A good work light earns its place the first time you need both hands. The Smiling Shark Rechargeable Magnetic Work Light is a compact 4,000-lumen flood lamp with a strong magnetic base and a stand that tilts through 180°, and its battery doubles as a power bank. It cost us $70.
We first used it on a 4WD weekend in Capertee, stuck to the side of the Prado under the awning for setting up camp in the dark and cooking.
What’s in the box
A square, teal and black flood lamp with a panel of white and warm LEDs behind a frosted cover, on a fold-out stand. The buttons, a battery level indicator and a covered USB port sit on the back, and a USB-C charging cable comes in the box. It has 18 lighting modes in white, warm white, amber and red, including a red strobe. It comes in blue, like ours, or yellow.
What we like
- 4,000 lumens, compact size
- Strong magnet and fold-out hooks
- Stand tilts through 180°
- Removable 18650 batteries
- Doubles as a power bank
- USB-C charging
What we don’t
- More modes than most need
- Heavy for its size: 363 g
- No carry pouch
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Smiling Shark |
| Colour options | BlueYellow |
| Weight | 363 g |
| Battery | 2 × 186502,200mAh eachRemovable |
| Size | 11 × 10 × 5.8 cm |
| Brightness | 4,000 lumens |
| Light modes | 18 |
| Light | WhiteWarm whiteAmberRedRed strobe |
| Charging | USB-C |
| Mounting | Magnetic baseFold-out hooks180° stand |
Light and modes
For its size the output is impressive: on full white it lights up the whole awning space or a workbench. The warm white is softer and easier on the eyes at camp, and we found amber comfortable in the evening without drawing as many bugs. The red modes are for night vision and the red strobe for marking the car on the roadside.
Eighteen modes is more than most people need, though, and you click through a few to get back to the one you want.
Magnet, hooks and stand
The magnetic base is properly strong. It sticks to the car’s panels without sliding, even on a sloped panel or the roof, which is handy for a job at the car at night. When there’s no steel around, the hooks fold out to hang it from a tent pole, a branch or the awning frame. The stand tilts through 180°, so it’s easy to aim the light down onto a table or up into the awning. There’s also a screw thread in the base.
Battery and build
Behind a cover on the back sit two 18650 cells of 2,200mAh each, and you can take them out, so a spare pair can keep it going on a longer trip. On a charge it lasted us several evenings at camp. It charges over USB-C, and the covered USB port next to the buttons tops up a phone from the same battery.
It feels dense and solid for its size, with a tough plastic housing, tactile buttons and a sturdy hinge on the stand. Smiling Shark rates it water and drop resistant, and light rain at camp hasn’t bothered it.
Size and weight
At 11 × 10 × 5.8 cm it’s compact, but it’s not light: 363 g on our scale, so it’s one for the car or the camp box rather than a hiking pack. There’s no carry pouch in the box, so it rides loose in a drawer or a crate.
How it compares with our other work lightsWork light comparison
We’ve tested two smaller lights that also hang up at camp. The Adventure Kings Illuminator LED Work Light is a $10 bar of 24 LEDs on AA batteries, with a hook and a magnet: enough for a quick repair, not for lighting up camp.
The Smiling Shark G1 Camping Torch is a pocket torch with a spotlight, a side floodlight and a clip hook, at 84 g. The work light is far brighter and the only one that doubles as a power bank, but it’s also the heaviest. Our camping lights guide has the rest.
This one Smiling Shark Lamp | Cheapest Kings Work Light | Lightest Smiling Shark G1 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Flood lamp | LED bar | Torch |
| Brightness | 4,000 lm | Not stated | Up to 600 lm |
| Modes | 18 | 1 | Spot, flood & sensor |
| Mounting | Magnet, hooks & stand | Hook & magnet | Clip hook |
| Battery | 4,400 mAh, 2 × 18650 | 3 × AA | 1,200 mAh, USB-C |
| Weight | 363 g | 118 g, no batteries | 84 g |
| Price paid | $70 | $10 | $22 each |
| Our score | 8.8 | 8.2 | 8.1 |
Conclusion: Smiling Shark Rechargeable Magnetic Work LightConclusion
The Smiling Shark Rechargeable Magnetic Work Light puts 4,000 lumens and 18 modes into a compact, solid flood lamp. The strong magnet, fold-out hooks and 180° stand put the light exactly where you need it, and the removable batteries double as a power bank. It weighs 363 g, has more modes than you need and comes without a pouch, but at $70 it’s a versatile light for camp setup, cooking and jobs at the car.
A bright, solid work light that goes wherever you need it.
4,000 lumens on a strong magnetic base with a 180° stand, and removable batteries that double as a power bank. It’s 363 g and has more modes than you need.
- 4WD tourers
- Campers
- Tradies & DIY
Yes. For $70 you get 4,000 lumens, a strong magnet, hooks and a battery that doubles as a power bank, for camp and jobs at the car.
