Buy one online and support one of the forums sponsors, Music medic's, his are about $10 delivered to your door.
Actually the price is almost double that, $17 according to their website, excluding shipping (which might be free inside USA, I don't know).
The time it takes you to get away to home depot, modify a big light to fit and then go to use it, you will have one sitting in a pretty little box on your door step.
Does it really need "modification" to be the same? Was Grumps wrong when he wrote:
If you go to Home Depot and find something referred to as a "rope light", you can buy it for around three bucks and it's the exact same thing.
"The exact same thing" being the important issue I guess? Is it not really exactly the same? How is it different and what modifications are necessary to make it the same?
I also like to support good suppliers. I like a lot of Music Medic's products so I buy from them and recommend them when I think they are good. Eventhough it's in a different country, I sometimes order from them instead of buying locally. But I don't really recommend this rope light if the same thing is available for so much less at local stores.
I would use it on a small christmas tree and nothing else - the light is just not bright enough IMHO.
I agree, at least the rope light I have tried, assuming it's the same as that and the other ones.
I have both the newer LED leak lights and a couple of the old rope lights specials.
The LED lights still require dim lighting for optimal results but truly do make it easier to work on areas where the pad seat at issue is concealed by posts. rods, ETC.
You could certainly get by with a rope light but the extra few bucks (and maybe very few) are probably worth the improvement to go LED. I have the MusicMedic model.
I use the Kraus LED leak light and have seen Music Medic's too. I didn't have them side by side so it's hard to comapre, but my impression (and I consider that I might be wrong) was that the Kraus light is brighter. Judging simply from how easy/difficult it seemed to look directly at it. I almost never feel like I need to turn off the lights to work with the Kraus LED light, so I almost never do.
The disadvantages of the Kraus light are a somewhat higher price and that it's two ways and not 360. However the lower light sides are still pretty good and in many situations work fine. If I want it brighter I slightly turn the light inside the instrument. I'm considering getting the Music Medic LED leak light(s) too for the 360 light, the possibility that my impression of it being not as bright was wrong and because the smaller one might be usefull to get into some tight areas, through keys, etc.
Since getting the LED light I almost never use any of my other leak lights.
Have never used (because I could never justify the cost and was afraid the bulb would get broken on my fairly crowded bench environment) the longer flourescents though I've always wanted to try one.
I've tried some fluorescent lights. I also didn't like how fragile they are in comparison with the LED, which I just put on the table next to me and never have to worry about it breaking really. It's much heavier than the LED so more annoying to handle IMO. I also don't like how there is light everywhere, I found the 6" LED to be exactly perfect for not having light from everywhere you don't want but long enough for those linkages you want to (with some excepetions). Just fits what I like best.
It's also thinner and can get into detachable neck sopranos from above and possible to check the palm keys from above even on most one piece neck sopranos.