Tool Box Buzz

Festool Syslite DUO work Light

5/5

Manufacturer: Festool
Model number: 574657 Kit
Price: 435.00
Power source: AC
Weight: 3.4 Kilos

Festool Syslite DUO LED Work Light

Festool recently addressed some issues surrounding, and difficulties obtaining a rugged, durable, and reliable worksite light. They’re answer was the Festool Syslite DUO, model 769967.

Jobsite lighting means different things to contractors.  As a remodeling contractor I work in all stages of home construction and repair. To me, jobsite lighting means durable, portable, and PLENTY of illumination.

The Secret to the Syslite DUO

The Secret to the Syslite DUO is in its simplicity.  The Festool Syslite DUO is a sealed LED corded light with a durable 15-foot cord.  It weighs approximately 7.5 lbs. and there are no switches, buttons or dials to mess with. I like that!

The Festool Syslite DUO is designed to throw 8,000 lumens of light in an even, consistent pattern.  The light is distributed in a 180-degree pattern, and results in no shadows or hot spots.

The end result is that the Festool Syslite DUO is able to provide large area light coverage.

LED Light Quality

The quality of this light measures 5000K on the Kelvin Temperature Scale. This equates to cool light, or light from a cloudy day.  For reference, a camera flash measures between 5500 – 6000 Kelvins.

Color temperature comes into play as unlike some LED lights, the DUO displays colors accurately.  Seeing the correct colors may not seem important, but it is crucial to electricians, HVAC technicians, MRO’s and of course painters.

How Long Will the LEDs Last?

The Festool Syslite DUO is designed with a L70 LED service life of 10,000 hours.

The L70 is a rating that refers to lumen depreciation. Lumen depreciation basically means that every light source gets dimmer over time.

LED lighting doesn’t “fail” in the same way as other lighting does, LEDs just get dimmer and dimmer over time.

So, the lighting community developed lifespan rating standards for LEDs based on the amount of time it takes for the light source to dim below usable light levels.

In other words, L70 of 10,000 hours means that the tested LEDs produce 70% of the original light output at 10,000 hours of operation.

Durability

The Festool Syslight DUO is constructed of high impact plastic and rubber over mold.  It is durable and well-built.

Being designed for the job site means the SYSLITE DUO has to be impact dust and water resistant. The DUO has an International Protection Rating of IP55 which means it is sealed to protect from dust and water intrusion.

IP ratings mean:

• IP: Ingress protection
• 1^st digit: Solids protection
• 2^nd digit: Liquid protection

IP55 Dust:

The 1^st 5-digit means that the Festool Syslite DUO means that the ingress of dust is not entirely prevented, but it will not enter in sufficient quality to interfere with the lights operation.

IP55 Water:

The 2^nd 5-digit means that the Festool Syslite DUO is protected against water projected by a nozzle against the unit’s enclosure.  This rating ensures protection from all angles.

In my testing, see below video, I knocked the unit over onto pavement, and sprayed it with a garden hose to simulate impacts and rain and water.

The unit showed negative effects or damage and is still in operation today.

Portability

The Festool Syslite DUO comes in a Systainer 3 T-Loc case.  It can be deployed in several positions:

• Hand held:                                Carry with top handle
• Set on base plate:                     Provides upward light angle
• Set upside down on handle:  Provides downward light angle
• Wall mounted:                         Mounting holes on baseplate
• Tripod Mount:                         360-coverage, telescoping options.

Optional Tri-Pod:

An optional tripod, model ST DUO 200, is also available and highly recommended for portable locations.

The tri-pod is stable and fast to deploy. It provides a firm and stable base that is well designed and durable.

The telescoping rod extends from 54” to 84.”

The only negative to tri-pod mounted lighting is the tri-pod legs take up a lot of real-estate and this tri-pod is no different. If tucked away in a corner it’s no issue, but out in the open the legs tend to become trip hazards or cause the unit to get bumped into, or damaged.

Wall-Mounting:

We tested this light in the work shop with the wall mount feature and loved it.  Not only does this light make a great, over-head, work bench task light but it enhances the overall ambient light in the shop.

Improvements:

As an optional accessory, I would love to see a Festool offer a work-shop accessory [mount] that allowed the light to swivel while mounted on the wall.  I’d love to replace my dangerously hot 500 Watt wall mounted Halogen lights.

While testing this unit I did find the DUO to easily come off the base plate, if bumped into at the right angle.  The tabs do not securely lock the light to the base plate.  The connection is more of a friction type fit and when dropped, or bumped with wood stock the light detached.

Additionally, sliding the DUO onto this baseplate is not intuitive and takes time to figure out. To make it easier for me and others, I painted the slide tabs white to remind me where to insert the light.

Cost:

The Festool Syslite DUO sells as a single unit or with the tri-pod, as a kit:

• $ 300.00   Syslite DUO, model # 769967
• $ 435.00   Syslite DUO and Tripod Kit, model # 574657
• $ 199.00   Tripod, model # 200038

You can purchase the Festool Syslite DUO kit here:  Festool-574657-SysLite-Light-Tripod

Conclusion:

There is no doubt that LED lighting will take over job site lighting solutions. Using LED light offer us many obvious benefits, such as:

• Less energy used
• Less operating cost
• Less heat generation [less fire hazard]
• Longer service light of the bulb.
• Better color temperature of light producedThe Festool Syslite DUO is a home run product in terms of portable job site lighting. Its reasonably priced, durable and gives superior light color, lumen and light coverage.

The Festool Syslite DUO is a homerun product in terms of portable job site lighting. Its reasonably priced, durable and gives superior light color, lumen and light coverage.

When coupled with the tripod, this light gives a contractor viable solutions to job site lighting challenges.

1 Comment

1. Matt Worner

   April 1, 2017 at 2:07 pm

   I have one of these and it definitely lights up the world. I use it in my basement which is currently sytro-foam of ICFs (pending wallboard) and by locating it where the white foam acts as a reflector there is nothing in the 1800 sq ft that is out of view. Big improvement over the battery LED photo lamps I had been using.

   Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.