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When it comes to DIY projects, visibility is the key to maximizing your personal efficiency and safety, whether you’re wrenching under an engine bay or sawing wood on the work bench. Adding bright overhead and portable lights to the garage helps illuminate the workspace and prevents you from losing small pieces like sockets, nuts, and bolts.
If you’re currently using incandescent or fluorescent bulbs, it’s probably time for an upgrade to LED shop lights. These high-powered bulbs provide brighter light and a less energy-intensive way to light your shop compared to traditional bulbs, plus their lifespans are significantly longer—typically over 50,000 hours. They also make less heat than incandescent bulbs, and tend to not make a noticeable humming sound, ideal for focusing on your project.
We used our shop experience to find the best LED shop lights on the market, so you can use your workspace without worrying about pesky shadows or hard-to-replace overhead bulbs.
Make your garage even more functional with the best garage shelving units, bike storage solutions, and evaporative coolers.
The Best LED Shop Lights
- Best Overall: BBounder 5000K LED Utility Shop Lights
- Best Portable: DeWalt Battery Powered LED Work Light
- Best for Large Spaces: Barrina LED Shop Light
- Most Durable: VCMag High Bay Commercial Shop Lights
- Best Pull Chain: Sunco Lighting LED Shop Lights 6-Pack
What to Consider
Mounting Hardware
The most important thing to consider when choosing your LED shop lights is how they’re going to be installed. Most shop lights are designed to hang from the ceiling, above head height and directly over the workspace to reduce shadows. Some sit flush with the wall or ceiling. Smaller lights may also be made to be portable, and come with tripod legs for setting on the floor or a hook mount to attach to work spaces such as an engine bay.
If you’re lighting an entire garage or larger room, as opposed to a targeted space like a workbench, buy enough lights to situate them several feet apart, but close enough to reduce shadows between lamps.
Brightness and Color Temperature
Brightness of bulbs and LEDs is measured in a unit called lumens. When it comes to brightness, aim for around 3,000 lumens per light for maximum visibility in your workspace. This also depends on the number of lights installed in a space, as fewer require more brightness per individual light. Many LEDs have capacity well beyond the 3,000 lumen range.
Color temperature (AKA white balance) also effects the look of your lighting. Temperature is measured in Kelvin, and around 5,000 Kelvin is what we consider “daylight” or pure white light. LEDs rated at a higher Kelvin value appear more blue, and a lower value appears more orange. Some lights can also have their color temperature adjusted by the user.
Wiring
Install your lights within reach of an outlet or, if you want a cleaner look, you can wire them yourself. (This can be a bigger task, though, and might require an electrician’s help.) While the majority of these lights include anchors for securing them to the ceiling, they usually aren’t the highest quality, so we recommend buying some quality self-drilling drywall anchors to make sure your lights stay put even if they get knocked around on occasion. That said, most LED shop lights are lightweight.
Some LED shop lights come with adjustable arms for shedding light on various work areas. Other features you might want to look for include dimming, motion activation, portability, and diffusing lenses.
How We Selected
As an auto journalist, I’ve spent over six years writing about cars and automotive products, including vehicle maintenance products. I’ve also worked in garages both professionally and in my personal time, so I understand the importance of having dependable lighting when it comes to mechanical and home improvement projects.
We selected the best LED shop lights based on the quality of the hardware, ease of installation, usability, and extra features like dimmers and adjustable arms. We did our best to include a variety of shop light styles, including the typical long, flat lights, as well as thin LED “stick” lights that take up minimal room but still produce an impressive amount of light. We prioritized kits with multiple units, so you can customize the layout and number of lights to fit your work area.
Pros
Includes all hardware needed for mounting- Power switch on cord
- Lights daisy-chain together so you only need one outlet
Cons
- No dimmer
You can mount these 4-foot LED shop lights flush to the ceiling, with anchors and screws, or suspended from chains, with the included ceiling hooks. That means installation is flexible, and at less than 5 pounds each, getting these lights set up is no big deal.
Our favorite feature of these lights is that they link together so you don’t need a separate power source for each light bar. Each unit’s 4.8-inch power cord makes this daisy-chain design even more convenient. These lights produce 4,000 lumen each and have an effective 240-degree beam spread. Their five-year warranty is a nice perk as well.
Key Specs
| Total Lumen Output | 16,000 |
|---|---|
| Color Temperature | 5,000 K |
| Pieces | 4 |
| Style | Bars |
2
Best Portable
DeWalt Battery Powered LED Work Light
Now 38% Off
Pros
- No outlet required
- Adjustable brightness
Cons
- Battery sold separately
This portable LED flashlight features a rubberized grip for secure handling, a flat bottom to place on work spaces, and an integrated hook to hang in dark areas like engine bays. The angle of the LED head can also be adjusted to better direct light, with a low setting of 500 lumens brightness and a high setting of 1,000 lumens.
Color temperature is rated around 7,100 Kelvin, so it appears much cooler than daylight balanced bulbs. This light is made to accept the same 20V battery as other DeWalt tools, but you’ll need to purchase one separately if you don’t already have some hanging around your garage.
Key Specs
| Total Lumen Output | 1,000 |
|---|---|
| Color Temperature | 7,100 K |
| Pieces | 1 |
| Style | Portable grip |
Pros
- Clear wiring instructions
- Lightweight
- Chain multiple lights on one outlet
Cons
- Not practical for cluttered ceilings
In addition to plugging into an extension cord or wall outlet, these lights can be hardwired into a wall switch, making them great for those looking for a low-profile lighting setup. This kit isn’t the cheapest option on the market, but you do receive 10 individual lights, each an impressive 8 feet long.
If you want to make them even longer, you can simply connect them together end-to-end. With each tube producing 9,000 lumens, these lights pack impressive illumination into a small package. All mounting hardware is included as well, making this a cost-effective option for bigger work spaces.
Key Specs
| Total Lumen Output | 90,000 |
|---|---|
| Pieces | 10 |
| Style | Bars |
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Pros
- 5-ft. power cord
- Durable construction
- Water and dust proof
Cons
- Only sold in single units
We always appreciate additional safety features, which is why we’re such big fans of this light and its handy safety line, which connects the light to the mounting ring. If, for any reason, the connection between the light and mounting hardware fails, this line prevents the light from falling and potentially injuring anyone below.
The light is also IP65-rated, ensuring that it can withstand low-pressure jets of water as well as condensation, making it well-suited for humid workshops. Its 120-degree beam angle covers a wide area, and the unit itself comes with a five-year warranty. For bright, heavy-duty shop lights, this is the best pick.
Key Specs
| Total Lumen Output | 15,000 |
|---|---|
| Pieces | 1 |
| Style | Circle |
Pros
- Mount flush or hang from chains
- Easy installation
Cons
- Does not use daylight color tone
This six-pack of LED shop lights includes all the mounting hardware you need to hang them from your shop or garage ceiling, whether you want to mount them or suspend them from chains. They also use a 5,000 Kelvin color temperature, giving off a warmer tint than other LED lights.
We’re big fans of the classic pull-chain on/off switch, as well as the heavy-duty 5-foot power cords on these shop lights. This model is also Energy Star-certified, so it uses 90 percent less energy than standard bulbs. Its impressive seven-year warranty is longer than that of most other competitors, and its LED tubes are designed to last for 50,000 hours without fail.
Key Specs
| Total Lumen Output | 24,000 |
|---|---|
| Color Temperature | 5,000 K |
| Pieces | 6 |
| Style | Long Tubes |
Pros
- Installs in standard light bulb socket
- Adjustable panel angles
Cons
- Cooler than daylight temperature
This Bell+Howell LED shop light screws into any standard light socket, serving as a light bulb replacement and easily being operated on existing household switches. At 5,500 lumens, the manufacturer also promises up to four times the brightness of a standard bulb, along with a five-year replacement warranty for any defects or wear.
The three panels can be adjusted up to 90 degrees in order to direct the light exactly where you want it in the workspace. Color temperature is rated at a slightly cool 6,500 Kelvin, so the unit may not perfectly match any daylight balanced lights installed around the garage.
Key Specs
| Total Lumen Output | 5,500 |
|---|---|
| Color Temperature | 6,500 K |
| Pieces | 1 |
| Style | Light bulb replacement |
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Pros
- Installs in standard light bulb socket
- Six adjustable panelz
Cons
- Cooler than daylight temperature
Similar to the Bell+Howell, this LED shop light installs in a standard light socket and features multiple adjustable light panels. It has six panels for maximum brightness and adjustment, along with a seventh smaller LED at the center which points down directly from the ceiling. Each panel has about 60 degrees of freedom when it comes to setting your lighting angle.
This lets the light achieve a high maximum brightness of 18,000 lumens, along with a slightly cool temperature of 6,500 Kelvin. The LEDs are rated for up to 50,000 hours of operational life, and you get two units in the box, increasing total value.
Key Specs
| Total Lumen Output | 18,000 |
|---|---|
| Color Temperature | 6,500 K |
| Pieces | 2 |
| Style | Light bulb replacement |
Talon Homer
Talon Homer is a writer and photographer out of South Carolina who was born with a love of cars, gaming, and advanced technology. He’s been featured in Car and Driver Magazine, Popular Mechanics and The Drive, covering consumer reporting, custom engineering projects, and transportation tech. If he’s not at the keyboard, he’s probably snapping photos at a race track or playing too much Halo.
Alex Rennie
Alex Rennie is a freelance writer who specializes in the Home Improvement, DIY, and Tool space. As a former residential and commercial carpenter, Alex uses his hands-on experience to write practical buying guides, how-to articles, and product reviews. His work has also appeared in Business Insider's Insider Picks, and before his writing career, he was a full-time carpenter living in New York City. There, he worked as part of a team designing, building, and installing large furniture pieces, as well as performing a variety of home repair and maintenance projects. Alex currently lives in Los Angeles, CA, and spends his free time exploring the beaches and mountains with his fiancé and their dog Louie.
