HF Underhood work light.

[Mr.Nutcase]

I was browsing and found:
Does anyone have it? any reviews
http://www.harborfreight.com/120-led-rechargeable-under-hood-work-light-60793.html

 

[neonnblack]

Im not a HF basher. But i dont know if i could trust a rechargeable one. Corded, i'd be down.

 

[unslow1]

I bought one a couple of weeks ago. It seems to work OK. It looks like a a larger version of my Craftsman one.

 

[Mr.Nutcase]

Im not a HF basher. But i dont know if i could trust a rechargeable one. Corded, i'd be down.

for 34 dollars, seems like deal.
could be modified

 

[nicksnothereman]

for 34 dollars, seems like deal.
could be modified

Usually the batteries are internal on these things. You can't modify them too much. I have one of these chinese deals (not harbor freight and not as nice) I got as a gift. It's probably fairly bright because that's a s-load of leds. I think mine has something like 30, it's fine for 99.9% of stuff I use it for. I don't like leds for automotive work, I just use floor lamps and overhead hangers for the most part.

 

[stratman977]

I fell for that trap, thought for $29.99 it would be better than nothing but its not. Just resist its a waste of money. I don't have another cordless light so I use mine in place of that when I don't feel like dragging a cord over but it isn't even ideal for that either.

1. It's not bright enough.
2. They focus the led's so it doesn't flood the whole engine bay with light, more like a thin line.
3. ~2 hours of usable battery.
4. The led color is on the blue side, I'd prefer a softer white.
5. The hooks are useless and it doesn't attach to the hood well.
5. Not even close to the ATD Saber I bought a few weeks later.

 

[warmpancakes]

I fell for that trap, thought for $29.99 it would be better than nothing but its not. Just resist its a waste of money. I don't have another cordless light so I use mine in place of that when I don't feel like dragging a cord over but it isn't even ideal for that either.

1. It's not bright enough.
2. They focus the led's so it doesn't flood the whole engine bay with light, more like a thin line.
3. ~2 hours of usable battery.
4. The led color is on the blue side, I'd prefer a softer white.
5. The hooks are useless and it doesn't attach to the hood well.
.

same thoughts as me work bought one, its cheap and you get what you pay for, magnets arent strong enough the hooks dont hold, its not a 30.00 trash can weight

 

[bcradio]

I fell for that trap, thought for $29.99 it would be better than nothing but its not. Just resist its a waste of money. I don't have another cordless light so I use mine in place of that when I don't feel like dragging a cord over but it isn't even ideal for that either.

1. It's not bright enough.
2. They focus the led's so it doesn't flood the whole engine bay with light, more like a thin line.
3. ~2 hours of usable battery.
4. The led color is on the blue side, I'd prefer a softer white.
5. The hooks are useless and it doesn't attach to the hood well.
5. Not even close to the ATD Saber I bought a few weeks later.

I LOVE my ATD light... that thing works amazing.

I'd say stick to corded for this tool, unless you often need to drive around with the hood open and light on

 

[IanG]

I bought one for 25 and havent used it much but I thought it was decent. Perhaps I just dont know any better. I might have to look at that ATD light.

 

[IanG]

I fell for that trap, thought for $29.99 it would be better than nothing but its not. Just resist its a waste of money. I don't have another cordless light so I use mine in place of that when I don't feel like dragging a cord over but it isn't even ideal for that either.

1. It's not bright enough.
2. They focus the led's so it doesn't flood the whole engine bay with light, more like a thin line.
3. ~2 hours of usable battery.
4. The led color is on the blue side, I'd prefer a softer white.
5. The hooks are useless and it doesn't attach to the hood well.
5. Not even close to the ATD Saber I bought a few weeks later.

Which model of the ATD light do you have? 80050 is the Fluorescent and 80351 is the LED. Appears as if the Fluorescent puts out more light based on the lumens but I would assume the LED would be more durable.

 

[stratman977]

I have the 80050. My opinion is probably biased on fluorescent over led but the hf light just isn't even workable enough to make a comparison. I could take a picture comparison tonight to show the huge difference if it would be of any use.

 

[MG44]

A lot of underhood lights ****, just not the HF one. A few years ago we were buying the Matco ones at $130 or so a pop and they lasted two months and were junk. Got a few warrantied and then Matco said we were on our own.

 

[froggert]

i bought one a few weeks ago and like it. for the price, it's excellent. yes, the magnets **** and the hooks aren't that great. but it's cheap (and was even cheaper with a harbor freight coupon). it fits great on my 4-post lift laying across the runways, providing light under the car.

 

[stratman977]

Here's a comparison. HF light on top, ATD Saber 80500 on bottom. Shop lights off, both mounted in about the same position. Also same camera settings, the ATD picture looks clearer cause the camera did better with more light. HF light fully charged and on the high setting.

 

[nicksnothereman]

Here's a comparison. HF light on top, ATD Saber 80500 on bottom. Shop lights off, both mounted in about the same position. Also same camera settings, the ATD picture looks clearer cause the camera did better with more light. HF light fully charged and on the high setting.

Someone test the difference between 3 of those hf crapos and that atd light. That's the true comparison, right? You know because that atd light is 3x the cost.

 

[fitz11]

A word of caution if anyone gets the HF light. You can't use it while it is plugged in. If you turn it on while charging it will never turn on again. I learned the hard way.

 

[unslow1]

I used a 25% off coupon and after tax out the door for just under $25.

 

[signcrafter]

Here's the real question, is it worth 25 bucks for someone that doesn't have an underhood light and can't afford the 120 or so for the good ones? It's not really fair to compare it to the 100 dollar plus lights, because it's not a 100 dollar plus light. That's like taking a ford ranger and an F250 turbo diesel and saying the ranger is garbage because it can't tow as much as the turbo diesel!

I'm not a HF lover or hater, just try to look at things as they are. I think it's funny when people compare HF to the top of the line tools. The HF light isn't meant to be as good as the top of the line light, if it was it would be priced with the top of the line light. Instead the HF is supposed to be a 25 dollar light. And the real question is, is the HF light worth 25 bucks for someone that can't afford or maybe can't justify spending 100 dollars plus on a "good" light? If it doesn't light anything up then it's a 25 dollar piece of junk. If it will do better then nothing and give you some light then 25 bucks might be worth it.

Just my opinion but I think it's silly when people compare HF stuff to top of the line stuff.

 

[MattPersman]

This is apples to apples though other than cost. It's the same product, led light vs led light. Not led light vs old rayovac plastic c cell flashlight. a 3/4 ton diesel is not the same as a compact pickup other than being a truck.

Someone at my shop has the light it seemed ok for 20 some bucks, the mounting is worthless if you are crafty perhaps you can come up with a good way to make it work like the atd mounting wise

 

[signcrafter]

This is apples to apples though other than cost. It's the same product, led light vs led light. Not led light vs old rayovac plastic c cell flashlight. a 3/4 ton diesel is not the same as a compact pickup other than being a truck.

Someone at my shop has the light it seemed ok for 20 some bucks, the mounting is worthless if you are crafty perhaps you can come up with a good way to make it work like the atd mounting wise

But it's really not apples to apples. You say led vs led. You could say that about the trucks also, they both have boxes on them so they both should have the same payload capacity right? I'm sure the leds and the insides are different then a 100 dollar light. The HF is a 25 dollar light, you can't compare it to a top of the line light. When I look at HF items I don't compare them to similar top of the line items. I try to determine if they are worth the price they cost. In this case is the light worth 25 bucks or not.

 

[bcradio]

Here's the real question, is it worth 25 bucks for someone that doesn't have an underhood light and can't afford the 120 or so for the good ones? It's not really fair to compare it to the 100 dollar plus lights, because it's not a 100 dollar plus light. That's like taking a ford ranger and an F250 turbo diesel and saying the ranger is garbage because it can't tow as much as the turbo diesel!

I'm not a HF lover or hater, just try to look at things as they are. I think it's funny when people compare HF to the top of the line tools. The HF light isn't meant to be as good as the top of the line light, if it was it would be priced with the top of the line light. Instead the HF is supposed to be a 25 dollar light. And the real question is, is the HF light worth 25 bucks for someone that can't afford or maybe can't justify spending 100 dollars plus on a "good" light? If it doesn't light anything up then it's a 25 dollar piece of junk. If it will do better then nothing and give you some light then 25 bucks might be worth it.

Just my opinion but I think it's silly when people compare HF stuff to top of the line stuff.

It is absolutely worth doing a comparison. The variable in the comparison is price and it is blatantly obvious that this is different. The photos show what kind of difference you will get if you spend more on an ATD light.

If you can live with the light output from the HF and think the batteries will last long enough before they wont hold a charge to get your $25 worth, then by all means make the purchase. Otherwise, if you are like me and want to know that 10-15-20 years down the road you can go out and plug it in and fire right up giving excellent light to work on your vintage 2016 car, then you might want to look elsewhere.

BTW I love many HF items, but what kills this for me is cordless... otherwise I'd have 3 of them.

 

[IanG]

This is apples to apples though other than cost. It's the same product, led light vs led light. Not led light vs old rayovac plastic c cell flashlight. a 3/4 ton diesel is not the same as a compact pickup other than being a truck.

Someone at my shop has the light it seemed ok for 20 some bucks, the mounting is worthless if you are crafty perhaps you can come up with a good way to make it work like the atd mounting wise

Just an FYI but this is not apples to apples since it is LED(HF) vs Fluorescent(ATD). The ATD fluorescent (80050) puts out 1500 lumens, the ATD corded LED (80351) puts out 1000-1200 Lumens, and the cordless LED (80352) puts out 500-600 lumens. The ATD cordless LED vs the HF would be the fairest comparison and might be pretty even.

 

[stratman977]

I did the comparison in the dark so you could actually see the difference. Maybe I should do a comparison with the shop lights on and with the shop lights on and the hf light on. I personally don't see much difference between the two cases.

Yes the thing lights up the dark reasonably well but its job is to make it easier to see what your working on under the hood and it fails at that. I'm not throwing stones at HF, I shop there just like the rest of you. I expected to hang it on the hood and provide light, yes it does that but not very well. It could say snap on on it and I'd still think its a piece of ****.

The ATD you can work with out the shop lights on if you wanted to.

 

[Bull]

Are the ATD and Mountain the same thing? How many companies are cranking of distinct versions of these lights?

 

[Polski-Chevy]

I noticed that HF raised the price this month, I got one to try awhile ago for $23 out the door (with coupon).

First time I used it under a hood, I took it to a neighbor's garage to do a compression test and his fluorecent shop lights over powered the LEDs.

I did like that the ends unscrew with bungie cords to extend the reach of the hooks, but I didn't like the run time on a full charge was only a couple hours, then I could not use it while plugged in.

I have it found useful, not in the garage but in the attic, crawl, and shed, because in those low light areas it can hang off a couple nails overhead and light the whole work space very well.

However, it did send me searching for a decent fluorescent underhood light.

I hope that helps out anyone looking to drop the cash on one

 

[3 at 8]

I currently was on the fence with this one. The recharge feature makes me worry about longevity. Which ATD light are we comparing it to?

EDIT: Just re-read; I guess its the ATD "Saber".

 

[Bobf]

Obviously somewhat off subject, but can you still buy a under hood light with a mercury switch control? I had one years ago in a 57 Chevy and I haven't seen one in a long time. I'm sure the MERCURY sets off govmint alarms now a days.

 

[signcrafter]

It is absolutely worth doing a comparison. The variable in the comparison is price and it is blatantly obvious that this is different. The photos show what kind of difference you will get if you spend more on an ATD light.

If you can live with the light output from the HF and think the batteries will last long enough before they wont hold a charge to get your $25 worth, then by all means make the purchase. Otherwise, if you are like me and want to know that 10-15-20 years down the road you can go out and plug it in and fire right up giving excellent light to work on your vintage 2016 car, then you might want to look elsewhere.

BTW I love many HF items, but what kills this for me is cordless... otherwise I'd have 3 of them.

I agree with everything you're saying and guess I worded my other post wrong. I do like you and compare the two products but keeping price in mind. So since the HF light is 1/4 of the price of the good lights it should have 1/4 of the performance of the good lights. Now the question becomes is the light output good enough or is it going to just be a waste of money. Some things are complete garbage and worth it to spend extra on.

I guess the way I look at it is for someone like me that can't really justify spending 100 plus dollars on a light is the HF worth 25 bucks and going to put out 25 bucks worth of light or is it going to be compete garbage.

I also agree that the cordless part really kills the deal. I don't see that part of it being reliable or very long of a charge.

 

[stratman977]

Here's another comparison. This time no underhood light, then HF, the ATD. To be fair I aimed the HF light at the serpentine belt on the truck and took the shot there. I will note though that the if you wanted to look at the back of the engine you would have to move the HF light but not the ATD to have similar light. You decide if it's worth $25 to you.

 

[signcrafter]

Thanks for the pics. I was interested in the HF light when I first read about it but the cordless part is what is turning me off.

 

[3 at 8]

Where's the best place and price to get the ATD?

 

[tearlessj]

Ordered this a few days ago from Northern Tool. Waiting for it to come in and i'll review it. Seems like a great deal for $25.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200604083_200604083

 

[erty67]

Ordered this a few days ago from Northern Tool. Waiting for it to come in and i'll review it. Seems like a great deal for $25.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200604083_200604083

please do!

 

[dj06482]

I just bought the HF one when it was on sale, and added a 20% off coupon. Out the door price was right at $20. For that amount of money, I'm pretty happy with it. The light is more focused than I'd like, but it definitely helps. Having the two light options is a plus, too. Wish I had it a week ago when I was changing spark plugs on a transverse V6

 

[gdocktor3]

I am a weekend warrior and want a light like this, but because of the occasional use it will get, I'm leerie about buying a rechargeable light. First, how long will this stay charged, without use, once full? Second, how long will it stay lit when fully charged? Lastly, will leaving it plugged in in-between use ruin the battery? Let's say I use it on Saturday, but then don't need it again for two weeks. Can I leave it plugged in the entire time so I know it will be charged and ready to go? This is the reason I have only used corded lights up until now, but a cordless sure would be nice.

This same question can go for the atd or HF lights, as well as any other recommended light. Remember the limited use aspect. I'm not looking to spend $75-100. Maybe $50 max.

 

[Tim_P]

I bought it when it was on sale cheap. Should have took it back. Like others have noted the light is too focused, it does not spread out well at all.

 

[gdocktor3]

I bought it when it was on sale cheap. Should have took it back. Like others have noted the light is too focused, it does not spread out well at all.

Well this is a few years old. The current 2016 models are the same?

 

[gdocktor3]

I am a weekend warrior and want a light like this, but because of the occasional use it will get, I'm leerie about buying a rechargeable light. First, how long will this stay charged, without use, once full? Second, how long will it stay lit when fully charged? Lastly, will leaving it plugged in in-between use ruin the battery? Let's say I use it on Saturday, but then don't need it again for two weeks. Can I leave it plugged in the entire time so I know it will be charged and ready to go? This is the reason I have only used corded lights up until now, but a cordless sure would be nice.

This same question can go for the atd or HF lights, as well as any other recommended light. Remember the limited use aspect. I'm not looking to spend $75-100. Maybe $50 max.

Anyone?

 

[Tim_P]

Well this is a few years old. The current 2016 models are the same?

What's a few years old? I bought mine about 2 months ago

 

[Backpack Hunter]

The original post is from 2013