Tired of crappy work lights, a former auto mechanic designed a big-ass solution

The Big Ass Light Bar’s LED lamp has six brightness settings from 80 to 5,000 lumens and a right-angle light so it can illuminate an entire room. The light’s high-capacity battery lasts for 48 hours at the dimmest setting and 90 minutes turned all the way up, according to the company. An octagonal-shaped body prevents it from rolling away when dropped, and if you do drop it, the light takes a lot of punishment.

The body is made from extruded aluminum, high-quality polymers, resins, and rubberized components that can take hard impacts, dust, grime, and chemicals. The Big Ass Light Bar has an IP66 wet rating, which means you can scrub it, hose it, and use it in the rain.

The work light is a labor of love for Big Ass Solutions employee Keith McKay who was an auto mechanic for seven years before joining the company to work in sales and business development. Apparently, McKay landed in the right environment to solve a problem he knew about from his former career.

“Task lighting was a constant source of problems in the shop. Typical flashlights and LED wands aren’t bright enough for detailed work, and plug-in work lights have limited mobility and create tripping hazards,” McKay said. “All of them are so cheaply made, they break the first time they get dropped, or when they get covered in dirt and grease.”

After six months of talking with customers about their work light needs, McKay and some of Big Ass Solutions’ engineers took on the project, bringing it from concept to working prototype as a side gig in about two years.

The Big Ass Light Bar will launch in early 2017 with a list price of $500, including a battery charger and a carrying case. The company is running the Indiegogo campaign to get feedback and to boost interest in the final product. Funds from the campaign will be used to make any final changes and to kick off production. Pre-orders and volume orders on Indiegogo will have discounts from 15 to 45 percent.