Awesome Lights

Every now and then you hear about a ship that collided with another in the dark of night. You’d think that the solution would be to equip them with headlights like cars, right? Casual Navigation explains the optical properties at work which makes the idea suboptimal, and explains the other kind of lights that ships do have.

Artist David Hughes created this incredible light-up showpiece using bespoke 2-way glass mirrors to produce an endless array of patterns. Its custom circuit boards power 960 colorful LEDs, which come to life to produce its hypnotic designs. It’s built with a sturdy, anodized aluminum frame and is limited to 500 pieces.

These LED-illuminated bike pedals improve nighttime safety while looking awesome. They’re much brighter than standard bike lights and have sensors to keep the white light forward and red light backward. Their light modules can be removed for charging or attached to other locations such as handlebars or a seat post.

The latest version of STKR’s FLEXiT flexible work light allows for a huge variety of hands-free positions and angles. Its multiple CREE LEDs output up to 400 lumens, with focused spot and wide floodlight modes, a red night mode, and a 2-color flashing hazard mode.

Give your garage, workshop, or business a bold new look with these hexagonal LED light fixtures. They’re modular so you can connect multiples, and produce a bright and crisp 6000K color temperature. Sold as 4′ individual rings, 10′ x 5′ strips, or 15.75′ x 8′ grids.

Hang this cute critter on your keyring or backpack, and you’ll always be ready to bug out. The BugLit micro flashlight is a handy task light with a carabiner and bendy legs to point the light where you need it. The rechargeable light has four modes and is bright enough to illuminate up to 50 feet.

Streamlight’s work lights are perfect for automotive work. The durable aluminum lights include the Syclone with its 360º rotating body, the adjustable Flipmate which cranks out up to 500 lumens, and the long and skinny Strion and top-of-the-line Stinger, which can squeeze into tight places and aim light where you need it.

This unique piece of decor puts an illuminated world map on your wall. Created by Zero Degree, the World Light is a 3D cutout wood map by day and lights up with thousands of tiny dots at night, like cities in nighttime satellite imagery. It’s available in natural wood or white finishes, in traditional or geometric map designs.

The neon glow of Blade Runner’s Los Angeles is one of the most iconic looks in all of science fiction. Yesteryear Prop Store sells real neon signs based on ones seen in the movie. Our favorite is the noodle bar dragon, but if you’ve got the bucks and the space, go for the giant TDK sign and reenact Roy Batty’s Tears in the Rain speech.

Adafruit Industries shows off some tiny LEDs that can light up without being attached to a power source. They use wound copper wire to capture inductive power from up to a foot away, much like a wireless phone charger. Apparently, they’re used by model makers in order to light up scenes without running wires. More here.

Add a splash of color to your space with this ambient LED floor lamp. The center of the lamp is made from a plate of anodized aluminum and features unique optics to distribute a smooth gradient of color on your wall, ceiling, or other surfaces. Available in yellow-orange and blue-purple versions. The lamp measures 67″ tall.

Give your garage, basement, or workshop a serious upgrade with STKR’s whole-room lighting system. The main module screws into a light socket, while its four pods can be connected to spread 7500 lumens of smooth, white light throughout your space. It has an adjustable motion sensor and a USB port for connecting a security camera.

Give your over-the-ear headphones a proper place to rest when you’re not wearing them. This handmade stand from AmbiColoredLight features a head-shaped sandalwood-veneered base. At its center is a light-up acrylic porthole that displays a laser-etched waveform graphic that can change colors to suit your mood.

Xyla Foxlin likes to build all kinds of things but has a special affinity for canoes and paddles. Using an existing canoe as a mold, she created a translucent fiberglass vessel that she wired up with strips of RGB LED lighting, making it the most vibrant and colorful boat on the water.

Wicked Lasers shows off a neat use for its LaserCube programmable laser projector and LaserOS software. By syncing up the laser’s beams with MIDI keypresses they’re able to project colorful lights onto the keys of a synthesizer, synced perfectly with the music being performed.

You can approximate the look of neon with LED or electroluminescent lights, but there’s nothing like the warm glow and high-voltage buzz of a real glass neon sign. Eater’s Katie Pickens takes us on a tour of Brooklyn Glass to learn how they make these colorful signs for restaurants and other businesses around New York City.

This truly unique LED bulb will definitely be a conversation piece in your room, and you won’t want to hide it behind a shade. It uses LEDs and a colorful prismatic mirror effect to make it look like there’s a burst of fireworks inside of its glass. It’s not bright, but works great as an accent or nightlight.

This 3″ fill light can mount in a camera’s hot shoe or stick to metal surfaces, providing a bright source of illumination in a wide variety of colors. It offers a color temperature range of 2500K(warm) to 9000K(cold), plus hundreds of other colors thanks to RGB LEDs. At max brightness, it runs for about 2 hours on a charge.

This airy-looking LED lantern kicks out up to 1000 lumens of light in high brightness mode, or 50 lumens in low mode. It’s powered by Coleman’s OneSource interchangeable battery packs, which can be used in other gadgets like flashlights, fans, speakers, and tent lighting. It can also be used to recharge smartphones.

Nitecore’s compact camping lantern offers plenty of smooth and bright light. Its nine high CRI LEDs produce up to 280 lumens and can be set to illuminate only from its sides, top, or in all directions. Load it up with a pair of powerful 21700 batteries, and it can quick-charge your phone or other gadgets.

The Neozoon is unlike any light we’ve seen before. Its soft silicone shade doubles as a suction cup, allowing the lamp to stick to any smooth surface. It’s just as easy to detach and move and offers stepless dimming. It runs for 6 to 12 hours per charge depending on brightness setting.

This playful spherical light can be rolled around and tossed like a rubber ball. It’s made from silicone and is waterproof, so you can even use it in a swimming pool. The light offers four brightness settings and comes in white or multicolor variants. Save 24% in The Awesomer Shop.

The two-toned color schemes on these table lamps were inspired by the tides at Northern California’s Mavericks Beach. They feature a spherical glass shade and a brushed steel base, and include an LED Edison-style bulb. Choose from 10″ or 5″ diameter variants. Sale ends 4.11.2021.