PETZL Actik vs Coast HL7

The PETZL Actik is a great Headlamp for its $47 asking price.

The Coast HL7, however, is merely passable at its $30 price point. If you're considering buying a Headlamp in the $20 range, you might want to check out some of its competitors.

The PETZL Actik was loved by reviewers at Wirecutter (NYTimes), a highly trusted source that performs reliable in-depth testing. It did great in its "The Best Gear for a Roadside Emergency" roundup where it was named its "Top Pick", which, in itself, makes it a product worth considering.

Taking a look at the Coast HL7, it got featured in roundups from two reliable sources that conduct their own testing - OutdoorGearLab and Switchback Travel - but it fell short of earning a top spot in either.

We conducted an analysis of all of the review data that we could find on these two products. First, we focused on sources that tested and rated both of them, like OutdoorGearLab, and learned that they all showed a preference for the Coast HL7.

Then we took a look at the highest review scores that these two Headlamps received. We found that the PETZL Actik managed to earn a rating of 6.2 from OutdoorGearLab, whereas the Coast HL7 got its highest, 6.8, score from reviewers at OutdoorGearLab.

Lastly, we averaged out all of the reviews scores that we could find on these two products and compared them to other Headlamps on the market. We learned that both of them performed far better than most of their competitors - the overall review average earned by Headlamps being 6.0 out of 10, whereas the PETZL Actik and Coast HL7 managed averages of 6.2 and 6.8 points, respectively.

Due to the difference in their prices, however, it's important to keep in mind that a direct PETZL Actik vs. Coast HL7 comparison might not be entirely fair - some sources don't take value for money into account when assigning their scores and therefore have a tendency to rate more premium products better.