How to choose the right work light

Any DIYer who wants to get the best results in everything they do regardless of the time of day or location of their project recognize how important it is to have a well-lit workspace. Use work lights to illuminate the general area and look for brands and models that offer power tools with LED lighting in the tool’s design. The placement of work lights can go a long way to properly illuminating the general workspace but having on-tool LED lights help you with precision applications such as driving fasteners or following a cutline with a power saw. What should you look for in a work light? In basic terms, you want something that provides plenty of light while also giving you flexibility regarding where you can place it and how you can direct the lighting it provides. Additional features and functionalities in a work light may also make some brands and models more attractive than others. In the twenty-first century, the best work lights feature LED technology.

How to choose the right work light

Any DIYer who wants to get the best results in everything they do regardless of the time of day or location of their project recognize how important it is to have a well-lit workspace. Use work lights to illuminate the general area and look for brands and models that offer power tools with LED lighting in the tool’s design. The placement of work lights can go a long way to properly illuminating the general workspace but having on-tool LED lights help you with precision applications such as driving fasteners or following a cutline with a power saw. What should you look for in a work light? In basic terms, you want something that provides plenty of light while also giving you flexibility regarding where you can place it and how you can direct the lighting it provides. Additional features and functionalities in a work light may also make some brands and models more attractive than others. In the twenty-first century, the best work lights feature LED technology.

How do they work?

LED is an acronym that stands for light-emitting diode. It’s a semiconductor light source that produces light when an electrical current runs through it, causing electrons in the semiconductor to fill electron holes, which is an action that releases energy in the form of photons. If the movement of electrons is strong enough, light in the visible spectrum is produced. LEDs have become increasingly popular in recent years because of the many advantages they offer in comparison to incandescent bulbs. LEDs use a fraction of the power to produce the same lumens, last much longer and are much smaller than incandescent bulbs.
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It’s all about the lumens.

Lumens is the measurement of light output from a lighting source, but most people don’t think about lumens, so most wouldn’t know how bright an LED bulb is if all it says on the package is that it produces 800 lumens. Incandescent light bulbs have been around forever, so most people d0 understand the brightness of light they get out of a particular wattage of an incandescent light bulb. Everyone knows a 40-watt bulb is low lighting. A 60-watt bulb might be great for a lamp right beside a chair. But if you want good bright lighting from floor lamps and ceiling light fixtures, you’re going to go for a 75-watt or 100-watt light bulb. The lumens associated with those different bulbs you’re familiar with a run like this: a 40-watt bulb is 450 lumens; a 60-watt bulb is 800 lumens; a 75-watt bulb is 1,100 lumens, and a 100-watt bulb is 1,600 lumens. Since you know that, you’ll know how bright an LED light is by translating the lumens it produces to the wattage of incandescent light bulbs you’re already familiar with.

Worx Advantage

Worx Worksite light for greater illumination
The new Worx WX026 cordless worksite light is made to shed light on any situation. Compact and portable, it stands, hangs and carries as a handheld, so it will be your best companion wherever and whenever darkness looms
• 1500+ lumen for high intensity output over large areas
• 360° head rotation makes it adaptable to all situations
• Shockproof aluminum roll cage construction

It’s all about the lumens.

Lumens is the measurement of light output from a lighting source, but most people don’t think about lumens, so most wouldn’t know how bright an LED bulb is if all it says on the package is that it produces 800 lumens. Incandescent light bulbs have been around forever, so most people d0 understand the brightness of light they get out of a particular wattage of an incandescent light bulb. Everyone knows a 40-watt bulb is low lighting. A 60-watt bulb might be great for a lamp right beside a chair. But if you want good bright lighting from floor lamps and ceiling light fixtures, you’re going to go for a 75-watt or 100-watt light bulb. The lumens associated with those different bulbs you’re familiar with a run like this: a 40-watt bulb is 450 lumens; a 60-watt bulb is 800 lumens; a 75-watt bulb is 1,100 lumens, and a 100-watt bulb is 1,600 lumens. Since you know that, you’ll know how bright an LED light is by translating the lumens it produces to the wattage of incandescent light bulbs you’re already familiar with.

Worx Advantage

Worx Worksite light for greater illumination
The new Worx WX026 cordless worksite light is made to shed light on any situation. Compact and portable, it stands, hangs and carries as a handheld, so it will be your best companion wherever and whenever darkness looms
• 1500+ lumen for high intensity output over large areas
• 360° head rotation makes it adaptable to all situations
• Shockproof aluminum roll cage construction

Did you know? The history of LEDs

Most people still think of LED lighting as “new” technology, but it’s been around for a surprisingly long time. Russian inventor Oleg Losev made the first LED in 1927. But the light it produced was far too weak to practical use. It wasn’t until 1961 when the first LED was made…Read more that produced decent visible spectrum light, but it could only make red light, so those LEDs were limited to uses such as warning indicators. By 1972 yellow LEDs were made, and vast improvements came for red and red-orange LEDs, but good blue-violet and green LEDs didn’t come along until the late 1980s. And it wasn’t until the turn of the millennium that the technology had advanced enough to start making white-light LEDs. And it was only recently that the prices have come down for it to make sense for people to start using LED lights as a superior alternative to other forms of lighting.

Multi-function means more versatility

If you’re going to buy LED work lights, look for brands and models that can give you multiple functionalities incorporated into one unit. Think about the different types of lighting that come in handy in different situations and see who has the most innovative designs to meet multiple lighting needs.

Worx Advantage

Worx Advantage: A multi-function LED flashlight
The Worx 20 V PowerShare multi-function LED Flashlight has a diverse mix of modes for producing light in the way you need it when you need it. Weighing in at only 1.8 kg, you’ll be amazed at all the different things this busy flashlight will do for you, including the following:
• Flashlight Mode: 130 lumens to light your way like a traditional flashlight.
• Lantern Mode: Extend the telescoping shaft to reveal the 360º lantern that emits 480 lumens.
• Desk Lamp High/Low: 210 lumens on the low setting of the desk lamp function.440 lumens on the higher setting of the desk lamp function.
• Emergency Beacon: In this strobe light mode, the lantern function will flash an SOS pattern.

Multi-function means more versatility

If you’re going to buy LED work lights, look for brands and models that can give you multiple functionalities incorporated into one unit. Think about the different types of lighting that come in handy in different situations and see who has the most innovative designs to meet multiple lighting needs.

Worx Advantage

Worx Advantage: A multi-function LED flashlight
The Worx 20 V PowerShare multi-function LED Flashlight has a diverse mix of modes for producing light in the way you need it when you need it. Weighing in at only 1.8 kg, you’ll be amazed at all the different things this busy flashlight will do for you, including the following:
• Flashlight Mode: 130 lumens to light your way like a traditional flashlight.
• Lantern Mode: Extend the telescoping shaft to reveal the 360º lantern that emits 480 lumens.
• Desk Lamp High/Low: 210 lumens on the low setting of the desk lamp function.440 lumens on the higher setting of the desk lamp function.• Emergency Beacon: In this strobe light mode, the lantern function will flash an SOS pattern.

Better batteries to get the job done

When shopping for cordless LED work lights to go with your cordless power tools, look for brands and models that can share the same battery and charger across multiple tools. This will save you money in the long run as you’ll be able to purchase fewer batteries and chargers to run all your tools as you need them.

Worx Advantage

Worx Advantage: The 20 V PowerShare battery platform
The Worx multi-function flashlight and work light mentioned in this buying guide is powered by the exclusive 20 V PowerShare battery pack that can be used across the more than 70 power tools in the PowerShare family. This innovative approach combines great power and easy portability while saving you money with fewer batteries and chargers.

Bundle up to get more tools for less money

Kits and combination bundles that offer multiple tools, accessories, carrying cases, and can give a leg up to anyone, but especially first-time tool buyers. You’ll get more for your money, which is always a good thing. Look for brands with a diverse offering of combination kits, and bare machines supplied with no batteries or chargers so you can get the right mix of tools and accessories that suit your needs with fewer purchases.

Same battery, expandable power

Worx PowerShare is a unique 20 V modular system that allows you to combine the same battery to multiply voltage to 40 V and even 80 V. PowerShare batteries are available in a choice of capacities so that you can choose what you need.
Compact, multi-function LED light

Cordless 20V Handheld LED Light Torch - Tool Only - WX027.9
Adjustable, impact resistant LED light

Cordless worksite light 20V - tool only - WX026.9

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If you spend more time in your shed than your living room, you’re probably wondering what can we possibly teach you about tools that you don’t already know, right? Challenge accepted.