On Sun, 07 Aug 2005 02:08:49 -0500, "B.B."
u wrote:

A.K.A. Drop Lights. I need one, but all of the ones I've encountered
in the stores are absolute crap. On-line catalogs look like they're the
same.
I'm just looking for one that's not hard (cheap/brittle/uncomfy)
plastic on the outside. The "rubberized" orange and yellow ones with
wire cages used to be pretty common in the stores years ago, but not any
more. Now it's plastic, plastic, plastic. Sometimes halogen bulbs,
sometimes florescent bulbs, but always plastic handles. Usually with
cheap, ****ty cords to complete the package.
McMaster has one with a rubber handle, but it's $lightly expen$ive.
Any other places to look? Except ebay--I hate ebay.

Trouble lights are aptly named: they are nothing but trouble.
They're never in the right place, usually in the way, often hot, and
the damned bulbs are fragile.

I made a head-mounted light using a 1-watt Luxeon LED and a lens
diffuser. It's a lousy flashlight for hiking and cave exploration --
but that isn't what I was after. I wanted it to illuminate
everything within reach of my hands. It does that very well. The
light is very even -- no darkspots or other artifacts. There are no
apparent shadows because the light comes from the middle of my
forehead. The "bulb" runs cool, and it will never break or burn out.

It works well under hoods, underneath cars, under sinks, in machinery
and when doing wiring and plumbing with both hands.

I used the body from a Harbor Freight head light ($2.95 on sale).
Mounted elex, Luxeon, lens and lensholder where the lightbulb and
reflector had been.

Didn't make any drawings......