Drop Lights / Trouble Lights

[spotco2]

My old trusty drop light finally died a few weeks ago while doing a brake job. I loved the light and we have made many memories together over the years. Sadly they no longer make the old fluorescent light I had so it's time to shop.

What's the "go to" light now days?

I would like corded and probably upgrade to LED's. I would consider cordless if I could still use it while it is plugged in and charging.

I don't mind spending money for quality tools that perform well and last. However I don't like to overspend just to be spending money.

Any recommendations? What are you using in the shop?

 

[Provincial]

I buy the old classic incandescent trouble lights for a few dollars at garage sales and install LED bulbs in them. I have found that there is no advantage to using a LED bulb larger than 75W equivilent, and that 60W works well in tight quarters.

 

[seanb02]

Honestly, I know you say you like corded, but I am willing to bet if you try a good cordless you will never look back. I use a DeWalt 20v, and it is phenomenal, it can go all day on a battery if necessary. LED is defiantly the way to go no matter what you choose. But if you have other cordless tools then a drop light that uses the same battery platform is the best way to go in my opinion.

Aside from that, just get any old style drop light fixture and screw in an LED bulb. I just personally find that rolling around under a vehicle the cord gets in the way causing a hassle that slows things down.

 

[Wamsutta]

Nobody is using corded drop lights anymore.

The two most popular lights are the Harbor Freight Braun and the Astro-Pneumatic 40SL.

 

[Skin]

Problem with cordless is it dies fast. 40SL lasts about 2 hours on full and I personally bump the damned switch dial all the time which annoys me. I actually vastly prefer other lights with simple on/off or preset brightness levels because of it. Also not sure what companies are thinking but round bodies are annoying. This surprises no one except for designers but...when placed down they roll. The world is not steel. My favorite cordless lights are rectangular.

For corded i'd suggest National Electric.

http://www.nationalelectricusa.com/product/x-2-light-x-treme-performance-work-light-reel/

 

[Citation]

I like the idea of the traditional corded plus LED bulb. Cordless makes a lot of sense for a pro who is going to get in and out quickly and is hopefully working in a reasonably well lit shop. My garage is not well lit and projects can take a while. My drop light is far older than my battery tools and still kicking. Since I only use it from time to time and then for hours at a time I'm better served by a corded light. Basically, consider hospital you will use it first before giving cordless or corded.

That and consider a headlamp.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Cordomatic 500 with LED bulb. Never burn my ears or elbows, the bulb doesn't break 2x/day, and it has a convenient power outlet.

 

[bdelmar2]

Monster cordless led light - if you can find them.

I think I remember seeing them in a napa circular one time, so worth asking there. USA Tools sells them off the truck if you have one of those around.

costs about $85 for the newest version I believe.

Newer ones have 2 brightness levels.

I haven't tested my new one out long enough to know the variance in batt life, but my old ones would last half a day on a charge (light on constantly) and would recharge in an hour or less. New one seems similar.

So if you need it for work you can get 2 and always have a light, or recharge one over lunch. (or turn it off when not actually using it)

They will also take fairly serious abuse, dropping and what not. Full time heavy shop use, including coworkers using, they seem to last around 4 years if they don't get run over. (light gets left under vehicle on test drive, falls out onto road....)

For light home use I imagine one would last a looong time. Until the battery gives up the ghost. In the shop they tend to get battered to death before they die.

Biggest issue is finding one to buy. I had to wait 2 months to get my last one because they were backordered. Tool guy ordered 10 and they were all gone the day they arrived. No clue why he didn't order more - he sells out every time he gets them.

 

[WWheeler]

Inmark Enterprises DUR-A-LITE
General Manufacturing Inc SafTLite

My favorites by far. I imagine new they are pricey as they are USA-made and marketed for industrial uses, but I've managed to pick up on the very cheap a few used corded 24" to 50" magnetic base industrial tube lights by these two companies that are rugged and light up an undercarriage or engine bay waaay better than anything else I've seen. I think Electrix is another USA brand that makes similar.

As far as just a trouble light I have several old-school droplights with LED bulbs and a couple 18V and 20V Dewalt lights. I also bought a couple Astro-Pneumatic 40SL knockoffs off ebay ("Pneumatic Multifunction Portable Rechargeable COB LED Slim Work Light") for ~$10 each that I've actually been pretty impressed with so far.

Depending on the job at hand I use various combinations of all of the above.

 

[Badger 13]

I still have a couple of corded drop lights that I have changed to LED bulbs which makes a huge improvement, plus not more burns. However since I purchased a Milwaukee M18 "stick light", I have not grabbed for the drop lights at all. I can't say enough good about this light. I have a 5.0ah battery on it. I can put over 16 hours of use on "high" and still have two bars left on the battery. Plus the LED's are more of a natural color which is nice when working with colored wires. If you have the Milwaukee platform, this is a pretty nice light.

 

[bonneyman]

I'm a generation behind on drop lights, having converted my corded work light to spiral flourescent bulbs years ago. The ran cooler, were a bit more durable, and always had spares around just in case. (This was before LED bulbs became popular). Now the spiral flourescents are becoming NLA, and may have to upgrade to an LED style.
Keeping my eyes open for an old school bakelite drop light that I can Macgyver into a superbrite LED sweetie!

 

[Outlander]

I buy the old classic incandescent trouble lights for a few dollars at garage sales and install LED bulbs in them. I have found that there is no advantage to using a LED bulb larger than 75W equivilent, and that 60W works well in tight quarters.

I never actually thought of doing that repeatedly. I'd sure be able to quit dragging one light all over!

Been using both corded and cordless for a while.

 

[crewchief888]

I buy the old classic incandescent trouble lights for a few dollars at garage sales and install LED bulbs in them. I have found that there is no advantage to using a LED bulb larger than 75W equivilent, and that 60W works well in tight quarters.

this is what we do at our dealership....

we also have several LED stand lights that put out a TON of light. $50 or so from HD

 

[johndeereman]

I know you mentioned corded, but as other's have said cordless is really the way to go. I have the Milwaukee m18 and m12 platform as well as a cordless Carlyle from napa that has been GREAT. just my 2 cents

 

[redwrench60]

At work I prefer cordless work lights that take the same batteries as my cordless tools. I use a Milwaukee M18 flashlight and a Snap On 14.4V magnetic work light. The mobility and convenience is the cat’s ***. I also have tons of batteries so I’m never dead in the water.

At home in the shop I prefer my corded reel mounted drop lights. They’re all fitted with 60 watt equivalent LED bulbs, will reach anywhere in the shop and have 15 amp outlets built in for convenient use as an extension cord. With no batteries to charge they’re always ready and if I forget to turn it off when I stop for break I don’t come back to a dead light. The LED’s run nice and cool with great light output.

 

[olytdi]

Nobody is using corded drop lights anymore.

Sure they are. I have corded overhead reel drop lights strategically positioned in my shop and garage. Open any car hood, reach above your head and you've got a 30 ft corded drop light retrofitted with LED. What's not to like? No charging, no "where's my cordless light?", no need to store it somewhere. It hangs up in the air out of the way of everything. Perfect!

 

[Nineeightyone]

I was given a Harbor Freight/Braun corded light, handy outlet, apparently bulbs are easy enough to change, my only complaint is that the magnet mounting thing clips on RIGHT by where the switch is, but it's not a huge deal. It's not an overly expensive light, it's nice to have the outlet on the unit as well, and I'm sure the magnetic clip holder thing could be modified to fit elsewhere.

Regarding the rolling light thing, at least for the Braun I have, I plan on getting a small square steel plate to stick to the magnet, so that if I need it to stay at a particular angle, the option is there.

Personally, I'm gonna say a light is a light in this case, the Braun ones are plenty bright, don't cost much, and they do the job. But I'm a homegamer, someone with professional needs may want something different.