I'm considering buying a work light for my home car maintenance. I'm wondering which option would be more useful for me—an underbody light or an underhood light? Right now, I just use a Milwaukee M12 Rover light, but I'm curious about upgrading. What do you all think?
3 Answers
I think an underbody light is definitely more versatile. It’s easier to position it just right to avoid shadows while you're working. Underhood lights can be great, but they tend to cast a lot of shadows due to their positioning. So if you want precision lighting, go for the underbody one!
I swear by underhood lights! They really light up the engine bay nicely, making it easy to see everything while you work. But for undercar work, I’d suggest using individual lights like the Rover or Harbor Freight's Icon lights. They’ve got great coverage, and you can use them for different setups.
I’ve noticed that some of the Harbor Freight lights have a pretty bad tint. Milwaukee products like the Rover have a nice neutral tint which helps a ton. I've had to ask co-workers to turn off their cheap lights because it makes it hard to see what I'm working on!
It’s interesting how the comments are totally divided on this! I’ve been debating these two options myself for a while. I do have a QuickJack, so I'm not sure if an underbody light would be as helpful. The foldable Icon or Braun lights work well for me under the car. But I do see the appeal of underhood lights for general use. They’re more accessible for anyone handling a standard car.
I have a couple of those Harbor Freight Braun lights, and they’ve been fantastic! Really bright.