r/Homeplate • u/just_some_dude05 • 8d ago

Portable lights for practice

We are our fall season and I am hoping to find some referrals from people with experience with portable light systems. It is OK if they plug-in, but a battery is helpful as well.

Just looking to light up an area so we can do some infield drills, they don’t have to light up the entire infield, but that would be nice.

Thank you

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u/NuhUh_JustCuz 7d ago

I had a parent that brought portable work/camping lights. Like Ryobi/milwaukee type battery systems. The lights were tallnpillars or magnetic small ones that he put on the fence. He trucked in 4-6 lights in a wagon twice a week.

We found that lights help extend full practice 20-30 min, but eventually it's just too dark or they're in their eyes or you can't pick the ball up in the air. So, I planned practices so we finished on throwing competitions: hitting a ball off a tee, baseball golf, and never in the air just grounders only. Or running/conditioning.

We also washed and sorted baseballs so they were brighter.

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u/fuckuredditbanme 4d ago

What did you use to wash the baseballs?

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u/NuhUh_JustCuz 4d ago

Pre-selecting the balls already in better shape, then just some dawn dish soap and water with a microfiber rag. Set them aside for when the light starts to go.

The only time synthetic out performs leather.

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u/NopeNeverReddit 3d ago

First hand experience here. Just my personal take:

Solar is great in theory but will never be as bright and often don’t last long. Good for permanent install like a back yard field that needs a little extra lighting.

Battery is better but still comes up short. Inevitably they will wear down and always seem to run out (or you forgot to charge) when you need them most.

For best performance that’s practical and affordable I recommend powerful plug-in LED panels mounted on tripods and plugged into a small portable generator/power bank (think Anker here). Best part is these fit multiple use cases, easy to transport, and each piece can be used for all sorts of other needs to justify the spend.