Coast P14 LED Lenser Flashlight Review*

  by Bill Kincaid

• The Aluminum body and Black anodizing of the P14 is of good quality and I feel should hold up to rough use. There were no machining marks under the anodizing. The anodizing was smooth and nice looking. The dark black color matched from the head to the tail switch.

• As with the T7, the Coast P14 flashlight body has knurling most of the length of the body but is cut too shallow to provide help for a sure grip. I feel the knurling should be a little more aggressive.

• With a body diameter of 1.35 inches the Coast P14 may sound large, however even with my small hands I found the P14 gives a good feel in the hand. The diameter is smaller than a Maglite D series flashlight (a standard for years) but larger than you would think for an AA battery powered LED light. The reason for the larger diameter body with AA batteries is because the 4 AA batteries sit into the battery tube two top and two bottom side by side. (see photograph)

• The switch is different than all the other LED flashlights I own. To turn the P14 on you must push the switch from flush with the tail cap to approximately a depth of 3/16" inside the tail cap. Because the switch sits flush with the body until pushed, it cannot accidentally be turned on as easy as lights with the switch protruding from the body. This is different but it seems a nice touch to me. I would also note that this flashlight is about as long as a light could be with a tail switch. A Mid switch would be necessary with a longer light.

• The switch operates different modes on the light. For low click the switch once. For high click the switch again. Click one more time for off. The highest mode is available by pushing the switch in using the momentary position or all the way in and holding. It is available from any mode you are in, so the highest setting is always available with a push and hold of the switch. On my sample I can see a very slight increase in output between high and the highest setting. Led Lenser claims that 75% of the output is available in high and 100% of the output available by holding the switch in. This momentary highest setting being available in all modes is important for emergency use, and the momentary highest setting being available from the off position is important for tactical use. In my opinion the switch was well thought out by the Coast.

• The Coast P14 comes with a holster and a lanyard. Let me say that the P14, just like the T7, comes with the nicest holster I've seen with a flashlight. It is heavy duty and made to survive years of heavy use. It is made from very thick Nylon with a Velcro flap.

• Just like its smaller brother T7, the Coast P14 uses an Optic instead of a traditional reflector to focus the light. As with other Optic based flashlights I've used they do seem to do a better job of tightly focusing the beam for better throw and the P14 is no exception. The optic and head on the P14 is slightly larger than the T7, which in my tests was excellent in its own right. The manufacturer claims the P14 is good out to a distance of 961 feet. I tested the tight spot on the P14 out to 400 feet with no problem. This is reminiscent of the incandescent spot lights, all in a package smaller than a 2D Maglite.

• My sample of the P14 has a very cool white tint with just a hint of blue compared to other LED lights I own. I usually prefer a little warmer tint but others prefer the cool white tint this flashlight has. The tint was more than acceptable in actual use.

• Coast recommends using alkaline batteries and not rechargeable batteries. They state run time and output will be reduced on rechargeable batteries. Now having said that; from the independent tests I've read the P14 and P14 run very well with rechargeable batteries. Since I have not tested rechargeable batteries and do not intend to use them in these flashlights, I will make no claims to their effective or safe use and would always lean towards what the manufacturer recommends. I tested the P14 set to high with 4 new Duracell alkaline batteries. Somewhere around 4 hours the light went to around 50% of its starting brightness. I didn't expect the light to last this long and unfortunately (and of course as luck would have it) I left the room temporarily to take care of something and couldn't mark the time. However, anywhere near 3.5 to 4.5 hours of run time to 50 percent is simply amazing. The specifications state 180 hours of light, but most of this is at greatly reduced output. I will use Energizer Lithium batteries (L91) in my P14 which should give better run time over alkaline and the added benefit of reduced weight. With these kinds of run times from AA Alkaline batteries, and even better runtimes from AA Lithium (L91) batteries, not using rechargeable batteries becomes a non-issue in my opinion. I should also note the P14 never became more than a little warm throughout the battery test.

• Coast claims the P14 is splash proof only.

• To focus the P14 from spot to flood the head of the flashlight moves up and down approximately 3/8" to 1/2". For a flood move the head towards the body, for a spot push the head away from the body. The head has the right amount of resistance to it. Easy enough to make it simple to adjust and heavy enough to keep the head from moving on its own. It stays where you set it. (See Photographs of Spot, Med Flood, and Wide Flood beam shots.)

• If you look at the close up picture of the head showing the optic you can see what looks like a flaw at the edge of the optic in one spot. This is a mold mark from where the optic was removed from the mold. It is not a flaw and does not affect the beam in anyway. (See Photograph)
  
  

*The preceding in-depth review was supplied by a customer of BrightGuy, Inc. (with the author's permission). The opinions expressed in this review are those of its author. BrightGuy assumes no responsibility for the information provided in this independent review.