One time lathe lamp purchase- Which one do you recommend?

[Kevin Jenness]

I was in a spindle turner's shop recently with very low general illumination and two task lamps mounted at the head and tailstock. Low angle raking light will show every defect. I need more overall light just to see my way around these days but when I need to see details, especially when sanding, strong flat focused light and lower ambient levels tell the truth.

 

[John K Jordan]

…I appreciate how direct the light is when sanding but at times I find it too bright. Sometimes the glint off the chuck is strong and can create a strobe-like effect depending on speed…

You might try taping a piece of white paper or cloth to the front - will cut the light a bit but make it more diffuse.

When I use one for directed light in my photo cube or photography at the lathe, I put either a couple of layers of tissue paper on the front or attach a photo diffuser (made for strobe lights) to spread the light.

JKJ

 

[Will Armstrong]

You might try taping a piece of white paper or cloth to the front - will cut the light a bit but make it more diffuse

Thanks John! I'll give it a try. I can maybe rig up some sort of diffuser that would be easy to slide out of the way when I would prefer the stronger directional light.