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If you're a DIYer of any sort, you know the value of good lighting. Long gone are the days of your dad yelling at you to "Hold the light right!" Now you can buy lights to illuminate the entire garage from the palm of your hand. We call these pocket lights, or penlights, and they're a wonderful tool for a mechanic.

There's a wide range of these little LED sunbeams out there, with varying prices and lumen ratings. We've compiled this list to include a nice variety, no matter what you need one for. Like with most tools, you get what you pay for—and that certainly applies to pocket lights. Who knew so much light could come from something so small?

Top-Rated Work Lights for Mechanics

This penlight from Coast is a nice affordable option in the vast pocket-light market. The specs claim a run time of two hours and 30 minutes but lack a definitive lumens rating. With a thin inspection beam, this is perfect for lighting up small components under the hood.  

This handy little pocket light is similar to the penlight, but with a strip of LEDs instead. The advantage to this product is its magnetic bottom for hands-free light in tight spaces. The rugged plastic body is durable, and the little thing produces 175 lumens for up to seven hours. 

This handy penlight fits right into any pocket for easy and instant access. It packs a punch, too, producing 220 lumens for seven full hours. This light is perfect for hard-to-see areas and as a bonus is water-resistant. 

This beefier pocket light is targeted toward the professional, with just over a run time of three hours on the high-beam setting and 35 hours on low. Streamlight claims a lumens output of 350, which is impressive for the price. 

This pocket light from Energizer is rechargeable and powerful—two desirable traits when it comes to these little tools. Rated at 400 lumens with a run time of one hour, it's powerful in short bursts. It comes with a USB charging cable. With a name like Energizer, you know this is a quality light. 

This pocket light is a behemoth, boasting a claimed 500-lumen output for an impressive two hours. It's rechargeable, too, and gets juiced up in a four-hour charge time. The light is also water- and impact-resistant, culminating in a display of respectable durability. It's a bit higher on the price ladder, but we think it's a worthy investment. 

You know you're getting top-of-the-line stuff from a name like Snap-On. While this pocket light features a lower lumens rating of 165, the bonus features make up for it. On the clip is a magnet, so you can stick it on anything metal for two-handed work. Above the main LED are two UV-emitting diodes for tracing leaks in an A/C system. Double the uses is good in our book.