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Home Depot, a ToolGuyd sponsor, sent over this Husky clamping LED worklight for review consideration.
Before we talk about this specific clamp-on worklight, there’s something I want to talk about, but probably shouldn’t.
Home Depot has sent me too many (but never unwanted) LED worklights and flashlights over the years, sometimes even after I already buy the same model(s).
It’s usually a combination of the Husky team wanting me to check out a new model, Home Depot sending over a couple of promo tools for review consideration, or my own excitement when I spot a new Husky lighting product in-store at a great price.
So, a couple of times now, I ended up with too many Husky lighting products on my hands. When this happens, I donate and give away the extra samples.
Whenever I give away tools to family, local contractors, or readers, I rarely ever hear any feedback about the products unless we have a review arrangement in place or I specifically ask for a status update.
However, things are different with Husky LED lighting products. After I give away a Husky flashlight, worklight, headlamp, or similar, there is a much greater chance that the recipient will call me up with feedback or just to thank me again.
Everyone LOVES so many Husky lighting products, and I think this clamp-on light might be another winner.
I at first thought that the Husky worklight featured here was actually two different worklights. I don’t recall ever seeing a clamp-on worklight quite like this one before.
To start, its head can rotate a full 360°, and its pivot range is more than 180° – maybe ~220°. The head can tuck into the clamp body, creating a low profile for easy carrying and storage.
Lock the base into position and rotate the head out, and it’s a self-supporting worklight that can be placed on any horizontal surface.
I found the worklight to be highly adjustable, capable of being aimed in any direction needed.
The clamps are quite good and versatile, featuring pivoting jaws with rubbery faces that are secured using a total of 16 fasteners.
Using the inner jaws, the worklight can be clamped from pipes, or in this case a hammer.
The clamp faces are fairly grippy, and they secure to slightly uneven and textured materials better than smooth and slippery materials – at least until you increase the clamping surface area.
For the best grip, you need a deeper clamping depth, as the faces aren’t quite wide enough to support the full weight of the lamp head by themselves, at least not on certain materials.
When clamping to a smooth vertical surface, such as a door, there’s some flexibility, as really only the lower jaw requires greater clamping depth to stop any rotational slipping.
It can securely clamp to horizontal surfaces as well, but the inner jaws are needed to help out a little to balance the weight.
However, I have found that if the clamp head is folded inside the base, I can clamp it to the short edge of my benchtop without it slipping, as this greatly reduces the weight and mechanical leverage exerted on the clamp jaws.
When clamped to a flat horizontal surface, I need at least the first inner jaw to be in contact with the top surface to secure the clamp.
Given that I like the free-standing versatility, the lamp head adjustment, and the size of the base, I think these are fair compromises.
I was concerned about this at first, but over time I’ve found that the size of the jaws have never gotten in the way of my use of the worklight.
I have been able to secure the clamp to overhead flat surfaces, such as cabinet doors and 2x construction materials, with just the clamp faces providing sufficient contact.
It’s only really when you have a very off-axis center of mass that you need to be mindful of.
At the rear of the worklight head, you can see the rubber flap covering the micro USB charging port, a power and mode switch, and 4-LED charging and battery charge level indicator lights.
The battery indicator lights turn off after a few seconds.
The base can be locked into position for free-standing mode, or unlocked for clamping mode. To lock the base into its open position, you need to open the clamp to its maximum position and press a wide lever. I learned that it’s best to do this with one hand from the inside, but there are ways to do it with two hands as well.
Key Features & Specs
- 1500/700 lumen brightness
- 3/6 hours runtime
- Built-in rechargeable battery
- USB charging (cable included)
- Aluminum and ABS plastic construction
The clamp can be secured to most pipes, doors, wood framing, and other such surfaces.
According to the ANSI FL1 ratings, it can endure drops of up to 3M (10 feet) and is weather and water resistant to IPX4 standards.
Verdict
What I Like
Bright.
Very uniform illumination – the lensed COB LED emitter emits floodlight illumination very well-suited for a worklight.
Versatile clamping and positioning options.
Solid build quality.
Compact storage profile.
Battery indicator.
What You Might Not Like
Some users don’t like built-in rechargeable batteries, and I won’t try to change your minds.
The clamp needs deeper reach on flat materials such as a table top surface or door to prevent slipping. Meaning, don’t expect to fully extend the light and support it horizontally on a 1″ strip of material.
(This is a center of mass consideration. Yes, the clamping force could be stronger, but then it would be a lot harder and maybe even dangerous to use the tool in free-standing base mode.)
The power button has 3 modes – high, low, and off. If you’re using the worklight at high brightness, you have to press the power button twice to turn it off. This doesn’t bother me or impede its usage.
Overall
I actually haven’t used this as a clamp-on worklight very much, but I do use it in free-standing mode. I like the adjustability and different illumination angles possible with the rotating and pivoting head.
I don’t really have any complaints. It’s bright, adjustable, versatile, and seems to be well-designed and engineered to be tough.
It has metal construction where you need it, such as with the one-piece clamping base locking bar, and where the hooks latch onto.
The clamping pressure is very well-tuned. I wished for greater clamping strength at first, but then I found that it was a great compromise that allows for easy free-standing operation.
I think the $50 pricing is fair. The construction is more complex and robust than I had initially anticipated from online images alone, and the worklight delivers more premium illumination characteristics compared to less expensive lights.
You can buy the Husky clamping worklight online with free shipping, or find it at Home Depot stores.
Price: $49.97
“But This Doesn’t Suit My Needs”
That’s okay, Husky LED lighting products aren’t one-size-fits-all.
