I remember night fishing for specs (crappie, for those of you north of the Florida border) with my dad and a buddy of his. We’d get back at like 10:00 or 11:00 with a mess of fish to clean. Al would grab that old incandescent hanging light from his shop as we’d take the first steps toward our next fish fry. Times have changed, but that old hanging light concept is still an awfully handy design around the home, shop, and job site. The new Ryobi P790 18V One+ Hybrid LED Project Light covers those bases with a few bonuses.
Hybrid Power
One of the things I love most about Ryobi’s latest lighting solutions is the focus on hybrid power. Using any Ryobi 18V One+ battery will offer the most convenient way to use it and you can always plug in an electrical cord as a backup.
Even if you’re not one of the millions of Ryobi One+ users, that’s okay. You can use an extension cord as your primary power source, even if you don’t feel like jumping on the cordless bandwagon just yet.
Multipositional Lighting
Aside from the power options present on the Ryobi P790, this model also presents a variety of positional options. With the battery attached, the Ryobi P790 LED light can stand it up on any flat surface without a problem. Even without a battery, it will stand on its own, though you’ll have to contend with the extension cord exiting underneath.
The light pivots 180° to get light where you need it.
Ryobi also includes a hang-hook on the top of the light. You can hang it on a nail or screw, but what makes it more versatile is that it pops out to hang from a pipe, cable, or whatever happens to be close by (and less than 1-1/8″ or so). If falling off is an issue on a cord or pipe, just close and lock the hook around what it’s hanging from.
Light Output
The Ryobi P790 has 3 modes to use with its 18 LED chips: a 900-lumen high setting, a 600-lumen medium setting, and a 100-lumen low setting. To cycle between modes, just hit the power button until you get the brightness you’re looking for.
The light quality is excellent. Ryobi doesn’t list the temperature specifically, but it has to be close to, or dead on, 5000K considering how easy it is to accurately pick up color from what you’re lighting up.
Additional Field Notes
Like their workbench light, the grip area conforms well to your hand and includes a rubber overmold. While it’s not overmolded, the housing behind the light does have some texture if you prefer to hold it there.
Pricing
The Ryobi P790 18V One+ Hybrid LED Light retails for $48.99 at your local Home Depot or online. That’s just a penny more than the LED Workbench Light with just a little less light output but with the hybrid power capability. Like all Ryobi One+ tools, it comes with a 3-year warranty.
The Bottom Line
The Ryobi P790 18V One+ Hybrid LED Light gives you the simplicity of the old incandescent hanging shop light with the modern touches of LED chips and battery/cord hybrid power sources. Whether you’re doing some working under the hood of your truck, wrapping up a project in the shop, looking for an inexpensive small area work light, or just cleaning the day’s catch out back, there’s likely to be several good reasons for you to pick this one up.
Ryobi P790 Hybrid LED Light Features
- Lumen output: high mode (900-Lumens) medium mode (600-Lumens) and low mode (100-Lumens)
- 35-hour runtime on low mode using a P108 battery
- Magtray for convenient fastener storage
- Adjustable, locking hook design for multiple hanging options
- GripZone over-mold for user comfort
- Part of the Ryobi lineup of over 100 One+ products
- Back by a 3-year warranty
- Includes the 18-Volt One+ hybrid LED project light and operator’s manual
Ryobi P790 Hybrid LED Light Specs
- Model Number: P790
- Bulb Type: LED
- Number of Bulbs: 18
- Weight: 1.2 lbs
- Power Source: AC extension cord or any 18V One+ battery
- MSRP: $48.99
