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Portable work light product information

The old versions of the portable work light were just a socket with an incandescent globe surrounded by a wire cage. They have improved considerable over the past few years as new technologies have allowed them to be made smaller, brighter, and cordless. They are grouped into handheld or standalone models, and are also grouped by the type of globe they use. A portable work light provides more area illumination than a torch, and they are mostly used in garages, hangers, factories, and on construction sites. Most of them can be bought for less than one hundred dollars but the very powerful lights usually cost far more.

Today's handheld portable work lights have a narrow cylindrical shape, much like the batons used in relay racing. This allows them to reach into more places than the bulky older lights. Their cases and light covers are made from plastic but are thick enough to be damage resistant. They commonly use fluorescent tubes and halogen globes but some newer models use light emitting diodes (LEDs), and often have fifty or more LEDs placed close together. Rechargeable cordless models are also available and can last several hours after just one hour of charging. Handheld portable work lights have hooks for hanging, and often have magnets for attaching them to ferrous metals.

The standalone portable work light has a S-shaped support frame with a rubber grip. The light is attached to the frame by a hinge and can be tilted up or down. The light cases and support frames are made of metal, and the lens are made from tempered shatterproof glass. These lights typically use halogen globes the have power outputs ranging from 150 watts to over 500 watts. Lights that use high-intensity metal-halide (HID) globes can provide over 1000 watts of power. There are also cordless LED models but they are not nearly as bright as the other standalone models. Some lights even come with a retracting power cord and a power board for plugging in other equipment. Halogen and HID globes only last a few thousand hours and are expensive to replace, but LEDs last much longer and will probably outlast the work light.

Larger models of the standalone light have tripods with foldout base legs and a telescopic shaft. They are also called light towers and are usually powered by mains voltage, either from a power point or a portable generator. They can also be powered for a short time from a car battery, using an inverter to boost the voltage if required. They are lightweight and can be easily carried over short distances by one person. The dual-head models have two lights that can be positioned at different spots, or focused into one intense spot. There are also models that use a larger light with a wide angle lens, and these provide a continuous arc of light over a wider area than the dual-head models can provide.

Handheld portable work lights are often used for closeup inspection of cars, boats, and aircraft. The cordless handheld models are great for inspecting enclosed spaces where it is difficult to get an extension cord, such as a roof cavity. The standalone and tower lights are used for illuminating large work areas. Construction sites will typically have a lot of these lights located around the place until the electrical services are installed. They are used by rescue services at the scenes of accidents and other emergencies, and by miners to cast light on the working areas in mine shafts. A portable work light can also be hung from a tree branch to light up a small camp site. They are also useful for providing temporary additional lighting around the home or garden.

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