Coast RL35R Voice Controlled Headlamp

Here's where this headlamp earns its keep. At night I like to leave my light off and let my eyes settle into the stars and the dark. But every so often you actually need to see something, and that's exactly when a normal headlamp turns into a chore. Most lamps bury red light, warm white, bright white, high, low, blink, spot, and flood behind the same two buttons and some memorized sequence of taps and holds. It's too much for your thumbs in the dark. Voice control quietly solves that. You ask for what you want and you've got it, no fumbling, and your hands stay free, which matters because you almost always need light right when both hands are full.

The mode I reach for most is the ARC area light. It's warm and diffused, bright enough to light your way or your task but soft enough that it won't blind the person across the table from you. It's also the one I use inside the tent. You can climb into bed, get settled, and tell it to turn off without sitting back up to hunt for a button.

One honest warning for camping families: the kids will figure out that they can walk past you and tell Coast to go bright, or green, or anything else that earns a giggle. That part's not a gimmick either. It's just funny.