Coast HP550 at Costco for $49

Not sure I want someone who says this to have a thing for me...

:nerd_face:

I love taking quotes from you out of context. >)

Actually, D cells are not really THAT expensive. You can get a pack of two Tenergy NiMH D cells for $15. That’s not much more than retail for four Eneloop (or any other brand) AA batteries. Throw in a couple of 2xAA adaptors to TRY to make those AA batteries into D batteries, and you are probably higher than $15. Not to mention that you are still only at half the capacity with much more internal resistance. And no, Eneloop doesn’t sell D batteries, at least in the US. But I’m perfectly happy with my Tenergy Centuras. They’re certainly no less of a battery than Eneloops.

Anyway, batteries aside, I would certainly LOVE to have this light. But it doesn’t look like I’ll EVER be able to get my hands on one. Here in Northern California, they are simply not available. Costco says that they were supposed to have gotten their shipment in on November 7. But 10 days later, NOTHING! Not only that, but they are listed as a ‘discontinued item’. So unless I am willing to drive to Bakersfield (about 300 miles one way), it doesn’t look like I will be buying this one.

looks like the flashlight world is close to offering the mainstream 1000lm lights, if not already, 1000lm lights for mainstream did not even exist when i got my BC40 last year. time to upgrade, lol. if my local costco has this, i would get it, but more around the 30-40 dollar range

It’s almost going to be a shame when people can walk into their local department store and buy a 1000 lumen light. It means I’ll have to start edc’ing my SRK when I want to show off.

Some thoughts on this. I don’t like D-rechargeables. They’re not really all that common and most chargers if they’re even available can’t handle but a couple at a time - and they tend to be Big A heavy chargers too. So if I’m out in the sticks, or lets say we’re in a disaster situation, or I’m out just traveling about, and I need to get my D’s recharged I bet I would have a tough time getting it done if I’m on the move or my charger needs AC current. Then I might as well just tote D-alkalines in case this happens which would be just doubling the weighty fun.

However, AA’s are the most common size battery in the world and a heckuva lot more household chargers are around to handle them. So my odds of getting a refuel go up significantly. If I’m going to tote around rechargeable D’s I might as well tote around 26650’s and get some real power out of the deal besides less weight. And if I absolutely should need D’s for whatever reason I have 6 super-light 2 x AA adapters in my bag that’ll get me by in a pinch. May not be optimal, but it’ll get me by. Now with that in mind try and use D’s in a torch or electronic that requires AA’s. Good luck, McGyver. I also pack the same adapters for C’s because those can show up in electronics.

With regards to the most common U.S. flashlight that uses D’s that being MagLite, I still have that covered with the AA adapters. Again, may not be optimal but at least it’s functionally covered.

At this stage of lithium technology I find that 18650’s are the skinny for lumen bang for the buck to weight ratio. I have a bunch of those. I also have 4 x Intellicharger I4’s which beautifully run on DC current and are relatively lightweight and compact. These also charge AA NiMh with aplomb.

Basically, I think D-cell rechargeables and D-alkalines don’t belong in torches we tend to use unless we have no other choice. Thankfully, we do though. Eventually I see D’s going the way of the Dodo Bird.

Actually, a typical charger that can handle D batteries will charge four at a time - the same as a typical AA charger. True, they are somewhat bigger than a typical ‘plug in the wall’ variety AA charger. And you won’t find one that can charge 12 at a time (like Tenergy’s AA charger). But I would HARDLY call my Tenergy TN190 ‘Big A’ or ‘heavy’. Also, it’s certainly every bit as capable of charging batteries ‘out in the sticks’ or on the run as any AA charger. Maybe even more so than most. After all, I can use a power inverter with ANY charger. But one thing I CAN do with my TN190 which I CAN’T do with a typical ‘plug in the wall’ AA charger is run it straight off 12 volts. The charger itself actually runs off a plug-in adaptor or cigarette lighter plug rather than NEEDING to plug into the wall. Of course, it also charges AAA, AA, C, and 9V batteries.

I should also note that toting around D-alkalines is NOT a viable alternative to NiMH batteries. The truth is that D-alkalines are little better than AA alkalines in terms of ability to crank out the amps. For instance, if you try to use D-alkalines in a ROP Maglite, you will get little to no more light from either the 3854H or 3854L than from the Mag Xenon bulb. You need NiMH to get those bulbs to put out. And a NiMH D can EASILY crank out 25+ amps if need be. There is pretty much no other even somewhat common battery out there that can do this that isn’t MUCH bigger and heavier than a D cell.

Yes, lights that take D cells tend to be bigger and heavier than lights that run on AA batteries (at least those that run on, say, 1, 2, or 3 of them). But it’s a tradeoff in terms of runtime and ability to provide BIG amps. However, in the case of the HP550, those 9AA batteries with the adaptor probably take up MORE room and are at least as heavy as three D batteries. In the end, I would still buy the light in a heartbeat if I could actually get it (local Costcos don’t stock it, Southern California Costcos won’t ship it to me, and Costco doesn’t sell it online). But I would DEFINITELY prefer it with three D batteries to 9 AA batteries (even though I certainly have enough NiMH AAs on hand to run the thing).

just cut yesterday. Comparison against a 3-D MagLite and other things like hotspot and ceiling bounces.

And just in tonite, shorty beamshots comparison against Fenix TK60. Long beam shots a coming soon he says.

I think he’s running alkalines in both videos. Prolly the Duracells that came with it. The thing is, it runs quite a bit brighter on Eneloops. :open_mouth:

Apparently this torch once went for $99 per one comment. I haven’t verified it. 8)

No joy here,no costco near me looks like coast redeemed themselves with this one.9aa is alot,this sucker must be fairly heavy.I wonder if they will put these in other stores with the costco ones as a market feeler.

Zoom-in about 2 3/4”shorter. Zoom-out about 2 3/8” shorter. 1.520” girth vs 1.558” on the Mag. H)

Coast oughta hire me after all this work. I could make some bucks while I make them more bucks. Buck yeah. :bigsmile:

I bet you could!

In any case, I have to admit that your comparisons to D-powered lights are a little ‘apples to oranges’, if you know what I mean. Provided that lumen ratings on this light are true, I would expect a 1000 lumen light to be brighter than an 800 lumen TK60 or a 131 lumen 3D Maglite LED. As for size and weight, 3 Duraloops weigh 3oz, while one Tenergy Centura D weighs 5oz. This means 9oz for AAs and 15oz for D batteries, or a difference of 6oz. Of course, D batteries don’t need a holder, which will save some weight. D batteries are also a little longer. But then again, the holder certainly adds length to those AAs vs just three stacked on one another. How much, I don’t know. After all, I’m not able to get ahold of an HP550 here in Norcal. So I can’t measure or weigh things unfortunately . But I would be willing to bet that any difference is not enough to worry about, especially considering that you would get 33% more runtime from Ds (since four AAs is equivalent to one D).

The one area where I have to admit you did get me is diameter. A 3D Mag is about as thin as you want a 3D light to be. But once again, I would be willing to deal with this for the sake of longer runtime.

And once again, I would DEFINITELY buy this light given the opportunity. As far as the battery thing goes, there are ALWAYS ways that a product could be better to serve our individual needs. But any 1000 lumen light for $49 is okay in my book!

because as mentioned polarity doesn’t matter. Both ends have the exact 1/8” protruding brass-cap style contacts with the positive in the middle in the form of a triangular u-bent protrusion. That’s one way designers kept this torch as compact as it is even when zoomed-out. No big tailcap spring like the MagLite IOW to handle the weight and sliding momentum of those D’s. Although of course the Mag’s spring does compress a lot so that deal is prolly not so much a big deal.

Btw, as I was checking out yesterday the young buck cashier got really interested in it. He ended up buying one after Lumatic planted the seed of flashaholicism in his unsuspecting fertile mind. :open_mouth:

You would never! How dare you impede that young mans social life with your lumens driven bacteria!

We shall convert them one by one until there is only flashaholicism! Mwuhahaha (Cups hands over a fauxton and whispers "My precious")

;-)

Resistance is Futile. :smiley:

I am going to check out the local Costco and see if I can find this for $49 too.

I’d just call and give them this……….

Costco Item Number is 686885

That way they can tell ya who has it if they don’t. 8)

Keep in mind that it seems to be entire regions where this light is unavailable. Unless, of course, one particular store in a region where it is available happens to be out of stock.

I bought one from my local Costco today for $48.99. It is bright and from my rough estimate around 650 ANSI lumens (using the Duracell that came with it). I did spend some time going through three boxes to find one that has the best white tint. That is definitely an advantage shopping locally, you don’t have to play the tint lottery.

The light feels sturdy in my hand. Anodizing looks good and it has square threads with surprisingly ample lube on the tail cap. Although it does not bother me, there is slow PWM on low mode. I would say it is somewhere around 300Hz.

Piker.

:open_mouth: