# How about a decent grill light?



## guy48065

Can someone point me to a quality grill handle light or a DIY version? Everything I've seen in stores or online has been cheap junk that won't hold up to the heat, weather and greasy smoke.

As an idea would a couple bright LEDs illuminating the inside of a length of PVC pipe emit light properly if the pipe had a strip of polished-edge clear acrylic inserted in a lengthwise slot--to act as a light guide?

(Also--would I do better asking in a section that gets more traffic than this one?)


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## HotWire

I have 2 cheap blue-tinted magnet base lights and love 'em. High cri? No, high blue tint. They get the job done. The are also handy for working on the car or under the sink.


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## Max_Power

Get a warm white or high-CRI headlight. That way you have both hands free for cooking, and good color rendition wherever you are looking. I own (and like) a Zebralight H51cf which has come in handy for late evening grilling and smoking, and runs great on AA Eneloops. 

External color isn't really the best way to know if something is cooked. But food sure does look more appetizing with high-CRI, warm white or neutral white illumination.


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## guy48065

I've tried it wearing a cap with a lighted bill but honestly I feel ike a dork wearing a headlight while grilling. But the kind you are talking about could probably be adapted to the handle and many are far better quality than the POS that Weber sells for that purpose.


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## Max_Power

Just remember that excessive heat kills semiconductors and batteries. An LED grill light would survive as long as you keep it clear of the cooking heat. Perhaps a goose-neck with a solarforce body and a M61 Nichia 219 emitter... mmm now I am thinking about doing that on my own grill. Could also use a 5,6,or 9 volt wall wart to power it.


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## guy48065

Well the handle is several inches away from the hood and whether up or down is always cool enough to hold so I don't think heat will be a big concern.

I might want to look for headlights that are rugged built & weatherproof. I often forget to replace the cover after the grill cools.


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## ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond

I have a Brookstone cold cathode tube light that runs on 4-D batteries (using 10,000mAh NiMH in it). Mounts to the handle. It doesn't seem bright right when you turn it on but once warmed up for a minutes it's pretty decent.


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## FRITZHID

ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond said:


> I have a Brookstone cold cathode tube light that runs on 4-D batteries (using 10,000mAh NiMH in it). Mounts to the handle. It doesn't seem bright right when you turn it on but once warmed up for a minutes it's pretty decent.



Raising a lil necrothread but I feel this is a missed area in the forum.
I found this exact brookstone at a rummage sale for $5 and nabbed it just because.
It's not bad at all, like he said, needs a few for warm-up, similar to a 35w HID but once it's up.... tons of light for what it is......by older standards.
Yes, it's a little on the bluer white (it is fluorescent light after all) but the designer did well with beam pattern, mounting, u/i and considering available batt tech the power supply isn't bad either.
It's a parasitic drain device, 2 electronic switches (one on/off, one 6 min timer) cause about 2ma draw.

Nice wide lateral beam that fills the grill area beautifully. Nice to see ccfl used in other lighting than lcd screens.
Could be warmer in color and of course efficiency under LED is sad but at least there's little cooling issues and no point light source problems, plus it's naturally a wide flat light, unlike the spot light that LED tends to be.
I've debated on modding this light.... Maybe 3-4 xml2 and a custom lens but I think I'm gonna keep it as is.
I've tested it with 2s 26650 imr cells and runs beautifully, I bet runtime is crazy with those, lol.

It's kind of a shame that they don't make this anymore


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## FRITZHID

.oops


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## ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond

Time to necro this thread again.

My Brookstone Cold Cathode Grill Light appears to be no longer working.  I'm pretty sad about this because it was a great full coverage light. I think moisture started getting into it. It stopped powering on. I pulled it apart and tried drying the board off but there was a good amount of corrosion on the board.

Now the hard part - trying to find a good replacement. Open to any suggestions as the only thing I see on Amazon is some POS with "10 LEDs" They have about 20 of the same light with different brand names on them at all different prices from $15 to $30.


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## FRITZHID

ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond said:


> Time to necro this thread again.
> 
> My Brookstone Cold Cathode Grill Light appears to be no longer working.  I'm pretty sad about this because it was a great full coverage light. I think moisture started getting into it. It stopped powering on. I pulled it apart and tried drying the board off but there was a good amount of corrosion on the board.
> 
> Now the hard part - trying to find a good replacement. Open to any suggestions as the only thing I see on Amazon is some POS with "10 LEDs" They have about 20 of the same light with different brand names on them at all different prices from $15 to $30.



I have a CCFL brookstone grill light that I'm not using, has never been outdoors (I.e. On a grill) so it's in mint condition. Make me an offer.


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## N2PYS

You could get a Whelen LINZ6 LED surface mount and set it to steady burn ( puts out 5,000 lumen) they are completely sealed against all weather and come with a 5 year guarantee, you can get them on sale online for sometimes for as little as $ 50.00 .


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## lightmare01

N2PYS said:


> You could get a Whelen LINZ6 LED surface mount and set it to steady burn ( puts out 5,000 lumen) they are completely sealed against all weather and come with a 5 year guarantee, you can get them on sale online for sometimes for as little as $ 50.00 .


I second this, that's a nice option, Whelen is quality stuff, plus it's made in the US... Often used by emergency vehicles where saving money on imports to trade off on reliability is not an option.


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## BMikhail

If some one make this - can you attach photos?


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## jordanmark

Can anyone recommend a good grill handle light or a do-it-yourself version? Anything I've seen in stores or on the internet has been low-cost garbage that won't withstand the heat, weather, or greasy smoke.


Will a couple of bright LEDs lighting the inside of a length of PVC pipe emit enough light if the pipe was inserted with a strip of polished-edge clear acrylic?


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## DIWdiver

We grill year-round, including when it's dark, cold, rainy, and/or snowy at dinner time.

My solution is to mount decent lights on the house, near where the grill is used. They are line powered, so I can use anything from ancient incans to futuristic magic. Modern LEDs included.

No worries about grease, smoke, heat, or batteries.

I have a grill light from Brookstone that someone gave me years ago. It's still in the box. Seems like a solution looking for a problem to me.

If I had to grill away from the house, where and when it might be dark and line powered lights were not an option, I would probably look for a headlamp instead of a grill lamp. The market is a lot larger so there is a lot more innovation and cost reduction available.

Or maybe I would just use this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP7fSytFlf0. I have one because I designed the electronics in it. I don't use it much because there are usually better options. On low power it makes a nice camp light and runs for ages. It's also a nice work light around the house when the power is or needs to be out.


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## alpg88

I use a headlamp when BBQ. i have a specific headlamp just for that, with 2700k led. cool, or neutral are not as good in thick smoke. even thou all tints light up smoke particles and make it hrader to see the actual meat, but warm, almost yellow is not as bad.


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