Work Light Reviews

[EBuff75]

Intro

Everybody needs them sometimes, a good light so that you can see a drippy pipe under the sink, change a tire in the dark, see a wall clearly to paint it, or just to light up a dim closet. 

Back in the day you generally had two choices: what we called a "trouble light/lamp" - a bulb in a metal reflector, with a wire safety cage on the front (optional) and a wire hook so that you could hang it above whatever you were working on; or a clamp light, which was a bulb with a reflector cone around it and a big spring clip on the back so that you could clamp it onto something near your work surface. 

Eventually, halogen work lights became more common.  These were usually in two varieties: ones that sat on the ground and could be pointed at the work area, or those which had their own tripod/stand so that they were up off the ground and could be pointed up/down and side-to-side as needed. 

I have both varieties of these and will probably keep the smaller one, while getting rid of the giant double-headed one that takes up way too much room in my workshop.  The drawbacks were that they tended to be bulky / heavy and that they pull a lot of power.  My single lamp version pulls 250w and the big tripod version (with two heads, each of which have two bulbs – a 250w and a 500w) pulls up to 1500w.  Not ideal if you don't have a heavy-duty extension cord or you're right next to an outlet.  Even then, there is the risk of popping a fuse or breaker if anything else is on the same circuit.  On the plus side, if you've ever worked on a car in a cold garage, 1500w of halogen lights really means about 100w of light and 1400w of heat pouring off of them! 

Ahh, LEDs. *insert choirs of angels here* 

As with most other areas of lighting (bulbs around the house, car headlights, flashlights, etc.), LEDs have been a game changer.  Bright light in a variety of shades, high energy efficiency, and low heat.  And as they've become mainstream, the prices have fallen dramatically.

After hauling out my huge halogen light recently, I started wondering if there was something better on the market.  I already had a few small LED work lights, but a few hours of ferreting around online gave me some additional options and I decided to upgrade.  Here's what I have now.

[EBuff75]

Warsun / Innofox - 5/5

While I've purchased a few other battery-powered work lights (similar to this and this), the Warsun and Innofox versions are the ones which I really like.  In fact, I like them so much that I keep one in each vehicle, have several more of them in the house, and have given away quite a few as gifts.  The people who received them have given rave reviews, telling me multiple times how helpful they've been.

I'll pretty much keep these as interchangeable.  They're similarly priced, similarly sized, have almost the same output, have similar battery capacities, and features.

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Warsun / Innofox specs:
·      Output:  1200 / 1500
·      Battery:  3600mah / 3000mah  (non-replaceable 18650 lithium-ion for both)
·      Modes: Low-Med-High / High-Low-Strobe

The Warsun is slightly thicker and has the power button on the front.  The Innofox is slightly heavier and has the button on the side.  Both of them have a very strong magnet on the back and a flip-out hook.  The Warsun also has a flip-out kickstand, whereas the hook on the Innofox can also be used as a kickstand.  They both charge using micro-USB and have a USB-A output so that they can be used as a power bank.  One minor quibble is that you do have to cycle through all the modes to turn them back off. 

During the three (or has it been four?) power outages that I've had this year, I've pulled these out each time.  The most common place that I've used them is in the kitchen for general lighting.  I'd use the magnet to attach them to the hood of the stove or on the fridge, depending on what area I needed to light.  1200-1500 lumens is plenty to light up the room, although the 6000K is a bit on the blue end of things for me (but I'm picky like that). 

Using the Warsun down in my basement.  See the old dual-head halogen there?  That's the beast that prompted all of this a few weeks ago!

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I recommend either of these without hesitation.  They last for hours, are relatively cheap, and are small enough to toss into a glove box and leave them there.  The batteries hold a charge for months (tonight I plugged the Innofox in to test the battery charge state and it immediately showed green, so it was fully charged even after sitting for several months), so even if you've forgotten to charge them recently, they'll still be useful.  There are a number of companies selling what appear to be the exact same versions, so just make sure that they're getting good ratings (these tend to be right around 4.6-4.7 stars on Amazon) and find the best deal.  Watch out for whether you're buying one or two, as the pictures can be a little confusing sometimes.

[EBuff75]

Dayatool 4000 lumen work/flood light - 4/5

After making the jump into the Milwaukee M18 lineup last year, I've been looking for a good work light that could attach to the batteries.  I picked one up earlier this year which was a total bust (and was quickly returned) after finding the light to be full of lines/shadows, hot-spots, and with a horrible purple dot right in the middle of the spotlight function.  Yuck!

When I was looking at work lights, I stumbled across these aftermarket panel lights that worked with them.  As I was poking around, looking at the different offerings (all of which appeared to be the same lights, being sold by various companies), I found one from Dayatool that had a 50% off coupon at the time!  So for $27.50, I added it to the lights I was buying to test out. 

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I was surprised by how well this light worked out.  I think we're all used to the exaggerated output claims of many of the no-name brands of flashlights, projectors, etc. that we see online.  Well, after trying it out, this one might even be underestimating the output!  It throws out an absolute wall of light, which is very smooth and even.  This would be great for painting or any other sort of work where you want a fairly large area to be evenly lit.

The light panel is hinged and has thumb wheels to tighten the hinge on each side.  I've found that flipping it down 180 degrees lets you hang onto the "hoop" handle and dangle the light so that it illuminates the area in front of you while you walk.  You can pull the handle up so that it's flat-ish and do it that way, but then the light tends to tip off-balance due to the weight of the battery.

The hoop on it has a very weak hook (that feels like it will probably break off the first time I use it) and four fairly strong magnets, one at each corner.  There are also some holes in it, which I assume are so that you could hang it on a nail.

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The modes are high (100%), medium (50%), and low (25%) and from testing, I found that it uses about 1.25 amp-hours on high.  So a 5ah battery will run on high for about 4 hrs, a 9ah battery would run for 7.2hrs, etc.  There is also a USB-A plug on the back, so that you can use the battery (when it's plugged into the light) as a means to charge other items.

There are a few issues with the design.  The hinged "hoop" handle/base for it doesn't fit flush with the light.  If the hoop had been large enough to go around the light, they could've redesigned the hinge so that it would take up less space for storage.  Obviously, the hook could be stronger, rather than the flimsy plastic that it is.  And my 5ah battery works fine, but if I put the larger 9ah battery in, it interferes with the rotation of the handle, so you have to make sure that you've rotated it down before inserting the battery. 

There is the option to run it off of a DC input, but the plug for that is located underneath where the battery clips in.  And I do mean "underneath."  There are various attachments for the different battery types.  The one I bought has adapters for Milwaukee M18 / Dewalt 20v, and Bosch.  There are other versions for different battery types, or you can buy a universal model that has the whole set of adapters for an extra few dollars, and which also includes the DC wall adapter.  You select the battery adapter that you want and attach it via screws – which then covers the DC port.  Obviously, the smarter design would have been to put the DC port off to the side, so that if your battery runs out, you could plug it into the wall without having to disassemble the light.

Here's the light attached to the side door on my garage using the magnets.  Lights up the area pretty well!

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Would I recommend it?  For the half-price that I got it for, absolutely.  For the normal price of $55 – 60, probably not.  It's a no-name company with no track record, so who knows how long this will last.  It could break next month, or it might out last me.  The build quality is okay, but not great.  Overall, it's a nice addition and something I could keep handy for when I'm using my Milwaukee tools.  I'd give it about a B- grade, if you can catch it on sale.

[EBuff75]

Partphoner LED work light with stand - 5/5

Take the Partphoner brand name here with a bit of salt, as this is another light which appears under a variety of different brands, all of which appear to be selling the same light.  In fact, neither the box nor the instructions have any brand info on them at all, and the customer service email address is a generic one that doesn't have any branding either.

I almost skipped this one when I was shopping.  There were a variety of different versions from various companies, with pricing scattered anywhere from about $80-150 for what appeared to be the same light, just in different colors.  I found one of the $80 varieties that was on sale and took a chance.

This one surprised me.

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First, the specs.  The tripod extends up to 67 inches, the light has a claimed 8000mah battery and output levels of 500 / 1500 / 2500 lumens.  The claimed run time at each of those levels is 20hrs / 10hrs / 5hrs.  If you have it on high, the light will slowly dim down, but it's a gradual thing and you may not notice.  Testing the high mode, I did get just over 5 hours, but with the dimming noted above.  By cycling through the settings, you can turn it back up to high again if needed.  The light can also alternate between 4000K and 6500K color temperatures.  I do prefer the 4000K mode, as the 6500K mode is too cold / harsh for me, but that's up to you. 

Lighting up the driveway.

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One nice thing – whatever output level you're at, once you've stopped at that level and left the light on for a few seconds, one additional press of the power/level button will turn the light off.  No need to cycle through the modes. 

There are three heads, each of which can be swiveled / tilted.  It takes a bit to get used to how to move them, but it is possible to get them all pointed in the same direction (toward one side, up, down, or out), or however you need to get them aimed. 

The overall build quality is excellent, particularly the tripod.  The tripod is mostly metal (aluminum) and the feet lock into place and have to be released with a lock button on the bottom.  The top is threaded and it's actually metal here too, rather than plastic.  The light has an opening to screw onto the tripod and again, this is a metal insert for the female threads.  Each of the heads of the light snap into place when stowed, so that they won't shake loose.  When adjusting the light heads, they have fairly strong detents as you move them, with the detents at about 45-degrees each in both axis of rotation. 

It comes with a zippered carry bag with a shoulder strap.  Charging is via USB-C and the port is bi-directional and can be used for charging other devices.  The light can be used while charging, but is limited to low output if you do this.  There is a dust cover for the USB port, but the light is not waterproof.  With the light unscrewed from the tripod, there are three magnets which can be used to affix it to a steel surface (they are strong enough to support the light on a vertical surface).  There is also a swiveling plastic hook that is the weakest point of the light. 

The only gripes that I have are that the threads for the tripod appear to be 5/8", rather than the advertised 1/4", and the tripod feet don't lock when they're deployed (although they're still quite sturdy and won't willingly fold up until you start to slide them all back up). 

I've already used the light when I was performing the maintenance check on the truck yesterday.  It stands up tall enough to illuminate the engine compartment on a 4wd Suburban and was bright enough to see clearly while I was working.  In fact, the picture that I posted was actually with the light on low.  Here is a picture of what it looks like on high. 

Would I recommend it?  Yes!  If you would like an easy to carry, fairly bright (I'm warped in this regard – most normal people would probably consider 2500 lumens to be VERY bright), battery-powered work light that can be used with or without the included tripod, has two color modes, three output levels, and good build quality.  Look for one of the cheaper models and see if you can catch it on sale if you want one.

[EBuff75]

Lutec 6290Max Work Light - 5/5

Lutec Lighting has been around since 2010 and makes some nice stuff.  The 6290Max is their top-of-the-line work light (unless you switch over to the Porter-Cable lights, which they also make) and it cost more than everything else I've reviewed here combined, even on sale.  This is less of a "prepper tool" than a general tool, but I bought it with an eye toward being able to use it during power outages, or for CERT events as well.  Now that I have this, I'll get rid of the old halogen monstrosity.

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Let's get the big one out of the way.  This thing is really bright.  It's rated at 11,000 lumens, and I don't doubt that at all.  Here's my house at night with just this light sitting out at the sidewalk, running off of one of my power stations.  Yeah, that'll do.

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The entire light folds up into a sort of cylinder shape, with the two light heads folding inward and attaching together via small magnets and the tripod legs folding up as well.  There is a built-in cord wrap location, including a catch for the end of the cord to keep it from unrolling.  A handle is built into the middle of the light, opposite the cord storage, and is nicely placed right in the center of gravity so that the light balances front-to-rear when carrying it.  There are also grab handles on each light head to move them around while operating, or to pick the light up vertically. 

The tripod and light heads are aluminum, while the handles and cord storage are plastic.  There is a hex key included for adjusting the tension on the light heads and it has its own storage slot where it is held in place by magnets.  There is also a cord catch at the base of the tripod when the light is unfolded, so you can run the cord down the light, loop it through there, and then run it outward to plug in.  That keeps the cord down low when plugging the light in, reducing the chance of it getting caught and reducing the likelihood of the light tipping if the cord is yanked.  The tripod is wide and quite sturdy, with plastic feet on each of the legs.  The power cord is 8ft long and the light has a 3 year warranty from the manufacturer.

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The main power switch is on the body of the mount, just above the main carry handle.  Once that's turned on, you can adjust each of the lights individually with a single control.  By clicking the red button/knob on the back of each light you can cycle it through high-low-off for each head.  Or, you can turn the knob to adjust the color temperature from 3000K to 5000K.  For a color snob like me, that last item is one of the best features!  I've got them set to about 4500K, which provides a nice, white light, without being too yellow or too blue. 

I found that the light draws 96w on high, with each individual light head being half of that (i.e. if I turned one of them off, the power draw dropped to 48w) and changing to low output dropped the watts by half again to 24w.  Thus, you could have an output of 25% (one light on low), 50% (one light on high, or both lights on low), 75% (one light on high, one on low), or 100% (both lights on high).  The color temperature didn't make much difference on the draw. 

Okay, so this light might be a bit of overkill for most people.  I saw reviews from people using it for things like studio lighting or paint correction on vehicles, where the variable color temperature was quite important, as was the ability to alter the output, based on what they were using it for at the time.  I like the adaptability of the light.  I can use it for working around the house, out in the garage, or even doing yard work at night.  If we have an outdoor event, it doesn't draw much power and I can run it for hours off of one of my portable power stations. 

The biggest drawback is that the friction locks for the tripod aren't strong enough.  Even with them locked down, I can pull the light up or push it down without too much effort.  They're strong enough to hold the light at whatever height I set it, but that's about all.  And as is the case with most of these tripod lights, I do wish that it could go up another foot or two.  The distance to the top of the lights is 68 inches, which puts them right at face level.  Having it up at 80+ inches would be much nicer, but that's true of almost all work lights like this.  It would also be nice if it came with a bag to carry it, but I imagine that they figure most people will be using it more than storing it and that there just wasn't any need.  I did see a recommendation to get a tripod carry case to store it in, so I may do that.

Would I recommend it?  If you don't mind the price and you have a need for a very bright work light with variable output and color temperatures, then absolutely!  This thing just blew me away when I set it up outside and used it to light up my entire yard / house / driveway.  My old halogen is probably technically just as bright, but seems much dimmer due to the very yellow light (it's probably around 2700K) and is a much bigger struggle to set up and store.  The Lutec is just so much better all around.

Overall, it's Lutec for the win!

[Moab]

Thank you so much! I still have my four huge and heavy, way to hot, halogen shop lights that seem to go thru bulbs like water. Added the Warsuns to my shopping list. 

Welcoming myself to the new century.

[EBuff75]

Thank you so much! I still have my four huge and heavy, way to hot, halogen shop lights that seem to go thru bulbs like water. Added the Warsuns to my shopping list.

Welcoming myself to the new century.

I love those little Warsuns (and the Innogear).  They're great little lights and everyone that I've given them to as gifts loves them too. 

[flybynight]

Lutec 6290Max Work Light - 5/5

Lutec Lighting has been around since 2010 and makes some nice stuff.  The 6290Max is their top-of-the-line work light (unless you switch over to the Porter-Cable lights, which they also make) and it cost more than everything else I've reviewed here combined, even on sale.  This is less of a "prepper tool" than a general tool, but I bought it with an eye toward being able to use it during power outages, or for CERT events as well.  Now that I have this, I'll get rid of the old halogen monstrosity.

You cannot view this attachment.

Let's get the big one out of the way.  This thing is really bright.  It's rated at 11,000 lumens, and I don't doubt that at all.  Here's my house at night with just this light sitting out at the sidewalk, running off of one of my power stations.  Yeah, that'll do.

You cannot view this attachment.

The entire light folds up into a sort of cylinder shape, with the two light heads folding inward and attaching together via small magnets and the tripod legs folding up as well.  There is a built-in cord wrap location, including a catch for the end of the cord to keep it from unrolling.  A handle is built into the middle of the light, opposite the cord storage, and is nicely placed right in the center of gravity so that the light balances front-to-rear when carrying it.  There are also grab handles on each light head to move them around while operating, or to pick the light up vertically. 

The tripod and light heads are aluminum, while the handles and cord storage are plastic.  There is a hex key included for adjusting the tension on the light heads and it has its own storage slot where it is held in place by magnets.  There is also a cord catch at the base of the tripod when the light is unfolded, so you can run the cord down the light, loop it through there, and then run it outward to plug in.  That keeps the cord down low when plugging the light in, reducing the chance of it getting caught and reducing the likelihood of the light tipping if the cord is yanked.  The tripod is wide and quite sturdy, with plastic feet on each of the legs.  The power cord is 8ft long and the light has a 3 year warranty from the manufacturer.

You cannot view this attachment.

The main power switch is on the body of the mount, just above the main carry handle.  Once that's turned on, you can adjust each of the lights individually with a single control.  By clicking the red button/knob on the back of each light you can cycle it through high-low-off for each head.  Or, you can turn the knob to adjust the color temperature from 3000K to 5000K.  For a color snob like me, that last item is one of the best features!  I've got them set to about 4500K, which provides a nice, white light, without being too yellow or too blue. 

I found that the light draws 96w on high, with each individual light head being half of that (i.e. if I turned one of them off, the power draw dropped to 48w) and changing to low output dropped the watts by half again to 24w.  Thus, you could have an output of 25% (one light on low), 50% (one light on high, or both lights on low), 75% (one light on high, one on low), or 100% (both lights on high).  The color temperature didn't make much difference on the draw. 

Okay, so this light might be a bit of overkill for most people.  I saw reviews from people using it for things like studio lighting or paint correction on vehicles, where the variable color temperature was quite important, as was the ability to alter the output, based on what they were using it for at the time.  I like the adaptability of the light.  I can use it for working around the house, out in the garage, or even doing yard work at night.  If we have an outdoor event, it doesn't draw much power and I can run it for hours off of one of my portable power stations. 

The biggest drawback is that the friction locks for the tripod aren't strong enough.  Even with them locked down, I can pull the light up or push it down without too much effort.  They're strong enough to hold the light at whatever height I set it, but that's about all.  And as is the case with most of these tripod lights, I do wish that it could go up another foot or two.  The distance to the top of the lights is 68 inches, which puts them right at face level.  Having it up at 80+ inches would be much nicer, but that's true of almost all work lights like this.  It would also be nice if it came with a bag to carry it, but I imagine that they figure most people will be using it more than storing it and that there just wasn't any need.  I did see a recommendation to get a tripod carry case to store it in, so I may do that.

Would I recommend it?  If you don't mind the price and you have a need for a very bright work light with variable output and color temperatures, then absolutely!  This thing just blew me away when I set it up outside and used it to light up my entire yard / house / driveway.  My old halogen is probably technically just as bright, but seems much dimmer due to the very yellow light (it's probably around 2700K) and is a much bigger struggle to set up and store.  The Lutec is just so much better all around.

Overall, it's Lutec for the win!

Nice Home 

[Raptor]

Great thread!

[EBuff75]

Partphoner LED work light with stand - 5/5

Take the Partphoner brand name here with a bit of salt, as this is another light which appears under a variety of different brands, all of which appear to be selling the same light.  In fact, neither the box nor the instructions have any brand info on them at all, and the customer service email address is a generic one that doesn't have any branding either.

I almost skipped this one when I was shopping.  There were a variety of different versions from various companies, with pricing scattered anywhere from about $80-150 for what appeared to be the same light, just in different colors.  I found one of the $80 varieties that was on sale and took a chance.

This one surprised me.

You cannot view this attachment.

First, the specs.  The tripod extends up to 67 inches, the light has a claimed 8000mah battery and output levels of 500 / 1500 / 2500 lumens.  The claimed run time at each of those levels is 20hrs / 10hrs / 5hrs.  If you have it on high, the light will slowly dim down, but it's a gradual thing and you may not notice.  Testing the high mode, I did get just over 5 hours, but with the dimming noted above.  By cycling through the settings, you can turn it back up to high again if needed.  The light can also alternate between 4000K and 6500K color temperatures.  I do prefer the 4000K mode, as the 6500K mode is too cold / harsh for me, but that's up to you. 

Lighting up the driveway.

You cannot view this attachment.

One nice thing – whatever output level you're at, once you've stopped at that level and left the light on for a few seconds, one additional press of the power/level button will turn the light off.  No need to cycle through the modes. 

There are three heads, each of which can be swiveled / tilted.  It takes a bit to get used to how to move them, but it is possible to get them all pointed in the same direction (toward one side, up, down, or out), or however you need to get them aimed. 

The overall build quality is excellent, particularly the tripod.  The tripod is mostly metal (aluminum) and the feet lock into place and have to be released with a lock button on the bottom.  The top is threaded and it's actually metal here too, rather than plastic.  The light has an opening to screw onto the tripod and again, this is a metal insert for the female threads.  Each of the heads of the light snap into place when stowed, so that they won't shake loose.  When adjusting the light heads, they have fairly strong detents as you move them, with the detents at about 45-degrees each in both axis of rotation. 

It comes with a zippered carry bag with a shoulder strap.  Charging is via USB-C and the port is bi-directional and can be used for charging other devices.  The light can be used while charging, but is limited to low output if you do this.  There is a dust cover for the USB port, but the light is not waterproof.  With the light unscrewed from the tripod, there are three magnets which can be used to affix it to a steel surface (they are strong enough to support the light on a vertical surface).  There is also a swiveling plastic hook that is the weakest point of the light. 

The only gripes that I have are that the threads for the tripod appear to be 5/8", rather than the advertised 1/4", and the tripod feet don't lock when they're deployed (although they're still quite sturdy and won't willingly fold up until you start to slide them all back up). 

I've already used the light when I was performing the maintenance check on the truck yesterday.  It stands up tall enough to illuminate the engine compartment on a 4wd Suburban and was bright enough to see clearly while I was working.  In fact, the picture that I posted was actually with the light on low.  Here is a picture of what it looks like on high. 

Would I recommend it?  Yes!  If you would like an easy to carry, fairly bright (I'm warped in this regard – most normal people would probably consider 2500 lumens to be VERY bright), battery-powered work light that can be used with or without the included tripod, has two color modes, three output levels, and good build quality.  Look for one of the cheaper models and see if you can catch it on sale if you want one.

When I was at Menards last week, I spotted what appears to be approximately the same light (other than being yellow), less the storage bag and rated for 2000 lumens instead of the claimed 2500 of this one.  It's called the Smart Electrician 2000-Lumen Rechargeable LED Tripod Work Light and it's currently listed for $64.99 (and you can get $7.15 off from the 11% mail-in rebate program, bringing the price down to $57.84).

[Moab]

I bought the Innofox set last week. It was onsale for $19.99 for two. 

(My apologies for not posting that deal. I used camelcamelcamel to track pricing and got a notification email. If your not using camelcamelcamel you should be. Just copy the share link of the Amazon product your looking to buy, search for it on www.camelcamelcamel.com , then set a discount price you want to buy at. When it goes below that price you get an email. You can also see a graph of the oroducts orice hisotry - from high to low.)

You can buy the Innofox model on Aliexpress for around $19.99 for a set of two. They are sold under a few different brands. But they are all the same light.

I'm really impressed with these. Especially for vehicle lights. As they are quite small and lightweight. They could easily be taken camping or backpacking. As they are just a bit bigger than a pack if cigarettes. And weigh maybe 6 ounces?

They throw off a ton of light. I put one in my console. With the magnet on the back and wire hanger they are perfect for vehicle repairs and maintenance. But the uses are endless.

Thank you so much for turning us on to these! 

[EBuff75]

I bought the Innofox set last week. It was onsale for $19.99 for two.

(My apologies for not posting that deal. I used camelcamelcamel to track pricing and got a notification email. If your not using camelcamelcamel you should be. Just copy the share link of the Amazon product your looking to buy, search for it on www.camelcamelcamel.com , then set a discount price you want to buy at. When it goes below that price you get an email. You can also see a graph of the oroducts orice hisotry - from high to low.)

You can buy the Innofox model on Aliexpress for around $19.99 for a set of two. They are sold under a few different brands. But they are all the same light.

I'm really impressed with these. Especially for vehicle lights. As they are quite small and lightweight. They could easily be taken camping or backpacking. As they are just a bit bigger than a pack if cigarettes. And weigh maybe 6 ounces?

They throw off a ton of light. I put one in my console. With the magnet on the back and wire hanger they are perfect for vehicle repairs and maintenance. But the uses are endless.

Thank you so much for turning us on to these!

Glad to hear it! 

Another, more indirect use, is as a gift!  I've given a bunch of them to friends/family as gifts over the years and I have a set of them in my miscellaneous-gifts-box for quick-draw gifting.  Everyone I've given them to has had a similar response.  My brother said that he used the ones I gave him a ton when he was remodeling his kitchen.  

And because they're so bright, they also make a great room light during power outages (I've particularly used them in my kitchen, where I can attach them all over the place using the magnet).  

The most recent use for me was when I was replacing the headlights and fog lights on my Suburban.  That requires getting in behind the wheel well liner, so once I'd gotten the screws out on that, I just turned the light on and tucked it inside so that I'd have light while I was working.  Love those things!

[EBuff75]

Klarus WL3 – 5/5
 
I had seen the Klarus WL3 a few months back while doing some research on the Fenix CL28R (no, I haven't bought the Fenix... yet).  The Klarus competes with the Fenix to some extent, but doesn't have quite the specs.  However, it's also less than half the price.  I also found that there is a clone called the Sunrei C1600 that appears to be the exact same light as the Klarus, but with a different logo and body color.  On Amazon, the Sunrei is usually cheaper, but the Klarus generally has a coupon which brings the price down to the same as the Sunrei, so it's a wash.  I went with the Klarus, just because I know the name from the various flashlights that they produce.  Plus, it has a 5 year warranty!

(ignore the yellow sticker on the main light)
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My first impression was that this was a chunky, very solid light.  It's a little over a pound, 4.5in tall, 3.75in wide, and 1.75in thick.  It has an internal 13500mah battery, charges via USB-C, and has a USB-A port so that it can function as a power bank (SkyLumen took one of these apart and found that the battery pack is made from three 21700 4500mah batteries).  Both of those ports are covered by a thick rubber plug.  The Klarus website says that it's IPX5 (water resistant) and can function down to -4F/-20C.  There is a built-in stand which can be adjusted 180-degrees and which has a 1/4/" x20 threaded opening that fits onto tripods, a strong magnet, and a caribeener-style clip that can be used to hang it (the clip doesn't open very far though, so it's mostly limited to something like a rope that can squeeze into it).  The light came with a drawstring storage bag, a USB-C charging cord, and a set of instructions (the Sunrei version comes with a case instead of the bag). 

There are three control buttons on the back, plus indicator lights for the battery level and the output levels and tints.  The power switch turns the light on when you double-click, and after that it cycles through the output levels from low to high.  If you stop on any level for more than about 1 minute, it will turn off with the next click.  The tint button scrolls through each of the tint selections (see below).  The red light can be turned on with a double-click of the button and one more click to switch to flash.  The buttons are somewhat stiff and are molded into the back so that they're sealed against water.  The light can be used while it is plugged in to charge. 

You can see the blue indicators for the output and tint, along with the battery indicator in green. The round button at the bottom is the one for the red light, which is independent of the main light.
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Runtimes for each level (listed in the instructions and claim to be ANSI specs!) are 50 hrs on low (120 lumen), 21 hrs on medium (300 lumen), 8 hrs on high (750 lumen), and 5.5 hrs on Turbo (1500 lumen).  There are four color temperature tints:  2700K, 3500K, 4500K, and 6500K, although I would say that the 3500K is more like 4000K and the 4500K is around 5000K.  Both of those "neutral" temps are very nice.  There is also a red light which is 20 lumens (650nm) and will run for 158 hrs and a red flash (no runtime available, but likely for a very long time!).  Both lights have a glow-in-the-dark ring around them which will glow for a short period of time after the light was on.

(it's a bit brighter than it looks in this picture, but I was having a hard time getting a shot that was just right)
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I was immediately impressed by this light and it's going to go into my car as a small floodlight / worklight.  It's very floody and doesn't have a lot of throw, but the 1500 lumen output makes for a lot of light for roadside repairs or just searching for something in your car.  The red flash could also be used to mark a disabled vehicle.  The magnet is strong enough that it will easily hold the light up if you wanted to stick it on a fender or under the hood to do some work.  Plus, you can always use it to charge a phone if needed.  For $40-45, it's a nice, medium-priced, battery work light with good options for however you might need to use it and an excellent warranty to back it up.  That's a win to me!