I am in need of better lighting. For years I have been using a cheapo office store drafting light. I've tried different bulbs with marginal results. My 62 year old eyes are needing all of the help they can get. I rent the place I'm in so nothing can be mounted to the walls or ceiling. What are you all using that can be attached to or sit on a workbench. A floor stand would be OK also. My bench is a plain hollow core door.
I use something like this https://www.homedepot.com/p/Lithoni...-Shop-Light-SHLDP-48IN-40K-80CRI-BL/300951323 You could make/buy a support bracket to attach to your bench, if you can’t hang it
You might try something like this, maybe in combination with the type shown in the above post- https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/30310254 or this- https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/68989482 They have these in all different price ranges up to $300 or so, but these are on the low end, around 50 bucks. One thing to be careful with is the light temperature you use for painting and weathering as opposed to your layout lighting. (This may be obvious, but colors will look much different under different kinds of light.)
I've used one like this 20-30 years. It clamps to the side of the bench and is movable to where needed. The magnifying lens is very helpful with N-Scale. Most e-tailers have it listed for under $100, some in the $60s.
Maybe ask landlord if you can put TWO hooks in the ceiling. You could hang a Shop Light from them. The ELBOW LIGHT is nice too, but limits your light to smaller area. I use BOTH, a SHOP LIGHT for large area lighting and an ELBOW light with a MAGNIFIER, for close in work. I'm thinking I saw a CHEAPIE elbow light at HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS. I know they have the LED shop lights there. But they can be found at MENARDS, HOME DEPOT, LOWES, WALLY WORLD, ETC ETC For a real nice elbow light, look at Micro-Mark tools. I think that's where I got mine; https://www.micromark.com/Articulated-LED-Lamp-with-Magnifier
In my workbench room, the overhead fixture is a triple, equipped with LED bulbs equivalent to 75 watts, each. On the bench itself, I use a magnalight, which also had a 75 watt equivalent LED bulb.
Dave, Like others have suggested I use the 4' fluorescent bulbs. I use 5000K daylight fluorescent bulbs. It provides brighter light that more closely resembles daylight. However, the greatest help I found was my cataract and glaucoma surgeries. The difference after the cataract surgery was amazing. Glenn
I bought one of these LED floor lamps to ... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RHT25ZX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ... us use at the workbench and love it. Not cheap but it is really versatile with 5 brightness levels, 3 color temperature, dimmable and/or really bright and easy to adjust where it is throwing the light. My wife loved it so much that we bought a second one for her to use for crafts, reading and other needs. If you have a door layout one might be all you need depending on how you want to project the light and it is easy to move and very stable. The the brightness levels and different color temperatures would allow you to adjust the brightness and moods for really bright (excellent for building) to dim and warm for running, Sumner
Thank you for all of your input. Most appreciated. I've ordered Sumner's suggestion. Fingers are crossed.
I use a 2', linkable LED light. It's hard wire-able or plug in. I have about a dozen on them in my basement in various rooms. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Commerc...ower-cord-and-linking-cord-54263141/206028921
Everything in my train room is LED. I use both over the bench general lighting and one of those magnified lamps on a arm as shown in the photo below. No, my bench is almost never this clean. The light seen in the photo above is from 20 of this small LED modules. This are mounted on a removable bottom cover to the section of the layout above the bench. I also use these to light a few areas of the layout where vertical clearance was an issue. Just during the 6 years I have been working on this layout there are more options for LED lighting and the price has come down too. When the florescent bulb in the magnified light burned out I replaced it with several of these same modules.
As I said earlier I went with Sumner's recommendation. It arrived yesterday and so far I'm liking it. I may just order another one. Thanks for all of the input guys.
