When working on a project, in addition to the right tools, you need good lighting. Sometimes room lighting is not enough and a little extra brightness can make your work go quicker, easier, and more safely. These days, LEDs are are a great way to go, and hands-free products have obvious benefits. Which do you prefer to use more, headlamps or cordless work lights?
The main benefit of a headlamp is that the beam moves with you and can be perfectly aligned with your vision. A major downside is that headlamps are limited in how large and heavy they can be.
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Cordless, or even corded work lights, can be a lot larger and brighter. Many offer multiple support and positioning options, but must still be carefully aimed at the work area. Depending on the surroundings, this can sometimes be tricky.
My preference? I tend to use work lights for larger projects, but whip out a headlamp for quicker projects or tasks. Overall, I use headlamps far more, with my current favorite being the Petzl Pixa 1.
Petzl Headlamps (I’ve got 3 of these and love ’em!)
Dewalt 12V Max LED Worklight (My favorite work light, but it’s sold without a battery. It’s one incentive to buy into the Dewalt 12V Max lineup. Second-favorite is a Craftsman 12V fluorescent model.)
D.C.
I use headlamps far more as well…I like the ability to highlight specific ares directly. The one caveat is I like using night vision on headlamps so any I buy such as the energizer industrial which is good but not great due to its low (45 lumen output)…it would be nice to have a 100 lumen headlamp with night vision…
Tom
I have a handful of headlamps around the house. I also use one while biking at night (along with bike lights). It is nice to have your hands free.
Kevin
I used to use my camping headlamps, but prefer the LED glasses, between those, the LEDs on my tools and a bunch of charged up ryobi 18v work lights I’m all set.
rob
I tend to use my headlamp for outdoor projects at night. It’s biggest use is in the wintter when I run the snowblower and it’s dark outside. My snowblower didn’t come with a headlight and I found the headlamp seemed to work pretty well.
James
I own the Tikka XP 2 headlamp, Milwaukee V28 work light, and Stanley separatable tripod flashlight. Believe it or not, I attached the headlamp to my keychain because its predecessor, the dual AAA Maglite, wasn’t cutting it. I supplement the headlamp with the work lights when working on the car and in the yard. Heck, I even use them in the house when I don’t feel like flipping lightswitches. They all see equal usage.
Harry
It depends on the task at hand. For under dash, I prefer either a cordlees makita light, an EZ Red light stick, or one of the Ullman Devices round swivel LED lights with the magnetic base.
Underhood, I like my Princeton Tec Fuel Headlamp for hands free and no holding the flashlight in my teeth use. It’s even US made!!!
I’m still not about to give up my Streamlight Polystinger but, it’s nice to have options.
Andrew
I love headlamps for working on electrical stuff where the power is off. Frees up both hands and you have good light right where you need it.
Jon Wells
My favorite is the Boruit RJ3000, the brightest I’ve seen. The batteries are rechargeable and last a long time; they can also be replaced if you don’t want to wait for a recharge.
One of the few cautions is that it is easy to blind a coworker if you’re not careful where it’s pointed.
Chris L
I have found the Energiser branded head lamp to be brilliant, and I’ve used about every brand except Petzl. For the price, the Energiser is great, a really well focused beam of light like none I’ve ever seen on a head lamp. There are also unbranded versions of it for half the price, but don’t know if there’s a knock-on effect on quality. Expect to pay about £10 for the genuine article.
Dave L.
Safe & vault techs have been using headlamps for decades, simply because you need both hands free. Also sometimes you need to work in cramped quarters where a second hand needing to hold a light gets in the way. I have three of them.
Casemods
I use my YLP panda 3r for a lot of stuff where in moving around a lot.
Otherwise the $20 Braun 18650 COB is great.
My olight baton 2 cu is a good second option but it’s got a 6000k~ tint (bleh) and non-anduril UI…
The acebeam pt40 has a weak magnet and horrible beam spread for a 6 led “work light” but it’s compact and has some good niche uses.
Braun 18650 cob or similar lights with similar features would be my go for work lights.
Any 18650 90+ cri 4500k with dual reflector/emitters (such as the panda 3.0) are my top picks though.