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which portable lighting are you using?

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15K views 45 replies 18 participants last post by  futtyos  
T
#1 ·
Hi, I'm looking to upgrade some old lights for something with flexibility to be on or off a tri-pod or even hang. Not sure of what wattage or Lumens would fill one room. Also, are there any brands that do cord, and cordless options.
 
P
#2 ·
Check out the Festool Syslite Duo. It’s well worth the high cost. Two contractors I work with bought their own after seeing mine on the jobsite.

Milwaukee also has a huge range of lighting products. I don’t have any specific recommendations, but video production lighting might be another option.

It’s unfortunate, but most of the lighting marketed to contractors are cheaply built and the quality of the light is terrible (very uneven).




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K
#7 ·
I just use ,but not very often, a tripod set of halogen lights . Or if I don't bring my own and it is a commercial job what ever is handy. I don't like the shadows any of them cast since they are only a few feet off the ground.
 
J
#8 ·
We use the husky led’s. A little expensive but last for a long time. We’ve had the same ones for years now. They do give off odd colored light (cool white) Sort of like a hospital room. When we paint oil we always use the halogens. It’s just the perfect light.


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#10 ·
I painted out a bedroom on the weekend that had some new energy saving pot lights. Damn things flickered so much it was seriously messing with my eyes. Could hardly stay in the room for more than 15 minutes without leaving for a minute to give my eyes a break. That was in their kids room too. I mentioned it to the owner, but they didn't seem too concerned.
 
#13 ·
After many, many years, I'm still searching for the perfect light. Like many of you, I still use my halogen tripod. Although hot (and I have burned my arm on them before) they do put out the perfect light for painting. The LED's simply don't pump out enough light, especially for winter work when sunlight is almost non-existent.

I'm often tempted to upgrade, but one thing holds me back. On most jobsites, I leave my halogens the whole time I'm working onsite. Inevitably, a plumber, carpenter, electrician uses my light when I'm not there, and, of course, they burn out the bulbs and don't replace them, or, they alter my light like cutting off the ground prong so they can plug my light into an ungrounded outlet, or, they knock the light over breaking them.

So, do I want to spend hundreds knowing someone will break it? Or, do I keep buying the $29.99 1000 watt halogen tripods? Hmmmmm......
 
#18 ·
Festool is the way to go.

I am a Festool dealer and encourage you to try their Syslite Duo. 8000 lumen at 5k. (whatever you do, don't look into the light!) Purchase the light & Tripod package. It simply blows away every light I put it up against. If you don't like it Festool has a 30 no questions money back guarantee. You cannot loose.

the link is below replace (dot) with .

festoolusa[/url] (dot) com/products/illuminating/working-light/574657---duo-set-usa
 
#22 ·
F
#25 ·
On the cheap



Since I got back into painting around 2012 I have yet to buy a halogen light.

I started using 5' to 6' lamps with a 150W to 250W incandescent bulb. At some point I started using a "Y" adaptor so I could use 2 bulbs in 1 socket. I brought my light down to Marina Towers when I started working there. I found that while I was away from the job, the bulbs would somehow either stop working or be broken and thrown out.

Last winter I needed a better light for a dimly lit house in Chicago that I was painting. I took my 6' tripod light (designed for home use, not for painting) and fitted, after removing its metal shroud, an orange plastic trouble light from Home Depot (that cost me about $20.00) onto the top of the lamp with hose clamps. I then screwed in a "Y" socket and screwed in 2 100W LED bulbs. This seems to work well enough. This trouble light has a 25' cord and a socket just under the light switch.

I brought this set-up down to Marina Towers and the GC ended up using it. Last winter he complained about the 2nd light socket on his yellow halogen tripod burning out (the first socket had burned out 2 years prior), I told him that I would take care of it. The next day I came equipped with a yellow plastic trouble light from Ace Hardware. This also had a 25' cord and 2 electrical outlets near the switch. The yellow plastic even matched his tripod. I attached it to the top of his tripod using hose calmps and he has been using this ever since. A lot less bulbs are being burned out as well as the LEDs are quite a bit tougher than incandescent bulbs.

The 100W LED bulbs are just under $4.00 with tax and are rated a little bit more than 1500 Lumens each, so that would make for a 3000+ lumen lamp using 2 bulbs. The 150W LEDs cost $15.00 + tax and are rated at 2550 lumens. I have not sprung for the 150W bulbs yet.

Here are some pics:
 

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#34 ·
Talk about heat from a work light, one time I put one of those halogen floor lamps that sit about six inches off the ground on the edge of a pool table. After a short time I smelled a burning plastic smell. The way the light was sitting on the table left the light an inch or two from the laminate edge of the pool table, which was scorched. Luckily (or not) it was my pool table. Luckier yet, I didn't leave the area with the light on and burn my house to the ground.
 
#35 ·
Yup, you could probably light up a smoke with those things if you lost your lighter. lol. I just checked and a 500w halogen produces 7000 lumens, so my tripod setup is firing 14k lumens! I have to shut the thing down 15 minutes before I leave a job so that it cools down enough to put in my van without melting whatever it's laying on. It's definitely not something I use on every job. Generally just new construction when the electricians decide to cheap out and not hang some pig tails for people to use while they're working.



As I'm getting older I'm finding I need more lighting in the room to be able to see what I'm doing. It sucks getting older. Better than the alternative I guess.
 
#38 ·
The headlamp would be worth considering. I'd feel a little weird, but I'm generally alone on new construction. It would kill the one problem I have with halogens which is the shadowing. Last few years I've reduced that problem by just adding more halogens! lol.
 
#42 ·
I should have got a headlamp many years ago for fishing or auto repairs but I do use them now for painting a lot. I started using the Cree China flashlights. I believe the technology of all leds have made them better and more affordable, and I have had the flashlights left on overnight and still bright the next morning.

I have bought a lot of flashlights and extra batteries and had very few problems, a couple for the cars, one for the fishing vest a few lying around the house and have given many as gifts. Shipping from China was generally just 7 days.
I got a few of these headlamps

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Cree-LED-H...eadlamp-charger-4-batteries/172769102802?hash=item2839d74bd2:g:338AAOSwqVBZX5tZ
 
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