A good grill light for your kitchen is the best way to keep your grilling going late into the night. It can help you keep going when the light is low or the elements are working against you. Our guide will show you where to start when looking for the best LED grill down light.
There aren’t many pure moments in life than enjoying a grilled meal in the afternoon sun. But why should sunset mean the end of your barbecue?
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With no natural light to get in your way, you are often left with no choice but to pack your bags and hope for the best tomorrow.
Luckily, there’s an easy solution in the form of grill lights.
While not a standard issue on most BBQ grills, they are a great add-on accessory. The best grill lights can help keep your grill going a little longer, long after the sun has gone down.
LED grill lights usually come in the form of a portable light that simply attaches to the side of the cookbox or a nearby table surface.
The LED lamp provides a bright white light that gives you a clear view of the grill surface and meat so you know exactly when your food is ready.
They are great for any type of grill, including smoker and pellet grills.
Its portability makes it ideal for camping, an RV BBQ, or even as an emergency flashlight.
In this article, I’ll walk YOU through my top 5 picks for the best grill light and what YOU should consider when choosing your new LED grill light.
Cave Tools
We start this list with one of the most recognized grill lights out there.
This light sits comfortably on the handle component of almost every grill and is designed so that every time you need to lift the grill lid the light sits on you and the light sits firmly on the grill surface.
Provides 105 lumens of light through its 10 LEDs to create a floodlight pattern.
The light is designed to withstand temperatures of 350°F making it suitable for sitting next to your grill. It’s also waterproof so should be able to withstand the elements should the weather wreak havoc on your grill.
It has a swivel feature that allows it to move a full 180°F so you can position it how you need it and aim it anywhere on your grilling surface.
The screw clamp fits grill handles up to 1.45″ in diameter and does not interfere with the use of the handle.
It has three adjustable brightness settings that you can easily switch between.
It comes with 3 AA batteries and can run continuously for up to 18 hours.
Reflective:
- The light pattern provides enough coverage to cover an average sized 4 burner grill
- Good battery life: Up to 18 hours of continuous use
- It can be attached to almost any type of handle.
- 190° adjustable so you can illuminate any area of your grill
- It can withstand high temperatures, making it perfect as a grill light.
- Waterproof enough to withstand the elements.
Super Bright LED Concepts
One of the best features of LED Concepts is its dual use base. You can hold on with its C-clamp, like many of the other lights on this list, or you can attach with its magnetic base.
This gives you a lot more flexibility with the light as you are no longer limited to whether there is a handle or table nearby to attach the light to, but in most cases you can simply attach the magnetic base to the lid. From the grill. .
Its adjustable gooseneck is 22 inches long, allowing you to adjust the focus of the light as needed. You can even rotate a full 360 degrees, so no angle is off limits.
It’s fully weatherproof so it can brave the elements should the weather take a turn for the worse.
Its beam is fairly narrow, so its overall light pattern isn’t as wide or wide as some of the other grill lights on this list, but with its 360° neck you should still be able to dial the light in the way you want it to.
Reflective:
- 360° adjustable gooseneck
- Magnetic base allows for easy installation
- High heat resistance
- Weatherproof
Weber Grill Out Table Light
The Weber brand tends to be one of the most reliable on the market and this BBQ table lamp is no different.
The LED lights are built on a heavy-duty C-clamp and housed in a gooseneck frame for easy adjustment.
The problem with this is that the gooseneck is quite short, making it difficult to take full advantage of the adjustments that can usually be made with goosenecks. As such, you need to be careful about where you set the light and make sure you don’t evade the light anywhere on your grill.
Its C-clamp means YOU are also limited as to where you can attach it, but it offers good width to allow it to sit over most grill handles, table edges or shelves.
Aside from the installation, the light output is excellent. It features 3 LEDs that can offer up to 10,000 hours of use, providing more than enough light to keep you smoking for hours.
All in all a great inexpensive grill lamp.
Reflective:
- Flexible gooseneck for easy light adjustment
- Heavy-duty C-clamp mount for most surface edging and grips
Chef Buddy Adjustable LED Light
This odd looking light looks more like binoculars, but don’t let that put you off. This is a great grill light.
Its dual lights contain 3 LED lights each, making it one of the most powerful lights on this list.
The binocular-shaped lights sit on a gooseneck attachment for easy adjustment and can be rotated a full 360 degrees.
There’s so much to like about the main light here that it’s a disappointing shame that the fixture it’s based on lets it down a bit.
It’s not magnetic and it’s not a C-clamp, it’s an odd clamp design that’s awkward and difficult to attach to most shelves or table edges. It’s an annoying spring-loaded design that works well on most horizontal surfaces, but if you try to get it too vertical on handles or edges, you could run into trouble.
Reflective:
- Strong light thanks to a total of 6 LEDs
- 360° adjustable gooseneck
KOSIN Grill Light With Magnetic Base
At first glance, these little lights may only have one LED each, but don’t be fooled: this little thing packs a punch.
Each of the two lights you get in one package is powerful enough to light up your entire grill while being small enough to get out of the way.
They are constructed from a magnetic base so you can place them anywhere on the grill or chamber lid and they have 360° goosenecks so you can adjust them as needed.
As a detail, they are also supplied with batteries.
Reflective:
- 360° adjustable gooseneck
- Magnetic base for maximum versatility
- Small enough to still fit inside.
- AA batteries included
Important functions
As with any other accessory for your grill & you know what features to look for in order to get a functional grill light that suits your needs. Here are some of those features.
Gooseneck Lamp vs. Handle Mounted Lamp
Light is essential when cooking outdoors at night. While a general porch light or backyard light can illuminate the grill, it is not specific to the grill and may not give you the specific lighting you want. Lights specially made for the grill help you see better while cooking.
These are some of the differences. Gooseneck lights are designed as YOU would expect from the name. They are designed to resemble a goose’s neck. You will find that in most cases you can attach the light to the grill and magnetic base.
The light WILL be attached to the end of a neck that flexes to illuminate what’s on the grill. You can customize the neck accessory. A handle mounted light attaches to the grill handle. In this way, when the grill is opened, the light shines on the grill and illuminates the food to be grilled.
Gooseneck lights require a surface to mount and can be customized. Handle mounted lights require a handle to attach to the grill. Therefore, you must ensure that the handle is compatible with the light. Another difference is that the gooseneck light covers a larger area. In contrast, the handle-mounted light illuminates the grill directly.
We recommend a gooseneck light for the simple reason that it covers a larger area and is adjustable. You can bend in different directions. This makes life with a large grill more comfortable.
It also means YOU don’t have to keep switching between lights when moving to a larger grilling area. Lighting like the one you get with handle-mounted lights can be great when you’re grilling for a small number of people and don’t have food on the grill.
Brightness/LEDs
The brightness of the light is an important feature to consider when lighting your grill. It can make the difference between brands and models. You want to go for a light with higher lumens. The higher the lumens, the brighter the light. And you want the brightest possible light, because it can get pretty dark under the hood of your grill and when cooking outside at night.
Grill lights produce between 50 and 120 lumens. The more lumens per watt, the less the light costs and the longer it lasts on a single charge. Knowing how many lumens it puts out will give you a better idea of its efficiency.
You can also check the brightness of the light by checking the LED count of the light. The lower this number, the dimmer the light becomes.
Power supply
In most cases, grill lights are battery operated. While you can hook up a few, you’ll find that most run on double-A or triple-A batteries. If the light is battery powered, it IS generally more portable and allows you to move around with the light more than the plug-in version. You can also use the battery-operated light on the go, in nature or far away from a power source.
Heat resistance
Now this function is a little more prominent and more akin to preaching before the choir. You can’t have a grilling accessory that isn’t heat resistant. Otherwise you will have a melted light on your hands.
Check the materials that make up the light fixture and make sure it can handle heat well. You should also make sure that the heat does not damage the lamp. Keep in mind that its only function is to light the grill when it’s fully operational, so obviously heat can’t be its kryptonite.
Magnetic base
The way the lamp is mounted also plays a major role. A magnetic base is usually ideal as YOU don’t need a specific location to attach it. As long as there’s metal(which your grill will be made of), you’re home and dry. You can quickly mount the light anywhere and move it as you like to get the maximum amount of light on the grill.
It also means you have the freedom to place the light in a spot that doesn’t get in your way, where you won’t drop the light while you work. It’s easy to use. However, you need to make sure that it is of good quality and sticks to the metal easily. The last thing you want is for the light to fall out or be knocked over because the magnet is weak.
Heat dissipation
Another feature to look out for as well is that you are looking for a light that does not emit heat itself. A lot of heat is already coming out of the grill, so you don’t have to add more and create a tougher working environment.
Waterproof
Your grill is an outdoor appliance that is exposed to the elements and moisture. When cooking, moisture is an inevitable part of the process. Someday you will definitely meet him. So you need to make sure that the light you get can withstand and waterproof. Whether it’s the humidity in the kitchen or the weather, whenever you make sure the light is adequately protected or not damaged.
Writer & content creator. BBQ fanatic!