Dropped $80 on a fancy magnetic work light for my mill

Patricia Kelly · 2026-04-18T06:55:04.953009+00:00

It worked great for about a week until a hot chip flew up and melted right through the plastic housing. Now I have a very expensive paperweight and a dark corner. What's the most durable light setup you guys have found that can actually take the heat?

brian_taylor154mo ago

My buddy had the same meltdown with a nice LED light. He ended up getting a basic trouble light, the kind with a metal guard, and wrapped the cord around a hook above his bench. It looks janky as hell, but he's been whacking it with stock for two years and it just keeps working. The metal cage is all dented but nothing gets through to the bulb. Sometimes the ugly fix is the permanent one.

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ward.anna4mo ago

Heard about welding lights, and yeah angela_patel75 has the right idea with metal cages.

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angela_patel754mo ago

Ugh, that's brutal. My old shop just used those cheap clamp lights with metal cages, they got beat up but never melted.

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