Coast FL78R/FL75 Headlamp Review

Everything you need to know about the Coast FL78R Headlamp, Very Similar to the FL75 and FL75R

Probably the most versatile light to have in my opinion is a good headlamp.

You don’t have to hold it with your hands, anywhere you look the light shines and they can be utilized for a wide variety of activities. A headlamp is a crucial piece of equipment for the trails, camping, late-night fishing, hunting and so much more.

The Coast FL78R and the FL75 are both pretty impressive lights – how impressive? Well, let’s take a look at the specifications and see what it can do.

Keep in mind both of these lights are going to be very similar. The FL78R is rechargeable and the FL75 is not. That is the main difference but other than that these two lights are incredibly similar.

Coast FL78R Specs & Features

• Price: Check Price
• The “R” on the end means rechargeable
• Battery option 1: LI-ION
• Battery option 2: 3 x standard AAA alkaline batteries
• Light Output (High): 530 lumens
• Light Output (Low): 65 lumens
• Runtime (High): 2H 15Min
• Runtime (Low): 11H 0Min
• Weight: 3.2 oz.

Coast FL75 Specs & Features

• Price: Check Price
• Battery option: 3 x standard AAA alkaline batteries
• Dual beam system: Ultra View Flood Beam & Bulls-Eye Spot Beam.
• Dual color: White and red LED light options. The red LED light to preserve night vision.
• Light Output: 435 lumen (high)
• Light Output (High): 435 lumens
• Light Output (Low): 66 lumens
• Beam Distance (high): 143 meters
• Beam Distance (low): 56 meters
• Warranty: COAST Lifetime Warranty against defects in materials and workmanship

What Features Does the FL78R & FL75 Have?

Features can make a big difference, and luckily the Coast FL78R, and FL75 are feature rich.

Let’s go ahead and run through the features of the FL78R and FL75.

Adjustable Strap

The strap on both the FL78R and the FL75 is very comfortable and adjustable to fit a wide variety of head shapes and sizes.

The strap is also reflective.

This is a nice feature if you will be using this headlamp where other people and or cars may be around you and allow them to see you easier.

Hinged Beam Adjustment

In order to shine light where it needs to go the FL78R is on a hinge so that you can have the light shining straight out in front of you, or nearly straight down on the ground when you are looking forward.

If you are mountain biking, it is nice to have the light shining out in front of you; however, if you are working on something close to you (like changing a flat tire in the dark), it can be nice to have the light shine down more.

The hinged feature of the FL78R works great to shine light wherever you may need it.

Twist Focus

One of the most prominent aspects that I have found with Coast lights is just how good their focusing system is…it is amazing!

What do I mean by amazing?

There is a small knob you can twist on the headlamp to adjust for a flood or spot beam (and anywhere in between). In flood mode, the light has a great field of view and the outer edge of the light is extremely defined.

I really don’t know how Coast gets such a defined outer edge. In spot mode, the light focuses in so that you can see further out and have a longer beam distance.

I have found the twist focus is a very valuable feature on the FL78R. It is very useful for providing a lot of versatility in a headlamp.

Coast FL75 vs. Milwaukee vs. Energizer

We stacked the Coast FL78R up against a small and large Milwaukee along with an Energizer headlamp. The results are below and we were shocked at the outcome, especially with the small Milwaukee headlamp. We set the lights up on the top of our DSLR at exactly 12′ away from the garage door. We set the LUX meter at the dead center hot spot of each beam pattern.

Coast FL75

Specs:

• Lux Reading: 232lux
• Lumens: 315lm
• Price: Check Price

With the Coast Headlamp on twist focus (spot) mode, it tested the highest of all headlamps we put it against. Now, that’s not to say there aren’t better headlamps out there, it just tested the highest amongst the other headlamps we own. The Coast FL75 offers the best of both worlds in the headlamp category. It offers a wide pattern as well as a spot.

Energizer Vision HD+ Focus – Head flashlight – LED

Specs:

• Lux Reading: 146lux
• Lumens: 315lm
• Price: Check Price

Energizer headlamps have been used for years and are widely accepted among many campers, shop workers, late night fisherman, etc. Energizer lights are great dependable lights, but they lack some of those extra features that the FL78R has. Coming in second is our Energizer headlamp but it’s far from what the Coast FL78R can produce.

Milwaukee Headlight Large – 2111-21 USB Rechargeable Headlamp

Specs:

• Lux Reading: 45lux
• Lumens: 475lm (spot flood – pictured)
• Price: Check Price

Although the Coast Headlamp features a higher lux rating, the Milwaukee 2111-21 rechargeable headlamp does have a wider spread. This is the spot setting on the Milwaukee Headlamp but compared to the Coast FL75, it’s not much of a spot pattern at all. There is no definitive sign of a hot spot but the spread on this headlamp is impressive.

The Milwaukee rechargeable headlamp has more of a 4500k color as opposed to the 5500-6000k color seen above in the Coast FL75. Personally, I like the cooler color in the Coast FL75 over this warm color seen on the Milwaukee rechargeable headlamp.

Milwaukee Headlight Small – 2106 300 Lumen LED

Specs:

• Lux Reading: 1.4lux
• Lumens: 300lm
• Price: Check Price

This was just sad. I have owned this Milwaukee (3) AAA battery headlamp for a little over 2 years and have used it religiously. Let me just say I have not used it at all after this comparison and the Coast FL75 has been my go-to.

Red & Green Lights Included (FL78R)

Among the features, the FL78R has to offer is a red and green LED output. On the bottom left and bottom right of the FL78R are two small LEDs – one for red and one for green. On the FL75, there are only red lights.

The red light is best used for times you want to preserve your night vision.

Such times might be when you need to see something at night briefly, such as settings on your camera, reading a map, or checking your bag for something. The green light will be appreciated for hunters as the green light helps to track blood.

The red and green LED lights to add additional versatility to the FL78R and really make it applicable to a wide range of activities.

Dual Power Capability

Along the lines of versatility, the Coast FL78R can run off of the included LI-ION rechargeable battery pack or the three (3) included AAA batteries – yes Coast includes both forms of batteries for you, unlike other companies.

This is such a versatile feature of the FL78R and other Coast lights as you have the option to run off the rechargeable battery, or if you run out of battery and don’t have time to recharge you can simply throw in the provided AAA’s.

This is a great feature and something that really sets the FL78R apart from other lights on the market.

Of course, you can always purchase a spare rechargeable battery for the FL78R, but the capability of running AAA’s is really nice.

Again, the FL75 is AAA batteries only.

Operation

Using the FL78R is quite simple.

There are two (2) buttons on the FL78R – one on the right and one on the left. The right button operates the main white LED light. Simply press this button once and you are in high mode (530 lumens). Press the button again and the light will turn off.

In order to go through the different light outputs (high, medium and low) you press the right button and then within a second press it again to go to medium mode.

If you want to go to the low mode, you will simply need to press the right button again within a second of switching to medium mode. Essentially, you can scroll through the different light outputs by pressing the right button with each press of the button occurring within a second of each other.

In order to operate, the small red or green LED you will need to press the left button. Press the button once for the red LED and twice for the green LED.

To turn off the light, press the left button once.

Operation is straightforward and easy to learn. I don’t have any complaints in regard to the operation of the FL78R and I think it is easy, simple and fast.

Overall Review

So what do I think of the FL78R? It is a solid headlamp that can be used for a wide variety of activities.

Some of the activities that I use it for our camping, fishing, kayaking, paddleboarding, mountain biking and working on my car. The hinged head and twist focus allows you to really dial in where you want the light to shine and how far.

The dual power capability is really cool and nice to have so that you are ready for any situation life throws at you.

Lastly, the lightweight design and strap make the FL78R a comfortable yet powerful headlamp.