5 Tractor Supply Finds That Can Upgrade Your Garage Lighting

It’s nice to have your very own garage, whether you use it to store your car or as a personal workshop for your various DIY projects. Since they often have deliberately simple, no-frills layouts, however, garages don’t usually have much to offer in the way of lighting. There may be a single, basic light on the ceiling or built into your door opener motor, but if you’re planning on spending more than a couple of minutes in there at a time, that won’t be sufficient.

Luckily, this is a very solvable problem. Much like any other room in your home, your garage can be upgraded into a workspace with the addition of extra standalone lights. Whether you need a little spotlight in a cramped spot, a flexible handheld work light, or a much brighter shop-style light hanging from the ceiling, you can likely find what you’re looking for with a visit to your local Tractor Supply Co.

If you’ve got a personal workshop running in your garage, you may find yourself with an abundance of dark, cramped spots where even the illumination of an overhead light can’t quite reach. If you have any small spots that need some dedicated lighting in a compact package, that’d be a job for a Panther Vision Adhesive Button Lamp, available in a six-pack at Tractor Supply Co. for $10.29.

These little lights consist of a bright LED with a single power switch backed by an adhesive disc, which you can use to stick them on just about any solid, flat surface. Once they’re attached, just flip the switch, and you get a healthy 13 lumens of concentrated illumination. Their small size makes them optimal for lighting up cramped corners of the garage, as well as narrow storage spots like cabinets, drawers, and toolboxes. 

You can also stick them selectively on surfaces like the hood of your car if you need a temporary work light. Each lamp comes with batteries included, with each one rated for about 17 hours of continuous usage before they need to be replaced. They’re also waterproof and shockproof, so no need to worry if your garage is a bit damp.

If you’re doing DIY or automotive work in your garage, you never quite know where you’re going to need a light and when. Considering that, it might be beneficial to have some lighting options that can serve a few general purposes equally well. For garage-ready lights with flexibility, consider the LitezAll Classic Style Handy Lights, available at Tractor Supply Co. in a two-pack for $11.99.

These LED cob lights are designed to work equally well whether you’re holding them in your hand or using them hands-free. Flip the power switch, and you get 500 lumens of light with a 25-foot throw. They’re designed to be comfortable to grip.

Equipped with both an integrated hanging hook and a base magnet, these lights are also a helpful emergency garage tool to keep on hand. You can hang one from the hood of your car or above your workbench, or stick it to a metal surface when you’ve got an all-hands task to tend to. The actual light has a protective cage with thick resin over it to increase its durability in the face of accidental drops. Each lamp requires three AAA batteries to run and is rated to last for about 3.5 hours before needing a fresh set.

If you are spending any prolonged period of time in your garage, it’s probably because there’s something you’re working on. If you have a focal point in your garage in this way, it’d probably be beneficial to have a dedicated work light to target said activity. It’d be even better if it was something you can just plug into a wall outlet. As it happens, Tractor Supply Co. sells exactly that in the form of the JobSmart Aluminum Clamp Work Light, available for $9.99.

This straightforward lighting solution is designed to be clamped onto any solid point like a table or pole, shining light down where it’s needed. The heavy duty spring clamp features non-marring jaws, so it’ll hold fast where you put it. The built-in ball joint also allows the lighting head to pivot a full 360 degrees, so you can point it to where you actually want the light to shine no matter where you clamp it. The reflector is compatible with type R incandescent bulbs up to 60W, regulated by a simple power plug and single button on/off switch. Bulbs aren’t included, though, so you will need to provide your own.

Some jobs are a little too big to be done on a work table in the garage. In these cases, you might need to take things to the floor or elsewhere in the garage, potentially in a spot where you can’t hang or plug in a light. If you’re in need of free-standing source of illumination, that’d be a job for the JobSmart Rechargeable Work Light, available at Tractor Supply Co. for $29.99.

This little lighting unit is designed to follow you anywhere in your garage and provide free-standing illumination as you need it. The adjustable stand lets you set it down and prop it up to get your optimal angle of illumination, though the stand also has four strong magnets built into it if you want to stick it on something metallic. The housing is thick to protect the internal bulbs, so it’s okay if it gets a little roughed up. Said bulbs produce illumination of up to 2,500 lumens on the highest setting, though it also has low and medium settings if you don’t need that much. The internal battery is rated for between 2.5 and 8 hours of operation, depending on the lighting setting you use, which can then be recharged via the port in the back when not in use.

If you’re sharing your garage space with your family or other workers, or just generally need more cohesive illumination, it may be more practical to opt for a single, more powerful lighting source rather than a bunch of smaller ones. As we mentioned, your garage may already have a simple lighting source installed, but if you need something with a little more pep in its step, try the Bell & Howell Highburst Shop Light, available at Tractor Supply Co. for $59.99.

This shop light is designed to light up an entire garage all at once for those who need ample illumination to work. The fixture consists of 224 LEDs which, collectively, emit a powerful 10,000 lumens of light, which is about 600% brighter than a single 100W light bulb. Despite being meant to replace a ceiling-mounted lighting fixture, it doesn’t actually need to be wired into your home’s power grid. Just hang it from the ceiling using the included hanging loop, plug one end of the included power cord into the light, and the other end into a regular power outlet. Just make sure you secure the cord properly to avoid leave cords dangling. The default light beam covers a wide area, but if you need to tweak it, it has a built-in dimmer for softening the glow.