Quality replacement for these two lights?

Wrace

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Nov 8, 2005
Messages
38
The first one is a lighted inspection mirror with flexible arm. I used to use this thing frequently in my shop and around my place for all kinds of applications where a small lighted mirror is needed in awkward locations. The problem is it's made in china junk and I have had to do all kinds of band-aid fixes to keep it going, and even then it would not work reliably. It has now died a final death and I would dearly love to find a quality replacement for it.

I have found lighted inspection mirrors with led's that are mounted above the mirror and shine directly on the work, but they are not on a flex arm. I have also found adapters that hold a small mag light along with an inspection mirror but these simply shine the beam right at the mirror (instead of the work) and I have found that in many applications this just results in bright blind spot where you need to see. Also these too were not on a flex arm.

Any suggestions on a quality replacement for this would be appreciated.

The second item is a cheapy led light I received as a gift and it has turned out to be one of the most used lights around here. It is fairly compact, stable, and the head adjusts through a wide range up and down including the ability to point straight up, the batteries are located in the base. Last use was when putting in a fireplace insert and I was cleaning out the chimney area while laying on my back working above my head. I was wearing a dust mask and face shield as well as safety glasses so my headlight would not work in that instance. In addition, this light has a simple UI with low/high and a big button that can be used with a gloved hand. The head on this light is almost worn to the point where it will not hold position anymore and of course there is no adjustment on the plastic mechanism.

I bought a tripod type light from costco, I think it was stanley, but ended up returning it after two weeks of use because it was awkward to use, not very stable, and poorly made. I just didn't see it lasting very long under my use applications, and it was not nearly as fast and easy to use as the cheapy one.

Any ideas for a quality replacement for this light?

Thanks

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kramer5150

Flashaholic
Joined
Sep 6, 2005
Messages
6,328
Location
Palo Alto, CA
That first one with the mirror on it... a small light at the end of a flexible arm are usually called "inspection lights". They are somewhat common, but yours with a mirror attached is the first i have seen.

I did a google serch for "inspection light mirror" turns up some interesting options

One

Two

Three

Four

One more

That second one looks more like a hands free stand-able task area flood light, that you can just set up and flood a near-field area.
Maybe a zebralight H501, or Fenix MC10, maybe a streamlight sidewinder.

Pelican has all kinds of work-area torches, mainly for fire, SAR, and EMT... They are USA made and should be durable enough for you.
 
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Robin24k

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 8, 2009
Messages
2,029
Location
Washington, USA
For the first light, maybe you can remove the mirror and attach it somewhere else? I'm thinking of a fiber optic accessory and a 1" head diameter light like the Maglite 2AA LED or XL100.

http://www.niteize.com/collections/flashlights/products/fiber-optic-adapter

For the second, I have a similar light called the Black and Decker Bright Bar. It has a built-in rechargeable battery, and the hook has proven to be extremely convenient. It's available in 26-LED or 14-LED versions. I've seen the 14-LED version at Target before.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H75L1O/?tag=cpf0b6-20

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000T2OB7W/?tag=cpf0b6-20
 

Wrace

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Nov 8, 2005
Messages
38
Thanks for the replies. I had spotted the Ullman lighted mirrors like in link #3 in a previous search and ordered a couple of them. I just wish I could find something like that with a flex arm. I much preferr the design (like the Ullman's) that has the lights pointing at the work vs the ones that point at the mirror.

While looking at the black and decker amazon links I came across this light which might work.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000TBQBPS/?tag=cpf0b6-20

I use the corded version of these with halogen bulb and they put out plenty of light but they are very hot, which when working in an attic with insulation or a crawl space with black plastic ground covering can be a potential problem. Plus I've burned myself more than once while crawling through the crawl space and dragging the light (and the cord) along behind me.

It is a little troubling that some of the reviews on these various work-lights say that the light is more like a flashlight beam vs an actual flood beam.

I was looking through the Pelican site and they have some really nice work lights but most are too big for my applications and I probably don't even want to know how much they cost. :)
 
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