Worklights

[TowZone]

Worklights, either permanently mounted on a truck or a handheld flashlight, are critical part of the operator’s arsenal.  We need light to be able to do our job safely and quickly.  Manufacturers use different units of measurements when promoting their products and having an understanding of what each means can go a long way in selecting products that meet your needs.

• Wattage is the amount of electrical energy used by the bulb to generate light.  Due to some lights being more efficient than others the amount of watts does not correlate directly to the amount of light produced.  It’s best to compare the same light types (Incandescent, LED, HID, etc) when using watts.
• Lumen is the total amount of light a bulb produces in all directions.  The brighter the bulb the more lumens it has.
• Candlepower is the measurement of the intensity of a beam of light at a specific point and is measured in candelas.   Each light produces a cone of light and the narrower the cone the higher the candlepower.  So in general, a spotlight would have more candlepower than a flood light.
• Amperage is the amount of electrical current the light the light requires to operate.  When adding multiple light heads together be sure the circuit and switch are rated to handle the load.