Tools, Sharpening and Power Machinery - Cordless droplight.

I bought the Home Depot cordless drop light for about 30 bucks. 7.2 volts, 1 hour use for 90 min charge. For outdoor winter use, it doesn't want to start in the cold, but otherwise, I love it and the light output. Or should I say, I loved it. Yesterday I dropped it a mere 18 inches onto a concrete floor and broke the handle and battery compartment. ouch.

I can't live without one now, so I ordered the beefed up version from DeWatt. Just wanted to share with other hard core tool lovers.

...how does it hang if it's got no cord?

that's why they call it a drop light

that's why they call it a drop light
Heh, heh...

Changing the subject slightly, but have you seen the new tripod omnidirectional fluorescent tripod lights at HD? A little pricey for now, but they really give out light, and would be great in the middle of a room without having to move it every 10 minutes. Not cordless, though.
Larry

... but have you seen the new tripod omnidirectional fluorescent tripod lights ...they really give out light, and would be great in the middle of a room without having to move it every 10 minutes...
Hmmm...no, I haven't
How's the light quality?
As in: For painting that would be a big advantage not to move it, but seeing slight variations in sheen and color can be key to me
If the quality of the "light" is good, it may be worth it for me to check it out

I am not sure if it would be that good for painting, mainly because the light is a very bright white light, and wouldn't give an accurate rendition of the color. Maybe it would. If you would only be looking for imperfections, I believe it would work for that.
All I know about the brightness is that if you look directly at it for very long, it hurts your eyes, but having your back to it, or using it for room lighting during construction would be great.

For the price you can't beat those 500 watt halogens, even better when they are on stands. We used to paint with a 100 watt drop light with only a few problems but after using the halogen I could not go back to that again.

Thanks chandler
You'd be right that it's not always an accurate color that's important when applying paint
It is, but only for the light that would normally be in the room after I'm gone (and take my drops with me)
When putting paint to project, I'd be looking more for imperfections, flashing, or laps...stuff like that

marksr, it sounds like you've liked the halogens for painting just fine
I only have only used the regular drops, and to be honest, often I turn them off and use the available light

I made a floor stand model fluorescent light by mounting two 4ft fixtures vertically to a stand. I use it to spray paint appliances, i.e. refrigerator, dishwasher. It works great. I tried painting them with incandesent lamps but failed with runs every time. The fluorescent light offers even lighting without blinds spots.

I also use the 500 watt halogen lamps for spraying a room so I can quickly see if I have full coverage. I would not spray without them. Different lamps for different jobs.