Learn me: LED Work Lights

I thought I remembered this topic but couldn't find anything.

I need a new work light for working under and around the car. What are your recommendations for bright LED work lights. Amazon seems to have unknown brands and the Snap-on and Dewalt ones are $$. Is this a case of you get what you pay for?

Thanks!

Cheapo ones still work decently in my experience. An LED light stick and an LED headlamp (Energizer makes particularly good ones that are still cheap) will have you covered.

Watch your color hues. Cheap ones tend to use the bluish LEDs, which don't illuminate nearly as well as the more expensive broader spectrum units do.

Bayco products are pretty good, they look to be reasonably priced on Amazon. I prefer rechargeables so you don't have to worry about buying batteries but I have a few of the AAA Bayco Nightsticks that are nice.

http://www.amazon.com/Bayco-NSP-1236-Slim-Line-Flashlight-Orange/dp/B002FBDWZM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1439992412&sr=8-3&keywords=nightstick+trouble+light

I happened to be in Sears a couple weeks ago and snagged this on sale for $17. Looks like it's $20 online.
http://www.sears.com/craftsman-cordless-rechargeable-work-light-with-35-led/p-03473904000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

Don't know how long the batteries will last, but I like it so far. Rechargeable, no batteries to replace, no cord to drag around, magnet, hook, flats to keep it from rolling around, plenty bright, and can be a flood light from the side, a spot light from the end, or both.

Lowes sells a model that I really like. The little 10watt Utilitech Pro is cheap and is great for working in tight spaces, and it will run from A/C or D/C power. They also have a larger 16 watt model.

I've got a couple led work lights. Really like it they aren't a million degrees like the old halogens

I have this dude from Stanley:

Its a great light, holds a charge for a while, and the mag base and carabiner clip on top wont slip off the nail or hook its hanging on in a stiff breeze. Light is a good white, not that blue mentioned earlier

I have a couple of light sticks from harbour freight. Caught them on sale for 25 ea they work pretty good. http://m.harborfreight.com/120-led-rechargeable-under-hood-work-light-60793.html?utm_referrer=direct%2Fnot%20provided

pinchvalve wrote: Lowes sells a model that I really like. The little 10watt Utilitech Pro is cheap and is great for working in tight spaces, and it will run from A/C or D/C power. They also have a larger 16 watt model.

This one is awesome. I even added one to the tractor as a worklight

Costco has these 2000 lumen work lights on sale for $35 each. I picked up two. The little buggers kick out a ton of light and don't get too hot. Seem pretty well made too.

In reply to LuxInterior:

SWMBOs parents have a Costco membership...

They're "Snap-on", not Snap-on. I have one and it's good enough. However, the cord plus the pain to adjust it vertically make it less than useful. I'd look for a cordless stick before buying it again.

If that's the style of light you need, however, it's awesome.

In reply to LuxInterior:

I have one of these. It's tremendous, puts out incredible amounts of light once you get past the initial fiddling. I would absolutely buy another, but I find myself using my battery-powered wand light much more frequently because of the lack of a cord.

I've used to battery powered stick lights, a snap-on and a harbor Freight. Neither put out enough light to be worth bothering with. I end up using a harbor Freight flashlight instead.

Better options in stick lights?

In reply to LuxInterior:

I have 4 of those, they rock

Got mine at Home Depot to replace the old corded ones tha kept trying to kill me with electrons and fie. I really like it.

The magnetic base is quite nice. It will stick to the side of a fender or underside of the car.

I have a Bayco that I bought from Amazon a couple years ago to replace my craftsman one which no longer holds a charge. It's been good so far.

I use these with a Phillips 60 watt equivalent LED bulb from Home Depot. The bulbs were on sale last week for $2.97. This bulb Philips SlimStyle 60W Equivalent Soft White A19 Dimmable LED Light Bulb (

Home depot has a really bright one. We have two at work (field service dept) that have been great 0 problems. Not cheap but just as bright as 2 500w halogens but they don't get hot and don't burn out. Some of the reviews people complain about the plastic compression fittings but hell people you don't need to cranks the berkeley out of it... My one complaint is the metal bracket that runs horizontally under the light is a bit to tin and bendy but never broke one yet.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-5-ft-2500-Lumen-Multi-Directional-LED-Work-Light-3PL-TP-DF-24W/203455015

bigdaddylee82 wrote: I happened to be in Sears a couple weeks ago and snagged this on sale for $17. Looks like it's $20 online. http://www.sears.com/craftsman-cordless-rechargeable-work-light-with-35-led/p-03473904000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1 Don't know how long the batteries will last, but I like it so far. Rechargeable, no batteries to replace, no cord to drag around, magnet, hook, flats to keep it from rolling around, plenty bright, and can be a flood light from the side, a spot light from the end, or both.

That one sucked donkey parts. Light had minimal spread and never seemed to actually illuminate what I wanted it to. The first one died - stopped powering on. Made the mistake of buying another in desperation - accidentally ran it over. Then I ran it over again on purpose on principal.

pinchvalve wrote: Lowes sells a model that I really like. The little 10watt Utilitech Pro is cheap and is great for working in tight spaces, and it will run from A/C or D/C power. They also have a larger 16 watt model.

This one works incredibly well. Great spread of light, nice and bright, the adjustable base is very useful for positioning. The cig lighter is pretty useful also. I take it with me racing and plug it in when needed.

I bought this cordless light a few months ago and it's impressively bright.

http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J6C22TK

It lasts fairly long, but not all day. It doesn't charge particularly quickly, but if that's a problem, it'll run while charging.

The heat sink on the back of the light does get hot. You'll find this out when you accidentally touch it with the back of your arm while working under the car.

The power switch is annoying. It goes main light, spotlight, off. Can't go directly from the main light to off. That's just ... annoying.

It sounds like I don't like this thing, but these are not deal-breakers. For putting light on the subject, it's awesome. Lots of bright white light, no blue hue. The main light has a usefully-wide beam, the spot is intense and focused.

It's more expensive than a lot of the stuff here, but it's not as expensive as the big names.

Capri Tools 40464

Those floor-standing flood units others have posted above look cool. When my current halogen one dies, I'm getting one of those.

I like my floorstanders for under-car work. But for under-hood work, I like something different. With the LED handhelds, it's not the color of the light, it's whether you can position the thing where you need it.

I've had the unit linked above for about six months, and it has very good mounting hooks & magnet.

Plus, I was sure I was going to spend all my time hunting around for it after I "just put the XXXX! thing down." But it has a big magnet on it, so I just stick it on the side of my tool chest, and I always know where it is.

I got one of these not too long ago and have been very impressed with it:

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-led-pocket-light/p-03473960000P