Best Garage Work Lights: Bright Stuff

Top 8 Best Garage Work Lights

It’s a safe bet that most DIYers are grateful to the wrenching deities for the democratization of LED illumination – especially when talking about work lights. Your author used to toil under cars and in tight spaces with incandescent work lights that heated themselves to approximately the surface of the sun, as I’m sure you all did as well.

This invariably led to skin-searing hilarity when one had the temerity to accidentally move their arm or leg near the offending work light. One old lamp, whose pattern on its yellow metal housing remains etched into my forearm, would get hot enough on which to light cigarettes. Seriously.

LEDs provided way brighter light than those old units could ever muster, not to mention are infinitely cooler and more compact. We’ve selected eight of them for your consideration.

Anyone who's ever worked in a professional garage knows their paycheck is about to go out the window when the Snap-On truck rolls into the parking lot. Their tools, while of excellent quality, are also ruinously expensive. The same goes for their work lights, apparently.

Still, they deserve a place at the head table thanks to a cavalcade of excellent reviews and an "it just works" design. Taking the traditional stand-alone low work light and stuffing it with LEDs was a fine idea, retaining the padded handle grips and adjustability that made them so popular in the first place. Also, since this is a plug-in unit with no batteries, its illumination won't abruptly fade to blackness at the worst possible moment.

If the design of that Snap-On light is right up your alley but you don't want to drop a bundle on an illumination source, this off-brand light provides many of the same features for a fraction of the price. Some of those features are less elegantly integrated, mind you, but they are there.

The head tilts for convenience, while a useful hanger hook is secured by a wingnut. The stand is made of metal and the on/off switch is sealed for damp conditions. Note that weatherproof does not mean waterproof. Its five-foot power cord should give you a good amount of leeway for repositioning the thing under a car.

The first handheld light on our list comes from DEWALT, a brand known for all manner of power tools. This lamp uses the same battery system as those tools, meaning one can swap juice from a drill to this light in a matter of seconds.

Of course, this presupposes you already are indentured to the DEWALT ecosystem because this light doesn't include said battery. Two illumination settings range from blinding to retina-searing. Its lamp housing pivots 140 degrees so you can point this sucker directly at incoming enemies your workspace.

Five-star ratings are hard to come by but this light from the experts at Bosch gets pretty close with a 4.8 out of 5 ranking from well over 200 real-world customers. A trio of LEDs bring the brightness and can be adjusted from spot to flood illumination depending on how precise you want the beam.

Its swiveling stand provides five different working angles while a hard rubber strap with mounting holes means you can actually lash this thing to the wall or ceiling if you so desire. If not, the rechargeable battery area doubles as a stand. Like the DEWALT, it assumes you're already in deep with the brand's battery system.

Okay - after profiling a few costly options you know we're needing to dive into the cheap end of the pool, right? This rechargeable LED work light is good in a pinch and can be stored almost anywhere, measuring about 6 inches by 2 inches.

Its tiny lithium-ion battery takes about 2.5 hours to charge up by way of a USB cord but is then apparently good for better than three hours of steady usage. There are magnetic holders on its anterior side, useful for placement during use or storage for easy access.

Like the previous entrant on this list, here's a work light that is recharged by way of a common USB cable. Unlike that small lamp, however, it is over two feet long and is of a completely different style. Opening up like a switchblade, this foldable light should be handy to use and easy to carry.

Its magnet base should keep it in place, though one would think it might get a bit top-heavy when fully extended. The head is apparently aluminum and the base is wrapped in grippy hard rubber. Best of all, this is a two-pack, meaning you can always have one charged and ready to go when the first one loses its charge.

With the 5,000 lumens providing a sun's worth of brightness, the seller says this next-gen LED lamp makes it possible to save a bundle on your electricity bill compared to a halogen bulb while enjoying better lighting. Casting a 120-degree beam will reduce shadows.

As a lamp that goes plugged into a power source, one doesn't have to worry about battery charging or the light suddenly disappearing just as you crank a ratchet on that difficult bolt. It is rated IP65 waterproof, provided the user shields the electrical plug from dampness. Customer ratings are quite good.

This isn't a work light in the same vein as others on this list but is worth a mention thanks to its infinite usefulness and easy-as-pie installation. Living in the same socket as the normal incandescent bulbs in your garage ceiling, this tri-wing LED lamp permits instant improvement of lighting source in any room ... particularly a garage.

It's an odd look, to be sure, with triple LED wings looking for all the world like a mini ceiling fan. However, it has garnered rave reviews with customers complementing it on its ability to cast a massive amount of light compared to standard bulbs with no alterations needed to the garage's electrical wiring.

FAQs

What type of lighting is best for the garage?

The daylight lighting system is considered to be the best for garages and workshops. Any LED that omits 5000+ kelvin falls under this category. However, you must ensure not to buy lights that exceed 6000 kelvin as they may not be good for your eyes. For best results, you can buy the one that omits between 5200 kelvin and 5400 kelvin.

What are the best LED lights for a workshop?

Listed below are some LED lights that could be good for a workshop. However, the number of units that you may need will depend on the real estate of your garage.

TANBABY Garage Light ( Buy here!)

These omit 6000k and consume 60 watts of power.

FREELICHT 3CCT LED Garage Light ( Buy here!)

These consume 60 watts of power and have three adjustable temperature modes namely 3000k, 4000k, and 6000k.

What color light is best for the garage?

Your garage should have a daylight light with a balanced color. While having a warmer light could be soothing to your eyes but it would make things hard to see, a brighter one could be harsh on your eyes and might be risky to use.

With that said, the different light colors (in kelvin) that you should and shouldn’t use in your garage are listed below:

2000 kelvin to 4000 kelvin

This range omits a warmer temperature. If you are from the pre-LED era, you might have seen incandescent lights that produce some yellowish color which is soothing to your eyes. However, as discussed above, you should avoid these as the smaller car parts might not be clearly visible in their lower luminance.

4500 kelvin to 5800 kelvin

This range obits a blend of both cool and warm colors and is considered to be quite appropriate for a garage. This is because these lights enable you to see the tools and car parts without straining your eyes or having any adverse impact on them. If you want to be meticulous, you should go for 5200 kelvin to 5400 kelvin LEDs for the best results.

6000 kelvin to 8000 kelvin

With increased kelvin, the color tone gradually turns blue which is harmful to your eyes. Although you may see things more clearly, the cooler the temperature is the riskier will it be for your vision.

Therefore, the bottom line is, that you are advised to install the lights that fall between the range of 5000 kelvin to 5400 kelvin which is a safe zone and pretty garage-workable as well.

How do I choose LED lights for my garage?

While choosing LED lights for your garage, some important factors that you must pay most attention to are:

Number of Units

This depends on the real estate of your garage as there are no one-size-fits-all LEDs. The larger the space is, the more lights you may want to install so you have enough luminance to work on your car.

Brand

You should always go for a reliable brand, or at least the one you trust the most. It would be good if you make a priority list. With this approach, you won’t get disappointed if the lights from the company of your first preference are not available as you can always shift to the second vendor.

Price

The next thing that you should consider is your budget. Make sure not to exceed the amount that you already planned to invest in your garage lights. If the price of lights from your preferred brand is significantly high, check your priority list and shift to some other manufacturer.

Energy Consumption

You should always check and ensure that the LEDs that you’re planning to buy are energy-efficient and do not consume much power. Overburdening yourself with heavy electricity bills merely to work on your car’s maintenance wouldn’t be a wise thing to do.

Ease of Functionality

You can consider buying automatic lights that switch on as and only when you enter the garage. You can also go for smart lights that can be controlled via a mobile app. However, for such lights, you must have a Wi-Fi connection at your home (which is not uncommon these days).

Using the above points to filter the LED lights for your garage will help you get the best bang for your buck.

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[Main photo credit: Juergen Faelchle / Shutterstock.com. Product images provided by the manufacturer.]