Customer Reviews

Coleman 4D Dual Action WideBeam Flashlight

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I wanted a flashlight-lantern combination for power outages and camping. I found only two models of this type in my area and went with the Coleman. I've used it three times and on the last time in my time of need: (Hurricane Ike and the ensuing power failure), this thing failed me. Thought it was the battery but it was not. It is the switch. The switch won't activate the light. Luckily, I had another one but a different model that I've used for many years that keeps coming through for me. The fit and finish of the coleman seems flimsy....almost frail. This product shouldn't use the coleman name. Get something else that is more durable and reliable.

I have one of these stashed in each room and in the trunk of the car. In rolling blackout season you can safely illuminate a surprisingly wide area with one light. They're very bright and the base is stable so you can easily set them upright to shine up at the ceiling like a lamp without them falling over. The fact that it doubles as both a flashlight and a lantern makes this product a lot more useful than the standard Coleman lantern (or a regular flashlight) to me.

For the other reviewer: to insert batteries you will need a screwdriver or a coin. There's a big screw toward the front of the flashlight that you remove to pop off the main light and insert the batteries.

We have a dual action Coleman flashlight that is over 10 years old and is still going great. A few plastic pieces are missing, so we decided to get a newer version. We ordered this item. It's very attractive. But when we loaded it up with batteries, only the lantern was working, so we thought that the bulb for the flashlight was bad. No problem we can change that. Before we got to do that however, the flashlight was sitting on a table in "off" mode, and all of a sudden the lantern turned on by itself. The control switch could not turn it off. We had to remove the batteries. I eventually tested the bulb in our other older reliable Coleman and nothing is wrong with it. So it means that the flashlight part is not working. It has a label on it which says "China", so maybe that is where it was made. Beware!!

EDITED ON Jan.7 2010 CHANGING RATING FROM 5-STARS TO 2.

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I bought this product a couple years ago and was quite happy with it until it stopped working.

Then bought a second and it lasted a year or so before the light bulb stopped working. The lantern still works great and is good for blackouts but I wanted it to be a flashlight as well.

I inspected the bulb carefully and saw that the filament was intact. So I decided to call Coleman support. This was recently (Jan. 2010).

The support fellow told me the bulb should be fine and the problem is that the D batteries are a bit heavy for their supporting contacts at the bottom of the case. He wanted me to pull up on those contacts (basically bend them) until the batteries stopped rattling. He insisted the switch was likely OK but I question that.

Anyway, never got it working and decided to give up. Might have tried a new bulb but he said they were proprietary and I'd have to order them from Coleman.

So I'd give it 0 stars as a flashlight and 4 as a lantern.

Just bought an LED flashlight from Dorcy and an LED lantern from Rayovac. Each, in itself, is far superior to this Coleman and gets very high reviews from Amazon customers.

See:

Dorcy 41-4750 180 Lumen High Flux LED Cyber Light Flashlight with Batteries

Rayovac SE3DLN Sportsman Extreme 300-Lumen LED Lantern

The Coleman rep said they discontinued the dual beam flashlight so Amazon likely won't have it much longer.

Thanks for reading ... Sam

I received this light for Christmas. Reading the description of the item, it sounded perfect for what I was looking for. An occasional use flashlight with a lantern option for power outages, etc... Unfortunately, this item is not made well and I cannot recommend for any use. Within 24 hours of purchase, the original light bulb burnt out. I replaced the bulb, but found that the florescent light would now constantly flicker. I think the problem was that the battery contacts aren't tight against the batteries, as I whenever I moved the unit, the light would flicker on and off. Also, you can't use both the florescent and flashlight at the same time (not a big deal to me, but maybe for others). I ended up returning this light. Hopefully the quality exhibited by this flashlight is not indicative of other Coleman items, as I've been very happy with any other Coleman item I've purchased.

After reading the reviews here I finally figured out why my flashlight wouldn't work. After a two week camping trip it suddenly stopped working when I replaced the batteries. I thought the bulb blew. Fortunately I hadn't pulled the trigger on the new fluorescent tube yet. I was reading the reviews and decided to try to move the contacts up. I had to stick a long fork in to reach them, but I jacked them up and VOILÀ! It works! Unfortunately, it only works when held sideways. It shuts off when standing up. I realized I had replaced cheap batteries with much better heavy duty batteries and they were pressing the contacts down too far. I switched the heavy duty batteries out for some lighter ones and it works just fine now.I love this flashlight but if I can't fix the contact problem permanently, this light will be off the camping list for good. Too bad, Coleman used to be a name you could trust for equipment, but the new gear isn't made as well as the old stuff, and I want gear that works when I need it to work.

I was originally disappointed in this flashlight but have relied on it numerous times for lighting during power outtages. If you are looking for just a flashlight, I recommend the Big Kahuna 95 LED for under $30.

So, this is a great flashlight when it works correctly. Unfortunately, it didn't work correctly for very long. Mine stopped working and I thought that the batteries had gone out, so I changed them and it still didn't work. A couple months later I decided to fix it. After tinkering with my volt meter for a while I thought that the switch may be bad, but then I discovered that the only problem was that the batteries weren't in tight enough to have all of the contacts touching.

I fixed it by removing the batteries and bending the contacts in the bottom of the battery compartment up with a screwdriver. I didn't have to bend them very far and it fixed the problem. The batteries are now snug and it works. I assume that I will have to repeat this process once they become loose again. Seems like kind of a poor and/or cheap design.

This was a really great flashlight in both modes, once I figured out how to install the batteries. But it did not survive tumbling from the cupboard under the sink to the linoleum kitchen floor. Now nothing works, and I've only had it for eight months.

It seems like the switch might be flaky.

The only thing that kept me from giving this device a 5-star rating is that it lacks the ability to focus the beam. That aside, this is a well-made, easy-to-operate and reasonably-priced item. I have two of them, one is used when dog walking after dark while its secondary use - as well as the primary use of the other flashlight - is for use in case of an electrical blackout or power failure. Well done, Coleman.