I still remember the shop light in my grandfather’s garage. It was bright yellow, had a metal cage surrounding the bulb, and ran on a retractable cord. For adults, it was used to light the workbench below or underneath the hood of a car, but for us kids, it was for hooking a toy onto the end, dragging out the cord until we’d hear it click, then watching it sling the toy across the concrete floor of the garage. There’s a nostalgic sort of charm to shop lights, with a design unchanged since my childhood, my grandparents’, and their parents’ before them; an American classic. Here are 10 (plus) of our favorite garage work lights.
Above: Designer Konstantin Grcic created the May Day Light for FLOS and it’s the chicest work light on our list. Made with a diffuser shade and hook/handle, the light can stand on the floor or hang from the handle. It comes in black (shown), white, or orange; $149 at Finnish Design Shop. Above: The John Deere Work Light with Metal Guard comes with a bright yellow 25-foot-long cord; $23.95 at the John Deere Store. Above: The Fulton Woodworking Tools 1294 Magnetic Work Light is a genius of design with a magnetic base that can attach to metal machinery; $19.99 at Amazon. Above: The GT-Lite Series 1000-Lumen Zoomable Rechargeable Work Light is designed for a workshop and its LED light is super bright (1000 Lumens, 5000K light); $40 at The Home Depot. Above: The 150-Watt Southwire Incandescent Portable Clamp Work Light is one of the most basic, straightforward shop lights on our list. It comes with 6 feet of cord and is $6.49 at The Home Depot. Above: The HDX Incandescent Trouble Work Light has 25 feet of cord and comes with a metal bulb guard; $21.44 at The Home Depot. Above: The Globe Electric 500W Portable Halogen Yellow Work Light is heavy-duty with a weather-resistant construction and metal cage; $17.20 at The Home Depot.
Above: The Uline Corded Task Light has a long-lasting LED light with an outlet in the handle and 15 feet of cord; $58 at Uline. It’s also available as a retractable cord model. Above: The NextLED Water-Proof Standing Flood Light is extremely bright (110W, 10000 Lumen) for serious lighting jobs in the garage; $59.99 at Amazon. Above: The Globe Electric Handheld Work Light has two grounded AC outlets built-in to the handle and comes with 6 feet of cord; $15.33 at The Home Depot.
Looking for lighting? Read more in our curated guide to Outdoor Lighting Design 101 and see more from our posts:
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