I've been riding that rodeo horse all the way back to the insufferable "drop light". I suppose that term comes from shop and service station bays that had the work light with the incandescent bulb hanging from the ceiling via a retractable cord reel. I personally think the term "drop light" means if you drop it...no more light. I've been burned on the arms by those things, have had trucks fresh off the road from rain drip a single drop of water on the bulb and have it explode right next to my head, and plenty of cursing from the cord getting hung on something. I for one am happy that technology has taken us beyond the light bulb drop light, namely rechargeable work lights. I have a fluorescent work light that's powered by a battery pack from my Makita drill, that's a nice light. In my service truck I have several types of small LED flashlights as well as an LED light stick that's recharged via a cord in the cigar lighter plug in the cab. One thing about light stick lights, they're too easy to knock over, and when they do it's all but certain that they'll be shining straight into your eyes. But here's one I picked up at Home Depot lately. It wasn't in the tool section with other lights, it was back in the electrical section along with the landscape lighting. It was somewhere around 25 bucks. Comes with AC adapter charging cord, single on/off switch, the LED lamp head tilts and swivels, and it has a magnetic base. I haven't used it enough to form a good opinion yet, but from what I've used it so far I'm fairly happy.
I have, probably a dozen or so ,of the "sabre" brand rechargeable led's. Several different models, all the same brand. Not real sure where all the corded lights at work went to ,now that I think about it.
LoL, and we really don't care, right?
I have 3 Larrys ........Here Work well in tight places. Lost a few when I forgot to pull them out.
I don't think I even own/have a corded "drop light" anymore!!! I bought a rechargeable flood LED last week. it looks like the old 500watt halogen. im starting to like it a lot. I also have a LED head lamp that is on my hard hat that I really like especially since it seems the older I get the darker things are!!! its great technology has helped us get away from those #^%@&@ cords
I bet alot here feel your pain.
I've been eyeballing a light like yours willie but for a while I've been getting by with a headlamp and a small flashlight made by stream light. Not cheap but definitely better than a mini maglite and I wouldn't even try lugging a corded droplight on the service truck.
Thanks for the tip Willie! I'm always looking for better lights. Those Makita ones you mentioned don't stand up all that well to rugged use......or to brake clean......they melt! We've been using a lot of "headlamps" lately.
Back when I was in the stop I used to have a pair of these by Cliplight. I had a pair because I would always have 1 on the charger ready to go. http://www.cliplight.com/automotive/lighting/hemi-series/hemipro-3/ Best cordless light I have had. These only have 3 large LED's and seems to put out a lot of bright white light. I find the units with lots of LED's (30+) seem put out a lot of light at night but during the day or in a lit shop they don't seem to illuminate as well as they should. I think it has to do with the colour of the light, it always seems to be more bluish then white.
LED head lights for me. Often work late outdoors at night and they are fantastic compared to everything that came before. Wherever you look there's light and your hands are free. However there are a lot of anaemic LED head lights, you've got to have the Cree type with one very powerful LED. They usually have a high, low and flash settings. LED Lenser is probably the best brand with German quality etc, but I have made do with the cheaper Chinese ones off eBay with no problems. They have rechargeable batteries which last for hours and are the same brightness as the LED Lenser. Also great for nocturnal wildlife spotlighting. AusDave
That Cliplight is a good looking light WaterDoc. :drinkup And yes FSERVICE, the older I get the darker things are, well said. :tong I would like to find a better rechargeable for the service truck. The one I currently have is Ok, plugs into the cigar lighter port in the cab to charge, don't recall what brand it is. It's an LED light stick, multiple LED's on the face with LED "flashlight" on the end. The problem is the single button on/off switch. First click of the button turns on the flashlight, next click turns on the face LED's, next click turns on both flashlight and face lights (WHY???), next click, yes, four clicks to turn it on/off!!! I just want a single button, single on/off of a light, none of this click click click stuff. I'm still searching for a light to replace that one.
i bought an LED off road lightbar and a 12V power supply and mounted it to an old tri stand that had halogen lights on it originally. It was too bright and ended up reflecting light off off everything and being useless. Im thinking i bougt too good a light bar and often wonder if a cheer smaller one would be better but most of them are combined Flood/spot patterns and I cant find any that are just flood patterned.
I use a Mac tools rechargeable led light, I paid too much for it, EZ RED makes it. I think the EZ RED number is XL3000, anyhoo it is a great light and pretty tough also. I also use halogen light stands when I am able to, eyes are getting tired.
Outside and in tight places I use an LED headlight that takes standard AAA batteries, because I don't want to be looking for the flat round batteries or wait for it to charge up. Small LED flashlight that takes the same AAA's for obvious reasons, small and light enough I can "cigar" hold it. I would love to have a good LED rechargeable with magnetic base, but I won't buy a cheap one and so far it hasn't ever made it to the top of my must have tool buy list, the list is too long! In the shop I still use that drop light with the 60 watt bulb, mostly, admitting my softer side here, because it brings back the days before I was a teenager and I held the light and shagged tools while my Dad did the wrenching. Standing in the grease pit of his Quonset hut working on a car, truck, or tractor for some neighbor, relative, or coworker of his. He's 84 now and for anything ambitious he lets me do the heavy lifting, but still somewhere in the back of my mind I can hear him saying "Hold the light where I can see!" LOL. On the practical side, as long as you have a supply of light bulbs (I use the rubber coated ones when I can find them) you never have to worry about the light being defective, and here's the big one: There's a power outlet just below the light socket! If I need an extension cord anyway, it might as well have a light on the end of it. And being cheap if I need a lot of light in the shop I just use one of those chicken house lights with the big reflector and rubber spring clamp setup, standard 100 watt house bulb. Got a big bar magnet it will clamp on.
lantraxco, I do understand and appreciate the nostalgia as I too have heard "hold the light where I can see" from my dad in days past as well as other (less polite) commands and admonitions. Dad has been gone since Aug of 2002 and there are still times I wish he was here to chew my arse over something. It was "dad boot camp" that taught me life is tough, get over yourself, get up and do it right the next time, made me what I am today. Oh the memories. :drinkup
willie I have heard those exact same things growing up!!! in a way I miss the "hold the light still" but he was also set in his ways!! I bought dad a AA Maglight he wouldn't use it still had a aluminum clip on flood light that was beat, creased, & bent up & wouldn't even try anything else!! dad has been gone since may of 05....
Guys, there's a solution to make the standard corded "Drop Light" so much better!! Simply replace the incandescent bulb with a new LED replacement bulb. You can get them up to a 100 watt equivalent, they are immune to shock damage, don't get hot and draw next to nothing for power. I've done that with the shop lights at work and the difference is amazing!!
this is what i use http://www.truckblog.com.au/tools/milwaukee-m18al-led-area-light/
Have been using the flashlights and headlights from ebay that use the rechargeable bat tire that's a bit biger that a aa. They are cheep and Have severl on the truck and shop so always one that works.
I've been using these rechargeable lights I got from Home Depot for a number of weeks not, I'm really liking them, haven't really found a downside to them yet, good strong magnet holds it firmly to anything steel, sideways, upside down, don't matter. How about installing a new terminal box underneath a low boy trailer.
Got a make and model Willie, for those of us too podunk to be near an HD? :beatsme
Glad to see you putting in that terminal box Willie, so neat and clean and easy to troubleshoot if you have a problem. I end up using a bunch of dielectric grease in there as well to help prevent corrosion from all the mag chloride that they use around here in the winter. I apologize for getting off topic here Gents. My brother in law gave me a 4-D cell sized mag lite in the mid eighties. It is not the handiest for awkward positions and such, but that light has been with me ever since. It even managed to ride on the inside of a frame rail of an 86 COE Freightliner from Logan UT to Pocatello Idaho once before I remembered that I had forgotten to grab it after some minor repair. It sure is well built! I do use an LED headlamp a lot now though, and as several have mentioned, there just isn't as much light to work with now as there was 30 years ago. Ya think the sun is getting dimmer?
Something is gettin' dimmer old friend, and I'm right there with ya! Bright light and some cheaters, and if I need it I have some headset magnifiers! :cussing
As we speak I am putting together a construction schedule for a project that we start next week. 109 pages of 11x17 drawings, and I have to put the bifocals on to read the fine print on the plans, but I can't see the computer screen with the glasses on. I'm going to wear out my ears from taking them on and off. Lasik in my future? I'm not sure if I'm a candidate though. My son sure has a grand time making fun of me now, until 10 years ago my vision was fine!
I use nothing but cordless rechargeable lights. I have a couple blue point slim light and a snap on magnetic light with a rotatable base. Thinking ok upgrading one of my slim lights to a newer brighter led light.
, You can find other sources online lantraxco if you search Defiant LED swivel head light, here's one on Amazon, even saw one on Ebay for 9 bucks and change. > http://www.amazon.com/Defiant-Swivel-Work-Light-Magnetic/dp/B00KYYJQDE
Ah, "drop lights" Jogs the memory. I owned my last one 40+ years ago, working on car, hooked to hood latch as soon as I started to work in swung around to shine in my face. A few attempts it stayed put, to work, it fell off, broke bulb. I grabbed it by the cord and beat it like swinging a snake! All hail LED's!
Went to LED also...I bought 2 that match my cordless tool batteries. The Bosch is like a lighted swiss army knife. Many ways to hold/locate. http://www.acmetools.com/shop/tools/bosch-fl12 The DeWalt, isn't so versatile, but still nice. http://www.acmetools.com/shop/tools/dewalt-dcl050-area-light Ed
There were two important rules for the old drop lights. 1) Never use more than 60 watts. 2) Always use "rough service" bulbs. The rough service bulbs took 10 times as much impact before breaking, not sure if you can still buy them. 60 watt bulbs did not remove skin from my forearms. Incandescent light seems to be the best kind of light for my welder burnt eyes. The thing about cordless lights is remembering to turn them off. If you're like me you take breaks often and sometimes they take a couple hours.
https://www.fenixlighting.com/product/hp25-fenix-headlamp/ Here is a headlamp that i got that works great uses 4 aa batt I also have a channel lock light like willie was using that i got somewhere but cant find on web right now (it dont stand up to a grader tire tho)
I can remember a few years back when eye doctor was doing his examination said my eyes were pretty good for my age but said I was going to start finding my arms getting shorter in a few years! Well that SOB was right! As for lights I like the small magnetic LED pocket lights but do have a problem with them at times, seem to for get I had one stuck on a machine and a day or tow latter can't remember where I was using it! Last one I had was stuck in side the chain box on a JCB 185 worked good to clean out the broken pieces of the chain. Then after machine was back to work and I was putting tools away I realized where my light was, told the guy who took over when I retired to give it back when the next chain fails!
I prefer my headlight over anything else. I always have light where I look and it never hits my eyes. I used to have a 3-LED Petzl Tikka and was happy with it. I now have a LED Lenser SEO 5 and I'm even happier. I used watertight LED lamps with magnets at the shipyard to "flood" what ever corner I had squeezed myself into, but the headlamp was always nearby.
I use the Mag lite aa led recent upgrade love it. Also use the Mac tools bump light, over paid for it, but it's a descent light I can run off the truck apu. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I'm more of an electrician than Heavy equipment operator. Heavy equipment, working on, and operating is usually about my obsessions, only occasionally paid. I have friends practically family, in the business. They do my projects just like family. When they have nothing else to do, they get to me. I own equipment 'cause I can't wait that long. I've spent a lifetime in a quest for a perfect work light. All the LED, Quartz, Cordless, HP sodium, and other super technologies are lacking. They are never in the right place, or aimed where I need light. I have two sons. If I subscribed to the worklight of the month club, I'd need three subscriptions. My sons can destroy more lights than all of China can manufacture. I seek good light that is cheap. Energy efficiency is secondary in importance, as it won't last the week. My favorite general work light is from Home Depot, (cheap) I use in it either a 68 watt "compact" fluorescent, or a 19 watt LED (A) bulb. This is a compromise as I have accepted that its life is short. Meanwhile, I need light. As I stated, work lights are always in the wrong place, and aimed the wrong direction. I wear much of the time, and always keep it handy, a PRINCETON TECH LED HEADLAMP. I need AA batteries (4) about every two weeks. I'm rarely in the dark. My sons each tell me my choice of brand and model is wrong, but they too keep them close. Willie
ez red rechargeable light had for a yr. got dropped in to a bucket (5gal) of oil and still working good.
I love this light, Ive had it about 2 years now and it works great. Flashlight and work light and a good price and warranty from matco. http://www.matcotools.com/catalog/product/MSL5O/MATCO-SLIDE-LIGHT-ORANGE/ It also slides into itself and fits in my pocket.