my garage.

Moving on from the Headlamps, let’s talk about flashlights. 

For this overview, I want to breakdown the Coast Polysteel 600R Review, and as a bonus, the Coast HX5R. For a serious spoiler alert, the Coast Polysteel 600R replaced my LED Maglite and it blew the Halogen Maglite out of the water.

Let’s start with the Polysteel 600R and then get into the HX5R towards the end.

Coast Polysteel 600R & Coast HX5R Overview

Whether you look at these two flashlights or any other flashlights in the Coast lineup, you can expect nothing but quality. These lights kick ass.

Note: the “R” stands for Rechargeable. There are other versions without the R or non-rechargeable. Both of these lights featured here today are rechargeable.

• Coast Polysteel 600R
  • Price: Check Today’s Price
  • Power 1: Rechargeable pack
  • Power 2: 4 AA battery pack
  • The rechargeable battery pack features a charging USB port
  • It’s freaking waterproof!
  • 530 Lumens
  • 12 Oz
  • 7″ X 1.9″
  • Pure beam focusing Optic with twist focus
• Coast HX5R
  • Price: Check Today’s Price
  • Power 1: Rechargeable pack
  • Power 2: 4 AA battery pack
  • High, Strobe, Low features
  • Pure-beam Focusing Optic
  • Slide-Focus
  • Two-way clip
  • USB insert
  • Water-resistant

Coast Polysteel 600R Overview

The Coast Polysteel 600R 530lm Rechargeable Waterproof LED Flashlight is seriously impressive.

Boasting impressive rechargeable capabilities, the Coast Polysteel 600R should be very high on your list if you ever want to charge accessories with your flashlight. This is one of the most notable features of this light, the built-in USB port on the rechargeable battery pack.

With this rechargeable pack, you can charge your iPhone, your NOCO GB40 battery jump or whatever else you need on the fly with the rechargeable battery pack. If you need to charge anything else, but still need your light active, it also comes with a 4-count AA battery pack.

This flashlight packs the power you need for just about every smaller device like Phones, GoPros, your Drone, and even some larger devices such as laptops, tablets, and more.

Material

The Polysteel 600R is waterproof, drop-proof, and crush-proof. Although we have not dropped it or slammed it on the ground yet, it does seem very solid.

As solid as a Maglite? Well, not 100% there.

Maglite is made of Anodized 6061 aluminum and the Coast Polysteel of Polysteel. I am not 100% sure what Polysteel is but it does seem incredibly strong.

Polysteel has protection against fading, chalking, loss of gloss, tree sap, bird debris, as well as most spills. With a stainless steel core and a poly outer, we put this light to the test, and it passed each one with style.  – Coast Portland

Optics

The Polysteel 600R features a pure beam optic system. With the twist of the head, you can expect a razor shop, targeted beam pattern.

The narrow focus will make the light ultra-targeted with a wide beam pattern, and ready to weather any storm.

The wide focus is powerful, offers a great pure white color and lights up more than a whole room. The light shines bright on the entire street block, and that’s not a joke.

Coast backs all their products with a superior commitment to quality. The stainless steel core and a poly outer are impact resistant, waterproof and its interior LED is virtually unbreakable.

The Polysteel 600R Flashlight is backed by Coast’s lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship.

LED Maglite Beam Pattern

The LED Maglite is a great light. Much better than the Maglite Halogen. But at the end of the day, neither of these Maglites shine quite like the Coast Polysteel.

Halogen Maglite Beam Pattern

This is not a joke. I am not kidding. This is straight out of the camera, just as the other two are. The halogen Maglite beam pattern is almost non-existent, and the power output is laughable. Just make sure to buy the LED Maglite if you buy any Maglite at all. The Halogen Maglite STRAIGHT UP SUCKS on paper. It doesn’t look this bad in person but WOW, this is bad.

Coast HX5R Overview

As an added bonus to the Polysteel flashlight, I wanted to briefly touch on the Coast HX5R.

The Coast HX5R Rechargeable pocket light is one lightweight flashlight I can really get behind. The double-sided clip, focus beam pattern and built-in USB charging stick in the back really make this light stand out.

• Coast HX5R
  • Price: Check Today’s Price
  • Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery or CR123 alkaline battery
  • 75/340 Lumen Output
  • Flood-to-Spot Focusable Beam
  • Sliding Head to Focus
  • Disorienting Strobe Mode
  • Two-way clip
  • USB insert

Coast HX5R Review

Before the HX5R, I was using a Bushnell Pro High-Performance flashlight (400L) as my main compact light source.

The Bushnell is a nice light but the jagged edges were cutting into my jeans and would often get caught when I would pull it from my MOLLE pack. I’ve always wanted something else, I just didn’t know what.

HX5R Design

The HX5R is smooth all the way around so it doesn’t get caught on pants, MOLLE webbing, or when pulling from inside a MOLLE pouch.

The clip is a dual clip as opposed to the Bushnell Pro single so you can clip the light onto any surface in the reverse direction. If you are out baiting hooks or trying to get that perfect spread of Mustard on your grilled brat in the middle of the night, the HX5R two-way clip will help with hands-free use.

Coast’s HX5R is also much lighter than the Bushnell Pro so hanging it off the side of MOLLE webbing does not cause the MOLLE pouch to sag in that one direction.

If you have a bunch of gear inside or hanging onto your MOLLE pouches, you know what I am talking about. Any more weight I can take off the edge while achieving the same tactical result is a plus.

One feature the HX5R is lacking compared to the Bushnell Pro is a light lock. You can toggle a lock that prevents the light from accidentally being trigged. This is a helpful feature if you are throwing your light in a grab bag with other accessories.

HX5R Power

Bushnell, like most other common compact flashlights on the market, uses alkaline batteries only as their power source. Not that this is a bad thing at all, an alkaline power source is incredibly reliable… until it isn’t. As long as you have rechargeable batteries or extra alkalines in the truck, you are fine.  If for some reason you don’t have batteries, well it’s lights out for your night.

I really like the power source features on the HX5R. It packs an onboard Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery or a single CR123 alkaline battery. And, it comes with a built-in USB male insert.

Ok, you may be thinking “big deal Brenan, a USB insert” and you’re right, it’s not like USB is a new technology. But, it’s awesome because you don’t need a cord to charge this thing. Not having to need a cord to charge your flashlight is awesome. Until now, I have never really considered a compact flashlight that needed a charging cable. Why? I would lose it in a heartbeat.

With the HX5R, you can just plug it into your center console and go. So rad, a flashlight with a USB stick built-in.

HX5R Light

Like the Bushnell Pro, the HX5R offers high, low, or strobe modes. But, the HX5R does have a slide focus control with the pure beam focusing system that quickly switches from a bulls-eye spot beam to an ultra view flood beam.

The pure beam focusing system is what sets the Coast HX5R apart. Its operation is smooth and its light color is pure white. I would think somewhere around 5500k.

Bushnells Pro might feature more Lumens (400L) compared to the HX5R (340) but the Coast HX5R wins in almost every other category in my book.

Coast HX5R Thoughts?

The Coast HX5R offers a great timeless design with awesome power source functionality. The built-in USB stick sold me right away. You can plug this into the center console, or even your rear power source in the 4Runner. If you are looking for a solid compact light that you can clip onto a MOLLE pack or slide into your pocket, this is a win.

Coast Polysteel Thoughts?

The Polysteel is just badass. It’s lighter than a Maglite, puts out more light, and features some impressive USB charging capabilities. Having the option to utilize a dual battery pack that can double as an iPhone or Android charger is incredibly powerful.

Well done Coast Portland. You have a new fan in the house for sure.