Recommend me a good work light for my needs

The light will be used for general inspection, mostly close up of electronic pcbs and inside chassis ranging from quite small to maybe double the size of a midtower pc. Something with more oomph then an Arc AAA but a fairly similar "wide beam" style. The River Rock two cell AAA light wasn't too bad but has a very blue beam and dims quickly. To give you an idea of what I'm looking for, my mini-mag modded BB500 with Lux 1 works quite well but I would like something more commercial as I think I will be given the ok to buy a half a dozen or so for the department. It must run on either double or triple AAAs and I'd like at least a couple of hours runtime. It doesn't have to be tiny but needs to comfortably sit in a tool box so the mini mag is a good size. I know there are a lot of mini-mag mods but really would like an all in one solution. And oh, hopefully less then $30 or so.

I like the Inova X1 it would be very good in this roll, either version in fact, but you might like the new version flood type beam, and it has about 8 hour runtime and is about $20 at Target. Another idea would be a headlamp, I like the Brinkman 3 LED model personally, which would free up your hands, I wish I had found headlamps when I worked in DP under desks and up over dropped ceilings runinng cables and working on PCs.

I think the Fenix L1 would meet your needs. Of course the L1P is more than $30 but is probably worth the few extra $s.

Though more costly than $30, I think the Peak Pacific is a great task light with excellent run-time. It has a 2xAAA as an option to its stock single AAA battery tube.

HayJab so states...

Hello geepondy

I'm a fan of Fenix lights but in your case, only for close up work, my tip is the UK 2AAA LED.
The reason is the runtime of 19hours to 50% of full brightness and it costs only 12$.

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/uk_2aaa_eled.htm

Best regards

______
Tom

check this out..

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/amart_ghost2.htm
runs on 1 AA, 6 hours to 50%, DC-DC regulated, darned cheap too...
if you are ordering 5 or more- they are only $5.19 each here:
http://www.qualitychinagoods.com/12-led-ghost-ii-p-210.html

output is slightly less than an Arc- based on Quickbeams review and comparison charts over at flashlightreviews.com . so maybe this isn't going to cut it.. also it's a twisty switch- which may not be ideal for operation with 1 hand... There are quite a few other lights over there to consider as well. Lights that use multiple LEDs are going to be best for close up work- most single LED(high powered) lights are focused by a reflector or lense setup that makes them hard to use up close.


another one to consider- also with some DC-DC regulation, and brighter by quite a bit- powered by 1xAA... http://www.qualitychinagoods.com/flashlight-1xaa-p-390.html
appears to be this one: http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/sz_8led_1aa.htm
only runs for about 2 hours, but since it only uses 1xAA, that aint too bad at all, considering it's driving the LEDs pretty hard and bright...

For non-tactical type work- I think these are good recomendations, you can buy a lot of them and have em all around the shop for convenience at a minimal cost- they are budget/china lights, so someday- they might break, but you won't be in a rainforest dodging crocs and snakes with them- so it's no biggy, just pick up another one and keep working.

my tip is the UK 2AAA LED.
The reason is the runtime of 19hours to 50% of full brightness and it costs only 12$. -Long John

Click to expand...

I think he is trying to find something brighter than the arc 1xAAA, the UK scores significantly dimmer.

@mdocod

You're right, I only looked at the runtime and spill

Best regards

_____
Tom

oh yea... and a 2xAA idea...
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/amart_16ledwave.htm
also available through Dae over at qualitychinagoods for around $8-10 each... Though- that one might be almost tooo bright, (scores a 22 overall output, as apposed to the arc premium at 5.2)..

Flashlightreviews.com gives it a 2.5 star rating- because it's very poorly machined- but aside from that- a little lube on the threads and it should be a decent light for awhile.

Did you try using the RR 2AAA with NiMH batteries?

geepondy said:

The River Rock two cell AAA light wasn't too bad but has a very blue beam and dims quickly.

Click to expand...

oh yea.... forgot to mention.. I ordered these lights a few days ago....
http://www.qualitychinagoods.com/12-led-ghost-ii-p-210.html
http://www.qualitychinagoods.com/medea-xnova-p-316.html
http://www.qualitychinagoods.com/16-led-wave-p-217.html
http://www.qualitychinagoods.com/100-led-4xaa-p-404.html

obviously- that last one is way overkill for your work.... but the first 3 might be something to consider.. I'm not sure how long it will be untill they get here (might be a few weeks, not sure).. If you aren't buying right away... I will probably be posting comparison shots of these lights compared with more commonly known lights (I was thinking I would compare the smaller ones to a riverrock 2xAAA, and a minimag, and possibly some others, so people could get an idea how they perform)... I might also do runtime tests on NIMH if there is any interest.

Inova X1 is a good choice I've used to examine PCBs and reading small markings on components. Also use my Fenix L2P for the same thing.

Dave

I still believe the Fenix L1 or L1P is an excellent choice even if used for close work. The size, runtime (~2hrs on a single NiMh AA), and quality make for an ideal wide use light.

I forgot to mention that another consideration might be the Streamlight Lux Jr. It is 2xAA, runs four hours, and has a smooth beam profile. I believe they are readily available for ~$30.

Brighteyez said:

Did you try using the RR 2AAA with NiMH batteries?

Click to expand...

I did and the beam was still blue!!

You might want to check out the Element from Sam's Club.

It's a 1 watt Luxeon with a reflector that runs on 3 AAA batteries. They are two for about $25 or $26. They have a side switch that clicks on-off-on-off and there is no strobe, other wise it's pretty much like the Dorcy 1 watt.

I've had six of these and they all had good beams with pretty good tint.

2 AA Mini-Mag with Nite-Ize 3 LED drop in.

Actually........for close up work and incredibly long run time, with quality manufacture and on sale now from REI, the CMG Gerber Sonic or CMG Gerber Infinity Ultra are excellent task lights. The Infinity Ultra is $20.96 & the Sonic is $15.96 with an additional 25% off during the sale. They are quite bright, although somewhat blueish, without a hot-spot to speak of. They have a huge spill that completely floods a room in the targeted direction. With the absence of a hot-spot, there is virtually no glare, especially working up close. One runs on a single AA, the other a single AAA. A CPFer did a runtime test and found the Infinity Ultra ran for something like an incredible 127 (or maybe it was 137) hours. The majority of those hours supplied enough useable light to navigate, and then enough light to read. I find other lights such as the Fenix L1P useful and indispensable, but often too bright for the task at hand.


The Infinity Ultra's reputation is legendary, and the Sonic is much smaller with nearly the same brightness and slightly smaller spill. The Sonic is brighter than the legendary ArcAAA.

For the price, why not try one?

Another suggestion is the Advancemart "Twisty" or the "Clicky" AA. They use .5w LEDs, and present a wide hot-spot and good spill. Their beam and brightness is similar to the Infinity Ultra, but with a hot-spot. Very useable light for navigation, flood, and near field work. The "Twisty" design is bulletproof. These lights have been discussed here on CPF as well, and a search will lead to them.

Remember, working closely on PCBs or inside cabinets can be terribly annoying with an overly bright light. Not only is glare a factor, but fatigue can be induced just like listening to loud music with overly bright speakers.

Something completely different you might want to consider: Osram Dulux Pocket (or Osram Dulux Mini as it is called in some places)

http://torchreviews.net/osrammini.htm

great for close up work.

I and others have had several SL Jr. Luxs version one fail so I am hesitant to recommend the Junior. If, however, the physical and electrical issues have been addressed in version two, then the Junior with its broad but not quite floody spot and slight spill and forward clickie w/momentary in a 2AA form may be an excellent choice for such task work.

Another fine choice for such work may be the Gerber Trio. Also in a 2AA form with a twistie w/momentary, the Trio floods about 12 lumens from its 3 LEDs. It also stands on end for ceiling bounce. The Trio has about 8 hours of semi regulated runtime on alkies.

73
dim

Guys thanks for the suggestions, wow. I would probably stay away from any single AA or AAA cell. Remember this is a work light, not a pocket light and want two cells for runtime. It will run on common alkaline either AA or AAA cells. This is for a bunch of engineers and technicians, not flashaolics such as myself so will not want to fool around with nimh's. I was wondering about the streamlight Lux Jr. as well. The four hours regulated runtime looks sweet but is it significantly brighter then my modern CS Arc AAA? I wonder how it would compare to my now few year old BB500 (or is it 400?) lux 1 sandwich.