Two Budget Flashlights Worth a Look: Husky 600 Lumen Flat Light and Coast HX4

Introduction

Not every flashlight needs to cost hundreds of dollars. Two inexpensive lights that have been getting attention recently are the Husky 600 Lumen Flat Flashlight and the Coast HX4 clip light. Both are simple, both are cheap, and both fill very different roles. One is a serious pocketable workhorse; the other is a tiny task light you can clip almost anywhere. Here is how they compare.

Husky 600 Lumen Flat Flashlight

The Husky flat light is rated at 600 lumens and has been on sale at Home Depot for around $19 to $20. Compared with something like a Surefire, which looks similar but costs a couple hundred dollars, the price gap is hard to ignore. The body is black, flat, and easy to carry, with a rubberized grip on the side. It does not roll away, and it charges over USB-C.

The control layout uses two buttons on the back: a main button and a Turbo button. Turbo kicks straight to the highest level, though it steps down fairly quickly rather than sustaining top output. There is a mode memory of sorts, and you need to hold the light for about 10 seconds before it stops cycling through the remaining modes.

Output Modes and Runtime

The claimed outputs are 600 lumens on high, 200 on medium, and 50 on low, followed by a strobe mode. Husky claims about 3 hours of runtime on high, 5 hours on 200 lumens, and 16 hours on 50 lumens. In practice, the low mode looks brighter than the 50-lumen rating suggests, and the visible difference between medium and low seems smaller than the numbers imply.

Turbo output does not last terribly long before the light starts stepping down, which is worth knowing if you plan to lean on maximum brightness for extended tasks.

Coast HX4 Clip Light

The Coast HX4 is a very different animal. It is an 80-lumen clip light running on two AAA batteries, designed as a simple task light. A single rocker switch keeps operation minimal: one press for the main white output, and two clicks for a red mode that is usable brightness rather than a token afterthought.

Where it earns its keep is mounting flexibility. The head rotates, so however you attach the light, you can angle the beam for the best view. It can clip to a backpack strap, hang in a tent, sit on a car visor, or slide onto a baseball cap as a makeshift headlamp for close-up work. The back cap unscrews quickly to swap batteries, and the light ships with Coast Extreme Performance batteries included.

Buying Advice

If you want a genuinely useful pocketable flashlight and can catch the sale, the Husky flat light is a strong value at around $20, backed by Husky’s lifetime warranty. Just be aware it is made in China and the rubberized grip may show wear over time. The product number is 10114 26166 if you want to search for it directly.

If you would rather have something super simple that runs on replaceable batteries and clips to almost anything, the Coast HX4 is the better fit. Eighty lumens is plenty for reading a map, working in the car, or lighting up something up close, and the rotating head makes it adaptable in a way most cheap clip lights are not.

Conclusion

Neither of these lights tries to compete with premium brands like Surefire, Streamlight, Nitecore, or Olight at their price points. That is not the point. For $20, the Husky flat light delivers USB-C charging, 600 lumens, and a practical form factor. For a few dollars more or less depending on where you shop, the Coast HX4 gives you a dead-simple clip light with white and red modes. Both are easy recommendations for anyone building out an inexpensive lighting kit.