Best LED work light buying guide

from ECN May 2022

Stripping back the hassle

Choosing the best LED work light can be an overwhelming and confusing process, says Unilite. There are so many options and so much industry lingo that it’s enough to make anyone go back to their mobile phone light. Whether it’s a magnetic LED work light, or one with a stand, this guide looks at the design features the best LED work lights will have.

Some LEDs used in work lights are better than others. You can clearly see the difference when you pick up a quality work light compared to a cheap one from the bargain bin of a hardware shop.

The difference is down to the type of LEDs used, whether they are SMD’s or COB LEDs, or even DIP. Let’s look at the differences:

DIP LEDs (Dual In-line Package)

DIP LEDs are seen in outdoor applications as they have high resistance properties against impact. This is due to their construction, being surrounded by resin and welded directly onto the circuit board via two pins. The downside, however, is the limited brightness that a DIP LED can produce. To make an effective LED work light comprised of DIP LEDs, the unit itself would have to be impracticably large and cumbersome. Despite this, they are often found on cheap worklights and camping torches, providing a dim and underwhelming light.

Common quality materials to look out for are nylonpolymer, copolymer and aluminium

SMD LEDs (Surface Mounted Diode)

SMD LEDs are used in multiple LED work lights. They are reliable and can pack up to three diodes onto a single SMD chip. This means you can create a different range of colours from a single chip. They do produce more of a glare, which makes it a better choice as a spotlight, rather than as a floodlight. This glare is offset by strong diffusers which fan the spread of the LEDs into a uniform pattern.

COB LEDs – Chip on Board

COB LEDs are the latest technology found in work lights. These LEDs pack in more than nine diodes into a single LED chip, making them much more efficient for the space they occupy. This also means they emit more light for the power they consume, leading to brighter LED work lights that operate at greater efficiency.

Rechargeable or disposable?

For years, disposable batteries ruled the roost when it came to work lights. The convenience of quickly swapping the batteries out made them popular, versus the long charging time of old battery technology. Thankfully the situation has improved, with lithium batteries found in almost all technology.

The question is, what is better? Well, that depends on how often you use it. If this work light is going to receive some serious usage, then a rechargeable battery is going to be its best power source.

Unlike old nickel variants, Lithium batteries are a very reliable power source. This is down to the way the energy is charged and discharged.

Lithium batteries tend to charge a lot quicker than nickel batteries and have less of a ‘memory effect’ which, in the past, hampered rechargeable batteries’ longevity. A battery memory effect is essentially whether a battery will lose some of its power if recharged when not fully discharged.

Disposable batteries – at what cost?

Now that we have lithium batteries covered, why do people still use disposable batteries in work lights? It all comes down to convenience. AA and AAA batteries are found everywhere. This means if you run out halfway through a job, simply pop to the shop and pick some up. This however can be quite an expensive way of powering your work light…

Picking a robust and waterproof LED work light

You can tell when something is built with higher quality, just by picking it up. When you feel its structure, you can see the robustness of its design. This is one of the key differences between cheap work lights and premium work lights. When shopping online you don’t get the benefit of being able to physically pick the light up, but you can see the construction properties the manufacturer has detailed about them.

Common quality materials to look out for are nylon-polymer, copolymer and aluminium. Both ‘polymers’ are used extensively in work light construction, as they provide a strong yet lightweight ‘shell’. This is very important when used regularly and in tough environments.

Another nod to build quality is the ‘IP’ rating a work light has. IP stands for ‘Ingres Protection’ and in simple terms refers to its dust and waterproof qualities. When a work light goes through testing, the manufacturer will test its resistance to both dust and water. It should be tested to an industry standard like ANSI FL1, which is an industry-wide testing procedure designed to ensure a uniform level of quality across all manufacturers.

Conclusion

There are so many different options when it comes to work lights. Hopefully this guide has helped to cut through the confusion and presented some of the key features to look out for when choosing your new work light.

Unilite, unilite.co.uk