Rechargeable or mains LED work light
Updated: 2026-10-21
You are choosing between a lamp you charge and a lamp you plug in, and the right answer depends on the place, not on which title says job site. A rechargeable or mains LED work light decision is really three supplies: a battery you carry, a 230 V socket in a dry garage, or 110 V centre-tapped-to-earth on a site. The twelve listings in our [LED work light comparison](/hub/workshop/led-work-light) cover the first two. This page is from the Products Compared editorial team. We did not time the runtimes or open the plugs in a lab. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You are choosing between a lamp you charge and a lamp you plug in, and the right answer depends on the place, not on which title says job site.
You are choosing between a lamp you charge and a lamp you plug in, and the right answer depends on the place, not on which title says job site. A rechargeable or mains LED work light decision is really three supplies: a battery you carry, a 230 V socket in a dry garage, or 110 V centre-tapped-to-earth on a site. The twelve listings in our LED work light comparison cover the first two. This page is from the Products Compared editorial team. We did not time the runtimes or open the plugs in a lab. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Supply | Supply note | Claimed output | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  DeWalt DeWalt DCL050 18 V area light, bare | 18 V bare | 18 V XR pack not included | 250–500 lm | 9.6 | about £38.67 | View offer |
 SYLSTAR SYLSTAR WL013 rechargeable work light | Rechargeable | 4,400 mAh, UK plug and USB-C | 3,000 lm | 9.0 | about £33.99 | View offer | |
| Alternative |  Linke Linke 60 W flood, 2 pack | Mains | 230 V AC, 1 m lead | 5,200 lm | 9.0 | about £32.99 | View offer |
On this page
Rechargeable when you cannot trail a lead
Buy rechargeable when the cable is the problem. A loft with no socket at the hatch, a bonnet in the middle of the garage, or a job on the drive away from the wall all punish a lead. The SYLSTAR WL013 at £33.99 is the stand-up version: a claimed 3,000 lumens, IP65, a 4,400 mAh pack, and a UK plug named in the box for charging. That plug does not turn the lamp into a mains flood. A listing line talks about three to nine hours depending on the mode. Treat that as a claim.
Dancingboar at £14.99 is rechargeable too, and its solar claim is the one to ignore: reviewers left it in the sun and saw no charge. If the shift is longer than the charge, a rechargeable lamp loses to a socket. How to read lumens and IP codes is the LED work light buying guide.
Mains when the light must stay on
Buy mains when the lamp has to stay bright for hours and the socket is the right one. Linke’s twin pack at £32.99 prints 230 V AC, 5,200 lumens and a lead of about 1 m, with IP66 in the bullets. That voltage matches UK mains. The short lead means the socket is beside the bay, or you use one extension reel unwound fully, with a 30 mA RCD if you are outdoors or in the damp. Bellanny at £42.99 prints 220 V, not 230 V. The file also prints two lumen figures, so you are buying the twin-head shape, not a settled 20,000 lumen rating.
A domestic plug should show the BS 1363 mark. Electrical Safety First treats that mark as the check you can see. A dry home garage can use this case. HSE’s warning about 230 V is about shock from mains voltage, which can kill, and about temporary site lighting. It is not a ban on a flood in your own garage.
A site is a third supply
A construction site is not a garage with a longer lead. HSE guidance says cordless tools or a 110 V centre-tapped-to-earth supply, and DIY 230 V leads are not the kit. HSG141 puts battery first, then 110 V. The Institution of Engineering and Technology calls 110 V centre-tapped-to-earth good practice, not a legal voltage for every workplace. A building site is the wrong place for the Linke twin pack and a domestic reel.
T-SUN’s specification line says 110 V. A UK review describes a moulded plug with a 13 A fuse. That review does not convert the listing into a yellow site lead. Do not buy it as 110 V centre-tapped-to-earth kit because the number 110 appears. If you need a site light, start from a battery lamp, or from a 110 V system a contractor has provided.
The bare 18 V case
DeWalt’s DCL050 at £38.67 is an 18 V XR body. The bullets say 250 to 500 lumens, and the box does not include a battery or a charger. Buy it only when those packs are already on the shelf. It is not water resistant. A 4.8 from 3,306 reviews says owners like it once the pack is fitted. It does not replace a 5,200 lumen mains flood.
Inside this set you choose. If the lead is the hazard, take the WL013 and accept a shorter bright period. If the evening is long and the socket is a sound 230 V point in a dry garage, take Linke or Bellanny. If the ground is a site, take neither domestic flood.
Common questions
Should I buy rechargeable or plug-in for a garage with a socket?
If the socket is a sound 230 V point and the lamp must stay on, a mains flood such as the Linke pair is the simpler buy. If you are under the bonnet or up a loft ladder, a charged WL013 or a magnetic Luceco keeps the lead off the floor.
What changes on a construction site?
HSE points site lighting and tools toward battery or 110 V centre-tapped-to-earth, and away from DIY 230 V leads. A garage socket does not become a site because the lamp’s title says job site. The IET describes 110 V centre-tapped-to-earth as good practice, not as a single legal voltage for every UK workplace.
Is 110 V the same as a normal UK plug?
No. A normal UK plug is BS 1363, three pins, 13 A, on 230 V mains. A 110 V site system uses a different connector, the yellow site plug, with the supply centre-tapped to earth. Seeing 110 V in a specification table is not the same as holding that yellow plug.
Why does the T-SUN file say 110 V?
Because the voltage line on that amazon.co.uk listing says 110 V. A review in the same research describes a moulded plug with a 13 A fuse. Both statements stay. The lamp is not established here as a 110 V site light, and it is not rewritten as 230 V. Check the plug you receive before you use it.
How long does a rechargeable actually run?
We did not measure one. WL013’s listing talks about three to nine hours by mode, and reviewers still complain that the bright settings need frequent charges. LETOUR prints six hours. Luceco prints up to 10 hours depending on the mode, which some reviewers do not get. Plan a spare charge for any job longer than a short visit, or move to a mains flood.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources from the research digest, plus the twelve amazon.co.uk listings. Prices and stars stored 19 October 2026.
- HSE: Site lighting (retrieved October 2026)
- HSE: INDG231 Electrical safety on construction sites (retrieved October 2026)
- HSE: Electrical systems in buildings (retrieved October 2026)
- HSE: HSG141 Electrical safety on construction sites (retrieved October 2026)
- HSE: Electrical FAQs, RCDs (retrieved October 2026)
- Electrical Safety First: Plugs and fuses (retrieved October 2026)
- Electrical Safety First: Extension leads and cable reels (retrieved October 2026)
- GOV.UK: HSG38 task lighting (retrieved October 2026)