You might not be working in the dark or a dimly lit garage, but the light under the hood is rarely bright enough for you to see what you’re doing correctly. Mistakes you make because of lack of light could end up costing you a lot of money. Not to mention you could injure your hands.<\/p>\n
But there’s no reason to take these kinds of risks because you can buy yourself an underhood work light.<\/p>\n
There’s a lot of considerations before you buy one, though. So we’ve put together a quick buying guide to help you out.<\/p>\n
In the article above, we’ve given you a list of nine work lights that we believe cover all the major options you need to consider. But in case you’re still a little unsure, here are some of the factors you should consider:<\/p>\n
Of course, if you’re buying any kind of light, the brightness factor is significant. If you think you would prefer the light under your hood to be very bright, then you’ll need intense illumination, so look for a lamp with a high lumen count.<\/p>\n
The minimum you should think about is 400 lumens. Even that might not be enough for you. So check out the prices of the lights that have between 600-1000 lumens. Remember, quality work lights will have different lighting modes, so you can reduce the brightness as and when you wish. Some demanding jobs might need that extra brightness for you to see what you’re doing, while other jobs might not.<\/p>\n
Run time refers to how long you can use your light before the battery gives out. Once again, there are options for you to consider here. While some have a battery life of possibly three hours, others might last as long as 12 hours. The work light you choose should have a setting that will allow you to dim the brightness and thereby conserve your battery power.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re opting for a light with high lumens, it will run through the battery much more quickly.<\/p>\n
It’s highly unusual for there to be more than three lighting modes-low, medium or high. These settings refer to the strength of the light. You might come across some work lights having different modes such as strobe or SOS lights. There’s probably no reason for you to have any of these modes employed in an underhood work light. However, it’s always a personal choice.<\/p>\n
Generally, you’re better off choosing a less heavy work light. If you keep the light in your vehicle in case of a breakdown, then you don’t want to be lugging an immense light that weighs a considerable amount. Plus trying to position a heavy light, so it shines on the area you need to work is difficult.<\/p>\n
Neither do you want one made from inferior materials? So try to get the right balance. The light will also have to clip under the hood, either by magnets, a hook, or grippers. Whichever fastening method the light uses, it can’t be overly heavy, or your hood won’t take the weight.<\/p>\n
Finally, the last thing to think about is mounting. How will you position the work light under your hood, at the side, or underneath your car? If you’re working under the hood, then powerful magnets are always a good option. They usually are positioned at either end of the light, so the light hangs vertically. But smaller work lights might have magnets on the side of the unit.<\/p>\n
Of course, there’s always a hook. This mounting is perhaps the easiest and most common way to hang the light. It is not generally as maneuverable as magnets, but they do give flexibility for working on other areas of your car, such as underneath the vehicle.<\/p>\n
The final method is the grippers. Clip one end to the side of the hood and the other gripper extends to the opposite side.<\/p>\n
Whichever method you choose is not essential as long as the light is attached securely.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Best Underhood Work Light Buying Guide Why Buy an Underhood Work Light You might not be working in the dark or a dimly lit garage, but the light under the hood is rarely bright enough for you to see what you’re doing correctly. Mistakes you make because of lack of light could end up costing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-road-lights"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n