A few people have recomended led to me ,but would like to see then before purchasing them .its worth more to get a to be recomemded than to listen to a salesman
Pictures that follow were taken by a very inexpensive digital pocket camera that does some automatic exposure adjustments. The images were cropped and assembled in Photoshop Elements and/or Apple Preview. Both of these programs are quite limited, and I don't think they can show exactly how the different lights compare.
The light sources were ambient early morning light on an overcast day, and the ground mostly covered by snow. The comparison is between that light and what is added by a 500W halogen work light, or 2 LED work lights each w. 80 LEDs. I don't know the illumination level produced by the halogen, but similar fixtures are listed between 5000 and 8000 lumens. The LED lamps provide 250 lumens each, total 500 depending on how they are focussed.
#1. A composite image showing a piece of yew illuminated at 5' by a 500W halogen work light, followed by the same piece lit by both LED lights at approx. the same distance. Then, the piece under daylight. The daylight shot was closer to the exterior windows, and taken a few minutes later in the early morning. The halogen light is obviously very "warm," while the LED is quite "cool." The daylight is from an overcast winter sky and the light reflected from snow cover. Also very cool, but the color seems acceptable.
#2. Descriptions of the human eye say that most of the nerves involved perceive intensity. Aka "Greyscale," the difference between light and dark. The second image shows the 1st image desaturated so that only the contrast info can be seen. The leftmost section, illuminated by the halogen work light shows how the camera tried to balance the extreme contrast. I think the image is useful because at that level of contrast, my eye interprets the same image with some portions flatend by glare, and others by shadow. Overall, flat compared to the lesser extremes of contrast produced by the LEDs.
#3. The 2 LED lamps are on either side of the work piece, both about 2.5' away. The level of illumination is more even, and the camera interpreted the color much better. My perception was similar. Good for close in work, I think.
The big downside of LEDs is still the upfront cost. I purchased the halogen work light for about $12. I did knock it over when it was still hot, and the bulb shattered. Add $4 to continue using. The 2 portable LED lights were $50. 10 years ago, similar LED lights, if available, would have been in the $200 range. A great improvement in cost, but still problemmatic. Shouldn't fail if dropped, and should last at least 5 times longer minimum than the halogen bulbs,
Upside is the the power consumption. These battery powered lights only need .15 A to charge. I suppose I could run both continuously while connected to the chargers. No need to rewire the circuit.
In the middle. Minimal heat waste. Using the halogen light in my unheated workspace releases enough heat that I can work even into cold weather. LEDs intrinsically create tight beams. As a detail/spot light they are great. They don't work as well for area illumination.