Are higher cost LED work lamps worth the money?
Work lights are often judged and purchased using criteria that differs from those used for other lamps. In fact, although the work light class of lamp is used in more critical situations than most other lamps, certain aspects relating to the light they produce is often overlooked by the organizations that adopt them.
Work crew efficiency using auxiliary lighting can be increased by using color temperatures that are most like actual sunlight. Color temperature, usually stated in the Kelvin (k) temperature scale, describes the relationship of white light to the other colors in the color spectrum.
The sweet spot for optimum work light is about 6,500k. This combines the most natural light with a touch of blue spectrum so work crews can more easily focus on details without incurring eye strain.
Correctly selected LED diodes, such as the ones Grote uses for its Trilliant Cube 2500 and Oval lamps, operate at about 6,500k. At 6,500k, most people do better and safer work over longer periods of time while experiencing less eye fatigue.
With an LED lamp, color temperature is controlled by the quality of the assembly process. LED manufacturers customarily produce LED diodes within a certain range of color temperature. The next step is culling the production diode batch into Kelvin ranges—the narrower the range, the more precise and expensive the process. A narrower Kelvin range of LED diodes almost always indicates a higher quality supplier process and produces better results when it comes to reliability and higher work crew efficiency.
Manufacturers or purchasing managers should choose LED lamps of the highest quality. When it comes to design sophistication—ruggedness both of structure and electronics, protection from voltage spikes and electromagnetic interference, lens design, mounting design, etc.—there are significantly different levels of quality among various lamp designs and among suppliers themselves.
The quality of the LED diodes work lamps use varies, as does their life expectancy. Low quality LEDs fall out of spec more quickly and start to dim unevenly or burn out. Electronics within bargain lamps do not stand up as well to the vibration, corrosion and rigors of highway and work place environments, causing them to fail more quickly.
The best way to ensure a high level of performance and component longevity from a work lamp is to treat it as an investment, not only in the lamp but in the health and safety of an operator. Productivity of an operator depends in part on the quality of the lighting to avoide eye strain and eventual fatigue.