Work lights?

[kbroderick]

So my garage is severely underlit (one overhead flourescent, which is now wonky), and I'm not sure that actually fixing the lighting is an option. Thus, I'm looking at buying a few more work lights, and I'm wondering if anyone has opinions on the flourescent and LED options. I've generally used halogen lamps in the past, which are bright and can cook dinner, but being able to see without risking burns sounds pretty cool, too.

Also, is it worth buying from Sears, or should I order from Harbor Freight or another online dealer somewhere in between?

[Kham]

need help picking out colors too cuz im good at it.

[kbroderick]

need help picking out colors too cuz im good at it.

Do you think a chartreuse lamp housing would match a sort of rural-New-England eclectic garage decor? It's between that and a pale salmon...

OK, let me phrase the original question better. Since I can't tell in the store if an LED worklamp will put off anywhere near as much light as a Halogen, has anyone used both styles and have an opinion? If an LED worklamp at least comes close, how do claimed runtimes compare to reality?

(I'm trying to decide between something like this, this, and your run-of-the-mill 250W Halogen work lamp.

[akira700]

I use this now.
http://www.wobblelight.com/

I'm tired of having halogen bulbs break with
the slightest shock. Plus as you say they are sooo hot.
That's just wasting wattage for stuff other than light!

[kbroderick]

I use this now.
http://www.wobblelight.com/

I'm tired of having halogen bulbs break with
the slightest shock. Plus as you say they are sooo hot.
That's just wasting wattage for stuff other than light!

Yowzers. Those are in a bit of a different price range than I had been looking at. Is the difference really worth it?

[akira700]

I got the 85 watt flourescent one for under $125 somewhere I think.
Yeah its not a $30 shop light for sure. But it runs cool and will last much
longer even if its knocked over. It does the job for me.

But yes you probably could rig a battery of $5 flourescent replacement
bulbs in ceramic fixtures on a stand and do it for $50 though and it would do the trick too.

[Doc]

Home depot, shop light.

[butcher bergs]

More fluorescent!

I have the LED-type lights and barely use them....maybe once in a while when I need to see a specific area but not much more than that.

Also, I've used the old-school drop lights with a new-school fluorescent light in place of the incandescent bulb. Once it's warmed up it works the tits as far as lighting is concerned, just don't drop it from 3 feet in the air!

[keeena]

(I'm trying to decide between something like this, this, and your run-of-the-mill 250W Halogen work lamp.

You're comparing 2 hand-helds to a 250w halogen? 2 very different things.

If you want to light up your garage, get the halogen (preferably on a post/stand, dual head w/ multiple settings so you can run as little as 250w or high as 1000w). It will be very bright, but throws major shadows, bulbs burn out/break more easily and vry hot (maybe nice in the winter...). Or just install more overhead permanent lighting if you're gonna be at your house for a while where it would be worth the investment.

If you need to get into nooks and stuff...i dunno about LED. I'd suspect expensive to get one that's bright? I'd have a fluorescent handheld: Sears. Its bright, cool to the touch and bulbs last a long time. Kinda cheap build quality tho: hanging hook sucks, flimsy. But the housing and light itself is fine. Definitely go for 26w min for a hand-held. The sears one has individual switches and an outlet built-in which is nice. I think worth the $.

[SSearchVT]

Grab a few of the cheapest 4 foot double flourescent fixtures you can find. I have 5 of them overhead (high enough so I would have to really work to hit them) in a 22x26 garage (2 in each bay, one over the bench) and it works fine.