Review of Coleman Max Bubba LED Flashlight

I figured I would do a quick review of a Coleman Max Bubba LED flashlight that I’ve owned for some time now and certainly recommend. (This flashlight was purchased at Walmart. Unfortunately, it is not available for purchase on Amazon.com, however, you can find very similar Coleman LED flashlights, if you like.)

I know flashlights are becoming about as personal as knives and guns and, while there are certainly better flashlights out there, for the price this one is hard to beat.

While I’m not a flashlight enthusiast, I have owned a few, including a trusty D-Cell Maglite that I can’t seem to toss out… even though it’s a dinosaur. Anyway, back to the Max Bubba flashlight.

The most obvious question is how well does it illuminate? Well, I would say that I can easily see in the dark for upwards of 40 to 50 feet without a problem. Although the beam is not adjustable, I don’t have any complaints about that because it illuminates exactly as I would expect.

Because it is an LED flashlight–if you still rely on incandescent bulbs it’s time to move on–the battery life is greatly extended (to at least several hours or more) and, IMO, the beam is brighter too. When I compare this flashlight to my incandescent Maglite, there is no comparison. In fact, I prefer to keep this flashlight by my bedside and routinely find myself grabbing it when needed.

This particular flashlight uses four AA batteries, which is nice for long term use because I can recharge AA batteries easily; D-cell batteries are a different story. And, since it’s an LED flashlight, I have no worry about the “bulb” ever going out as with incandescent bulbs.

Thus far I’ve had no problems with the durability either. Although I’ve never dropped the flashlight on anything that is unforgivable (such as concrete) the body feels quite sturdy. I would think that it will be just fine if I ever did drop it.

The flashlight is water-resistant too. While I’ve had it out in light rain, I’ve never tried to dunk it water on purpose, so I have no idea as to how truly waterproof it might be. (And I’m not going to willfully find out either!)

In reality, the cost is why I choose to purchase this flashlight. At less than $25 it was less expensive than comparable Maglite LED flashlights. And, although I didn’t plan it this way, the fact that it uses AA batteries that I can recharge is a benefit.