Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light

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Sometimes when you work in your garage either working on the car or doing some DIY (do-it-yourself) type projects, your work area can be quite dark. That is why the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light is essential to properly illuminate your garage. This will definitely make it safer for you when handling tools and other machinery. This light can be used either inside or even outside since it's weather resistant. That way you can also use the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light outside in your backyard even when it's dark out. You won't regret getting the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light when it makes you safer while you work.


Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light - great for the garage or workshop
Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light - great for the garage or workshop

Here are the specs:

Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light Product Info

Costco Item#: 962841
Costco Price: $29.99
Found at: Costco in Redwood City, CA (2300 Middlefield Rd.)
(price and availability may vary per Costco location)

Make your work area well lit with the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light
Make your work area well lit with the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light

Deal for the Caterpillar Rechargeable LED Work Light at Costco
Deal for the Caterpillar Rechargeable LED Work Light at Costco

Caterpillar: Built for it.

    Key Features:
  • 1100 Lumens High
  • 550 Lumens Low
  • USB Charging Port
  • Rechargeable lithium-ion battery included and charger included
  • For indoor or outdoor use
  • Impact resistant
  • Water resistant
  • 6.5hr/3.5hr run time
  • Range: 53m
  • cULus listed adapter
  • 180 degree angle range of motion
  • Rugged bumper protection

71 comments:

Costco Member said...

Great Construction however, the 5/20/16 mfr date units have battery indicators that doesn't report the correct battery state.

After having charged to full capacity, the unit reads 3 Green Led Lights which signifies unit is between 70- 100% charged. Since it was pressed right after it was fully charged it would stand to reason that it would be at 100%. However, by turning on the light for only 2 seconds, the battery indicator then reported 2 out of 3 led lights ie, less than 69% charge left.

When the voltage of the battery was taken directly with a digital meter, the battery was still fully charged despite what the built in battery indicator stated.

Costco had these made with 4400 mah 3.7 volt batteries to keep the cost down. The manufacturer (E-Z Red) sells a very similar version that is totally encased in aluminum and with a 6600 mah battery pack that sells for about $83.00, #CT3515. Costco is not selling the CT3515 unit but a redesigned unit that is not all aluminum and the back is plastic.

Perhaps the battery indicator needs to see the 6600 mah battery to correctly read the state of the battery. Needless to say, the consumer will have no accurate way of knowing the condition of the battery.

I have a profound respect for the Costco Company and I hope that they will remedy this problem. If they don't, it truly will be a sad day to see that the good name of Costco would be tarnished over a $29.99 work light.

ExecMemberMike said...

Hello @Costco Member, thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience with the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light. I guess the manufacturer needs to make some improvements on these units. I've noticed that some manufacturers make certain "cheaper" models only to be sold at Costco and no where else. I know this to be true for some barbecue grills and it may be the case with this product. Costco is great and indeed has a lot of good deals, but they're definitely not perfect when it comes to some of their products that they sell.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Yes. My work cat work light 962841 does the same. Goes from 3 green led after a proper charge to 2 led status in a the few seconds needed to turn it on then off. That's pathetic not to mention the small scuff on the clear lens right out of the package. Not much difference between high 1100 and low 550 setting on my individual light. Non adjustable focus is okay but not great. I may return it if does not perform or meet my needs.

ExecMemberMike said...

Hello @Allen, that just sucks that the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light just didn't live up to your expectation. It's a good thing Costco has a good return policy with products that you're not completely satisfied with. You shouldn't have too much trouble getting a refund if you do decide to return it.

Anonymous said...

How do you change to low beam and High. I push the on button on and off then on again but don't see any difference.

ExecMemberMike said...

Hi @Anonymous, that's just weird that you can't toggle between high and low beam. I wonder if the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light that you have is stuck in either high mode or low mode. I assume it didn't come with instructions on how to operate.

ginofs said...

I bought this light at Costco recently, and came upon this discussion. My light was also dated 5/20/2016, and the battery level immediately drops from just turning it on. I was amazed how this thing lights up a whole room!

I read the accompanying manual, and it says the lamp switches from high to low on alternating on-off button presses: high-off-low-off. There is a marginal difference in brightness on low, but it seems to be dimmer.

Indeed, the battery level display may have been designed for a 6600 mAh battery, but I'm willing to see if the thing works well enough AS IS, ignoring the battery level gauge.

I find that the USB charging port shows up as a standard USB charger: 1.1 amps - not suitable for charging my iPad, but it's ok for smaller devices.

I would LOVE it If Costco came with a model that reads battery level correctly, and was willing to exchange units for people who have problems, but I just hope my unit performs decently enough as is to keep it.

ExecMemberMike said...

Hello @ginofs, thanks for sharing your experience with the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light. That's quite impressive that the light can light up a whole room. It'd be great if the battery indicator level were accurate. Regardless, I do hope that it lasts you a long time though.

Unknown said...

to switch brightness only partially depress the on - off swtich.

ExecMemberMike said...

Thanks @Unknown for confirming out to toggle between the partial and full brightness for the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light! Hopefully, this will clear up some confusion for those who didn't know.

ginofs said...

Re: Unknown's suggestion of partially depressing the on-off switch.
I tried very slowly pushing the on/off button, which is rubber covered. I found that nothing happens until the button clicks mechanically. Then the light comes on, either bright or dim. Pushing again until it clicks turns it off.

The on-off instructions in the manual that came with the CAT Worklight reads exactly as follows:
"The power switch has three settings: High (1100 lumens), low (550 lumens), and off.
Press the switch once for high, again for off. Press again for low, and one more time to turn it off.
The switch will cycle as follows: High-off-low-off."

I found that my light works as detailed in the above instructions. Perhaps Unknown has a slightly different model of this light that works with partial presses. The manufacturing date is stamped into the bottom edge of the frame (it's small type on black and is hard to read, but it's there). Mine was stamped 5/20/2016.

ExecMemberMike said...

Hi @ginofs, thank you for providing the verbiage for the high/low/off settings for the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light from the user's manual. Yes, it's quite possible that @Unknown has a different yet very similar model that differs when switching between high/low/off settings.

Anonymous said...

I like my Cat Light. It's well built and very bright, nice size and sturdy feel. The swing out stand that doubles as a handle also works with the light on it's side, to stand at 90ยบ in smaller spaces.

As far as high/low, Mine works like both descriptions above, high-off-low-off as well as high-(tap to toggle low and high)-off. By tap, I mean push hard enough for the power to turn off, but not enough to click. This is a very nice feature, but I suspect it was not designed as one, so some switches might not turn off until after they click.

I wish the USB charge port would stick out sideways so I could plug in a cord and put it in a backpack without breaking the cord or port. Same for the power, but mostly for spots I'd like to mount some of these flush to a surface, but still have the option of unplugging and moving them around (think of sliding into slots in a work trailer).

One thing that is unacceptable to me, on low beam it makes a high pitch whine. As an electronic engineer, I know it could just be a bad capacitor in mine, so I'll be taking advantage of Costco's great return policy to "try again".

Thanks to this blog, I may even buy/acquire a larger batter and replace it (then the charge indicator may be perfect :) .

Also note, I'm middle aged, and my kids can hear high pitch whines that I cannot; I can definitely hear this whine, especially when I get close to it. My kids don't whine, my tools shouldn't either ;)

ExecMemberMike said...

Hi @Anonymous, thank you for sharing your experience with the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light. I'm glad to hear that for the most part, it's working out for you. Hopefully, the high-pitched whine that you hear during the low setting is just an isolated incident for the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light that you happened to get and not a pattern with all Cat Rechargeable LED Work Lights.

Unknown said...

Hey, I bought this from, but lost the charger. Can you advise what is the output voltage from your charger? Assuming its around 5 volts which is USB standard but don't want to fry it. Thanks in advance.

ginofs said...

Jignesh:
I got all the information off my charger, and here's what its label says:
Charger for CAT LED Worklight:

AC-DC Adaptor Model RK-0421100
Input: 100-240 V 50/60 Hz 0.6 A
Output: 4.2V DC 1.1A
Center pin is +, outer shell is -
Charger has a LED indicator. RED = needs charging. I think it goes out when charged or turns green.

Plug is 5.45 mm outside diameter, inside ~2 mm.


Radio Shack has a $17.99 universal charger rated at 1 amp out with adjustable voltages of 3, 5, 6, 7.5, 9, 12 and 15 volts. It comes with a set of plugs for different devices.
The plugs can switch polarity so center is + or -.
Here's their specs:
Customizable to power your device using adapter plugs good backup or replacement power source for your device.

Compliant FCC, ETL. CA pro 65, DOE6
Input : 100-240V 50/60Hz
Switch power: 3, 5, 6, 7.5, 9, 12, 15V
Output: 1000mA
Lenght: 1.8m cord
Short circuit protection

So in your case, you'd use the 5 V setting. This ought to work, but since there is no charging indicator, you should keep charging below 8 hours.

Good luck!

ginofs said...

Jignesh: A bit more information - the link to that Radio Shack charger:
https://www.radioshack.com/products/radioshack-universal-ac-to-dc-high-power-adapter?variant=19965541701

ExecMemberMike said...

Thanks @ginofs for providing more information for the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light. I'm sure many people will find this quite helpful.

Unknown said...

@ginofs - Thank you very much for your detailed response! Much appreciated.

Anonymous said...

My unit's USB voltage is 3.9V, not enough to charge anything. The light is still a keeper though. Will be great for under the car when I need a wide beam light.

ExecMemberMike said...

Hi @Anonymous, ya the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light can definitely be useful for the garage or any type of automotive work that needs to be done. Of all things, it makes for a great work light that is rugged.

Steve said...

Hi @Anonymous - Did you try pressing the white charge indicator light button for three seconds? My phone was telling me about the slow charge, then I read the instructions about pressing for three seconds. Now it's charging normally.

ExecMemberMike said...

Thanks @Steve for the tip on how to use the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light!

Unknown said...

are CAT rechargeable work light still avaible at Costco?

Unknown said...

are CAT rechargeable work light still avaible at Costco?

Unknown said...

I bought mine a month ago - so I would say yes.

ExecMemberMike said...

Hello @Ratana, I don't think the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light is a seasonal product, so it should still be available at Costco.

Unknown said...

which costco? no more in springfield costco. please direct me

Unknown said...

which costco? no more in springfield costco. please direct me

ExecMemberMike said...

Hi @Ratana, I saw the Rechargeable LED Work Light from Caterpillar at the Costco in Redwood City, CA. Availability for this product will vary per warehouse location, so you'll have to check your nearby Costcos to see if they're still in stock. Hopefully one Costco will still have it even if your primary one is out of it. Good luck!

The Graphics Man said...

Hey guys, just jumped in here. Yeah just bought this light and had similar observations and concerns. A new question though, The paper manual says you should not charge this lamp with anything but the charger supplied or it could damage the lamp yet, in a comment earlier when someone lost their provided charger, a suggestion was to use a multi voltage one from Radio Shack (are there any still open?). Could I use a standard 5v charger?

Thanks, Graphicsman

ginofs said...

Graphicsman: if you're talking about a typical 5V changer like you'd use for an iPhone or Android phone, how do you propose to get from a USB connection to a round connector with female center connection? You would have to cut the end off the cable and find the correct size round female connector and solder the wires into the connector. That could work if you trust your ability to verify polarity and current being supplied to the CAT worklight.

Also, if you happen to have a 2.1 amp USB charger that would work with an iPad, you would be supplying double the currrent needed by the CAT worklight, which could overcharge and damage the worklight's batteries.

The Radio Shack charger I specified is really close to the original charger, and comes with a set of adapter plugs, one of which would work with the CAT light.

As far as being in business, Radio Shack closed many stores, but quite a few are still open. There are 3 still open near me. This was based on a successful business volume, as the manager explained to me. Also, RadioShack.com is still online. Besides that, you might find a similar universal charger elsewhere.

Unknown said...

Purchased one of these yesterday, with a manufacture date of 8/16. The battery is still the 4400mAh, and the battery level LEDs on the back are still not working properly. I'm definitely going to be looking into replacing the battery with a stronger one, if possible. But other than that, it seems pretty nice.

ExecMemberMike said...

Hello @Unknown, although the LED lights on the back of the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light isn't working the way they're supposed to, I'm glad that for the most part, you like it and that it's working out well for you.

Anonymous said...

I just want to say that this has been an awful portable lamp -- the beam is way too focused and direct, and because the base doesn't accept a standard tripod screw mount, it's impossible to put it up anywhere where it would illuminate your work in a useful manner (like a regular shop light). On top of that, the fact that they went with a proprietary dc charger instead of a standard micro usb format is about an unbelievably bad design, especially as it takes 5v (since all lithium cells are ~3.6v and charge at 5v). I've tried to use this light time and again while working on my car, rebuilding a friend's computer, running cables in the attic, working in the basement, and it just fails to be useful in any situation, because the base just doesn't mount to anything where you could direct the narrow beam in a useful manner to cover your work.

Great idea, terrible execution. Go with a headlamp or Makita's 18v LED floodlight.

ExecMemberMike said...

Hello @Anonymous, thanks for your review of the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light. I'm sure many people are having a lot of the same issues that you have in regards to this work light. Hopefully, the manufacturer will address these issues and will make improvements to subsequent work lights.

Anonymous said...

I bought mine about 3 months ago. Same as most others....except the ac adapter was only puttin out 3 volts. The light was only on 1 hour after charging. I charged wit a dc powers supply until three lights were green. Now they never go off and deplete the battery over night.
Oh yeah, the leds flicker
I am not going to take it apart. Just return it
Jim b

ExecMemberMike said...

Hello @Jim, it looks as though your Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light has some issues just like the rest of those with this product. I'm sure it's not uncommon for Costco to see many of these Cat Rechargeable LED Work Lights being returned at their warehouse locations.

Unknown said...

Instead of purchasing the $18 adapter from Radio Shack, buy another light at Costco for an additional $12 bucks. Now you have 2 lights and the correct plug.

Unknown said...

The battery inside is indeed a 4400mah battery pack,supplied by 2 2200 mAh 18650 lithium ion batteries, the charger is 4.2v, and to turn it into a charger for your iPhone you must first hook your device to be charged to the USB port on the light,and then push the white button, the charger automatically turns off one you disconnect the device(phone etc)

ExecMemberMike said...

Hi @Unknown, thanks for confirming some of the specs in regards to the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light and for the tip when charging a smartphone. I'm sure some people will find this useful.

Anonymous said...

Another thing I noticed about this light is, just like Energizer does with it's newest LED lights, "high" is only high for a while, then the circuitry automatically ramps the output down to low, until you turn it off and on again. I was doing a run time test on high to see if it lasted three hours, as specified. A while later I came back and it looked dimmer. I turned it off, then back on, which in the case of the switch on this light, would put the light in Low mode. But, there was no difference in brightness between Low and what had previously been High. But then I immediately switched it off and on again, which would be in High mode, and it was at full High brightness again. I did this several times, although I did not time how much time passes until the light automatically reduces it's output. Manufacturers do this to inflate their run times, hoping you won't notice that their circuitry reduces output over time.

ExecMemberMike said...

Hello @Anonymous, thanks for sharing your findings in regards to the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light. I had no idea that manufacturers did this practice which can be quite misleading when indicating run time. That's quite sneaky of them.

Unknown said...

I work as a line-haul truck driver, and I can tell you that this light is a life saver. Due to the nature of our business, we run mostly at night. As such, hooking up, dropping the trailer, hooking up doubles and inspections can be difficult at best. This light really lights up the night and makes my job so very much easier, in fact, if I find that I forgot it, I will and have turned right around and headed back to the yard to grab it! Thank you, this is a very good product.

ExecMemberMike said...

Hello @Mark, I'm glad that you're finding your Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light to be quite useful on a day to day basis at work. I'm all for any product that will keep you safe while on the job. Thanks for sharing!

larry said...

Can we leave the light charging and go away for the day without worrying about a fire?
We bought two and just got two more
Now we have all the chargers we will even need in case we misplace another
We light up pop up canopies at expos where the is no AC

ExecMemberMike said...

Hello @larry, I would think that leaving the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light charging while you step away is ok. It'll almost be like leaving your iPad or smartphone charging right? I may be wrong, so definitely consult the owner's manual just in case.

Anonymous said...

Hi Group,

Thanks for all the comments on the high low settings. I though mine only worked on one setting since I thought it was supposed to toggle low/high/off.

Mine is dated 05/2016 and it toggles low/off/high/off
It also does toggle between low and high like unknown had said.
When the light is on at the low setting slightly press the on button again without clicking it will toggle between low and high with each slight press.
Really cool
I know Costco must have used the lower battery to save money. Mine also drops from 3 to 2 green bars after turning on, even after letting it charge overnight. This is the only flaw I have noticed.

It is really bright, still lasts very long, fantastically portable and much, much better than the old halogen standing lights, or forehead light, or trying to use a flashlight while working. For $30 your should run not walk to Costco to get this if you do any home or car repairs/work.

ExecMemberMike said...

Hi @Anonymous, thanks for providing your two cents in regards to the your Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light. I'm glad to hear that for the most part, you're quite satisfied with it and that it's working out well for you.

cabucholz said...

Just bought 2-Cat 962841and it seems like a good product, did notice that it did drop from 3 LEDS to 2 after testing after first charge which does no bother me, me being a plumber I needed a good cordless light for under sinks, under houses, in attics and in wet locations so I am happy with this purchase, last year I bought the Snap-On LED light with a cord which is still available there and it is great, even dropped it about 7' onto concrete and no damage. Difference between 1100 and 550 lumens is not much and certainly not 50% so I'm sure charge will drop rather quickly, luckily my work trucks are equipped with a power inverter so I can recharge between jobs if need.

ExecMemberMike said...

Hello @cabucholz, thank you for providing some valuable feedback with your Rechargeable LED Work Lights. That's great that you're finding it very useful in your job. Anything that makes your job easier is always a good thing.

Anonymous said...

I have been trying to identify the charger. It got mixed in with a pile of chargers. I think I found it. It has a big white label on the cord and is 4.2V

About Lithium Ion batteries. They are not like the batteries you are familiar with (unless you see pictures oh the web of Li powered devices exploding.I have not taken mine apart to see if there is any internal charging or protection. At 4.2 V from the charger, that is the maximum voltage that they can be charged TO. This implies there is not internal charging control circuit. DO NOT USE ANY CHARGER THAT PROVIDES MORE THAN 4.2 VOLTS. It will reduce the life of the battery and may cause bad things to happen. EVEN 0.1 OR 0.2 VOLT HIGHER.

DO NOT LEAVE IT (OR REALLY ANY Li CELL) CHARGING WHEN YOU ARE NOT THERE. HOUSES HAVE BURNED DOWN. These issues are not common, but they happen. Charging incorrectly is a major reason for failure.

Re: leds for charge state. They should not be wrong because of lower capacity battery cells. They are reading open circuit voltage. That is the same regardless of capacity.

ExecMemberMike said...

Thank you @Anonymous for providing some good information regarding the battery of the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light. It's quite informative and I'm sure people will definitely find it useful.

Anonymous said...

I just bought this light at Costco, I looked for info on charging, what I can`t find is if you leave it on the charger even after it is fully charged or should you unplug it. Some batteries get damaged if you leave them on the charger too long.

ExecMemberMike said...

Hi @Anonymous, I was under the impression that leaving the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light plugged in wouldn't hurt, but others may disagree. I actually don't know either way. If you really want to be safe, then definitely err on the side of caution and unplug it if you happen to remember to do so.

xjjjx said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
xjjjx said...

This is a defective design. Look at the unit's charger when connected to the unit, but not plugged into the wall. The green light on the charger goes on. That means it is draining the battery to run that green light. Clearly a diode is missing in the design of the circuit. If left plugged into the light while being stored unplugged, the unit will go dead.

Unknown said...

Anyone willing to share a manual or charging instructions? I rec'd this as a gift and been unable to locate information. Not on Costco's website. 962841 unrecognized on E-Z Red website. Thanks.

Will S said...

What voltage is the charger suppose to be? Mine smoked and smelled bad when I plugged it in, I think I had the wrong power supply, but its not labelled!

Anonymous said...

Bought five recently; four as gifts kept one for personal use and very impressed! I have charged ours according to the manual specifications. But, the unit will not charge. Green light blinks and when light is turned on, it just works briefly and goes dead. Does the one year warranty on this product stand supportive to the customer when the product fails. I really need to replace ours.

ExecMemberMike said...

Hi @Anonymous, thank you for your review for the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light. That's a bummer that your light doesn't seem to charge properly. I would think that the warranty would cover your issue. If you bought yours at Costco, you can always return it for a refund and re-buy it again.

Unknown said...

Is there a manual?

ExecMemberMike said...

Hello @Unknown, there should be a user's manual that came with the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light. That or you may find a digital one online on the Caterpillar website.

Unknown said...

My light just quit working. No lights will come on and the charging light doesn't come on when I plug in the charging cord. Suggestions?

ginofs said...

Jack: Are you sure your charger is working? See if any power level lights come on when you press the white button. Try switching to a different outlet to see if the charger works then. If you have a voltmeter, try measuring the voltage from the center of the connector to the outside barrel. If you don’t get a reading, the wire in the charger may be broken. Ask about an exchange at Costco. I think these lights are still selling.

redcloudsky said...

Yes, I misplaced my Cat light for a few months and it was completely run down, on top of that I lost track of the charger. I have access to a RC hobby charger so I'm trying to charge the battery.

ExecMemberMike said...

Hopefully your Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light is still able to charge, @redcloudsky.

Larry K said...

Are these lights available anywhere?

ExecMemberMike said...

Hello @Larry, you should be able to find the Cat Rechargeable LED Work Light at any Costco, but availability will vary per Costco location, so please be sure to check with your local Costco warehouse first. That or you can go to an online retailer and find it or something similar like these work lights from Amazon.

Anonymous said...

Had the problem with the third LED not lighting up after a full charge. There is a 2.7K resistor marked R4 on the PCB silk screen. Replacing R4 with a resistor that’s as close as possible to 4.5K got the third LED to light up. Pretty sure R4 and R5 set up a reference voltage that’s used to determine the charge level. At first I just put a 1K in parallel with R4 but that made the red low charge LED turn on and all the green LEDs turn off, so I figured a higher voltage drop across it would do the opposite. The next thing I did was remove R4 entirely and that worked too, probably because it changed the voltage to the open circuit voltage (potential). I figured it was probably a bad idea to leave it open because I don’t know what the 10% low voltage reference is for the design, remember the circuitry is designed to monitor capacity based on voltage and a known capacity of 6,600 mAh.

Then I figured that since this thing was originally supposed to have a 6,600 mAh battery and it actually has a 4,400 mAh then that gives me 66% of the capacity of the original design. So I figured why not increase the resistance at R4 by 66% to about 4.5K. I ended up using a couple of resistor in parallel to get 4.1K because I didn’t have any 4.5K resistors, but it worked. It will probably work for any resistor between 4.1K and 4.5K but I haven’t done much testing to see. I figured if I go too low then the voltage drop will be too low and display less capacity than I have, or go too high and the voltage drop will be too high and display more capacity than I have.

Remember the voltage vs capacity graph of an 18650 is not linear and it varies for different capacities. 3.5V May be 70% for a battery with capacity A but 60% for a battery with capacity B.

My method here was quick and dirty and simplistic, so take it for what it is. If you want accuracy then you have to plot a curve of voltage level vs capacity of the 4,400 mAh cell and do more testing to find the appropriate voltage divider pair for R4 and R5.

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