Garage/Workshop Lights

[Ingah]

I'm looking for some lights i can plug into a mains plug socket (have an extension cable trailing to my garage), so that i can work in my garage at night (going to need to tonight i expect and no doubt on many other occassions too). I need plenty of light, as it's a pain not being able to see properly.

I don't want to spend any more money than necessary, because i'm really short at the moment (just starting a new job so hopefully will be less so soon, but i don't like to count chickens before they've hatched). On the other hand, i want something genuinely useful, and hopefully not too huge to store!

Anyone know of anything suitable? (hopefully something sold in a shop so i can buy today, but eBay bargains are always good too )
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-- Ingah

[Barry_M2]

I brought 3 flouresent strip lights for mine. Wired them all in line and plugged into a standard mains socket.

Not 'amazingly' bright, but enough. I did go for the cheapo ones though!

Paid about £7 each for them.
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ZXR750R (M2) - For the road.
CBR1000 RR4 - For the track.
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[Ingah]

[Kickstart]

Hi

I also put some cheap strip lights up and put a plug on the end of the cable. When the house was rewired the electricians wired the strip lights in properly for me to a light switch (only comments being that the cable I had used was a bit OTT).

Strip lights were old units being thrown away from a site my neighbor was managing so free.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[jimspeed]

these are good value and have a hook and clamp to fix them onto stuff
https://www.focusdiy.co.uk/Payless3In1PortableWorkLight253146?category=desk_floor_lighting
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Hyosung cruise 125(passed test on, sold) Kawasaki el 252 (better than expected but sold on) Kawasaki GPZ500S first "big"bike.(sold) ZZR600 E5..Z750 2007,ER5, currently on a 2008 Enfield bullet electra x and loving it..
,"Alpha-9: Is there any correlation between dyno rod and dyno kits?"

[Ingah]

What do you guys think, would 400W be enough?
https://www.screwfix.com/prods/46377/Lighting-Lamps/Torches-Task-Lighting/Site-Lights/Portable-Site-Light-240V-400W

Or is that major overkill, and i should have 120W instead?
https://www.screwfix.com/prods/55370/Lighting-Lamps/Torches-Task-Lighting/Site-Lights/Portable-Work-Light-120W-240V

I also have a 2-prong (european) to 3 prong UK converter, so maybe i could get these for cheap, 500W sounds meaty (and a bargain price)
https://www.screwfix.com/prods/32394/Lighting-Lamps/Torches-Task-Lighting/Site-Lights/Portable-500W-Site-Light#BVRRWidgetID
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-- Ingah

[HD]

Not sure but you will want to keep it somewhere indirect else you will end up getting blind!
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Rusty '02 Vito Camper + CBR600F3

[Kickstart]

Hi

Better to have several lower powered lights than one to dazzle the hell out of you.

Although one of our cats occasionally wandered out and stared straight into the flood lamp I occasionally use.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[fiery tupp]

[Ingah]

[fiery tupp]

It's an unheated, poorly insulated (i.e. not insulated or sealed) concrete-flooored garage so this is probably desireable. I'm not going to go resting textiles on it. However, points understood.

Would it be safe to use a halogen light in a garage with a wooden floor? (at my girlfriend's, her neighbour often rents a garage like this

Yes you just have to take care & dont have them to close to anything that could burn or melt , I have a 500w one outside my shed that I sometimes put on in daylight just to keep warm when working outside .
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If you can't fix it with a hammer , use your head .

[herulach]

I have a pair of 4 foot (60W IIRC) strip lights in the garage, £8 each from b&q. Most expensive bit of putting them on a plug will be the cable. Why not just wire them in properly?

A switch & back box won't be a great deal more than a plug, and everything else is the same, just nibble a bit of plastic out of the socket if its flush mounted.

If you need them portable get 2 short ones side by side on an old floorboard, then stick a hook on the wall.
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YBR 125>FZS600

[Mark65]

Hi
Im lucky that i do cad work for a lighting company, i have 2 5ft flourescent battons down the middle of my garage and 3 46w down lighters of which i use one as a spot on workbench and one as a mobile spot on a long lead and the third is spare, the down lighters are an older model that went for about £46 each, the battons are not expensive to buy, just make sure you can get the tubes and dont forget the clear plastic cover on the tubes so if you break it you dont get fine glass and nasty chemicals all over you.

Mark
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07 Yamaha YBR125, 07 Honda CG125 , 15 CBR300R (Chocolate Crank, Deaded), 16 CB500FA, 19 Honda Forza 300, 70 Suzuki SV650

[Pete.]

Striplights are great for lighting if you put them on a white background, but without the reflective background are quite poor.

Get a pot of cheap white emulsion and roller the ceiling white then hang your lights on it. Paint the walls too if you can - you'll be amazed how much lighter it will be in the garage. If your ceiling has rafters then screw some plasterboard to them and paint the plasterboard white, throw some insulation on top too to keep the heat in.

Halogens are a liability even for a while after you turn them off. Many a place has been burned down by them, you can toast bread easily on the big 1000w ones. You can run 6-10 striplights for the same power as a single halogen.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[lihp]

I went same way as mentioned above with tubes, but got some double fittings from work, so got 5 tubes in all, 1 over work bench, 2 above bikes and 2 above storage area. Got plenty of light.

[Dazbo666]

I managed to dig out some 60w, or 100w bulbs and standard light fittings when we last moved house. Nothing special, but they were surplus and functional...
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1st bike (Sept'06 - May'10) : 1991 GPZ500S / Current bike (since Nov 2009) : 2003 Suzuki Bandit 600N
Word of the day : DILLIGAF

[HD]

[Raffles]

[Tavares]

i've got a couple of these in my garage (1 at each end) they give off a pretty good light for what i need, plenty of light above my bench.

https://www.toolstation.com/shop/Lighting/Interior+Lighting/Linolite+Sylvania+Cabinet+Light+T5+Tube+28w+1215mm/d220/sd3066/p96550

The come with 2m of cable all you need to do is add a plug, they can also be linked together (cable is supplied for this but its only about a foot long)

And being under cabinet lights they are very compact unlike normal strip lights.

Shaun.
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2006 Eurostrada RX8 125(sold)>2004 Kawasaki ER-5(sold)>2002 Honda CB600F Hornet

[Codemonkey]

+1 for flourescents.

They use MUCH less energy than the halogen ones, and produce a nice diffused light. If you use one of those halogen work lights, you will be forever working in the shadow of yourself, literally!