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 grandparent’s, 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 hung up by 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 has the genius of design of 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 400-Lumen LED Trouble Work Light has a swivel hook and a 6-foot-long cord; $19.97 at The Home Depot.
Above: The Commercial Electric 1000-Lumen 400K Portable LED Work Light is compact and has a super-bright LED; $10.97 at The Home Depot.
Above: The Garvin 105-Watt Temporary Work-Light has a super bright compact fluorescent bulb, a bright green housing, and comes with 6 feet of cord; $115.01 at The Home Depot.
Above: The HDX Aluminum Incandescent Light Fixture with Clamp is your classic work light with 6 feet of cord; $6.28 at The Home Depot. Consider upping the design factor of this basic shop light with our post on Remodelista, The $15 DIY: The Hardware Store Clamp Light Improved.
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 2 grounded AC outlets built-in to the handle and comes with 6 feet of cord; $15.33 at The Home Depot.
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