Now you may never have considered needing a work lamp, but if you tinker around in your garage or on your driveway, a handheld inspection lamp can make life much easier.
We check out the new RIL6200 Magflex Max 500 inspection lamp from Ring, which retails at £49.99.
What is it?
The RIL6200 is a new inspection lamp designed for professional use, it’s rechargeable, and the head can be angled through 360 degrees and roughly 75 degrees at its base. There’s also a hook at the top, a magnet on the back and a powerful magnet on the base.
How does the RIL6200 work?
Powered by a built-in 4500 mAh lithium-ion battery, the charge time is 5.5 hours, while operating times are 4.5 hours on high (500 lumens) or 7.5 hours on low (250 lumens). There’s also a UV torch at the tip, which is a single LED.
The entire unit is IP65 which means total protection from dust and low-pressure jets of water. It’s also encased in a rubbery finish and can withstand impacts of IK08, a force of five joules.
There’s a single USB C socket underneath a thick rubber grommet for charging, and on the back is a large power button and charge indicator.
To turn the unit on, just press the power button once, this puts it on low, press again quickly and it will go onto high, press quickly once more, and the UV lamp at the end will illuminate. A single press will turn the unit off.
What’s it like?
When taking the Magflex Max 500 out of the box, the first thing you notice is the quality. There’s no plastic creak, nothing feels loose, and it has a nice weight. The top lamp part clicks through 360 degrees needing a good amount of force to make each slight rotation, and the bottom base magnet also moves backwards and forward with the same firm click. The overall design exudes robustness, suggesting that it can withstand daily use without any issues. In addition to the impressive mechanics, the versatility of the lighting options is noteworthy, making it suitable for various applications. For those interested in a comprehensive evaluation, the ring magflex slim 500 overview provides further insights into its features and benefits.
It’s nice that the first button press is actually the low mode, as that’s probably all you’ll really need while under the bonnet; it also gives you a much longer runtime of 7.5 hours instead of 4.5.
Switching up to 500 lumens and the engine bay becomes pretty much floodlit; I can see this being really helpful when you’re under a car and need to get a good view up into the suspension or just to work in good light.
As long as you’ve got something steel, the base magnet holds the lamp on its side, upside down, you name it, and it will stay there. So just angle it how you want, stick it on, and you’re good to go.
The additional magnet on the rear is also strong enough to hold the Magflex Max 500 and makes it easy to set up underneath your bonnet to act as a strip light.
Charging is a little slow, but then it’s a big battery, and there’s plenty of juice to work all day without worrying about it dying.
Overall, it’s a great lamp for the avid DIYer or professional workshop technician.
Where can I get one?
The best place seems to be eBay, for around the £45 mark, but they will see a wider release in the next few months.
