Are you in need of effective lighting for tight, hard-to-reach spaces, while keeping your hands free? The Magnetic LED Work Light is the answer.
These innovative devices, featuring a strong magnetic base, securely attach to metal surfaces, offering hands-free illumination.
They’re ideal for mechanics, DIY enthusiasts, or anyone requiring additional light in dimly lit areas.
Through our direct experience, we’ve pinpointed the top options currently available. We emphasize factors like brightness, durability, and battery life.
Here are NerdTechy’s top picks:
- Innofox LED Rechargeable Magnetic Work Light – Solid in a 2-pack, this light is another portable option that’s much brighter than most but still incredibly durable. Best of all, it’s affordable and surely won’t break the bank.
- Klein Tools 56403 LED Light – A top-pick for versatility. Manufactured from a reputable brand, it has an endless amount of adjustability thanks to its swiveled design. On paper, it may not seem as bright as we’d like.
- LHOTSE Rechargeable LED Work Light – The lightweight and foldable design are ideal for those needing an easy to stow, compact option that still offers a nice amount of brightness.
- WEISIJI 45W Magnetic-base LED Work Light – The absolute brightest option. It isn’t exactly the most portable, but the massive 10,000 mAh capacity and 4000+ lumen brightness is hard to beat.
Innofox LED Rechargeable Magnetic Work Light
The Innofox LED Magnetic Work Light comes in a 2-pack and contains a completely rechargeable design. Measuring in at 4.96 x 3.46 x 2.32 inches, with a weight of around 6 ounces each, these lights are compact and practical for virtually any scenario.
On the main, front-side, you have a 40W COB LED panel that’s capable of producing up to 1500 lumens of brightness.
The right side has an on/off switch that lets you toggle between light settings, whereas the bottom-side contains a waterproof rubber flap with both a USB-A and Micro-USB port.
The back-side contains an incredibly strong neodymium magnet as well as a metal hook that flips up and offers an easy way to hang it.
We found the magnetic-back to be very strong and hold quite well. Once it’s stuck to metal, you’ll need to give some effort into yanking it off.
To us, it seems to provide an ample amount of magnetism without damaging the surface it’s stuck to.
Durability
The size of this work light is ideal for those needing a compact, yet durable option that fits in the palm of your hand yet easily stows in a pocket or glove box.
The exterior housing is rugged and “beefed up” with reinforced ABS plastic surrounding the edge. Best of all, it’s rated for drops up to 5 feet, and completely sealed for water resistance.
We feel confident that you could bring it into any damp or wet setting without worrying about its integrity.
Power and Brightness
Utilizing a built-in 3000 mAh battery, the Innofox LED Work Light is able to completely illuminate any dark environment.
Whether you’re trying to light up the underside of a car, a deep crawl space or behind a water heater, we feel that it offers plenty of brightness.
Moreover, users can select between three different levels of brightness as well as a “strobe” option. Although it’s able to illuminate up to an 85 foot distance, it’s more practical for under 20 feet.
Although the internal battery isn’t replaceable, it’s fully rechargeable with the Micro-USB port that’s on the bottom.
Next to this is a standard USB-A port, but it isn’t for charging the light. It’s for using the work light as a power bank to charge virtually any device, such as your smartphone.
The internal battery offers a decent amount of lifespan; approximately 8 hours on the lowest setting. If you turn up the brightness to high, you won’t be able to get anywhere near 8 hours of brightness; more like 3-4 hours.
And if you’re using it strictly as a power bank, it may only last 2-3 hours. Although the battery life isn’t incredibly impressive, we feel that it’s sufficient for typical situations.
The lightweight design and versatility of the Innofox LED Magnetic Work Light is commendable. It boasts plenty of brightness, a well-built, compact design, as well as plenty of durability.
Sure, it isn’t a name-brand work light, but it’s affordable and highly reviewed as an Amazon’s Choice top seller.
Klein Tools 56403 LED Light
Klein Tools is a very reputable manufacturer. We’ve had the pleasure of reviewing several of their products in the past, such as their USB power tester.
Needless to say, we’ve always been confident in recommending their products. The Klein Tools 56403 LED Light is another impressive offering that we’ve tested and can whole-heartily recommend as a top-performer for a magnetic LED work light.
Measuring 5.11 x 2.07 x 1.67 inches and weighing in at around 8 ounces, this light is both compact and highly versatile.
The Klein Tools 56403 LED Light has an interesting design with a built-in kickstand and the ability to rotate in several different ways.
Notably, the “head” of the unit can rotate a full 360 degrees whereas the kickstand has the ability to rotate 270 degrees. In addition, there’s a small, yet incredibly strong neodymium magnet built right into the kickstand.
It may be visibly small, but the amount of strength it offers is downright impressive. If you look closer, you’ll even see a small nail notch integrated into the kickstand for a more-permanent mounting solution.
Setting the Klein Tools magnetic work light onto a metal surface offers the best versatility so you can aim the light in any direction you please.
The rotating head and kickstand design offers a useful way to direct the beam into any area with ease.
Best of all, the kickstand has a hinged carabiner built right into the side, so you can quickly clip it to any loop, cable, rope or wire.
Durability
Holding this light in your hand gives a high quality and well-built feeling. Every corner and crevice is fully sealed from both moisture and dust intrusion.
In fact, you can feel confident knowing that it’s rated to withstand drops of up to 6 feet.
Additionally, the IP54 rating that Klein Tools has given it assures you of its water-resistance.
This is a quality-built lamp that you can bring into any wet, humid or dusty environment without needing to worry.
Power and Brightness
Just like the Innofox, the Klein Tools 56403 LED Light has a built-in lithium-ion battery that’s fully rechargeable. However, the Klein Tools’ internal battery has a slightly larger capacity of 3250 mAh.
It too, charges via Micro-USB and also contains a USB-A output for using it as a power bank to charge virtually any device.
One thing we really liked is the built-in battery life indicator. Based on 25 percent intervals, it’ll give you clear indication as to how much battery life is remaining, so you’re always in the know, and never in the dark.
The Klein Tools magnetic work light has both a high and low brightness setting. The high setting is rated to offer 460 lumens for up to 9 hours whereas the low setting is rated to offer 175 lumens for up to 16 hours.
As you can see, the lumen rating is much less than the Innofox, but the battery life on the Klein Tools is a bit better. In reality, the brightness that this light offers is sufficient for most situations.
Sure, it won’t illuminate up to 75 feet away, but close-quarter spaces where you’re going to use it, you’ll likely agree that it’s plenty bright.
LHOTSE Rechargeable LED Work Light
Sold in a 2-pack, the LHOTSE Rechargeable LED Work Light offers another great choice for those looking for a compact, bright and well-designed option.
The handheld, collapsible design is great for mechanics or homeowners who would prefer have a flashlight-style rather than a standalone option.
At first glance, it may not seem apparent, but there’s a strong neodymium magnetic built into the narrow base. In addition, the LED panel folds down into the handle for a compact, easy to use form-factor.
Weighing in at just under 6 ounces, and measuring 5.91 x 1.18 x 1.38 inches while folded up, it’s the most lightweight and compact work light that we’ve featured.
The LHOTSE magnetic work light boasts a 2-in-1 design. Simply put, users have the ability to fold it out and utilize the COB LED panel, or fold it in and utilize the bright LED that points forward at the end of the handle, on the opposite end of the magnet.
Also, on the back, you’ll find a metal hook that’s able to fold up so you can hang it. Best of all, the light panel has the ability to rotate a full 360 degrees so you’re given the freedom to light-up in most directions without any issue.
Durability
The exterior of this light is comprised of a strong polycarbonate and textured rubber body. Holding it in the palm of your hand, you’ll immediately notice the compact and rugged nature of it.
In fact, the LHOTSE magnetic light is fully rated as IPX5.
Ultimately, this means it’s been rigorously tested for both water and dust intrusion. Specifically, IP62 indicates that it can withstand high pressure water jets without any issue, which is a better rating than both the previous Innofox and Klein Tools offerings.
Power and Brightness
Towards the top is a power button that’s right next to a tiny LCD screen that indicates the percentage of battery life remaining. It’s lined up perfectly with your thumb when held in your hand.
Pressing and holding the button will toggle through a variety of dimming settings. This way, you can either conserve battery life or utilize its full amount of brightness for illuminating the darkest settings.
Inside the light is a fully rechargeable 3.7V 2,000mAh Type 18650 battery. Best of all, this battery is completely replaceable.
Unlike other work lights, the LHOTSE gives users the freedom to open up the battery compartment and swap out rechargeable batteries without any guesswork. It’s a definite bonus, since it adds to the overall longevity of the work light.
While each of these Type 18650 batteries can be re-charged at will, each one is rated for up to 500 full charge cycles before it’ll need replacing.
The single-diode flashlight at the end of the unit is rated for 3W whereas the main dome light is rated for 5W. The flashlight provides up to 140 lumens of brightness, while the dome light offers 360 lumens. On paper, this doesn’t seem like a lot, because it isn’t.
However, in most scenarios, it’s going to deliver plenty of brightness when you’re up close and personal with whatever dark setting you’re in. The light won’t be projected very far, but for situations where you’re within 5 feet of whatever you’re working on, we feel it’s realistically sufficient.
WEISIJI 45W Magnetic-base LED Work Light
Although significantly more expensive than any of the aforementioned options, the WEISIJI 45W LED Work Light is a powerful option.
Weighing in at just over 3 lbs. and measuring 5.3 x 4.6 x 10 inches, it’s much less portable but much brighter than anything else.
It boasts a hinged design where the LED panel can fold inward and rotate up to 120 degrees. While it doesn’t offer an unlimited amount of angled-adjustment, the hinge feels sturdy and well-built, overall.
The light panel is comprised of 9 separate LEDs that offer a total power rating of 45W.
The base contains 4 individual ru-iron boron magnets nestled into the underside that securely hold the fixture without any hesitation.
The front of the base houses the power button while the back of the unit contains a rubber flap that hides the power input and outputs.
Durability
Comprised of a durable metal finish, the WEISIJI LED work light feels heavy but sturdy. Holding it in your hands, you can tell it was designed for ruggedness.
In fact, it’s given an IP67 rating, meaning that this light is fully sealed and completely waterproof.
Although you’re probably not going to use it underwater, you can leave it submerged or even frozen in water and it will still function. Pretty amazing!
Power and Brightness
The WEISIJI 45W LED Work Light comes included with both an AC and DC power adapters.
The AC power adapter plugs directly into any standard outlet while the DC power adapter can be plugged into the 12v cigarette lighter in your vehicle.
Although you cannot use USB to charge it, there’s a USB-A output next to the charging port that lets you use the light as a power bank.
Internally, there’s a 10,000 mAh replaceable battery pack. This offers anywhere between 5 and 16 hours of battery life depending on how much brightness you have the light producing.
Since this light is larger, it’s really no surprise that it offers the most amount of brightness out of all the options we’ve presented.
After all, it could be considered “huge” in comparison to the others; simply because this isn’t anywhere near “pocket-sized”.
By pressing and holding the power button, you’re able to toggle between 4 light modes. Strong, normal, SOS and flash are the modes you can cycle through. In reality, most users will find themselves using the “strong” mode that provides just over 4,000 lumens of brightness.
This is more than enough light to illuminate an entire side of a house or a large work environment.
Meet Derek, “TechGuru,” a 34-year-old technology enthusiast with a deep passion for tech innovations. With extensive experience, he specializes in gaming hardware and software, and has expertise in gadgets, custom PCs, and audio.
Besides writing about tech and reviewing new products, Derek enjoys traveling, hiking, and photography. Committed to keeping up with the latest industry trends, he aims to guide readers in making informed tech decisions.