Open Thread: WORKZONE Rechargeable LED Work Light
This post is an open thread and contains affiliate links.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated for 2026.
From time to time, I find myself in situations where I need a light that isn’t plugged in. Sometimes it’s at night, when I’m trying to track a pest in the backyard. Sometimes it’s in my garage under the chassis of my car. Sometimes it’s at a campsite, when I’m trying not to trip over myself on the way to the showerhouse in the predawn hours.
Aldi makes a number of portable lights that it sells throughout the year, including indoor lights and camping lights. Aldi also sometimes sells traditional flashlights. The grocer sells these lights under various labels — Easy Home, Adventuridge, Lightway — but it also sells one particular light under its WORKZONE tool brand.
What We Know:
The WORKZONE Rechargeable LED Work Light is an Aldi Find, which means it’s in stores only for a limited time. Each store should receive one shipment. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. Aldi does not offer online ordering for products that aren’t currently in stock at your local store.
It’s scheduled to be available the week of March 25th, 2026.
The light cost $12.99 in March of 2026. That’s the same price it cost in 2025. That price is in the range of work lights I’ve seen online, which are sometimes less expensive per light but may also require you to buy them in a 2-pack.
Aldi has been steadily dropping the price on this light over the years. It cost $14.99 in March of 2024, and it was $19.99 in March of 2023 and April of 2021.
Here’s more information, according to Aldi:
- Offers cool white, warm white, and neutral white light settings
- Features aluminum housing with carry handle, fold out hooks, and magnetic base
- Includes powerbank function to charge external devices
- USB C cable included
This is sold under the WORKZONE brand. That’s not a manufacturer. Instead, it’s the name Aldi puts on various tools and workshop accessories it sells, which it sources from different suppliers.
What We Don’t Know:
We haven’t tried this model, so we can’t speak to how it works. We also can’t speak to durability, although there are a lot of features packed into this light. Our goal with open thread posts like this is to offer a space for people to share about their experiences with a product.
Have you used this light? Let us know in the comments.
I’ve used this light twice and it was great and it shut off and never would come back on again
I just purchased 2 of these at $29 each. One was dead out of the box & other seems fine so far. The one that was dead seems to not want to fully charge. It also seems that they mace no charge management & will charge themselves to death if you let them. The same applies to discharge, they will run until completely flat which kills lithium batteries very rapidly.
I used it a few times, and then it wouldn’t charge. It never lasted two hours. I think the batteries are bad.
Same here. Used it twice, now won’t recharge and light doesn’t turn on.
I got this light and am looking to get another. I have had no issues with it. If it shuts off and will not turn back on, it probably just needs to be charged.
I’ve had one for about a year and love it. Or loved it…seems to have disappeared and now I can’t find another. I particularly liked the magnet which really helped when working under sinks. It charged fine and was very sturdy.
I purchased this identical light – same issue – works great until it needs to be recharged!!! It doesn’t recharge! It doesn’t re-light. Great deal for China and if you only need a magnet.
I have this light and it charges and works fine. The time it will work on full power is greatly overstated though. IT will run for about 30 minutes on full power and will then needs a charge for 5-6 hours with the included charger. I give it 2 out of 5 Stars for the battery life and 5 out of 5 stars for the brightness.
Works great. When it shuts off hit the little white button by the USB port and it will come back on. I figure it’s a battery saver or to hot button.
I got this light and loving it. Accidently I dropped it in a sink full of water it might merged under the water 3 to 4 second it came back on right away. I am looking for another one but I can not find one.
I really love this ligght.
I really loved it until tonight, while walking my dog, it shut off. I even tried pressing the little white button (as suggested). Nothing. I’m very disappointed.
I guess I won’t be making this type of purchase from Aldi in the future.
I can’t turn it off ..
Similar experience to everyone else. First one: great light, would not recharge. Contacted the company. After a number of emails back and forth, they sent a label for me to return it. They sent a new one. Worked about 3 months. Just yesterday was using in a dark basement with no electricity. It just quit. Will not recharge. Too bad, because it’s a great light when it works. Will not purchase one again.
I liked how bright this light is, and the fact that it has 3 light levels. However, after only using it for about 6 months, the charging port broke off. It will cost more to repair it then its worth. So as much as I liked it, I doubt if I would buy it again.
my light mdl# 869 worked once for about 50 min. don’t waste your time nor your money
Same experience (won’t charge). Product is defective per customer service via email. They will issue a refund. You have to jump through some hoops but worth it to get money back (less tax). Address is help@myproduct.care. They responded quickly. It’s a shame. I really liked the light when it worked and am disappointed that Aldi would sell such a poor quality product. Send Aldi a message & get your money back!!!
I should clarify that I love the product, I didn’t even need as many as I thought I would bc the light is so bright. I also haven’t had any die and not recharge. For me it was more of a you have to mess with it a bit to get it to function properly sometimes situation. They do have a very strong magnet. I also LOVE the charge port and the fact that you can lock the stand into a certain position (with tightening screws on each side.) Great light!
Bought a bunch for a project (that I have now completed) and have several used and unopened. Had small glitches like some that won’t allow charge port use while light is on, some that require the power button to be pressed several times for whatever reason, some with batteries that last longer than others etc.
I am using it now since 03/2021 and it works great. The accu has decreased but is still OK and i use it very often. 3 Hours light with lowest level is no problem anymore.
Got two of these lights and I can’t even get them to do the initial charge. I might be doing something wrong but I’ve tried it every way possible.
Same issue. Got it and was excited to get it open when I got home and as soon as i got it out of the package, nothing 🤨. It won’t turn on, pretty sure it’s not charging but can’t be positive cause the charging indicator lights won’t even turn on. I’m not an expert but I consider myself pretty well versed in electronics and I just can’t seem to figure out what the problem is. If I can’t get some helpful feedback here, I’m gonna open her up and see what’s going on in there. Before I take this light apart, does anyone have some advise?
Bought one and returned it due to the same issue as Ali, unit will not take an initial charge. Tried multiple cables and bricks, all 5V and 2A or less and no blinking green indicating a charge. Got a second one and same exact issue. Don’t waste your time or money on this trash.
Bought one the other day, brought it home, plugged it in to charge…. And nothing. No indicator lights as well as main light and charging port is dead. Figured maybe it’s a one off so I decided to exchange it for another. Got home plugged this one in and…….again nothing…..quite disappointed
One of the worst lights to buy !!! I am currently on my 5th exchange within 3 weeks they just don’t work I had 2 of them work only a couple times !! Currently getting my money back I’m tired of trying to exchange them they offer a three-year warranty I can’t make it three days !!
I bought two the other day. I just got around to opening them today. Neither will take the initial charge. I’m going to try to return them (I’ve never returned anything to an Aldi). After reading these posts, I don’t think it’s worth trying to get two that do work.
I loved this light. It super bright. Easy to hang somewhere out in the dark or carry on the go and have used it maybe 6 or 7 times but now it wont charge past the 2nd block of green lights. It just blinks like it is trying to charge to the 3rd but only two blocks stay lit green while the 3rd light blinks rapidly
Missing Information I need the correct ID for the charging cable I tried a micro and a mini they do not fit. ID needed
The light uses a USB C charging cable.
The package includes a USB A to USB C cable.
It does not include a charger.
Is the clear hexagonal horizontal light bulb cover replaceable or permanently affixed? Does the WORKZONE company offer a replacement if needed, and how do I procure one or more when/if needed? With instructions?
Well it worked a couple of times. Sat in a cupboard. Took it out and it charged u okay. The green lights flashed sequentially and it reached full charge. I then used it and when it got down to one green light I tried to recharge it. Nothing. No lights and hen i completely died. Tried the little white button nothing. One dead unit. The worst buy I have ever had from Aldi. Do yourself a favour. Don’t buy it.
Hi guys, I bought 3 lights at once. At first I thought that the charge does not work. Now I realized that there are some chargers that seem to have a problem with it and can not charge it. Please try a different USB-C charger. The lights work great and charge without any problems!
LG Berhard
I have had one for 2 or 3 years now and used it extensively. The only problem that I am having now is that it is difficult to get the charging cord to make good contact. I have to put some pressure on the cord to one side to get the charging indicators to blink. Then it will fully charge.
I’ve had two of these and seem to have similar experience as many above. I bought the first one and when I got home and tried to charge it would not charge and the little white button did nothing when it was pushed. I exchanged it and the new one worked great the first few times I used it. I went to use it again and it’s dead. The white button does nothing. I had it on a charger for a while and it does not appear to be charging at all. It’s disappointing because it worked really nice when it did work.
Well, these reviews have been interesting. I purchased one of these lights and so far have liked it. What little bit I have used it, it has seemed to be OK. I only recharged it once though. For whatever reason, our electricity seems to go off a lot where I live so I just bought it to use for that application. I have a generator but I wanted something to use just temporarily until I decided whether or not I’m going to get the generator hooked up. I guess I will just run it down and then see if it will charge back up. If it doesn’t, I’ll just throw it away and get something more reliable.
I bought 3 off for presents to Bulgaria in 2023. Now in 2024 they do not work anymore although almost never used. Obviously there is big problem with the battery and ALDI’s quality control.
I purchased in 2021. Use it randomly. Love it! Charges fairly quickly, maybe an hour from empty to full. On highest light setting, it might last an hour. But, realistically, the lowest setting is sufficient light for most situations if you are using it in a tight area, like the inside of a car, replacing a tire or working under the hood. The brightest setting is blinding and sufficient to light up a larger space. Don’t recall how much I paid for it, but most likely under $20. In general, I’m not a fan of LED lights as they are less than 100 on CRI scale. I’ll take halogen anytime over LED as Halogen does have CRI of 100. But LED is better than no light.
Paid 12.99
This is a BRILLIANT light (pun intended). From the different light settings, the dimming feature, the battery status light, the extra USB port w/ cable to charge another device, the magnetic base, the hook, and individual moving legs. And only 12.99, wow. Love rare Aldi tools.
There appears to be a new version out in 3/25 for $12.99 the 20W * NP-RWL-25. The main differences seem to be that you can select four different color temperatures from 3k-6k and it has continuous dimming from 100%-5% and “memory” of last setting. It shipped with “4 bars” of charge on a supposed 6600mAh batt, but seems to be taking a top up. Looks great so far, but I have a project this week I will use it on and need to recharge a few times. Hopefully this version resolves the “infancy failure” of the battery/charge circuit that has been reported on earlier models. If it lasts the week I’ll try to return and make an update post.
Still have the same issue. First use to empty recharging no problem. Second time use to empty won”t charge, open the case and unplug Battery and Board solve the Problem. Third Time use one blue bar left, no charging unplug this time not working.
I bought 2 of these lights in Spring 2025. So far I use them frequently in my house during renovation and they’ve been champs. Never had a problem getting them to recharge…yet.
Love the powerful magnets in the base in addition to a hook for hanging up and a multi-postion handle/stand.
Just bought the March 2026 version two days ago. It worked very well for over an hour. I tried to top up the battery over lunch. Now it won’t turn on, the battery level lights don’t light and it’s just dead. I suspect the 3.7V lithium battery has failed. It’s going back to ALDI today for a refund. I wonder if Bunnings have an Ozito version?
Any rechargeable battery operated light for $13 is a waste of $13. Better to spend more money,[much more] and have a reliable light source when you need it.
These lights have some great features in a compact package, but the batteries are terrible. If the cells in the battery pack aren’t load and charge balanced by clever circuitry they will fail. I bought one and it ran OK on full brightness for a couple of hours in daylight mode, but that was it! It would not charge or turn on after that. It did get quite hot on one side. Judging by others’ experiences here I’d be very wary of leaving one on charge or just turned on full brightness anywhere near anything flammable. It’s a real shame they are so unreliable because the basic idea is very good.