<VV> Trouble lights

[Frank DuVal]

Oh let me light a fire here!  He he.

Comments not directed at Smitty, just more of my thoughts and 
observations, NO "I heard from my brother in-laws' second cousin once 
removed".

Now, I have not used the swirly pig tail lamps(CFLs)  in trouble (drop ) 
lights. I have used Rough Service bulbs from major names and off the 
wall names (like the current box of Feit 60 watters)  for over 40 years. 
The only thing they fail quickly doing is getting weld spatter on them. 
That breaks the glass. I'm pretty sure the pig tails CFL will fail just 
as fast in that service. I also found that the 50 watt bulbs were the 
best for most work. They don't burn your hand or the upholstery of 
customer's cars. I bought the 60s because that's what Harbor Freight had 
that day (12 years ago?). That's how long they last! I still have some 
off brand 100s on the shelf. Good for heat lamps in the winter... Rough 
service are a specialty bulb, so they are still manufactured for sale 
here in the US.

I also have not ponied up the $10 or so to buy an LED lamp to put in a 
trouble light. My LED solar lamps along my sidewalk work pretty good. So 
does my small LED flashlight for walking the dog, or the large three D 
cell LED flashlight for finding the lost dog... ggg. Of course I'm not 
using it under the dash of a car. No flashlight has worked well under 
the dash of a car, or even under the hood. They are always pointing in 
the wrong direction. This goes equally for all bulb types.

I HAVE had CFLs fail with sparks showering from them!!!!!!!!!!! Three 
times!!!!!!!! Luckily I was in the room when they failed so no fire 
resulted. These were 1. in a ceiling fixture with an open shade. 2. A 
bathroom wall fixture with no shade  3. A ceiling fixture with an 
enclosed shade. The fourth failure was the outside light on my garage. I 
noticed the light went out, and I reached in to unscrew the bulb. Burned 
my hand the base was so hot!!!!!!!!!!

No way would I think these were good bulbs to use around flammables.

I would give them a 100% chance of igniting gasoline vapors if broken 
while they are on. I guess this theory needs testing!

For working around flammable vapors, there were 2 D cell flashlights 
that had a clamp on the bulb to keep it from sparking, even if dropped. 
I still have two of these. Nothing plugged into the AC mains is current 
limited enough to use portable around flammable vapors. (flame suit on 
for this statement)

I have now bought an underhood light that has 120 small LEDs. Pricey 
thing, but my eyes are not as good as they were...  Interesting, it is 
not overly bright. It does give a gentle overall light, but still is 
directional from the 120 small sources, so shadows are not so bad. I 
have also placed it on the floor under the car, works pretty good there 
too. I still would not drip gasoline on it!

Work safe!

Frank DuVal



On 1/11/2014 4:59 PM, Smitty wrote:
> Smitty Says;  I have no problem with the feelings of the list members that are concerned about danger when working with trouble lights.  I have had plenty of near disasters working with incandescents in them.  I do have a serious problem with LEDs to work with.  Those miserable ^%@#$%$# should be bundled up tight and shoved up the persons who perpetrate them.  I don’t care what you do with them they are always aiming at something other than what I want to see.  When they are aimed the right direction the light is so direct that you usually cast a shadow on what you are trying to see with your hands in the way.  The only thing that limits how far I can throw one is my physical ability.    I posted a while back that the Swirly lights are a fair substitute.  A compromise with safety . so to speak.  Yeah they are glass and will shatter if you abuse the hell out of them.  They won’t light off gasoline unless they are broken, and even then that may be questioned.  They surely will stand more rough treatment than even an industrial incandescent.   Everybody has an opinion.  I checked with everyone in the room and it is unanimous.  My opinion is the only one that counts.