Brighter Than Bright!

Construction continues on my basement project.  At one point, my electrician buddy had to take out the lighting and rewire it for the new spot cans I am having put in.  While doing so, we needed light to see.  So, I brought in my Regent 500 Watt Deluxe Work Light.

This light is a standard style used by many makers of these high-wattage work lights.  They all have a cast metal body, glass front lens, wire cage over it, and a tubular steel handle and leg assembly.  Some factory out in China probably cranks these out in truckloads, then has them painted to the distributor's preference.

That said, the light is super bright!  One light will brightly light up an entire work area - usually much better than it would have been lit with standard lighting.  A 500 Watt Halogen light bulb puts out a lot of lumen's!  The light has a rather short electric cord, so you need an extension cord to place it in a good spot.  It is also a bit awkward sitting on a table, and although the handle can double as a hook, it does not hook up that well either. It does have an adjustment knob on either side that can be used to direct the light beam either up or down, but it is not so easy to do when the light is on due to the heat and brightness emitted.  I could never understand why improvements have not been made to this overall standard design?

There are a number of other bad points about this work light.  First, almost immediately after plugging it in to an electric outlet, the light becomes super hot.  If you touch it, you will burn your fingers!  Second, the bulb tends to burn out very quickly.  If you should drop the light, chances are you will break the bulb and have to replace it.  Third, if you look at the light, you will burn your eyes from the brightness.  Forth, to change the bulb is real hassle.  You need to disassemble the front to get at the bulb, and you have to handle the new bulb carefully to avoid getting oil from your fingers on the bulb.  Finally, the bulbs are often very expensive (several dollars each).  In fact, one time I went to buy a new light bulb.  The bulbs were package two for $10.  Right near the bulbs were brand new work lights (with bulbs already installed) for $9.99!

I should also point out that the price for these work lights are all over the place.  If you buy them in a store like Home Depot or Lowes, you will pay about $25 for one.  Yet, you can get them on line or in a discount store for under $10. 

Overall, I would recommend this light to someone who does construction work.  It is handy to have around when working in a dark area.  I would not recommend using this light on a regular basis to provide standard lighting - get a fluorescent light for that.  This light has a niche purpose of providing incredibly bright light for when it is absolutely needed.  On average, if your electric costs $0.14/KWH, you will pay $0.07 each hour you use this light.  Thanks for reading my review and best wishes for a nice day!

Mike