How to choose a work light
Updated: 16 October 2026
You are in a UK garage or loft, the ceiling bulb is not enough, and the listing shouts a lumen number the specification does not repeat. How to choose a work light is the order of those lines: the job, then a supply you can feed, then only the figures the file agrees with itself. Eleven amazon.co.uk listings, from about £9.98 to about £64.99, are on the [work light comparison](/hub/occupational-safety/work-light). The Products Compared editorial team read those files on 15 October 2026 and did not measure lux. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You are in a UK garage or loft, the ceiling bulb is not enough, and the listing shouts a lumen number the specification does not repeat.
You are in a UK garage or loft, the ceiling bulb is not enough, and the listing shouts a lumen number the specification does not repeat. How to choose a work light is the order of those lines: the job, then a supply you can feed, then only the figures the file agrees with itself. Eleven amazon.co.uk listings, from about £9.98 to about £64.99, are on the work light comparison. The Products Compared editorial team read those files on 15 October 2026 and did not measure lux. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Supply | Claimed output | IP code | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  DeWalt DeWalt DCL050-XJ bare | 18 V, pack not included | 250–500 lumens | Not stated | 9.7 | about £38.67 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Bellanny Bellanny dual-head flood | Mains, 3 m lead | 20000 lumens claimed | IP66 | 8.0 | about £42.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  Coquimbo Coquimbo inspection lamp pair | 3.7 V USB | Not stated | Not stated | 9.0 | about £9.98 | View offer |
On this page
Start with the job, not the lumen claim
A work light here is a portable task lamp, not fixed workplace lighting and not emergency escape lighting. Name the job before the lumen claim. A bay with a car in it needs the beam above the work, or you become the shade on the wing. A wheel arch needs a magnet or a clamp. A stair with no socket needs something you can carry, which is a supply question rather than a brightness question.
HSG38’s finer sheet-metal band is 200 lux average and 100 minimum. A 5400 or 20000 lumen line is not that table. A blade left in shadow, or a beam on a safety sign, means the lamp has missed the job. Skips by model are on the best LED work light page.
Four supplies, one of which you can feed
The files hold four supplies, not a simple mains-or-battery split. Mains is the T-SUN at about £22.34, the Bellanny at about £42.99 and the wowspeed at about £64.99. Built-in batteries cover the WL013 at about £33.99, the ST68-OG at about £36.54, the Edasion two-pack at about £23.98 and the Luceco clamp at about £23.99. The Coquimbo at about £9.98 and the Trongle at about £11.04 are 3.7 V USB lamps. The DeWalt at about £38.67 is an 18 V head sold bare, so the pack is another purchase.
Feed only the supply you can keep going. The T-SUN specification says 110 V, while UK reviews describe a moulded mains plug, so one line makes it neither a site lamp nor a 230 V lamp. The Bellanny specification says 220 V, and a review describes a 3 m UK plug. The supply page is rechargeable or mains work light.
When the listing argues with itself
Keep a figure only when the file agrees with itself. The Bellanny title says 200 W and the specification says 100 W, with 20000 lumens in one field and 10000 per head in a bullet. Do not keep the larger wattage because it sounds stronger.
The T-SUN title says 5400 lumens, a bullet says IP66 and 6000 K, and the specification says luminous flux 10000, 5000 K, IP65 and 110 V. The LETOUR title is a 40 cm bar and the specification weight is 50 g, with no corrected figure. The DeWalt bullets say 250–500 lumens, while some reviews describe 1000 and 300 lumen steps, which is not a lab. The two SYLSTAR files share 4.5 from 2,073 and the same review text, so count that sample once.
What IP and lux do not promise
IP65 means water jets on the enclosure and IP66 means more powerful jets. The code is not the plug and not the inline switch. Several lamps here state no code; the Bellanny states IP66. A dry garage may not need it. The wowspeed claims 30000 lumens at 4.0 from 67 reviews, and two of five UK reviews describe arcing or a buzzing plug. If two lines clash, do not average them.
Common questions
How many lumens do I need for a garage?
No lumen claim in these files equals a garage lux level. HSG38’s bands are 20/5, 50/20, 100/50, 200/100 and 500/200, average then minimum, and sheet-metal style detail sits in the 200/100 band. A 5400 or 20000 lumen line is a claim about the lamp, not a reading on your bench. Put the light where it clears your shadow. That is the half of the problem you can check without a meter.
Is IP65 enough outdoors?
IP65 covers water jets on the enclosure, and IP66 covers more powerful jets. It can be enough for rain on the housing when the code is in the specification, as IP66 is on the Bellanny. It does not cover the plug, the inline switch, or a lead in a puddle. Several lamps here state no IP code. Outdoors, use the code you can find, and still keep the electrical end dry.
Do I need 110 V at home?
No. A normal UK socket is 230 V with a BS 1363 plug. The IET describes 110 V centre-tapped-to-earth as good practice on sites, not as a voltage the law compels at home. The T-SUN specification says 110 V, and UK reviews describe a moulded mains plug, so that line alone proves neither a site tool nor the plate. Buy a lamp whose plate matches the socket you will use.
What is missing from a bare 18 V light?
The battery, and any charger. The DeWalt DCL050-XJ title says bare unit, included components say one torch, and the price of about £38.67 is the head. The bullets claim 250–500 lumens and up to 10 hours without a pack size. UK reviews assume you already own an 18 V pack. If you do not, you are buying a second product the listing does not include.
Is a work light the same as emergency lighting?
No. BS 5266-1 is the code of practice for emergency lighting of premises, and an SOS flash is not that system. Regulation 8 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 asks for suitable and sufficient lighting, including emergency lighting where failure would specially expose someone to danger. A portable work light does not discharge that duty, and these listings are not presented as certified to BS 5266-1.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources from the research digest. Listing prices and star lines are from the amazon.co.uk files dated 15 October 2026.
- Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, regulation 8 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, regulation 21 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- HSE HSG38, Lighting at work (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- HSE, Construction site lighting (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- HSE INDG236, Maintaining portable electrical equipment (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- IET Wiring Matters, Reduced low voltage systems (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- BS EN 60598-2-4:2018, portable general purpose luminaires (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- IEC 60529 IP code digits (IP65 jets, IP66 powerful jets) (retrieved 15 October 2026)