Shop light at Harbor Freight

Raymond Richard

Raymond Richard

Joined
Jun 17, 2001
Messages
5,705
I picked up one of the double halogen shop lights there a couple months ago. Not sure what could be screwed up in this light but the darn thing sure burns the bulbs out fast. Anyone got an idea how I could correct that problem besides bringing it back for a refund if I can find the receipt?
 
i had one too..... i threw it on the curb.... wasted so much in bulbs, that 29 dollar 'deal' ended up costing me an arm and a leg....
 
Did you touch the bulb when installing? If you get any oils from your skin on them, they'll burn out fast. I use latex gloves to put the bulbs in.
 
I'm going to try to locate the receipt. No curbs out where I live. I did wear brand new cotton gloves when I installed the bulbs. I've got an old halogen light that I've had for years and it works like brand new except I've got it fixed. I just don't understand why the new one burns the bulbs out so fast. I even went with a higher rated bulb thinking that would solve the problem.
 
its a hit or miss with hf-
i bought a tabletop drill press a few months back-it worked fine the day i put it together,tried to use it last week and the motor was dead-
they gave me a new one because i lied and said it was a xmas gift-
 
Are you buying the bulbs at HF too?
I picked up half a dozen halogen bulbs at one of their sidewalk sales awhile back. They were 50 cents a peice, which is a heck of a lot cheaper than most stores.
The catch is the bulbs only last about 12 hours. And that is in a light that normally runs them for months :grumpy:
 
Wow, I have had mine for over a year and haven't had to change the bulbs at all? But that's not to say I like Harbor Freight much;) Now after saying this they'll probably burn out on me:rolleyes:
 
I had the same thing happen. It lasted quite a while at first. After the bulb popped I replaced it and it didn't last 5 minutes. Replaced it again, same thing. Garbage time.
 
Matt Shade said:
Are you buying the bulbs at HF too?
I picked up half a dozen halogen bulbs at one of their sidewalk sales awhile back. They were 50 cents a peice, which is a heck of a lot cheaper than most stores.
The catch is the bulbs only last about 12 hours. And that is in a light that normally runs them for months :grumpy:
Click to expand...

Matt, My wife picked the replacement bulds up at Home Depot. Wouldn't surprize me if they were also made in China. I think most are made there anymore. I'm going to take the fixture appart and see if there's something in there that's causeing the problems.
 
Hard to say what it could be then. We've got quite a few halogen lights out at the barn, and now that I get to thinking about it, we've had some fixtures that would go through bulbs faster than others. There was also a few that wore out in a relatively short time, compared to the others that are still going strong years later. Maybe thats just the nature of cheap halogen fixtures:confused:
 
Matt, When the halogen lights first came out guess 20 years or so ago I just gave up on them because they just wouldn't last plus alot of the bulds were so different they wouldn't interchange. I may just toss the lights and get some clamp on's and use regular light blubs on the stand from HF. I really like the stand. I can set it up right next to the grinder and actually see if the lights work. Been grinding by feel most the time anyway.
 
One of the problems I have found with this type of light is that the electrical connections in the fixture that the bulb fits into have loosened because of the large amount of heat the bulbs generate. I think this is worth looking at -- it could be part of the problem.
 
Ray, I feel your pain. I have found that the cheap Haolgen bulbs, even the ones from WalMart, are inferior to the ones from a real hardware store that cost a buck and a half more. I suspect that flimsy marginal wiring and connections is also responsible for your short-lived lights. I never thought of using those portable halogens INSIDE the shop for area lighting, but it makes sense. Especially in the Winter! They do put out some Heat.
 
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