Welding Led lights

Hi all,
First I'd like to say I work in the shipyard where I crawl through steel ballast/oil tanks and use a flashlight harshly everyday! Are tool room carries these cheap 2 Dcell lights that are like $2.45/ea. And I have access to AA/C/D cells.
I tend to bang and drop my lights alot and I use them from like 2 hrs at a time to sometimes 5. Also when welding I have a small led attached to a mag base for positioning to my starting point(rayovac/AAA). And the lens' get burnt and smoked up, which isn't too bad as long as I can access them(maglite) to make another from a grinding shield.
So with that being said I initially was going to ask for a good magnetic base led light(using the mentioned cells) that can withstand some heat (nickelneodymiun won't work) and can be positioned... and then figured I put out my parameters and ask for a carry light as well!
If you made it through my post then thanks for reading it and any suggestions/questions will be much appreciated.:thumbsup:
-Tre

I was able to pick up some inova lights on here. I'm gonna use the bolt 2aa which has the features I was looking for on DX... momentary off/on, 3.8 watt is good enough, and AA batteries. And on my mag base the x1 (weight permitting). I liked the modes high/turbo but don't need the flash/sos. I think that lenslight had a turbo when the tail was pressed while on... that would be awsome!
I've bad results with the led lights flickering off while I use them, so I figured if I buy something good(surefire?) It will take care of it. I tried soldering pieces together on my garranty? helped to some extent..:sigh:
I should have them by Sat and can't wait to try them out!!! :twothumbs
I'll let everybody know how they pan out. I'm sure I'll beat the crap out of the expensive lights too!...which reminds of why I liked the cheap tool room lights. I often drop them in bilges or down the tank under a bunch of pipes or forget them altogether somewhere(did I even have one :thinking.
Any suggestions on how not to loose an expensive flashlight!?

You never mentioned a budget...?

Well, here is a few lights I know of that have magnetic tailcaps and flexible heads for illuminating any position. One is rechargeable at 200 lumens and the other uses (3) AAA batteries at 120 lumens.

How to not lose a flashlight? Always keep it in your hand!!! Or, remember where you stuck it. (If it is magnetized somewhere) Many people use the lanyard around the wrist to help prevent dropping them too.

Hope this helps a bit...

Oh, BTW, if you do happen to burn or break the glass lens, it can be replaced for $2.00 via their website.

Lanyard? "Find me" blink? Glow in the dark stuff? Tritium vials? Tags?

Also ignore the 3.8 watt rating. Watt isn't output, it's either the power to the LED, the max rated watt for the LED, or a random number. Also a previous generation high power LED will have half the output or less of a current generation high power LED at the same wattage.

Have you used high power LEDs before? If you only buy cheaper 5mm LED lights then that kight explain the flickering. Most of those lights overdrive the LEDs by a lot, the LEDs then flicker as they burn out.

There are also many other brands then Surefire.

What about a headlamp?
What price range?
What output?
What runtime?
Beam pattern?
Size?
Any other tings you would like?

:welcome:

If you want to stick with a maglite you could get an LED dropin for it. If you don't really need brightness but need long runtime, then the standard mag LED dropin would work.
Or, if you want more brightness with a C or D mag you could get one of these (first is for C's, second is for D's).
http://www.malkoffdevices.com/shop2/index-main_page-index-cPath-1_7.html
http://www.malkoffdevices.com/shop2/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_2
They are a bit on the expensive side as far as dropins go, but they have solid aluminum heatsinks and are very well made. A 3D one will give you 6+ hours of runtime on 3 D batteries, and wll be much brighter than a stock maglite. If the maglite gets too beat up, you could always get a new one for about 20$ and put the dropin in that one.

Thanks for the responses guys!:thumbsup:

Ryanrpm- Thats a sweet deal 220 lumens, mag base, flex head. I'll get to price in a bit.
Want to stay with the batteries the tool room provides- won't for some reason buy AAA's...
also get to not losing it.

Gunner12- (Ryan)Lanyard's probably the only help for not forgetting it somewhere... usually place the light on a flange or angle to light up an area while I work.. I do however like being able to see my light in my bucket- lighted tail cap/GlowNDark :thumbsup:!
I used what my supervisor and buddies have as comparison for light output needed. Walmart/Lowes- (past year technology)I felt like the 3 watt was great for output and 1 watt would work. Like you say though I only know what I saw and hope with the Inova's I'm getting the latest technology.
Maybe you could link some info sights about led terms that has visual examples for reference. I get lost when camparing lumens/watts/candlepower!
I can't use a headlamp when welding cause I have to wear my hardhat and the shield knocks it off or is blocked by it.
Beam pattern: I am unsure about it. My other buddy swore by needing the adjustable beam-Maglite, but I'm pretty much just going on his word.

Size: The small light for the mag has to be able to attach through several layers of epoxy paint and/or rust, so it either needs to be lite or have a strong heat resistant magnet. My carry light has to fit in my pocket and not fall out while I climb through lightning holes (small holes in the bulkhead) and through pipe laden tanks. The small yellow plastic 2d lights fit in my jeans pocket, ok. I got a 2d mag lite from a friend who thought it might work better if it bang off a wall a couple of times.(broken led) But it slips from my pocket and won't remain stationary (round bezel).

Gunner/Ryan:
budget: I would rather mod the plastic 2d lights the toolroom uses than spend over a $100. I wouldn't shell out the 20 or so dollars at walmart for their leds until 2 years of flickering/low light later! But after some led's starting showing up and I did some research on the internet I feel like I'll get what I need for around $50-75. Even though no one would dish out that much for a flashlight... and everyone would steal if I left it in plain sight!!!

Mjolnir(copyandpaste)- I tried two of the led drop ins for the aa maglites (nite eyze) and they both flickered beyond my patience. The Newest led mag with mode switching caught my eye but I hate having to cycle through flash/sos when I need to inspect a weld quickly(is there a lens on it?). I'll probably try one in the next year or so as they're a good size and AA.
Yeah, I was going to check out these Malkoff drop ins today as they're for sale used sometimes and I hear they have great output(?). I was impressed with the product for sure but am too hesitant to put in $50 for a bulb.

Anything else: Seeing as I have this highly moddable 2D maglite I need an anti-roll bezel that replaces the original. The rubber cap ones may work for a time but I read they catch on things(very annoying) and I'll burn it up eventually.


Thanks again to all.

P.s. I really am impressed with that red eagle mag base RyanRpm- I use a magnetic base mirror- http://www.restockit.com/Ul-Mx-Mirror-Magnetic-Base-(758-MX).html?source=froogle&Bvar5=100F1&Bvar6=100F1&Bvar7=100F1 w/out mirror and a rayovac $3 from walmart hose clamped to the end!:tinfoil:


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Being a fellow welder myself, thanks for the link to the magnetic base mirror! Pretty cool. I've gotten myself into some pretty tight situations where something like that was needed.

Yes, I do believe it will be hard for you to shell out $150 for that Red Eagle Tool light. Not many people would. The part that would convince me though is the lifetime warranty and the excellent Customer Service. AND, all the Sunlite heads are interchangeable. Those tool lights were originally designed for mechanics, but I can see how they would benefit welders, hobbyists, car audio installers, etc, pretty well.

I jut did a quick search, and there really isn't any other light with a magnetic base out there.:thinking:

Hey hey!another welder here what I would suggest with any light used for welding is to cut a piece of clear safety lens and replace the glass lens with it if possible,if not just stick it on the front :twothumbs

Good to see some welders on the forums:twothumbs!
Ryan- You have a good argument. I'll ask the makers of what kind of magnet they use and if it's replaceable. I've seen something at harbor freight for around $7.00 (I think) and wanted to try it out. It uses the same mags we use on our halogen tank lights.

I've been using mirrors since I started welding in the shipyard (indespensable) back in 2001 and what I tell guys is to take it slow at first. We use mig guns alot in the steel department and it's easy to end up with a mess Quick! Follow what u know about puddle control and u should pick it up in no time.:thumbsup:

Titan- Use the clear grinding faceshields, they're a little thinner(AA maglites). That's a funny sig!(I think I found mine- last post )

Off to take my Physics test!:sick2:

friend of mine has been looking for a light to withstand their welding jobs..

pretty much every light they have tried so far has melted away if forgotten and some not even forgotten but when used to light something up as they heat metal up to bend it/bang it to shape or weld it.

to them 250-300mm metal sheet are thinnest metal they use.. (yeah,thats about 10-12 inches)

and it takes some serious heat to prewarm it to weld and weld thru..

no wonder plastic lights are no-no..
and most aluminum ones tend to fail too.. (their innards atleast.. clickys and lenses are meltinggggg..)


asked him to take picture of poor ledlenser he mentioned, the one that ended up as non-working 90degree anglelight.. hope they didnt throw it away yet.

We use Magchargers to check the weldings at work, a replaceable glass lens is a MUST for a welding light..imho

Well got all my lights in! I'm excited to see which ones will be good for working with. Here's a list:
Rayovac sportsman extreme 3c
Inova:
Bolt 2a
X1

I like the sportsman it's bright and I can replace the plastic bezel lenses easily.
The 2a is ok- single AA is good cell for work. Not too bright, I wish there was a clickie near the head.
X1- a little too dim but should be better than what I have now (Rayovac 1AAA).

I'll post here as things pan out.
Overandout! -Tre

Just a heads up here,I put my sunlite turbo head through a lot of abuse it held up pretty well IMO

Can you post a link to that, I couldn't find it on Powerledlighting's site. Thanks!

treflip said:

Can you post a link to that, I couldn't find it on Powerledlighting's site. Thanks!

Click to expand...

My post showing the head after abuse and a link to the actual head scroll third one down.

What's good about this head is,it has a polycarbonate lens which as you know is better than glass for resisting spatter :thumbsup:

Here's a quick update on the Inova lights.
Man after nightfall I was impressed! The X1 has at least twice the spread as the little AAA Rayovac.
The Bolt 2a is gonna b a good pocket light- Lotsa light and AA bats.(still'd like a side switch)

Titan- Thanks for the link! The more information I find on that Sunlite the more interested I am in it. If the len's are replaceable and I can put use AA batts that would be vary enticing.

So last weekend was my first try with the lights.
I used the rayovac pretty much exclusively. I can change the lens and it fits in my pocket fairly well!
Cons-It does roll and I can't position it like I'd like.
The Bolt 2a is Bright! I carried it in my pocket though and didn't really bring it out much. I did find out from Emissive I can't change the lens out, which sucks cus I did bring it out sunday and burned the lens a little with some slag!
I did see a thread where someone filled the body with water and froze it to pop the head off. Anyone have any good results doing this?
So I planned on taking pics of the rayovac to show how 3 days will tare it up! But will have to get around to it.

P.s. The batteries in the rayovac are still good I used them for about 4 hrs or so each day for Fri, Sat, Sun (Weekend shift) and I can tell the brightness is getting lower.

I'm not sure if Freeze and Pop works with the Bolts.

Maybe you can try one of the better budget lights. Many of them have glass windows which are also pretty easy to remove.

Actually, the light output could decrease 50% or more before you notice. Eyes adjust faster then most lights dim. Also many batteries can recover a bit so initial brightness is higher. But the light works well for you, which is most improtant.

Compared to what we have, the bolt isn't as bright as many of the other lights. I don't recall which Bolt I was trying out but my little 1 AAA light at least equaled it in output. I don't think mine had a fresh battery either. As before though, it works well for you.

I have been noticing the decline of my lights over the last few months. I will take pictures and post them when I get through these summer courses!

The overall performance is good. The casing on the Rayovac is pretty scratched up... I am doing a big aluminum job here shortly and am thinking about spotting something around the bezel to keep it from rolling since it's aluminum. I also picked up a couple magnets from harbor freight and will make a holder for it - most of the ships I work in are not aluminum. I had to replace the lens on it once so far too.

The inova is a great light! the hue is very clear and even our cheap aa batteries last a few hours. The rubber sleeve is starting to wear though. I had to break the glass lens and replace it with one I cut from a faceshield.

Ideally I wanted to take pics more frequently and keep this thread updated for a welding light in the shipyard reference. Sorry I have slacked on that!

Update:
Attention all rayovac sportmans 3c led owners...... due to possible seperation of silicone from the led part.... it is advisable to not drop the light from 18' up onto the shell bottom.... over!

So my rayovac is currently OOC until I get a replacement led for it. I will probably get a cheap replacement and solder it on sooner but probably later!

I will have to use the Inova mainly from now on.