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Work Lights

blue302stang

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 10, 2008
Messages
157
Location
grapevine, texas
Well i had a old craftsman incandescent corded work light for a while, but i am tired of the heat that the bulb gives off and that the slightest drop and its time to replace the bulb. I am looking to get a new cordless work light and seeing which one you guys recommend. I am not a huge fan of the LED work lights since they don't light up the area that i am working on the way i would like. Is there any good cordless fluorescent work lights out there? Thanks



-John
 
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SteveU

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Joined
Nov 20, 2006
Messages
1,243
Location
Michigan
I have a corded Bayco 13w fluorescent which has held up well for several years. It lights up the area pretty well & has been dropped a few times & keeps on working. I got a 26w Alert for Christmas which lights up well but it is made out of a plastic that seems like it would break if treated rough. There was a recent thread which showed a comparison pic of an LED & a 60w incandescent lighting up an engine compartment, I did not care for the way the LED looked.
 

jay50

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Joined
Oct 28, 2007
Messages
3,894
Don't waste you time on the LED lights. Just another gimmick on the market to seperate you from your hard earned cash...
 

83diesel

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Joined
Feb 9, 2008
Messages
206
I like the Central bounce lights. Several us at the shop use to go through shop lights every six months. We have had some of the bounce lights for 4-5 years without any trouble, have not even replaced a bulb yet. I would stay away from the LEDs because the light is so bright that it's distracting when you are looking at something close. National Electric and the Bayco mentioned above sell good lights also. If you are rough on a light any brands bounce light is the way to go. You can throw it on the ground and it will bounce back up unharmed.
 

BuickFarmer

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Joined
Apr 5, 2006
Messages
1,415
Location
Athens, Georgia
Have you tried using a 100 watt (equivalent) spiral flourescent bulb instead of the incandescent. I have been using one for several weeks now and it is cool and doesn't "blow".
 

OldCarGuy

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 29, 2005
Messages
2,005
Location
Ohio
I purchased this Craftsman 50 LED Work Light with 30 ft retractable reel that was priced at $69.99.

DSCF1839.jpg


For comparison sake I took the following two pictures with the same setup of my digital camera mounted to 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. I’m going to try using a fluorescent bulb in my older work light…

DSCF1842.jpg


DSCF1844.jpg


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 purchased from Sam’s Club for $18.00 each.

DSCF1851.jpg
 

Danglerb

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Joined
Sep 6, 2007
Messages
9,736
Location
SoCal
I really like this one from HF, $8 on sale, lots of light, but mostly its flexibility in positioning it due to the rubber base around the bottom and the two "bug" legs at the top. Hang it at any angle, or put it in all sorts of spots. Liked the first one so much I bought another to use as a pair.

When this long tube goes on sale getting one of those as well.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92079

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=46890

.
 

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arthur1920

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Feb 11, 2008
Messages
89
Don't waste you time on the LED lights. Just another gimmick on the market to seperate you from your hard earned cash...

I need LIGHT. I bought the Sears LED cordless on sale. What a great idea, cordless, spotlight, cigarette recharger, magnetic clip, what a great idea...if only it actually produced LIGHT. Returned it.

Don't even bother with flourescent unless it's the 26 Watt unit. My Craftsman long flor. light 110V is ok but still not as good as an old fashioned drop light with a 100watt rough surface bulb.

NOW. Here is what I have been using. I bought the Makita One+ rechargeable tool set. They have a flashlight unit. This is pretty good. The beam is a little bit focused but there's no heat problem and it stands up. It's not ideal, but if some designer would get his head out of his a$$ he could make a unit based on these type lights that would be really great for car work.
 

arthur1920

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 11, 2008
Messages
89
OK, OK, Old car guy,
what the heck is it? a 1909 Peugeot?
 
Last edited:

eschoendorff

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Joined
Feb 6, 2005
Messages
8,991
Location
Michigan
I have corded LET light from Craftsman that i never use... it's basically in new condition if anyone is interested.

My favorite cordless LED light is branded Snap On... I got it at ACE Hardware. Bright enough to compensate for all the weird issues with LED lights... has like 26 of them LEDs.
 
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blue302stang

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 10, 2008
Messages
157
Location
grapevine, texas
Yes i have used the rough service bulb and it still didn't hold up. I tend to be quite rough on tools. after seeing the incandescent vs led there is no reason i would ever go LED. My only problem is i am all over the shop and no a big fan of corded lights, and the only rechargeable fluorescent I have found is a Bayco 13 watt. Has anyone used one of these or know of any other rechargeable fluorescent work light?
 

truck

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Joined
Feb 8, 2008
Messages
203
Location
Manassas, Va
Have you tried using a 100 watt (equivalent) spiral flourescent bulb instead of the incandescent. I have been using one for several weeks now and it is cool and doesn't "blow".

This is what I did and it has been doing really well for me.

Truck
 
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blue302stang

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 10, 2008
Messages
157
Location
grapevine, texas
Well i ended up getting the 14.4v Bayco 13watt cordless work light for the normal running around the shop, and i also picked up a 26watt bayco corded work light for when the cordless one dosen't cut it.
 

DaMaN

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 10, 2008
Messages
804
Location
Rahway, NJ
I have a couple of Craftsman Halogen work lights which I like but I need to get the tripods which I managed to lose somewhere along the way in my travels. Does anyone know where I can get these without re-buying the same set of lights?
 

strizzy

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Joined
Apr 4, 2006
Messages
572
Location
Western NY
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 purchased from Sam’s Club for $18.00 each.

DSCF1851.jpg

I have one of those from Sam's, I think its a great little light. I actually took it with me camping last time I went, a quick light when needed over the old gas lantern.

As for the drop down light, I got a flourescent one from Lowes, which I had gotten for the SeaDoo guys at the shop, but the cord was a bit too short for the shop ceiling height, so I made it disappear. It has worked at fairly well at home. Have two other corded ones of the same brand that are kept kitty-cornered from each other in the garage also.
 
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