DIY LED Work Light (much better than halogen!)

LED's are awesome, does get a bit "too bright" and you have to temper your expectations if you aren't going for 100%. Stronger than the sun!
 
zmcgovern45 said:
Since all of you people bought the Lowe's bulbs and drove them away from every store ;) I've had to seek replacements for a couple new lights I am building...

I just bought this 4 pack of Par38 LEDs from Amazon... $47 ($11.75/bulb)... 5000k daylight color temp... 1280 lumen @ 40 degree angle (compared to 1400 lumen at 38 degree output angle of the original bulbs I used, so very similar and much cheaper).

They just arrived today, and I will experiment with them over the coming weeks and post my feedback.
Click to expand...

I just recieved mine in the mail this weekend and I want to thank you very much for this DIY. The only thing I did not follow to the letter was when it came down to the stand. For the money, the one you posted had lots of reviews about how flimsy they were and I didn't feel like dealing with that. I like to make one purchase and be done with it. So I got the lightstand that came with a boom arm and let me tell you, I am one happy camper.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001SVJUPG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01

IMG_5369.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

IMG_5370.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

IMG_5371.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
 
Thanks. Sorry that my phone turned into a potato when I took those last shots. But MAN are these things bright and they show ALL OF THE THINGS. Word of caution: Be prepared to adjust your expectations because you will lose your mind at all of the defects and areas that you never knew existed on a car that could get dirty. I turned it on and within 30 seconds of looking at my wifes car, I turned it right back off and closed the garage, then went upstairs and had a stiff drink thinking about everything I have ever done wrong in life.
 
Lol!

That sounds about right. If you haven't used bright LEDs for inspection, these are certainly eye opening.
 
donbeezy said:
have u had a chance to try out the new bulbs for a comparison vs the old ones?
Click to expand...

I've spent a little time with the new bulbs this past weekend.


I can't tell a difference in brightness/color/performance... they work great!

12605385_638442852960504_4196931297040194613_o_zps7n0obpqr.jpg



There is a major difference in weight. The amazon bulbs are MUCH lighter, and therefore put much less strain on the bulb holder. I don't think these bulbs will cause nearly the same amount of problems with the holder not being able to provide enough clamping force to hold them horizontally without drooping. So far I would highly recommend the cheaper bulbs from amazon!
 
thanks for comparison! I used my set up last weekend and I swear it was making me chase every defect possible. my next upgrade is to put it on a dolly
 
That's funny...the toughest thing about having proper work lights is re-learning when to stop working a particular area, and it will also expose every bit of marring you leave behind...that you had absolutely no idea you were leaving.

I do a lot of production buffing, and I still do it to this day - I cringe when I see what it still left even though the car would need to be perfectly clean, parked in the biggest empty parking lot with the sun in the perfect spot in the sky to ever see the marks. It's also much harder to feel good about your work - that takes some adjusting. At times I feel like my quality of work has dropped significantly until I get to do a 2nd outdoor inspection...but I rarely get to see my completed work the next day and the ego takes a bruising until the next time. I still prefer halogens, I feel like the reflectors produce a better light for dark vehicles, but I may try constructing my own reflector housing for my LEDs.
 
20140816-DSC_2786_zps9eb477a0.jpg


20140816-DSC_2792_zps3be47607.jpg


Both certainly work great at highlighting the majority of defects... I just find LEDs to be brutally honest when showing marring and other lighter defects. Notice how the holograms really jump out in the LED Lights and are very hard to see with halogens.

For production detailing, using any lights for inspection is a step above most shops! heck, even thinking about inspecting your work is a step above many shops haha! Clearly you have a lot of experience so stick with what works best and keep knocking em out!

-Zach
 
So I have found the weakness when it comes to these light stand boom arms. Balance and mobility. So with my handy dandy internets and the help of Amazon I purchased these saddle style sand bags, sand, plastic bags, and casters.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CXUT5ZG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001XG6B62?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_2&smid=A2L77EE7U53NWQ

50 lb. All-Purpose Play Sand-55141 - The Home Depot

http://www.amazon.com/Ziploc-Easy-Storage-Gallon-count/dp/B0025W9AKC
 
Yep, those sand bags were mentioned earlier in this post as a way to weigh the stands down... to me, the materials for the original build were chosen largely to fit a budget similar to LED work lights at your local hardware store while way out performing the off-the-shelf options.

If budget is of no concern, there are WAY better stands out there like the ones I now use.

6BDA177E-33DA-4442-9B49-843F49DCA8AB_zpsd8ooy4au.jpg


Manfrotto 231CS Chrome Steel Column Stand with Sliding Arm 231CS

I picked mine up locally off of craigslist from a studio that was going out of business... 3 stands for $150 total... they retail for over $250 each!
 
I saw those and think they are really sweet, I tried to get one myself but shied away at the cost and that they were discontinued. Not to mention the fact that it would need to be folded and put away. I really wanted the boom arm feature and thought that with the Amazon lights you spec'd being cheaper than your original build, I could apply the savings to the light stand/boom and still came out cheaper. The exta $40 for the sand bags and wheels were negligable. I still put the whole thing together for under $160.00 total and its still cheaper than anything out there while outperforming anything 2 or 3 times the total cost. Again, thank you so much for this thread Zach.
 
I just got my stand but how do you pit it together properly? Do i take off the rubber cap or leave it on? Just put the
Top onto the stand and screw on tight? They dont look like they fit together
 
It should go down further. If not, remove the rubber cap. The light holder should fit onto the metal collar.
 
That's down too far. The set screw should contact on the smaller diameter of the collar. Look into the base of the bulb holder. There should be enough room to fit with the rubber cap on. You just have to put it on straight.
 
With rubber cap was the 1st photo, 2nd photo is as far as it would go without rubber cap. This photo is raised up a bit without rubber cap
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top