The Southwire 6300-Lumen Jobsite Lantern area light boasts several excellent features for permanent installation or portable use. Its 360º light pattern useful for safety lighting in a variety of settings and the price ain’t too bad, either.
PROS
- 5000K LED light
- Metal carabiner clip and floor stand give you multiple hanging/standing options
- 10-foot cord power cord with a 1-foot daisy chain cord lets you link up to 14 lights
- IP64 rating with stainless steel cage to protect the LED banks
- Excellent value compared to other LED cage lights in its class
CONS
- The metal carabiner clip could be more stout
Recommendation
The Southwire T50060W is a solidly-built area light with a high-quality 5000K output, great design, and industrial thinking behind it. Versatility is the name of its game with daisy chain capability, a metal carabiner hanging clip, and a removable floor stand.
It’s an excellent option to string together for temporary lighting on construction sites, hanging in your shop as a permanent light, or to keep a couple in your trailer for day-to-day use.
Performance
Lighten Up
There’s no mistaking the Southwire 6300-Lumen Jobsite Lantern’s ProBuilt pedigree. Southwire bought the WobbleLight maker a couple of years ago and has continued to crank out the lumens at a rapid pace.
6,300 lumens illuminate our 40 x 45 shop area quite nicely using 9 LED banks – 8 banks arranged in 360 degrees and one on the top/end for a full hemisphere. I’m easily able to see all the obstacles in the shop. In this kind of scenario, you still want to have a more focused work light beam on your specific work area.
While I was testing the light as a safety area light option, it’s not difficult to imagine hanging 15 in 3 rows to light up the whole area on a permanent basis.
Pro Tip: For permananent installation in non-air conditioned spaces, check your summertime temps where you’re going to install the lights. LED lights can’t handle the same temps that other types can. These lights are good up to 125ºF but others may be lower.
Design
The operative description of the Southwire 6300-Lumen Jobsite Lantern is versatility. The light includes a spring-loaded carabiner clip to hang it from a cable or chain. It’s not weak, but I’d like to see it a bit more robust. Sticking out the way it does, there’s some risk that you can break it off or bend it with enough pressure.
There’s also a frame base that attaches with thumb screws and wingnuts to set it on the floor or any other flat surface. To install it, remove the 4 wingnuts on the light. There are two ways you can set it – if the way you set it pushes against the cord grommets, turn it 90º and it will set correctly.
A metal cage protects the LED banks to complement its IP64 rating. Likewise, the frame and housing are also metal.
Shameless Plug
A 10-foot cord connects the Southwire 6300-Lumen Jobsite Lantern to a 120V outlet. You’ll almost certainly need an extension cord if you’re hanging it. But you might be able to get away without one if you’re using the frame base. I especially like the 1-foot daisy chain cord that allows you to connect up to 14 lights.
And Southwire covers it with a 3-year warranty.
Price
The Southwire 6300-Lumen Jobsite Lantern will set you back a reasonable $109.99. Making good comparisons in the jobsite lighting category is tricky, but here are a few in the same class:
- Southwire T50060W: $129.99
- Bergen Industries K560: $119.99
- Satco S8939: $139.99
- Bergen Industries BLITE60LED: $143.99
- Hang A Light 111060LED: $166 .62
If you like the design but want more light, Southwire also has an 11,000-lumen model for $149.99.
The Bottom Line
The Southwire T50060W is a solidly-built area light with a high-quality 5000K output, great design, and industrial thinking behind it. Versatility is the name of its game with daisy chain capability, a metal carabiner hanging clip, and a removable floor stand.
It’s an excellent option to string together for temporary lighting on construction sites, hanging in your shop as a permanent light, or to keep a couple in your trailer for day-to-day use.
Southwire 6300-Lumen Jobsite Lantern Review Specifications
- Model Number: T50060W
- Output: 6300 lumens
- Height: 15.75 inches
- Width: 12 inches
- Weight: 7.385
- Warranty: 3-year
- Price: $129.99