Surprising deal on a 3xAA cob work light - France

Since i got the led flashlight fever some four years ago, i keep an eye on all the crap that’s being sold in stores over here. It seems everything is deprecated and over priced… It is slowly evolving though, but the absence of Li-Ion cells does limit the game.

Yesterday i was in a tool/hardware store and came across the work light and torch section. Nothing new… except for this pen style cob work light:

This light is made of solid aluminum and feels like serious stuff. Once loaded with 3 AAs/Ni-MH it weights like a steel rod. The large cob part is advertised to produce 400 lumen and although i haven’t measured it is very bright. The light has three modes: high, mid and red flashing. I don’t know how it is done, but there seem to be a string of red leds embedded in the cob part. The magnet at the tail is the strongest i’ve come across on a light. No problem getting it stuck at a right angle on a vertical metal surface despite the weight.

All in all this is a very decent and robust cob work light…. and it is only 4.90 euro! The only similar light i found on the net is a Nebo “Big Larry” sold between $20 and $30.

Usually what you get at that price are plastic faint bluish lights feeling like toys… Maybe this is a pricing mistake and the deal will vanish soon? If anyone is in France, check your local Leroy Merlin.

Yes, looks like the Nebo Big Larry. Nice light to have in the car in case of breakdown. Good flood & magnetic tail.

At that price, yep go for it! :+1:

Is looking good ,sturdy.., the 3 modes are made by a 3 stages switch ( 3 positions ,one for each "click" ) , and the medium done by resistor...Anyway , good value for the money !

The switch is single momentary state, like an electronic switch.
Medium mode uses low frequency PWM though.

I got another four… still good. I can’t believe it! :heart_eyes:

PS: Sorry if this sounds like spam or advertising. It is not. I’m just sharing what i think is a great and surprising deal over here. If i’m breaking any forum rule or else, please let me know.

I quickly measured it on a ceiling bounce and it seems to put out 400 lumen indeed.

Did anyone check on this deal?

Nice! I have some 3AAA cob lights in a similar form factor. They are great, but something with longer run time and some modes would be nice.

wish I could get one for that price here in the US

I also have a couple of the 3xAAA models and they are very useful. Been using it under the kitchen sink a lot lately.
Haven’t had the need to test its run time as none were used for too long. But I did use a 1xAA cob light and left it under
the sink for several hours and came back home it was still on.

What store did you find them in? I have a Brother in law in Paris and may have him pick me up a few if it’s a chain store

My wife purchased one of these from our local grocery store here in Utah a year or so back. It has a different name stamped on it, but is identical to the light you describe. I was surprised at the quality of it. She has it stuck to the top of the fridge in our kitchen so it is always available for a power outage etc. You may be able to find one locally. If I remember I will look at the name printed on it when I get home tonight.

I just did a searched on Amazon and found the Nebo Big Larry. Amazon

That is indeed the light my wife purchased, she only paid $10 at our local independent grocery store though.

FYI for those members in the New England area, I bought a pair of these at Ocean State Job Lot for four or five bucks each just before Christmas. They seem well made and throw plenty of light.

Leroy Merlin - it’s mentioned at end of the OP.
But it seems a similar deal is floating around on your side too.

I’ve had a few aluminum 3xAAA similar lights which i paid about the same price from china a bit more then a year ago, but this one is really one size bigger. Big chunk, big magnet at the tail and plenty of light. The red flashing is quite bright too. Incredible value for the money - for less then 5 euro here.

I came across this 3xAA COB worklight on amazon today for $8.99.

Walmart has the Promier 3 x AA cob led version of this light in black or silver. It actually one ups the op’s version in that it it has a side-switch and, in addition, an led inspection light (complete with reflector and threaded bezel) built into the top end. Extremely bright and throws great. Quite the bargain for $8.92 and it too is constructed of aluminum

The stock didn’t last long, but after asking they got more and the deal is still available.
Each time i go buy some stuff there i grab a couple to gift around. I probably bought more then a dozen so far!

One of them i hooked beside the fire extinguisher in my place. It’s a perfect match.

Some feedback after a couple years using those lights…

Unless the Ni-MH cells i put inside are self discharging, these lights appear to have a rather high parasitic drain that depletes the batteries after a few month. That’s quite annoying since they may be left unused for long and when you need one, it’s dead. I don’t think they can be locked with a turn of the tail cap, so you better leave one cell out or insert a small piece of paper or tape to prevent any drain. Which then means you have to remember to remove it when you need the light. Not too convenient…

I wonder if the Nebo Big Larry or other clones have the same issue?

PS: using a DMM i only measured a 1.8µA drain when off. This is very small - it would take decades to drain the cells, so my problem is probably related to self discharging cells rather then parasitic drain as i thought. Sorry for the confusion.