flourescent vs. LED work lights

[gotta56forme]

I'm finishing up my garage build, and one thing I want to install is a trouble light on a cord reel for quick access. Sears has a 26w flourescent one on sale from $74.99(?) to $49.99. I figured I would want an LED model as my hunch is they are less prone to breakage from dropping, etc. I've decided I don't want a rechargeable of either because I find I don't use my rechargable tool frequent enough, which I think is harder on the battery than if you use it.

Any strong opinions on flourescent vs. LED?

Thanks in advance,

Scott/Gotta56forme.

 

[OldCarGuy]

I own a Craftsman 50 LED Work Light with 30 ft retractable reel that was priced at $69.99 plus tax. And wouldn't recommend it at all...

For comparison sake I took the following two pictures with the same setup of my digital camera mounted on a tripod. The first picture is the LED light. And the second was taken using an old fashion work light with a 60 watt incandescent light bulb. As you can see the LED is not nearly as bright as the incandescent bulb. My initial impressions is that I should have saved $30.00 and purchased their incandescent light. When I ever get around to it, I’m going to try using a fluorescent bulb in my older work light and see how it compares.…

For working in tight areas like under dashes, I use one of my Black Decker 26 LED’s Rechargeable Work Light. It‘s not the brightest; but okay. I paid $18.00 each.

 

[buening]

I too am in the market for a drop light on a reel. I've looked into the 26W craftsman drop lights, but it seems that all of their reels (lights or just extension cords) are prone to breaking because the internal stop tab is made of plastic.

I've been looking at the Bayco 26W SL-875 reel light but haven't found many sources for reviews. The Mac, Snap On, and CoxReel drop lights are crazy expensive and won't bring myself to pay that much. Another brand is National Electric, but again I cannot find much feedback on the products. I too am open for recommendations!

My experience with LED lighting is consistent with OldCarGuy's reply. They are good for a focused beam, not so good for a broad coverage that is typically required for a worklight.

I own an unknown brand cordless 13W fluorescent worklight and the output is so-so, so I'm looking for the 26W lights. I do not like the life of the battery though, I'm lucky to get 4 minutes of light before it dies on me. Not good when you are up in a dark attic working on something and your light dies!!! Ask me how I know....

 

[kartracer55]

Old car guys post shows why Im not a big fan of LED lights. If you look in the center of the manifold, its super bright, almost hurts your eyes. Everywhere else is dim at best.

Incandescent work lights, however, **** as well and do present a safety hazard. First of all, its easy to get burned on them. While you wont be screaming in pain, it is definitely enough to aggravate you. My biggest problem with them is that the bulbs can shatter on you if they have been on for a while, getting nice and hot, and all of a sudden a water droplet or some compressed air hits the surface. It is not uncommon for bulbs to shatter when you put a car that was just in the rain up on a lift.

Fluorescent work lights offer the best of both worlds IMHO. Run cooler than incandescent bulbs (use less electricity too might I add) and last longer than incancesdents. They also don't put out a super harsh/concentrated light like LED's do. I will admit, that cordless LED work lights are very nice and do have their place, but for long jobs, they start to bother my eyes. I have a "central" brand bounce light. Made in USA, kinda spendy @ approximately 50$, but its the tube style light, not the big flat kind. I don't like the really big fluorescent lights that sears and many other places sell... they are just too bulky.

http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/CEN-121CP-00.html

 

[fotoflojoe]

I'll throw another opinion on the pile...

IMHO, LED work lights are way too directional to be useful in an under-hood "open" space.
Couple months ago, I bought two work lights; A fluorescent, and an LED one.

It became immediately apparent that the LED one was too directional to be useful in anything but the most confined space. The fluorescent one however has been great.

 

[Speed-Racer]

Take a look at the NEC brand flourescent reel lights(Snap-on and the other tool trucks rebadge this brand), the more expensive ones have better quality cord, usually 50ft. This is one of the best drop light brands, they are $100-$125. You will not regret this purchase, I have attached a link below for a picture of the one I own.

http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/nat20950.html

 

[buening]

Take a look at the NEC brand flourescent reel lights(Snap-on and the other tool trucks rebadge this brand), the more expensive ones have better quality cord, usually 50ft. This is one of the best drop light brands, they are $100-$125. You will not regret this purchase, I have attached a link below for a picture of the one I own.

http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/nat20950.html

Would this one be comparable? http://djvmerchandise.com/pro1314444.html

It is much cheaper than the one you linked to and is the same brand, although I'd still prefer a 26W light

Your light from the same above company: http://djvmerchandise.com/pro1314410.html

I don't really seem much difference, other than the "heavy duty reel". I guess its a better built reel?

 

[rsanter]

I have 2 of the florecent Cman work lights and both have held up well

from what I have seen they are better than the LED units

I sure like my LED flashlights though

bob

 

[Speed-Racer]

The cord on the less expensive reel has grooves that collect grease, like some of the craftsman models.

The more expensive one has SJTOW cord - oil, water resistant and easy to clean, smooth finish that is very flexible. The reel is also very easy to pull out and retracts easily, even if you have all 50ft out. I spent a lot of time researching this, this is one of the best lights IMO.

 

[Bolster]

I like and use high-tec LED flashlights for work, but something to remember about LEDs is:

...They don't put out full spectrum white (at least not the current LEDs, I'm sure they will in the near future). Incan does put out full spectrum, not sure about fluorescents. This is why you get sort of an undescribable "black and white" effect when using LEDs, even though you can see colors.

In a nutshell, it's a little harder to "see" with current LED lights because many of the colors that make up 'white light' are missing.

For example, I've read that police prefer lower-power incans over higher-power LEDs, because even at lower power, the incan will help them spot the perpetrator hiding in the dark, whereas the brighter LED may help disguise the perp because it's more difficult to see and recognize objects.

I gave a really nice, high-end ($50) LED headlamp (a zebralight) to my electrician friend. He won't use it because he says that although it's fantastically lightweight, durable, and bright, he can't "see" with it.

For more on this topic, visit candlepowerforums.com

PS: the issue about 'thrower' vs 'floody' worklights? A 'thrower' (focused beam) not the fault of the light source, but a fault of the design and the nature of the reflectors used. You can buy floody LED flashlights, such as the zebralight mentioned above. I don't know if anybody makes floody LED worklights, but they darn sure should. Can't think of anything more worthless than a "throwy" worklight!!

 

[klswvu]

I use a 13w Compact Fluorescent on a reel. No complaints; however, the 26w ones look nice.

 

[Danglerb]

I don't have any reels, and use a variety of lights on a long extension cord with a triple outlet. My old caged work light now has a 13 watt CFL in it, but my most used and best liked lights are a pair of $8 HF CFL. The only thing I like a LED for is a flashlight where I want a focused spot beam to look for things.

The $8 HF light is incredibly handy, hangs, sits, rotates, and doesn't get hot to the touch or blind you if you have to look straight at it.

First one I have two of, others still thinking about, waiting for sale.

 

[chrisexv6]

I bought the Bayco reel light that Lowes sells for about 25 bux. So far I like it.

I had an incandescent reel light, but after replacing 2 bulbs in a week, Im lucky I didnt rip the ceiling joist down with the reel. Put the Lowes version in its place and am happy that I dont have to worry about the bulb breaking from being looked at funny.

Its only 13W but its not bad. The 26W would have been better but was more than I wanted to pay and wasnt locally attainable. My garage could use some more overhead lighting, once thats done the 13W may work just fine.

-Chris

 

[J.A.F.E.]

I have one old cage style light with a CF bulb. It gives off decent light, does not get too hot and I don't worry so much about flammability and breakage issues as with an incandescent bulb. I also have two florescent TL's. Sometimes I use all three at once as I like lots of light.

I just bought an LED CMan on 1/2 price sale just to see. In general I am not a big fan of current generation LED lighting but do think it has lots of potential (pun intended) as the next generation of lighting.

My advice too is go with the florescent.

~Steve

 

[Mr. Welsh]

If I could afford it, the medical business has pretty good work lights. Adjustable color temperature, adjustable intensity, and hung from the ceiling. If it works for a heart bypass, why can't I get a cheap version made for brake jobs?

I've not liked the cheap LED trouble lights I've used because of their bad color temperature and bad light distribution, but these Trumpf units are pretty neat. Still, even with that 5 lamp unit, the beam may be too focused for working under the hood.

 

[charlie_nj]

I have a 25 year old craftsman incandescent reel light which I've used for like 25 years. The other day I replaced the bulb with one of the compact flourescent bulbs, which gives 75 equivelant watts of light while using 20 watts. It's really bright and won't burn you. However, I am wondering about the durability of the bulb. I think I'm actually gonna get a 100 watt equivelant and try that for even more light. Has anyone else tried this and have the bulbs held up to the banging around?

 

[J.A.F.E.]

I have a 25 year old craftsman incandescent reel light which I've used for like 25 years. The other day I replaced the bulb with one of the compact flourescent bulbs, which gives 75 equivelant watts of light while using 20 watts. It's really bright and won't burn you. However, I am wondering about the durability of the bulb. I think I'm actually gonna get a 100 watt equivelant and try that for even more light. Has anyone else tried this and have the bulbs held up to the banging around?

I have been using one for a while and it has held up just fine. So far I have not broken the bulb after almost 1 1/2 years. I am usually lucky to get through two or three uses of an incandescent sometimes two or more one job. Use the brightest bulb you can fit in the cage. I can just barely get the 100w equivalent in mine.

~Steve

 

[gotta56forme]

Thank you to all who replied. This has been extremely informative and helpful.

 

[nightrain00]

I for one will work in the dark before I use the old style drops on you arm and burns you while both hands are occupied then a drop of your sweat lands and blows the bulb drop light again. That being said I like an led for under dash work, a 3ft flourecent for under hood and a small fl for under car. I might however have to try the cfl in the old drop light I think I still have one laying around that I didn't smash to pieces in a fit of rage after it burning me or the bulb blowing up for the 17th time that hour.

 

[Stuart in MN]

If I could afford it, the medical business has pretty good work lights. Adjustable color temperature, adjustable intensity, and hung from the ceiling.

Every time I go to the dentist I look at that light on the articulated arm they have next to the chair, and I think about how handy it would be to have one in my garage.

 

[nissan_crawler]

I work with led lights, and have no problems with them. Fluorescents are ok, if they're staying in a shop. If they're in a travel box, carry spare bulbs, because you'll replace one every time the vehicle moves more than 10 feet, they just can't take it.

Ferret makes some really nice LED lights, but they aren't cheap. I got the smallest, and wish I had gone bigger for more light. It's waterproof, and you can drive on them. I threw it in my pond plugged in for 24 hours, just to see if they were lying, they weren't. That's nice to know if you ever end up with gas getting on your light. I ran it over at least twice on accident, once with about 3,000 lbs of rock in the bed of the pickup. It scratched the lens a bit from it slipping, but that's it, didn't crack it at all.

 

[bomber]

I put CF in my old drop lights -- no problems at all, much studier than even rough service incandescents . . . . . .

I keep waiting for one of the fixtures to die, so I can talk myself into a reel to hang in teh Entropy Lab -- I'm a cheap fella ;-}

 

[OldCarGuy]

I own a Craftsman 50 LED Work Light with 30 ft retractable reel that was priced at $69.99 plus tax. And wouldn't recommend it at all...

For comparison sake I took the following two pictures with the same setup of my digital camera mounted on a tripod. The first picture is the LED light. And the second was taken using an old fashion work light with a 60 watt incandescent light bulb. As you can see the LED is not nearly as bright as the incandescent bulb. My initial impressions is that I should have saved $30.00 and purchased their incandescent light. When I ever get around to it, I’m going to try using a fluorescent bulb in my older work light and see how it compares.…

My Craftsman's LED work light has just crapped out! Mind you,, in only a year's time. Back to the old incandescent for me...


.

 

[mrb]

I use CFLs in standard lights made for an incandescent. I havent broken one yet. Cheap, and puts out a good even light. The LED ones are awful.

 

[rodm1]

The cord on the less expensive reel has grooves that collect grease, like some of the craftsman models.

The more expensive one has SJTOW cord - oil, water resistant and easy to clean, smooth finish that is very flexible. The reel is also very easy to pull out and retracts easily, even if you have all 50ft out. I spent a lot of time researching this, this is one of the best lights IMO.

Dues it have a glass lens. on it? mine is all scratched up from use.

 

[krehmkej]

I have a Craftsman flourescent reel unit that's been abused for 12+ years and is still going strong on the original bulb.
As posted earlier, the cord has grooved sides that pick up all kinds of clag.
The other thing I would want that it doesn't have, is a 110v convenience outlet. That would be nice for items such as soldering gun, etc.

 

[CollinLeon]

I have one of the fluorescent drop lights (Bayco) and it has withstood a lot of abuse over the years. With the typical incandescent drop lights, I routinely broke bulbs -- often multiple bulbs per use. Lately, I have been using my drop light while welding at night. It provides enough light to illuminate the area where I'm going to be sticking the electrode, but it is not so bright that it causes the auto-darkening lens to darken (as long as I don't shine it directly towards the lens). Well, I guess I dropped it one too many times and the bulb physically broke the other night. As such, I guess it is a compromise. With the incandescent bulbs, they are more easy to break, but you are more likely to have a replacement around the house. With the fluorescent bulbs, they don't break as often, but when they do, you're not likely to have a replacement bulb. I'm off to Home Depot / Lowes / Wal-mart today to see if I can find a replacement bulb... If I can't, I'll probably just get a normal drop light and either use a rough service bulb in it or maybe one of the compact fluorescent bulbs.

 

[Jack Olsen]

I revently mated a ($37) Bayco 26-Watt Light to an old Craftsman cord reel I had. The nice thing about the Bayco is that it has a tap in it, so it still functions as an extension cord, too.

I tried mounting it in a couple different places on the ceiling, then realized that I need it down low, never up high. So I mounted it to the underside of my workbench right next to where the car is parked. I'm really happy with it there.

This isn't the best picture, but you can see it where the pole meets the bench.

 

[Greatbear]

I have the same Craftsman cord-reel light. It's been junk. I can count on at least one LED in the array to be dim or nearly out, or the whole array to fail each time I turn it on. I've replaced seven of the LEDs already. The LEDs are all in series, powered by a 150VDC constant current source. The LEDs seem to be affected by the temp swings and humidity in my unheated garage. I keep the thing going simply because it works well as an underdash light. It stays clean since I rarely want to use it for any other use. Any of the multi-LED array lights throw a light similar to a flashlight, a fluorescent casts a much more diffused light. I have three other reel lights, all of them fluorescent.

 

[CollinLeon]

I just got back from HF... Picked up a couple of the 13W fluorescent replacement bulbs that go in my Bayco drop light since they were a bit less than $2 each. The plastic light cover is cracked, so the light has definitely seen its better days, but it still works (at least with a bulb that is not physically broken), so I guess I'll keep using it. Also picked up one of the standard incandescent type drop lights (with metal shroud) from Wally World for $8... I'll be using it with a CF type bulb though. You never can have enough light when you're working outside at night with a dark shade welding helmet on... I'm building about 250 ft of metal (wrought iron type) metal fencing along my rear property line and it is about 125 from the nearest electrical outlet. Already had to make up a 125 ft 220V extension cord using 6-gauge wire.

 

[rayzor32]

they both **** IMO I cant see anything well except an 75w incandescent.