Work lights: how to get the right light on the job

Good work lights make every job easier. You see what you're doing, you make fewer mistakes and you go home with less tired eyes. But which lamp do you actually need? A headlamp, a magnetic work lamp or a floodlight on a tripod? And what do all those numbers mean: lumen, Kelvin, CRI, IP65? In this guide you'll find out how to choose the right light for each job, how to place it so you don't work in your own shadow, and how to use low raking light to spot bumps in a wall before the paint goes on.

Why does good light on the job matter so much?

Most mistakes happen where you can't see well: a tile that sits a millimetre too high, a missed spot of filler, a screw next to the plug. Poor light also makes you lean in closer, squint and tire faster, and that's when you slip with a knife or miss a cable on the floor. In the Netherlands the Arbobesluit (article 6.3) says workplaces must be lit so that the light poses no risk to safety and health. There's no fixed number for 'enough': it depends on the job. More tips about a safe site are in our guide on safe working on the construction site.

Lumen or watt: what tells you how bright a work light is?

Watt tells you how much power a lamp uses, lumen tells you how much light comes out. With LED that difference is big. Take two lamps from our range: the FLS20-30W makes up to 4000 lumen from 30 watt, while the FLS-100W construction floodlight makes 9000 lumen from 100 watt. So always compare lumen. Also look at the beam: a focused beam reaches far (useful for a crawl space or the garden), a wide beam lights a whole area evenly (better for working in a room).

Which colour temperature (Kelvin) is best for a work light?

The colour temperature is given in Kelvin (K). Around 2700–3000 K is warm, yellowish light like in a living room; around 4000 K is neutral white; 5000–6500 K is cool white daylight. Most work lights, including all STALCO lamps in this guide, sit between 5000 and 6500 K. That cool white light feels sharp and keeps you alert, which is ideal for precision work. Two tips: don't mix very warm and very cool lamps in one room (it makes colours hard to judge), and remember that a room will later be seen in its own light, so a final check in daylight is never wasted.

What is CRI, and when does it matter?

CRI (colour rendering index, also written as Ra) tells you how naturally a lamp shows colours, on a scale up to 100. Daylight scores 100. Our construction floodlights list CRI Ra 80, the FLS20-30W lists Ra 74. That's fine for breaking out, drilling, cleaning and most installation work. But when you choose or match colours, like grout, sealant, paint touch-ups or two batches of tiles, a lamp with a low CRI can make colours look slightly off. So check colour samples in daylight as well, or under a lamp with a high CRI. Choosing a colour? See our guide on choosing the right grout colour.

What do IP and IK ratings on a work light mean?

The IP code shows how well a lamp is protected against dust and water. The first digit is dust (6 = dust-tight), the second is water: 4 = splashing water, 5 = water jets, 6 = powerful water jets, 7 = temporary immersion, 8 = continuous immersion. An X means that part wasn't tested. For a bathroom, outdoors or a dusty building site, IP65 or higher is a good choice. The IK code is about impact: IK07 withstands an impact of 2 joules, IK09 one of 10 joules. That makes a difference when a lamp falls off a ladder. With a mains lamp in a wet room, also keep plugs and extension leads dry and off the floor.

Battery or mains: which work light should you choose?

A battery lamp has no cable, so nobody trips over it and you can use it anywhere, even in a wet room or outside without a socket nearby. A mains lamp keeps going all day at full power, which is handy when you light a room for hours. Many people combine both: a mains floodlight for the room and a battery lamp or headlamp for the details. Already working with STALCO 20V tools? Then there are lamps that run on the same S-Volt batteries.

Headlamp, work lamp, floodlight or inspection lamp: which one do you need?

Each type has its own job. A headlamp gives light exactly where you look and keeps both hands free. A small work lamp with a magnet or hook lights a spot from a fixed position. An inspection lamp is slim, so it fits behind and under things. And a floodlight on a tripod lights up a whole room. This overview helps you choose:

How do you place work lights without shadows and glare?

• Light from two sides. One lamp always gives a hard shadow of you or your hand. Two lamps at an angle of about 45° to your work cancel each other's shadows.
• Above eye level. Put the floodlight on a tripod higher than your head and aim it down at your work, not at your eyes.
• Behind your shoulder, not behind your work. Light that comes towards you blinds you. Light from behind or beside you lands on the work.
• Soften harsh light. A bare LED on a glossy tile or a fresh coat of paint gives a hard reflection. Bounce it off a ceiling or use a diffuser.
• Keep cables out of the way. Run cables along the wall, or use battery lamps where people walk.

How do you use raking light to spot uneven walls and tiles?

Raking light ('strijklicht') is light that skims along a surface at a very low angle. Every bump, dent, filler edge or tile that sits too high suddenly throws a shadow. Painters and plasterers use this on purpose. Here's how: darken the room as much as you can, put a work lamp on the floor or hold it flat against the wall, and let the light skim along the surface. Mark every shadow with a pencil, fill and sand, and check again. For tiles, do the same along the floor: lippage shows up straight away. Doing this before you paint saves you from a second coat. More about the painting itself is in our guide on STALCO paint rollers and brushes.

Which headlamp is good for working with both hands?

For close work a headlamp is often the best choice: the light follows your eyes. Working outdoors on dark mornings? There are also winter hats with a built-in light.

Which lamp do you use to look behind, under and inside things?

For inspection you want a slim lamp that fits in tight spots, or one you can stick on with a magnet.

Which work light is good for bathrooms and wet areas?

In a bathroom, water and dust go everywhere. Choose a lamp with a high IP rating and a sturdy housing.

Which lights run on the STALCO 20V battery?

These lamps are part of the S-Volt 20V battery system. Which battery and charger you need is explained in our Stalco 20V battery guide.

Which floodlight lights up a whole room?

For tiling, plastering and painting a whole room you need a lot of light, preferably from more than one direction.

Which mistakes do people make with work lights?

• Only one bright lamp in the middle of the room: you'll always work in your own shadow.
• Aiming the lamp at your face, so you're blinded every time you look up.
• Judging grout or paint colour only under a cool LED floodlight.
• Using a mains lamp in a wet room with the plug on a wet floor.
• Forgetting to charge: charge battery lamps the evening before, and keep a headlamp with AAA batteries as a backup.

What is the delivery time at Saniso?

Order on a workday before 15:00? Then your order is delivered the next workday, as long as it fits in a parcel. Pallet shipments have a different delivery time. Saniso has thousands of products in stock in the Netherlands.

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