Hug Light - KPLC 7 News, Lake Charles, Louisiana

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Having light when and where you need it can be a challenge at times. Now a product called the 'Hug Light' is claiming to be the answer to your prayers, I 'Try It Before You Buy It.'

We purchased the 'Hug Light' at a local Walgreens store for about $10. The product is made of a flexible material that's suppose to bend to form a light stand or fit snugly around your neck for close up lighting that may be needed for working on projects. The flexible, hands free LED light claims it is perfect for any lighting need. So I put it to the test.

Right out of the box, I noticed the first problem. The battery compartment is located in the middle of the 'Hug Light' in a portion that when worn, will be right behind your neck. When I pulled off the plastic battery cover to add two AA batteries (not included) the plastic snap that hold the cover in place broke! I have a feeling that if it hadn't broken immediately, it surely would have over time since it's made of thin plastic and you need to slightly bend it to open and close the cover. After I fixed the battery cover using duct tape, I was ready to perform the first test on the 'Hug Light.'

The package and commercial depict a man bending one end of the light in an 's' shape in order for it to stand perfectly upright on his work bench. I tried to this and to my surprise it does work, if bent at the proper angle.  The next test was to see if the claim it can be wrapped around a pole or pipe to offer lighting during a plumbing fix is true. I took the 'Hug Light' to a water pipe in the station's basement. There I wrapped it around twice to get a snug fit, and wall ah! The 'Hug Light' does wrap securely and holds its position.

I never thought much of jogging with a neck light, mainly because I work out as little as possible, but the 'Hug Light' brags it's perfect for runners and those who like to grill outside in the dark. Its flexible make-up allows you to bend the 'Hug Light' around your neck to get lighting at your feet if you're running or to provide some extra light for maybe grilling. It comes with a 'Hug Snug' clip that ties the two lighted ends together over your chest.  I attached the 'Hug Light' to my neck, put the 'snug hug' attachment on to bring the two ends together and then tried running in place for a while. The light does stay in place, but the amount of light emanating from the small LED's just didn't seem to put out much usable light on the ground.

After conducting tests on most all of the scenarios depicted on the 'Hug Light' packaging, I found that it does perform as advertised for the most part.  The only flaws I found were the poor quality of the battery cover and the amount of light it puts out.  Don't expect to be getting a super bright light out of this product, however, it does put out enough light to see fairly well in total darkness.

For a $10 investment, it may be a good item to add to your workshop or camping gear!

If there's an item you've seen on TV and you'd like to see me try before you buy, just send me an email at cmcgill@wave3.com!

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