Customer Reviews

DEWALT DW7881 Scroll Saw Work Light

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

The saw is great the light is not. The light does not stay adjusted as the saw is used. It is virtually impossible to replace the bulb. If you can get the bulb out, finding a replacement is difficult. Don't bother to order the light!

The saw is great, the light needs a little work. Unlike what the picture implies, the light fastens at the very back of the saw. The light extends out straight to the front of the saw. Given how far out it has to stretch and with the weight of the light fixture attached, it should be stiffer. After running the saw for a while, the light actually starts to droop down. You have to keep pushing it up. The size of the light head is nice as you can get close to your work without the fixture obstructing your view. The downside of the fixture size is that the bulb is difficult to screw in. There's no room to get your fingers around the bulb. I finally taped a piece of masking tape to the front lens so I could screw it in. I'm not looking forward to replacing the bulb, I don't know how I would loosen it. The unit is made in China but is well constructed. Nothing sloppy about it. Bolts on the saw perfectly using the two rearmost bolts that are already on the saw. The hex key they provide could be a little better fit but it did work. All in all the concept is a good one. It's a nice accessory to have, makes cutting a lot easier. I hope Dewalt will re-engineer it and bring it up to the standard of their scroll saw.

The saw is great, the light needs a little work. Unlike what the picture implies, the light fastens at the very back of the saw. The light extends out straight to the front of the saw. Given how far out it has to stretch and with the weight of the light fixture attached, it should be stiffer. After running the saw for a while, the light actually starts to droop down. You have to keep pushing it up. The size of the light head is nice as you can get close to your work without the fixture obstructing your view. The downside of the fixture size is that the bulb is difficult to screw in. There's no room to get your fingers around the bulb. I finally taped a piece of masking tape to the front lens so I could screw it in. I'm not looking forward to replacing the bulb, I don't know how I would loosen it. The unit is made in China but is well constructed. Nothing sloppy about it. Bolts on the saw perfectly using the two rearmost bolts that are already on the saw. The hex key they provide could be a little better fit but it did work. All in all the concept is a good one. It's a nice accessory to have, makes cutting a lot easier. I hope Dewalt will re-engineer it and bring it up to the standard of their scroll saw.

This light leaves a lot to be desired. The neck needs to be stiffer so it doesn't droop and the power needs to be increased for a stronger bulb. The amount of light provided by this lamp is weak.

My light has worked out fine. But my work light says to use a candelabra base bulb as a replacement. The correct bulb is a 25 watt R-14 flood with an INTERMEDIATE base. Once I knew that the replacement bulb was easy to find.

This DeWalt light came with a scroll saw/light/stand package deal at another website. The light looks great and mounts quickly, but that is where the excitement ends. The gooseneck is far too weak to support its own heavy head weight given the mounting location on the saw, and how horizontal the light needs to be to reach the work area.

We ended up supporting the light halfway down the gooseneck by using two zip ties to secure the gooseneck to the upper saw arm. We used a piece of foam between the gooseneck and the saw arm to prevent vibration and paint damage. Taking this weight off helped, but is tacky looking. Considered mounting it to the saw stand for a more vertical mount, but then it would be in the way of large work pieces.

The on/off switch has a nice snap and weight to it, so it feels like it will last. We are using this saw/light in a room with poor lighting. The bulb is plenty bright. The head/bulb gets pretty hot. In the right position to prevent shadows, your forehead is pretty darn close to the light, but its fine.

If you bought your DeWalt scroll saw without a light, and you're looking for a light now, look elsewhere until DeWalt finds a better Chinese supplier. The current light is not up to snuff for this application.

UPDATE: 1/27/2010 HEY DEWALT - LISTEN UP! I did this review without looking at the other reviews. Just ran across the review and decided to read the others. To my astonishment the reviews have not changed in 10 years. DeWalt, that is just pathetic. How many more of these lights do you need to sell to get rid of the batch you had made in China 10 years ago? Enough already, do your customers a favor and throw the whole lot away and find a better light. Is this why I got the light 'free' in a package deal with the stand (nice stand), so I can't complain because I got it free? Well, this product number still has your name attached doesn't it? It is obviously a problem, you know about it, manage the issue.

Shoppers - until you hear from someone that DeWalt has replaced this light, steer clear unless you get it 'free'. If free, then you can do the zip tie thing or figure something else out to make it work ok.

I've used the light for several project so far & it does give off adequate light. But, the on-off switch is kinda rickey dink. If you don't turn it just right, it doesn't work. It attached to the DWS788 scrollsaw very easily using two of the screws already mounted on the saw. There is no question that the light is adequate but they should change the on-off switch.

Ok, it matches the rest of the saw and it comes from DeWalt. It is just a light and frankly any light would work on a stand next to the saw. The earlier comments are correct that it drops too close to the table and won't stay upright. The gooseneck on it is very tightly sprung and wants to keep straightening out on you so the way it is designed makes it drop toward the table. It came with my saw as part of package but personnally I don't use it much since it casts a shadow on the work that is very distracting. My shop is well lit so don't need it and if I did would probably go with florescent to eliminate the shadow problem.

I wish I didn't buy it the light doesn't stay in place.
When you turn on the scroll saw the light move down next to the blade.
DEWALT DW7881 Scroll Saw Work Light

This light makes it so easy to see your work. Great product , I use it everytime I saw. If you don't have one , get one the price is right and it's a very useful item. A must have!!