Trying to weld under dim lighting increases your odds of injury and making terrible welds. It’s just not worth the risk when it’s so easy to remedy this problem.
I’ve narrowed the choices of best work light for welding down to the top ten. The options include task area lighting, along with some general lighting ideas, that will improve the quality and safety of your welding projects.
Jump to:
- Best Tripod
- Compact Tripod
- Tall Tripod
- Best for Welding Screens
- Magnetic
- Budget
- Best for Garage
- Tall Ceilings
- Easiest Install
- MIG Light
The Best Work Light for Welding: Top 10 Options
The Best Tripod Work Light for Welding
- Dual 100-watt LED lamps combine to generate a super-bright 20,000 lumens.
- Individual High/Low/Off switch for each light head.
- Each head independently swivels around 270 degrees and rotates up 30/down 90 degrees.
- Light bar detaches from the telescoping base for added flexibility.
- Indoor/Outdoor Approved
With an output of 20,000 lumens, this work light has the power to light up your welding area while staying out of range of hot weld spatter and grinding sparks.
Welding debris is difficult to remove from glass lenses and can reduce brightness. And spatter build-up makes telescoping stands difficult to operate.
I like the individual power switches on each light head. It’s a useful feature that’s missing from many other work lights of this style. Even better, the switches have a low setting so you can configure up to four brightness levels.
While this PowerSmith work light has plenty of power to light up any project in your garage or shop, it’s also perfect for outdoor jobs. The cast aluminum housing is sealed against dust and splashed water, including rain.
- Bright 5000K daylight color temperature
- Light heads constructed of die-cast aluminum with impact-resistant glass lenses
- Sturdy metal tripod stand with rubber feet
- Max extended height of 74 inches
- ETL certified
- Weight: 17.9 lbs.
- 9 foot grounded cord length
- No cord storage
- Good build quality, but not for rugged use
- One leg extends to level stand
- Initial setup time: 10–15 minutes
Best Designed (Most Compact) Tripod Work Light
- Adjustable from 43 to 68 inches high
- 9000 total lumens
- Easy to carry with built-in handle and cord wrap
- Folds to just 43.1 x 5.5 inches
- 5000K Daylight
The Lutec 6290Pro may appear to be a knock-off of Stanley’s work lights, but that’s because Lutec also makes lights for Stanley.
This is a highly portable design that folds to a compact size when you’re finished welding. At just 11 pounds, with built-in cord storage and a carry handle, it’s easy to transport or store up on a shelf.
You can independently adjust each light head up and down, and rotate it on its own axis. But the heads do not swivel around the stand pole axis. Loosen and tighten the heads with the included hex wrench.
Made of aluminum, the stand legs and light housings are sturdy and resistant to heat. Lutec uses plastic on the pole and other parts, so you must keep this work light clear of welding spatter.
You’ll get a 3-year warranty from Lutec who appears responsive to customer concerns. Most buyers are happy, with about 95% rating this light 4 or 5 stars.
- High customer satisfaction
- Die-cast aluminum housing
- Many plastic parts
- Legs don’t adjust for uneven surfaces
- 8 ft. power cord
- Light heads are not dimmable or removable
- Can’t use just one light
- Weighs 11 lbs.
- 3-year warranty
Extra-Tall Tripod Work Light
- 10,000 Lumens
- Fully extends to 85.8 inches tall
- Quick-release detachable light bar
- Waterproof
- Impact-resistant glass lenses
If you need a work light that extends to over 7 feet tall, this Von Haus model is a sturdy, no-frills option.
As an alternative to the Tacklife, you can save around $30 if you don’t mind the lack of dimming or even a power switch. This one’s old school: plug in for on, and unplug for off.
On the plus side, you’ll get an all-aluminum work light that’s well made and stable. The best part is it’s tall enough to peek over a 5–6 foot welding screen while keeping the telescoping pole safe from weld spatter.
- Weighs 21 lbs.
- 5000K daylight LED color
- Tool-less light head adjustment
- No on/off switch
- No brightness control
- Aluminum heads and tripod
- One leg extends to level
Best for Use With a Welding Screen
- Five LED light heads on 50-foot string
- 7150 total lumens - 65W
- Linkable to up to 6 strings
- Anti-glare light covers with scratch protection
- IP65 waterproof rating
This 5-light string is part of my favorite portable welding station setup.
Attach these lights to the top of a 3-sided welding screen with carabiners and/or cable ties. Use two lights to your left, two to your right, and one directly in front of you.
Add a portable welding table and you’ll have a safe welding station with bright, even lighting. You can set up or break down in a minute, and it all folds up and stores flat against a wall.
It’s easy to think of many ways to use these waterproof lights. They’re perfect to brighten garages, basements, worksites, backyard patios, and campsites.
- ETL and cETL certified
- Freelicht provides a 5-year warranty
- Requires separate support/attachment points
Best Magnetic Work Light for Welding
- Aluminum head and ABS handle
- Bright COB light strip (dimmable) plus LED on end
- Light head rotates 270 degrees
- Hanging hook and magnetic base
- IPX4 waterproof & anti-dust rating
Use this magnetic work light on your welding table, or even attach it directly to project materials. The adjustable head includes a bright LED strip plus a focused end beam.
Its narrow shape makes it perfect to illuminate inside corners or other areas caught in the shadows of overhead lights.
And at this price, you won’t care if it gets covered with weld spatter.
- Rechargeable 18650 Li-ion 2000mAH battery is replaceable
- Total length: 10.7 inches, folded: 6.4 inches
- Magnet is too weak to be reliable on vertical surfaces
- Inexpensive
Budget Work Light
- Long-lasting 10W/1,080 Lumen LEDs
- Fully adjustable 360° tilting head
- Weatherproof
- All-metal housing and stand
- Shatterproof glass lens
Here’s another handy work light option that’s so cheap you won’t ever worry about replacing it.
It’s bright enough to hang by the stand directly over your work table. Pull it down when you need extra light anywhere on your welding project.
- Size: 6.1 x 5.12 x 4.92 inches, 1.75 lbs.
- Adjustable extra-large metal hook
- On/Off switch
- 2-year warranty
- Short 5 ft. power cord
- 5,000K bright white color
The Cheap Way to Light up Your Entire Garage
- Mount directly to ceiling, or suspend
- LED strip light - no bulbs
- Link up to 4 LED shop lights together saving outlet space
- 4000 lumens from each 4-foot fixture
- 40 watts each
You’ll appreciate this upgrade every time you walk through your garage.
In a standard two-car garage, use four of the 4000-lumen lights to provide bright general lighting, and link them together to operate from one outlet or switch.
Then position the remaining two work lights over your welding area for brilliant and even task lighting.
At under $100, this six-pack kit is a great bang for the buck. Plus, the company backs it with a 5-year warranty, and around 97% of buyers give it 4/5 stars.
- Kit includes ceiling hooks, hanging chains, mounting screws and anchors
- Instant on
- 5-year warranty
- Not dimmable
- Color: 5000K daylight
- Happy buyers
Best Area Light for a Tall Garage or Shop
- Strong aluminum body
- IP65 certified water resistant and dustproof
- 21,000 lumens
- Dimmable 150W LEDs
- Color: 5000K daylight
When you’re welding in a large shop or barn, general lighting is often weak. Here’s a work light to brighten areas with ceilings of 14 feet, or higher.
Use a chain or cable to hang this sturdy fixture by its built-in hook. The hook even includes a screw to lock it to a horizontal beam and a safety retention cable.
- Also available in 100W, 200W and 250W versions
- May need expensive diffuser if glare is bothersome
- Operating temperature range: -104 to 122 degrees F
- Size: 11L X 11W X 7.5H inches
- 5 FT power cord with 110V plug
- Weight: 7.7 lbs.
- UL approved
- 5-year warranty
Easiest to Install Work Light
- Screws into standard ceiling bulb socket
- Four adjustable aluminum heads
- 10,000 lumens (100 watts)
- 6000K bright daylight color
- Instant on
If you’re lucky enough to have a ceiling light over your welding table, you can replace that dim bulb with this 192 LED screw-in fixture in about two minutes.
Individually adjust the four heads to brighten your work with 10,000 lumens.
- Size: L: 12.6 inch; W: 12.6 inch; H: 4.7 inch
- Not dimmable
- Shatter resistant
- 192 total LEDs
- Each head adjusts up/down but does not rotate
- High buyer satisfaction
Best MIG Welding Light
- LED light mounts to MIG welding gun
- Helpful when other lighting won't work
- Metal body
- Rubber gun mount
Honestly, this is the best MIG welding light only when you really have no other option. This product simply won’t hold up under heavy use.
For general use, welding helmet lights are a better choice. But when trying to weld in spaces so tight your hand blocks any attempt to direct a beam on the joint, this light could make your day.
- Can interfere with a table-top gun rest
- Expensive for the level of quality
- Not very bright
- Not built for regular use
- Weak attachment method
What to Look for When Shopping for a Welding Work Light
Modern LEDs couldn’t be a better choice for a welding light.
You get a brighter light for less energy than other lighting sources, which is important when sharing a 15 or 20-amp circuit with a 110-volt MIG welder.
Then there’s heat. LEDs produce less of it, and we never need more heat while welding.
When comparing lights, pay attention to the lumens specification rather than wattage. Lumens are a measure of brightness, while wattage measures energy used. More advanced LEDs provide more lumens using fewer watts.
Dividing lumens by watts gives you a reference to compare LED efficiency
Plan on 80 to 100 lumens per square foot for general area lighting of a garage or shop with 8 to 10-foot ceilings. Figure on 300 lumens per square foot for task lighting focused on your welding area.
Split the task lumens between two fixtures—180 degrees apart to your left and right—for even, shadow-free light on your work.
“Above 4500K brings us into the “daylight” color temperature of light. Light bulbs with color temperatures of 4500K and above will give off a blue-white light that mimics daylight.”
— Westinghouse Lighting
We measure the quality of light as a temperature on the Kelvin (K) scale. A lower number will be redder in color and is described as “warmer”, while a larger temperature contains more blue and is a “colder” light.
Considered ideal for task lighting in garages and basements, 5000K also gives accurate color rendition.
The Bottom Line
I like the PowerSmith tripod as the best work light for welding use, and this magnetic flashlight to further brighten the welding zone when needed.
Make your welding projects safer, more efficient, and much more enjoyable with proper work lights.
