The Coast Story
Quality for a century
Our Approach
The COAST way. Listen, design, build
That’s how we meet real-world work problems with smart, durable answers. When Henry W. Brands, our founder, first talked to fisherman and dockworkers, he discovered they had a problem to solve. So he went home and designed the answer: a sharper, more durable fillet knife suited specifically to the job. That’s still how we do it today—whether it’s a headlamp worn on the oil rig or a flashlight carried by law enforcement.
Since the very beginning, we’ve made innovations that make people’s lives easier and jobs safer. And we’re still at it. It all started with a salmon fillet knife on Oregon’s coastline. And today it’s world-class LED optical technology and pocket tools. One thing has never changed: COAST innovations are trusted tough.
Our People
The COAST Workforce. A culture of excellence.
Doing the minimum doesn’t even hit the radar. The people of COAST take every opportunity to transform job responsibilities into business opportunities. Never satisfied, we chase the horizon of our technologies and tools to ensure that our customers can be as confident in their gear as we are in each other.
Design
Real people, real work, real needs. The design for every COAST product starts with a strong dose of all three. What problem can we solve for the professional working 60 – 80 hours a week? That means it’s never about gadgetry or gimmicks. COAST lights, knives, and multi-tools are engineered in state-of-the-art labs to solve state-of-the-field needs. And the result is tools with excellent function both inside and out made possible by a long list of patented innovations.
Materials
Durability is the name of the game. COAST tools are manufactured to stand up to constant use in the most extreme work and recreation environments. Our flashlights are constructed with top-grade aluminum, stainless steel, and poly-nylon on the outside with custom-designed battery cartridges and heavy-duty O-rings on the inside. Our knife blades are constructed with high-carbon stainless steels toughened to the core by treatment with extreme heat and severe cold. Knife handles come in four materials: G10 (a specialized composite made from layers of fibrous material and resin compressed under extreme pressure), aluminum, nylon with fiberglass fill, and natural wood impregnated with high-strength resin.
Production
It doesn’t count if you can’t count on it every time. Our state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities produce lights, knives, and multi-tools with technical specs consistent down to the micron. That’s the only way for people working in the most hazardous, high-stakes jobs—from law enforcement to chemical manufacturing—to be sure their device will perform exactly the same every time. We guarantee our products for life.
