Lighting question

[dragcarz]

For years I’ve been using a desk Ott Light, but lately it doesn’t seem to be as bright as it used to be. I don’t think they even make the bulbs for it any more, so I’m curious on what lighting everyone uses. My daughter uses an LED Ott light and while it’s bright it only covers a small working area. Any pics suggestions would be most welcome, thanks.

[stitchdup]

I've been using the led strips from amazon. it comes in a pack of 6 strips and enough joining wires for them that you can have pretty much any layout you want. I have them as 2 strips underneath the shelves above my bench with some of the chrome heating tape behind it to amplify the light a bit. The set i have is from the cheaper end of the market but it works well and since putting the chrome tape behind it  puts out plenty of light to work by

[Miatatom]

I use 4' LED lights from Harbor Freight. Only $19.99 each.

[NOBLNG]

I use 2-twin two foot leds that I got at Home Depot. They give me plenty of light!

[SCRWDRVR]

I have a 4 foot LED over my desk and a LED magnifying lamp on my desk to see the small stuff 

 

[Tom Geiger]

 

I have 5 spotlights over my bench, shooting light from all directions. I think you can see 4 of them in this photo, the two at the top of photo are clamped to the shelf above.  The light you see on the right is one of those lights with a magnifier in the top. I cannot use the magnifier, as it’s just not a natural work position, the light is fine though. There is one more light on the right positioned to the center.  All of these lights are plugged into a strip, so it’s one switch on or off.

 

Edited May 27, 2020 by Tom Geiger

[Ace-Garageguy]

9 hours ago, dragcarz said:

... Any pics suggestions would be most welcome, thanks.

These are cheap gooseneck and swing-arm lamps from the thrift store, no more than $10 each, plus one magnifier I bought from the scratch-and-dent section of an office supply store for $15.

I've been using this setup since 2011. Started with compact florescent 100 WATT-equivalent bulbs, now replaced with LEDs.

You CAN NOT run 100 WATT tungsten (incandescent) bulbs in these lamps for long, as 1) they'll fry the little switches and 2) they make a lot of heat. 

You CAN run 100-watt EQUIVALENT CF or LED bulbs though, as they only take a fraction of the power to run, don't hurt the switches, and make negligible heat.

Be certain to check if the bulbs you buy are "daylight" or "soft white". I personally prefer a mixture of the two...and some of the early LEDs can be a bluish light, kinda like old strip florescents, which can become tiring to work under.

For more ideas, Google is your friend...