What Is the Best Work Light for Working on Cars? Best Mechanics Light
Getting the time to work on your car is sometimes hard to get with all of life's responsibilities. When you finally get the chance to get under the hood or underneath your vehicle, you want to be able to see what you're doing. For those with million-dollar garages, this is not much of a hurdle. Still, for the rest of us, we need to have effective lighting solutions that allow us to do what we love.
Working on cars requires good lighting to see what you're doing. In terms of effective lighting solutions, nothing comes close to the TRiLIGHT Shoplight by STKR Concepts. This versatile shop light can work as a hanging shop light, drop light, or handheld lighting solution for any garage situation possible.
Depending on your needs and budget, there are many considerations to take into account when choosing the right light for working on cars. Fortunately, we have a comprehensive breakdown of the many available options and how each one can benefit you and your garage.
What Is the Best Flashlight For Mechanics?
Choosing the absolute best flashlight for mechanics comes down to one key factor; Hands-free use. Like most technical professions, mechanics need to have their hands free at all times to keep up with the many aspects of working on vehicles. In poorly lit garages (which many tend to be), this can be a challenge. So having a hands-free flashlight allows aspiring or professional mechanics to stay focused on the task at hand.
Even within the hands-free category, there are many flashlight options available to aid in this kind of work. As such, your choice comes down (at least partially) to personal preference. To help you decide, we have compiled a list of the most effective hands-free flashlights for mechanics. Note that this list is not exhaustive. For a full list of our excellent lighting solutions, take a look at our website to see the different models and versions of our lighting solutions to ensure that you find the best tools for the job.
Flexit Flexible Flashlights
One of our longest-running designs, the Flexit Flexible Flashlight, works as an easily portable static lighting solution with unlimited configuration options. All of the choices in this series, from the Flexit Auto all the way up to the Flexit Solar, come armed with a unique thin and flexible body that allows users an unlimited number of light projections. The Shape-Loc frame combined with the hook and magnetic base will enable you to attach this hands-free light to virtually any surface imaginable.
Especially for mechanics, this versatility can be extremely beneficial. By having the ability to attach a wide-ranging light to the underside of a hood or the interior of a wheel well, you can illuminate hard-to-reach places without needing to balance a traditional flashlight awkwardly. If you find yourself working without any magnetic surface to attach the Flexit to, you can use the hook on the underside of the base or even contort the Shape-Loc frame to grab onto whatever surface you need.
Flexit Headlamps
If you are looking for an even more hands-free flashlight, one that allows you to move from task to task without losing your light source, consider the Flexit Headlamp series. As the name implies, these flashlights are worn on your head, where they provide up to 650 lumens of bright LED light through a configurable spotlight as well as floodlighting options.
For mechanics who need to work on the underside of cars or those who need to move around larger vehicles like transport trucks, having a light source that travels around with you can be invaluable. In the case of the Flexit Headlamp PRO, you can even make sure you always have your light when you need it with the easy access USB charging port for the off-hours.
Magnetic Light Mines
While these devices are even less like traditional flashlights, their usefulness and versatility cannot be overstated. Both the Magnetic Light Mine and the Light Mine Pro are small enough to fit inside a pocket for easy transportation and then attached to any steel surface with their built-in neodymium magnets or simply balanced at any angle thanks to their unique shape and design.
The ultimate portability of these non-traditional flashlights means that mechanics can get light where and when they need it. These lights reach beyond their usefulness while working in a shop or your home garage. Having a discreet powerful flashlight literally in your pocket means that you will never be unprepared by the side of the road or other emergencies.
What Type of Lighting Is Best For A Garage?
Having a well-lit garage is the best way to work safely when you are at home. Unfortunately, many home garages do not have the infrastructure for most commercial lighting options. Thankfully, STKR Concepts has affordable and energy-efficient solutions that will fix even the oldest and dingiest garages.
TRiLIGHT Series
We designed the original TRiLIGHT: Motion Activated Ceiling Light to solve a problem plaguing many homeowners. The problem is that most garages, by default, only have one or (if you're lucky) two ceiling fixtures. As anyone who has tried using standard incandescent lightbulbs can attest, having only a handful of fixtures does not provide nearly enough light for most garage activities.
Many people feel that they are forced to turn to electricians to wire in more sockets, hoping that placing more lightbulbs around the room will solve their problem. Not only is that solution expensive, but having that many incandescent bulbs running at once will quickly ramp up the power bill. This point is where STKR Concepts' TRiLIGHT actually solves the problem at the source.
Having high-powered LEDs attached to three configurable arms means that you can illuminate an entire room in any combination of angles easily. This simple but effective lighting, combined with the motion sensor properties of the TRiLIGHT, means that this device is a true set-it-and-forget-it solution.
LEDs are incredibly energy-efficient. Not only will you get more effective lighting for a fraction of the cost of an electrician, you will also save money on your electric bill. Best of all, the TRiLIGHT screws directly into your existing ceiling fixture and requires no additional preparation steps.
Beware of Copy Trilights on the market. The Original Trilight design and developed by STKR Concepts is extremely successful. As a result, the cheap and unregulated copies have flooded the market. STKR goes to extreme measures to produce a high quality, and safe product. It is certified to UL standards and is tested by 3rd party safety laboratories, unlike the copies. Avoid copies like the Triburst and others. They are cheaper, but you get what you pay for! Buy the original for the best quality, performance, and customer service right here in the USA!
MPI: Multi-Point Illumination
What if you have a larger room you're working with or a garage with lots of spaces that your single fixture doesn't reach? For those looking for an even more complete lighting solution for their garage, we have developed the Multi-Point Illumination system for you. Like the TRiLIGHT, the MPI uses high-powered LEDs to create bright and wide-reaching light without eating into your energy bill. Also, the MPI only uses one ceiling fixture, so you do not need to worry about looking for your electrician's phone number. So how does this device work?
The MPI comes with a single central base that screws into your existing ceiling light fixture. This base is equipped with advanced adjustable motion-sensing technology that guarantees your garage will flood with light; the second motion is detected, whether you take the garbage out or open your garage door. This motion sensor is also configurable to be toggled with your light switch. For those early mornings or late nights where you don't want to see the full light of day, you can easily control your illumination.
The MPI accomplishes the "multi-point" part of its name through the innovative way that the lighting pods are attached to the ceiling and the central hub. After screwing in the central hub into the ceiling fixture, you connect each of the pods in the room's various corners with their simple ceiling plate that can mount onto drywall or a stud.
Once your pods are attached to the ceiling, you can then run the cables from each pod to plug into the hub. Lastly, use the pods' simple rotation mechanism to tighten the wires to keep them held tight and straight to the ceiling, keeping them out of the way and almost invisible. As you can see, you can create a spectacular lighting system for your garage that equals or surpasses professional shops for a fraction of the price that they spend on them, all with a 5-10 minute installation time.
Corded LED Mechanics Work Light
No matter how well-lit your garage or mechanics shop is, there will always be times when you need to get down and dirty underneath a vehicle or in other tight spaces. Corded work lights have existed for many years in various forms, sometimes with incandescent bulbs, sometimes with halogen, and always with compromises made in either energy usage, brightness, or useability.
In our ongoing mission to provide safe and practical lighting solutions to fit every need, we have created the TRiLIGHT Shoplight to suit this particular need. By combining the existing features of our ceiling-mounted TRiLIGHT with the usability of a drop light, we have created the ultimate hands-free mechanics shop light.
One consideration when using any sort of handheld light, especially one that will remain on for hours at a time, is that it be safe and cool to the touch. LED technology is already the form of light with the lowest temperature. Still, we have doubled down with the three durable aluminum heads that function as a heat sink to ensure that the TRiLIGHT Shoplight always maintains the lowest temperature possible.
In addition, we are fully aware that shop lights need to be durable, as their environment is often full of potential hazards as well as simply being dropped as part of their usage. We have taken that consideration to heart by extensively drop testing the TRiLIGHT Shoplight both intentionally and unintentionally. You can be confident that this light will be able to handle any work environment you can throw at it.
Rechargeable Mechanics Light
At STKR Concepts, we pride ourselves on our awareness of our customers' needs, and we work tirelessly to design a solution for any problem imaginable. One of these considerations comes from the understanding that many mechanics have to work in less-than-ideal conditions frequently. Not every automotive issue will have the advantage of a well-lit shop to work on it from, and sometimes you need to improvise with what you have.
Our solution is a rechargeable floodlight that we call the Mobile Task Light. This fantastic device was born from the effectiveness of our TRiLIGHT. It comes in a form that can fit fully into the palm of your hand yet outputs enough light to illuminate a vast area with the press of a button. Using the same durable aluminum construction as our other larger devices means that the Mobile Task Light stays cool to the touch while outputting over 1200 lumens of light.
Using the Mobile Task Light could not be simpler as it has four modes, low, medium, high, and strobe, that you can toggle easily to find the light level you need. Its tempered steel exoskeleton means that this device is extremely durable. We have also added features like the universal tripod mount on the bottom of the Mobile Task Light to allow users to mount this already versatile light in any way they could desire.
This light is a powerhouse with its dual lithium-ion rechargeable batteries that guarantee that you will have plenty of power for long periods. It can easily be recharged with the supplied USB cable. In situations where it is possible to do so, you can even use the Mobile Task Light to its fullest extent while plugged in. Offering unlimited light as long as you have a power source available.
Best Under the Hood Worklight
At this point, it should be apparent that there are lighting solutions for any situation a mechanic could encounter. However, what about one of the simplest ones, just working under the hood? If you have a garage equipped with any of the room lighting solutions above, those would certainly solve the problem, but quite often, mechanics need to work under the hood in poor conditions. Whether in the rain, snow or just in the dark of night, having versatile solutions is the best choice for solving these issues.
Reliability and efficiency are the essential aspects of an excellent under-the-hood light. Our Flexit Solar provides the best of these options while also offering additional safety features for those side-of-the-road emergencies that mechanics find themselves in. As the name implies, the Flexit Solar can be charged by the sun or by a USB cable. Still, the ability to use it in any situation with or without a power supply puts it at the forefront of emergency use lights.
Just like the other flashlights in the Flexit series, the Flexit Solar has the ability to become a focused spotlight, a wide-ranging flood light, or a 360-degree output lantern just by twisting the durable Shape-Loc frame. For working under the hood of a car, whether by the side of the road or in your driveway, the infinite uses puts the Flexit Solar as the clear top choice for most situations.
The durable rubber pad with two powerful neodymium magnets underneath it means that this light should easily attach right to the underside of the car hood. In rare situations where you can't mount it by its magnets, the integrated hook will have your needs covered. Combining its solar recharging capabilities with a weather-resistant design and 500 lumens of power gives you over a 70-hour potential runtime. The Flexit Solar can live inside the glove box of your car and be ready the minute you need to take a look under the hood.
A hands free mechanics light for your pocket!
Sometimes you need a light that is always available. Some mechanics carry an EDC (Every Day Carry) flashlight in their pocket. However, most of the EDC flashlights are not great hands free lights, so they require you to hold and aim the light at the same time you are trying to use the only two hands you have to fix the problem at hand. For these situations mechanics love the STKR Pocket Light 4.0 and 6.5. Still just small enough to fit in your pocket, or clip to your belt, but also powerful and flexible enough to be an effective hands free mechanics light.
The STKR Pocket Lights are actually part of the FLEXIT family. They have a flexible head that will ensure you are able to point your light directly at your work space. Powered by quick charging 18650 lithium batteries, they have the power source to produce up to 650 lumens for long periods of time.
They also have a powerful neodymium magnet Clip embedded in the base, which is an obvious benefit when working on any vehicle. It also features a very unique multi-pivot pocket clip that will grab the thin material of a pocket, or open wide to attach to thicker objects. Finally, there is a nested hook in the base in case you simply need to hang this light. Magnetically stick, or hang the STKR Pocket Lights anywhere in your vehicle and get the job done right!
Let There Be Light!
Gone are the days of mechanics dealing with low-quality lights for their everyday work. All it takes to have exceptional lighting for your garage, your mobile work kit, or your mechanics shop is to look in the right place. At STKR Concepts, we are genuinely passionate about lighting up your world no matter how big or small the task is.
There's no reason to struggle in the dark at home, at work, or even on the road. Take a look at our website. You will see not only innovative and effective solutions that surpass expectations in terms of what is possible with lighting in the modern era, but you will see these solutions available for prices that are possible for the average person to achieve.
We believe that there should be no barriers for people to improve their lives. Our lighting systems exist because we know that everyday people need to be able to achieve their goals no matter what their circumstances are. Bring the light into your life with any of our products, and you will be amazed at how bright the future looks.
