Under Hood Work Lights - What Do You Use?

If you read experiences from others, above, one of the dislikes for the Astro is the built-in battery, and having to wait for the battery to recharge. I didn't know that you could run the Astro while plugged in. Is that advisable? It usually isn't recommended to use a Li ion battery operated device while the battery is charging, as it creates too much heat and shortens the life of the battery.

If it is OK, it makes the Astro a more attractive option.
 
Trav said:
I ended up buying the Astro 151SL for $100, the deciding factor was the 16ft HD cord that you can use it plugged in not just on the battery. It came yesterday and I am impressed with the build quality, the light output is good and the cord is excellent, overall I am happy with it.

https://www.jbtools.com/astro-pneum...aluminum-rechargeable-underhood-light/?wi=off
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That is the one I recently bought and I really like it. It looks like you got a better deal than I did.
 
wtd said:
That is the one I recently bought and I really like it. It looks like you got a better deal than I did.
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I had the chance to use it 2 nights ago when my wife reported the oil light flashed on her Saab on the way home, it was low but not empty. Oil spray all over the place, I put the AC Delco dye in, filled it and used the black light to find the oil pump cover behind the damper had blown its o ring seal.
I started taking it apart with the Astro light that night, the thing is better than the old one, it really lit the whole engine bay up nicely. 100% satisfied and well pleased with this light and the price was right.
 
Trav said:
I had the chance to use it 2 nights ago when my wife reported the oil light flashed on her Saab on the way home, it was low but not empty. Oil spray all over the place, I put the AC Delco dye in, filled it and used the black light to find the oil pump cover behind the damper had blown its o ring seal.
I started taking it apart with the Astro light that night, the thing is better than the old one, it really lit the whole engine bay up nicely. 100% satisfied and well pleased with this light and the price was right.
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It does put out a lot of light. I've had their 52SL lights for a while now and they have been great as well.
 
I use a regular droplight, a flashlight, or a clip on light. I also find that when working in a garage during the day just opening the garage door lets in a lot of light.
 
I have the Milwaukee. I don’t know if they all come apart, but I like the fact that I can unclip Mike and use it like a light saber and stick the light wherever I want. Others may work the same way. I also like that it has hex rings around it that let me lay it at different angles.

Of course I also like those led floor flood lights with just one big square panel, as they’re efficient and bright. And an old school shop light with a metal cage and led bulb inside.

And, all of that said, I use my iPhone flashlight more than i care to admit!
 
bdc101 said:
I have had so many of the portable battery-powered lights, and strap-on head lamps fail that I'm resolved to never buy another one again unless it is name brand.

Now, the Makita DML818 is something I could get behind now that I'm in the Makita 18v infrastructure.

However, doesn't this seem like a good application for a corded light? Don't get me wrong, I love my battery powered impact tools, but doesn't a tool that only gets put in place once and never gets moved seem like a good corded application? Especially with how expensive the batteries are?
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I can't disagree with your logic.

However, I am also in the Makita 18 volt family as well as Milwaukee M12. I have lights in both systems. The Makita dml818 is particularly good. I have no complaints about any of my lights. They all seem to work just fine for their respective use cases. If I was going to be working on something all day long, I guess I would just swap batteries. I have no need to buy a corded light as I have so many batteries. I just swap when I need to.
 
I standardaized on Rigid due to their lifetime warranty (tool and battery) and these three have been great. I do have mainly Milwaukee but as those go bad (if they ever do) I will stick with Rigid as much as possible. I have not found anything that these three cannot do, the last one I used all the time hunting when tracking game after dark.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-18V-Cordless-Hybrid-LED-Panel-Light-Tool-Only-R8698B/319376783
https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-18V-Cordless-LED-Stick-Light-Tool-Only-R8696B/316630227
https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-...ithium-Ion-Battery-R8699B-AC8400802/320699428
 
I've got a vevor model MX-5087 I ordered a few weeks back off Amazon. It was around $65. It looks and feels great and is bright at 2300LM , 6-7K color/temp, 25 watts. I'll be using it in the next few days and will post a follow up on it.
 
Have any of you ordered items from Super Arbor? I found a deal that sounds too good to be true, on the M12 under hood light, with an M12 3/8" ratchet and two 2.5 amp batteries. All for a price that is great.

https://superarbor.io/products/milw...12-ho-2-5-ah-batteries?variant=52397564592495

I have never ordered from Super Arbor before, let alone heard of them. But after researching them, I decided to order it. They don't charge my card until they ship, so I feel somewhat protected. I'll report back on how this works out.
 
I bought an underhood light mount on closeout from Eastwood. I made little inserts for the mounts so any magnetic base lights will stick to it.

I've got a selection of rechargeable lights to pair with it. As a bonus It works great for interior work too.
 
Here's a pic of my Vevor light mentioned above. I like it! I just did a vacuum pump swap on my 2021 Equinox using it.

IMG_20260530_140949804_HDR~2.webp
 
With all the recent advancements in LED technology, (especially all of these LED "light tapes" you are starting to see), I'm wondering how long it will be before the manufacturers start putting "built in" LED lighting under the hoods of new cars?

It seems every year they're coming out with higher lumen, lower power consuming lights. Of course I've been saying the same thing about factory dash cams, and so far I haven't seen any on new vehicles.
 
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