The powder coating shop I use has one of these lights.
They beat the immortal crap out of it every single day. It's been dropped and knocked about to no end. It's been sprayed with phosphate wash and dropped in acid. It's covered in charcoal blasting media every day, and it's been left in the ovens numerous times.
It's understandably twisted and melted in places, a few of the LEDs have given up the ghost, it's covered in scuffs and scratches, and it's worn from being absentmindedly used in the blasting area.
Somehow, the thing still works just fine.
These things have a magnet in the bottom (not gravity smashing, but enough to hold it horizontal if it's not jostled too much), and they are fitted with a carabiner style hook at the top. The hook rotates 360 degrees with just enough friction to keep it straight when clipping it to things.
Naturally, the party piece is the joint in the middle that allows the lamp to be tilted forward and backward. It won't reach 90 degrees or anything, but it tilts far enough to be of great use when the light is freestanding or used with it's magnet.
Importantly, it's a cordless rechargeable model. That's a damned load off your shoulders when working. No more screwing with an extension cord. Also, this makes it very useful when kept in the vehicle tool kit. The battery lasts a very long time, and you won't ever find it wanting when working on a vehicle.
It charges fairly quickly, and being fitted with LEDs, you can juice it a bit to work for a while if you've managed to kill the battery. It doesn't seem to discharge by any notable amount when idle. Just pick it up and go. I've also not observed the battery to develop a memory to any practical degree.
The light has two settings, bright and dimmed. That's nice, because you aren't as likely to be blinded under a car if you use the dim setting, but the bright setting is always available. The output is very good, and perfect for work at night and getting to those pesky places during the day. The pattern is nice, as well. It's not too narrow, and not too wide.
When you get hold of it, it doesn't seem like much. It's light, and largely made of plastic, but it doesn't creak or feel too flimsy. The hook isn't exactly god's gift to carabiners, but it's a decent shape and it works. It comes with a standard A/C adapter for charging duties. That means the adapter can be replaced at any Radio Shack or hardware store if it's lost or broken.
The light can be found at any hardware store. It generally costs around thirty bucks. I finally bought one for my own use.
It's not exactly a head-turner, and it doesn't have Snap-On printed on the side, but apparently it's impossible to kill one.
As near as I can tell, when the universe is done expanding and finally goes dark for the last time, all that's left will be a bunch of these damned Bar Flex lights floating around in what used to be called space. In the end, they will all collide and form the final star, waiting for a mechanic that will never come...
So, if you need a drop-light, you may want to consider one of these. This is one of those products that just shouldn't be as good as it is...
There are countless drop lights on the market, and many expensive models branded by companies people actually give a crap about, and I'm sure some of them are better in ways. Still, I'd not bank on any of them surviving in an oven beside a bunch of wheels being coated. Perhaps they would, but I wouldn't spend a hundred bucks to find out.
Cheers,
Kennith
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