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[55fossil]

    Well, my eyes are getting old and I just cannot see the damn cabochon when I put it up to the grinding wheels anymore! The light included with the Cab King is fine if you only use the middle two wheels. The snake arm has very limited reach as you can see in the pictures.
*** The pictures do not show a huge difference, but there is. If you are having a hard time seeing your stone while cabbing you may want to try this. It has made a huge difference for me.     
SO, I added two LED light bars that have magnets to hold them to the metal bars which are included. The bars have double sided tape that really holds well. The pictures show I attached the metal bars to the clear plastic view screen on each set of wheels. The light from the LED's shines right down on the wheels and I can now see the Cabochon I am cutting. The light does not hit me in the eyes but shines right where I need it!!!!
     The light bars have 3 brightness levels and on/off positions. With the magnets you can just pop them off when you want for cleaning or whatever. They were under $20 each but you could buy just one and move it from one side to the other. So good to be able to see what I am doing again.
Pictures:
1: CabKing8 showing range of snake light and installed LED lights.
2: Poorly lit cabochon with snake light
3: Well lit cabochon with LED light
4: metal plate for LED magnets to attach to
PS:   I love the CabKing for several reasons. I have fresh water supply with drain. The 8 inch wheels are well separated so you can get old arthritic hands room to work.

[lithicbeads]

Nice!

[Enchantra]

Nice fix to your situation!   
LED lights have become to reasonable in price more recently that I have been able to readily obtain grow lights that are LED daylight.  It's amazing.

[R.U. Sirius]

Very happy to see this topic discussed. Illumination is a really important aspect of any manual creative work. Hobbyists tend to neglect it, much like other ergonomic issues. There is a lot to be learned from professionals such as watchmakers, dentists, and surgeons. People have figured it all out, from ideal intensity of light (usually 500-1000 lux) to contrast between the workpiece and the background (no shiny, no black, no white work areas), to geometry of the light source depending on the task.

I like bright lights. Some of it should be diffuse, from the overall well-lit room, but on top of it I think a harsh, directional light is desirable at the wheels. This way I can notice defects, scratches and fractures much better, especially when I dry the stone surface when inspecting it.

Judging the final polish is again a different game. A lot to learn from auto paint industry - in factories they have tunnels with series of overhead illuminated slits or LED strips to help notice any deformities and blemishes by observing reflections. For a rockhound, a simple fluorescent fixture with three tubes will do, without the diffuser panel. If you observe their reflection while slowly rocking the cab, you will be able to notice deviations from the ideal curvature, flat spots, and other problems.