Forget holding the flashlight in your teeth, or depending on that underpowered light the manufacturer puts under the hood — instead shine some real light into your engine compartment with this under-hood work light sold by Jack’s Tool Shed.
A few years ago when Chuck wrote about the Snap-on magnetic flashlight holder, he asked, “Have any of you seen something like this on the market for less?” Well, Lee Valley recently started retailing a flashlight/trouble light holder that’s not only cheaper but looks to be a lot more versatile.
I’ve carried a Photon keychain light ever since my dad gave me his old beat-up one, which I nurtured back to health (read: replaced the batteries). We’ve talked about the Photon micro-light on Toolmonger before, but this new version is insane, with four LEDs, adjustable brightness, and four safety modes including strobes and SOS. Best of all, it’s rechargeable, and it can even recharge from a normal AA or D battery. You can recharge the Photon’s Li-ion cell 500 times, and you can get 20 charges from a single D cell.
Ok, it’s a little steep with a list price of $30, but street pricing is closer to $20 — and keep in mind, that’s money you wont be spending on batteries. If somehow you figure out how to bust it there’s also a limited lifetime guarantee so you won’t have to lay out the cash for another one.
Photon ReX Rechargeable Micro-Light [Manufacturer's Site]
Street Pricing [Google]
Grabbing and holding small components with tweezers is hard enough in good light, but if you’re working in a poorly lit and confined space don’t worry about grabbing the flashlight — grab a pair of illuminated tweezers instead.
Whether you’re crawling into a dark space or working on a project in the shop, you want a small, bright flashlight by your side. I went looking for an inexpensive one and stumbled across the Romisen RC-F4 — this little LED flashlight houses a CREE Q5 LED, which means it packs a punch comparable to its professional competitors.
Have you been burned by the power going out in the middle of the night and screwing up your alarm clock? Yeah, most alarm clocks have a battery backup, but in my experience it’s always dead when you need it. Plug the PowerOUT! from Reliance Controls into a spare outlet and when the power fails you’ll know it by the 86dB alarm and bright safety light.
With no warning or explanation, toss one of these Striker ball lights to somebody and ask them what it is. We got quite a few entertaining answers right out of the box, everything from disco ball and mini-land mine to one horrified person who dropped it immediately and scolded us for tossing them a sex toy. It’s actually an LED light with magnets stuck all over it for providing light in odd places.
Van Helsing must have wet dreams about the Black and Decker V-3 Million Power Series rechargeable spotlight. We’re not kidding. We shouted, “The power of Christ compels you!” every time this thing lit off the first week it was in the shop. Yes, it really is that bright. However, if you have no vampires to destroy, it’s also a super-handy work light.
We’ve all heard a variation on the phrase, “as useful as a solar-powered flashlight,” yet many manufacturers offer flashlights that recharge via a solar panel. Daylight Savings sells this solar flashlight for $25 — it’s just one example of dozens of solar rechargeable flashlights on the market.
Now that smoking isn’t politically correct, most automobiles don’t come with a cigarette lighter — the manufacturers have repurposed that hole as a power port. Fill the empty port with the Auto LED flashlight from Coast. You can leave it charging in your vehicle’s power port, always ready, like the lighter it replaced.
Stanley continues to keep its flashlight line fresh with the coming addition of the 3-in-1 tripod LED flashlight. Just from the look of it the new light seems more capable than its predecessors — it features better bulbs, each contained in a separate unit that can be removed from the master unit and carried separately.
Since Bosch introduced the PS20 a few years ago, most of us who got our hands on one have lamented the fact that a flashlight wasn’t in the line-up. Bosch has now corrected that — and they’re also releasing the PS20-2A driver, the second gen of the original driver.
DeWalt recently released a new line of “high-performance” LED flashlights featuring prominent branding. The model pictured above is a three D-cell model and features a textured anodized aluminum body — and rubber O-ring seals that provide “moisture resistance” (read: not water-tight, but probably OK if you don’t submerge it) — sound familiar? A hex-shaped head prevents the light from rolling away when you set it down.
You’d like to illuminate that small outbuilding or garden shed in the back yard, but you don’t want the bother of running electric lines out to it. Instead you could install a solar-powered light like this one from SunForce.
If you’re in the market for Gerber’s Deluxe Mine Probe Kit, one of two things is probably true: A) You’re underpaid, or B) you need to move. People who remove unexploded ordnance work mostly on their bellies, inching across the battlefield, constantly in danger. For these serious people and their serious work, Gerber makes some precision mine probe tools to replace that old KA-BAR.
A lot of companies are competing for the “shake” or “no-battery” flashlight market, but Valor makes a $10 version that’s both more efficient and much less expensive than many of the other offerings. While other companies promise only four to five minutes of light for 30 seconds of shake, Valor boasts that their light’ll provide 100 minutes of light for just 60 seconds of shake — for a survival/”green”/no-battery light, that seems reasonable.
I’m the last guy who wants to get in a fight, but I’ve had the same idea I’m sure a lot of you have while hefting a meaty Maglite: if worse comes to worse, I could give a bad guy a good thwack with this thing. Rothco has expanded on that notion with their side handle system. It turns any C or D Maglite into a police style tonfa club, for defense or just showing off your mad flashlight-twirling skills.
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What's In Your Kitchen Tool Drawer?
Tool Talk #53: Old Hardware Stores & Pocket Knives
Tool Talk #52: Listener Calls & Reader Projects
Tool Talk #51: DIY Wedding Rings & Heirloom Shopsmiths
Tool Talk #50: Router Safety & Pointless Tools
Tool Talk #49: Bookcases & Ending Laziness
Tool Talk #48: Christmas & (Paint) Strippers
One Beer Projects: Repairing Wood Surfaces
One Beer Projects: Fixing Simple Problems With Your Dryer
One Beer Projects: Winterizing/Storing Your Bike
One Beer Projects: De-Badging Your Truck
One Beer Projects: Staining Your Fence
One Beer Projects: Doing Your Own Brakes
One Beer Projects: Balancing Your A/C For The Summer
One Beer Projects: Installing A Dimmer Switch
Hands-On: Milwaukee M12 Power Port
Hands-On: Caterpillars Fix Wiggly Outlets For Good
Head 2 Head Hands-On: Bosch SPS10 vs LI3000 SmartDriver
Hands-On: Striker Magnetic LED Light
Hands-On: Dremel Duo Kit -- Dremel Driver
Hands-On: Elmer's ProBond Wood Filler
Hands-On: Duo-Fast DF350S Framing Nailer
Hands-On: Watco Danish Oil - Cherry Finish
Budget Shop Truck Build, Part 5: Engine Teardown
Budget Shop Truck Build, Part 4: A New Transmission
Budget Shop Truck Build, Part 3: Building An Engine Stand
Budget Shop Truck Build, Part 2: Pulling The Engine
Budget Shop Truck Build, Part 1: The Truck
How-To: Cut Angles With A Circular Saw
Project Garage: Yukon Engine Swap (Part 5) -- Complete!
Project Garage: Yukon Engine Swap (Part 4) -- Installation!
Project Garage: Yukon Engine Swap (Part 3) -- Fabricating Engine Brackets
Project Garage: Yukon Engine Swap (Part 2) -- GM Performance Parts
