Ok so I took pics for you guys.. lemme explain a couple things quick.
First - I turned off all my outside lights to make it as dark as possible, so even a dim light is gonna look pretty decent in near total darkness. So keep in mind normally the light is gonna have to overcome whatever ambient light you're working in to really be effective.
Second - I'm trying to be as fair to each light as possible, so what I did was mount every light using the Neiko's bar. This way they are all generally in the same place. That said - I'd NEVER be able to mount the HF light or the Neiko stick light where they are.. without the underhood bar the HF is VERY, VERY limited as to where you can mount it because of its size. The hooks on it ****, and I don't recall the magnets being anything spectacular. The Neiko stick light would never be able to be there either, but being smaller, and with MUCH better hooks, you have a lot more options - and still have a detachable magnet mount too.. but the reality is that this is a pure fantasy scenario. You WILL NOT be able to by the HF and mount it anywhere you want like you can with the big Neiko,, your choices will be very VERY limited as to where you can actually stick that thing - another reason why I don't use it.l
Third - I'm having trouble with the way the HF light shows up on the camera, and I couldn't figure out why it was looking so bright in the pics. I had to redo them as best I could, so the bar might not be EXACTLY in the same spot. The issue is this - both Neiko's use the newer slim on board LED's - so the bulbs themselves are mostly shaded from the camera and pointing straight down. The HF model on the other hand, uses the really old "first gen" type LED's that are basically shaped like mini light bulbs.. they stick down from their board so far that they are past the shaded area of the lens, and no matter what I do, they are casting light directly into the camera lens and washing it out a bit.. so - the pics are what they are.. you guys with just need to keep that in mind. It shows up looking brighter than it actually is because of this.
Last - I'm fully aware the small Neiko is not gonna light up the ENTIRE engine like the others do in the pictures, but I still put it in the center to be fair. Normally you won't be working in the ENTIRE engine bay, and more like one side or one corner - which is why I feel the small Neiko is better than the HF. It does better at not being washed out at the top of the motor, and will cast more light deeper into a concentrated area of the engine bay. Not to mention that for almost the same money, it's much more versatile that just having the HF model instead.. sorta looks like in my pic it wasn't pointing STRAIGHT down, since you see such a bright spot right behind it.. I should have turned it slightly more towards the nose of the car..
If nothing else these pics give a general idea... and will at least show you a clear winner.
Battery sizes as follows, all lithium ion:
HF -1800 mah
Neiko stick - 4000mah
Neiko underhood - 8000mah
The HF and Neiko stick are fully charged, the Neiko underhood light has whatever it came with outta the box, so maybe half charged if that - I'd guess..
Pics will go in this order:
HF low
Neiko underhood low
Neiko stick light "ON" (only one setting)
HF high
Neiko underhood high
For shits and giggles - consider this - the HF's actual "bulb span" on the board (the physical length from the first bulb to the last bulb) is longer than the Neiko's - yet look at how much brighter the edges of the engine Bay Area are with the Neiko on low, compared to the HF on high..
Pics in this order -
HF high
Neiko underhood low
Neiko underhood high
Summary -
These pictures are REALLY not doing the small Neiko justice, and I'll try to explain why - and why the HF ***** IMO.. The difference between them is this, the HF is more of a spot light. It's giving you a very bright spot directly under all the lights, and a very narrow spot at that.. your gonna have a bright spot only a few inches wide with the HF, and then the light quickly washes out and dims out around that spot. Think of the difference of an old incandescent flashlight vs a new led.. the old flashlight give you one narrow area of really bright light, and everything that surrounds it is much MUCH dimmer. With the new led version, the light is very wide, very even flood, and while it's not as bright as the old one's "bright spot" you can basically point the led in a general direction and have a wide working area, instead of having to pinpoint your bright spot on the old version.. this is very much like the HF vs both Neiko lights. This is where the mounting options become very important. The HF is so limited, that you stand a very small chance of getting the bright spot where you want it, esp when it's so close to the engine.. the small Neiko on the other hand, has a MUCH wider cast of light in every direction, and MUCH more places you can actually stick it - so it's not important that you "aim" it where you need it. The HF will always hang straight down using the mangnets since it suspends the light from a cord, and the hooks are so small they won't fit around anything you need them to.. in the pics, you're seeing the reflection of the Hf's very narrow bright spot, giving it the appearance of giving you a much bigger area of usable work space..
The big Neiko is just better than both for an underhood light. The light itself is bigger, brighter, and you get the hood mount. But the small Neiko is still a much better option then the HF in about a dozen different ways.. for $35, buy one and you'll see for yourself. If I could find an empty wall to cast all the lights against, and take pics BEHIND the lights - what I'm saying would be plainly visible I suspect...
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