4x4Review Off Road Magazine
| Wrenching on your rig is tough enough, and it’s even tougher when you’re on the trail. Throw in a nighttime situation and it can get downright miserable. You’ll find yourself lying under your 4×4 griping a pen light in your mouth or having your buddy try to shine a light. Neither of which is an ideal situation. But, there are a few new inventions that might just make your nighttime wrenching episode a bit more tolerable. Enter the Bossco Lite Wrenches, Luma Lites and Cuff Lites, each a unique, low-cost solution to providing light just where you need it, all while keeping your hands completely free to work on the task at hand.
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Bossco Lite Wrenches
These innovative wrenches feature a recessed, super-bright LED light bulb at either end of the open wrench. What’s more, there is a separate switch for both lights, which provides the user with a low beam, high beam and flashing beam (we’re not sure what the flashing beam would be used for – perhaps signaling low flying aircraft?). The wrench set includes 7 open end wrenches with metric sizes on one side and standard on the other, measuring from 3/8” – 10 mm to 3/4″ – 20 mm. The included wrench stand doubles as a recharging unit that can stand free or mount to the wall. Features
The Verdict These wrenches are a perfect set to go in your travelling tool bag, when heading out for a day or weekend of 4-wheeling. The lights are indeed very bright and easily illuminate a several square foot area. Having the LED light recessed in the open end of the wrench is perfect, as it is far easier to get the light exactly where you need it as your wrench approaches a nut or bolt. The quality of the Bossco Lite Wrench set is fair. Several LEDs on the recharging stand don’t light up and the plug receptacle was loose, which meant that the power cable had to be positioned just so, to make it charge. The wrenches could stand to be stronger too – when we pulled very hard, the tines of the wrench sprung a bit – something you wouldn’t see with a Craftsman or Snap-On. At $115 (average retail price at time of publishing) these wrenches are a bit on the pricey side, but the lighted ends are very innovative and work very well. |
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Bossco Cuff Lite
It’s not a glove, and it’s not a flashlight – it’s both. Actually, it’s a fingerless, palmless glove that has 4 very bright LED lights attached to a pivoting, swiveling pod that adorns the top of your hand. Bossco has designed the Cuff Lite to put light right where you need it when you’re working in dark situations – again, perfect for off-road trips when you are working on your 4-wheel drive, setting up a tent or even trying to find that special place behind the bush. The Bossco Cuff Lites are soft on your skin, secure around your wrist with Velcro® straps and around your fingers with built-in elastic straps. The 4 LED lights rotate 360 degrees and tilt up to 45 degrees. The Cuff Lites are ambidextrous (will work on either hand), one size fits all and can be ordered in black or camouflage colors. The Cuff Lites come with a 1-year warranty. Features
The Verdict The Bossco Cuff Lite is inventive to say the least and Bossco is capitalizing on the bright, low-power consumption of LEDs and putting them to good use. Once adorned, the Bossco Cuff Lites are actually quite comfortable to wear – after a few moments you won’t even realize they are on your hands. They provide ample lighting wherever you point your hands and the tilting / rotating feature is quite handy too. For example, if you are working on your 4-wheel drive engine at night, you might need to hold something, yet have the light shine somewhere else. A quick twist of the LED pod and you can position the light exactly where you need it. The Velcro straps are a bit short, so if you have large wrists they will not work for you.
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Bossco Luma Lites
Bossco Luma Lites light up your workspace without tying up your hands. Crafted from water and shock-resistant high-impact plastic, Luma Lites feature 4 ultra-bright LEDs that throw a wide, yet bright beam of light on your workspace. Each light pod is replete with a magnetic base, Velcro® strips and hat clips making it easy to mount to any surface – perfect for wrenching on your rig or working around your house when it is dark. The Bossco Luma Lites rotate a full 360° and tilt up to 45°, just like the Bossco Cuff Lights, so you can shine the beam right where you need it most. Batteries are included and the Luma Lites come with a 1-year warranty Features
The Verdict Bossco Luma Lites are simply, yet pioneering LED pods designed to provide a wide, bright beam of white light wherever you need it. They are lightweight and easy to use, and can be attached via Velcro®, a magnetic base, or with hat clips. The Bossco Luma Lites will cost you about $20 for a pack of two (retail pricing at time of publication) and are quite a bargain. We’ve already ordered another 4-pack of these lights, which will certainly be stowed away in our tool kit for those weekend 4-wheeling trips. |
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