Dewalt’s new lineup of FlexVolt tools are extremely appealing. I previously wrote about the new Dewalt Portable Power Station in my 5 Hot Tools from the Dewalt Media Event post, and am currently working on the review. Like the Dewalt Portable Power Station, this new LED area worklight, DCL070, is rather innovative and came out of the blue.
It looks large, and that’s because it is. I had limited time with it at the Dewalt media event, and by limited time, I mean I snapped some photos and hit the power button a few times.
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The Dewalt DCL070 is very different from the Ridgid wobble-like LED area light I recently reviewed. Actually, it’s very different from any LED worklight I have ever seen. It’s unlike anything that’s currently on the market.
Before we talk more about, let’s talk about its battery pack compatibility. Although described as part of the Dewalt FlexVolt cordless power tool family, it is also a 20V Max tool that can work off Dewalt’s higher capacity battery packs and presumably their compact batteries as well.
The DCL070 is BRIGHT. It can deliver up to 7,000 lumens, and can be dimmed to as low as 500 lumens, which is in the ballpark of what a typical 40W equivalent LED bulb puts out. This makes it extremely bright, but also manageable.
You can control everything through the onboard control panel, but the Dewalt FlexVolt LED area worklight can also be controlled via a Bluetooth-connect smartphone.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Dewalt DCL070 compares with the Milwaukee M18 Radius LED worklight with One Key controls. There’s a big difference in size and intent between these two models, with smartphone controllability being one of the few commonalities, but it’s still a comparison I’m looking forward to seeing.
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See Also: Dewalt FlexVolt vs. Milwaukee M18 High Demand, Which is Better?
The Dewalt FlexVolt DCL070 LED area light can be powered by a standard AC extension cord, and of course battery power is an option. Here, you can see the worklight’s battery compartment lid, lifted so that a FlexVolt battery pack can fit inside.
Oh, and that extension cord power option? Each unit has pass-thru connections, so that you can daisy chain multiple DCL070 LED lights together. Maybe you can plug in something else (I doubt it), but it would have to be light duty.
The DCL070 is shown with a 20V Max 5.0Ah Li-ion battery pack being loaded, which means any high capacity Dewalt battery pack could fit. As for their compact battery packs, that remains to be seen. But if you’re buying one of these, you likely already have some other Dewalt tools and high capacity battery packs.
If not, consider the starter kit, which comes with a FlexVolt battery pack.
You can lock out the battery compartment, which I guess could be useful when setting up in public or publicly-accessibly work spaces.
Dewalt engineered the DCL070 to be weatherproof, to IP54 standards. IP54 means it is dust protected, but not entirely dustproof, and can withstand splashes of water.
And because users might sometimes need multiple units, the Dewalt DC070 FlexVolt area worklight can be stacked on top of each other for easier storage.
Price: $399 for the bare tool, $499 for the kit
Buy Now(Bare Tool via Amazon)
Buy Now(Kit via Amazon)
First Thoughts
I remember noting that the DCL070 area worklight put out a LOT of light. I didn’t have an opportunity to try out the Bluetooth controls, which would work with a Dewalt Connect app, and I remember there being dimming and directional adjustments.
I don’t recall any mentions of runtime, but using the directional settings and lower light output levels will stretch things out. It’s also a convenience to be able to string together multiple worklights via common extension cords.
These lights are pricey, and unless I’m mistaken, they’re the more expensive cordless-capable LED worklights on the market. Festool’s wired SysLite Duo with tripod comes close, at $435.
But you do get a lot for your money. In person, and in Dewalt’s product imagery, these lights look tough and durable. You have massive light output, up to 360° of light spread, control over brightness levels and illumination directions, and remote control via Bluetooth. There’s also the cordless and corded power options, and daisy chainability with extension cords.
There are cheaper options out there, and many other Dewalt models to choose from, but none can deliver the full feature set of the DCL070. Yet? As mentioned, the Milwaukee M18 Radius with One-Key might come close.
BigDan
Thats pretty slick, but that price for a lantern is a little steep. Feels like theres a lot of wasted space on that unit for the size which could be taken advantage of, like a stereo or storage compartment or lasers. Would be good to know if they can mount onto a 2×4 or 4×4 in addition to themselves for better maneuverability on the site?
Travis
This is the best write up of the DCL070 I have seen yet. There hasn’t been much information out on these since the media event. It seem not many people spent much time with them, I mean, there were a few other cool FlexVolt tools stealing the show.
I can’t wait to see and feel these in person. I can definitely see a need and use for these. Are there any mounting options for hanging the light from above (like the Milwaukee Radius)?
Stuart
Dewalt had these mounted overhead to demonstrate the remote control capabilities, but I asked and was told they’re really designed for floor use.
It could possibly be rigged for 2x mounting, but it’s hard to say without turning one over in front of me.
These lights won’t be available until maybe January.
JMG
Sorry, but for four hundred dollars, I think I would want it to sing and dance too. I just don’t see the value in it’s price point.
The yeti
Ya I can’t figure out how this isn’t 250 or even 179 . 500 bucks ? That’s a truck payment
Adam
I am going to surmise that it doesn’t charge batteries, otherwise that would have probably been called out.
But dang, 7000 lumens! I just said I thought Dewalt was slow for new tools (and still do), but this is pretty slick.
Labeda
Yes, it does charge all their 20V max batteries when plugged in. That can be seen in the image with the locked door. Has the label on it just like a charger.
Mr. Creek
I remember reading someplace, that when this is plugged in it also charges the battery. Correct me if I’m wrong.
Nate
Still nothing to beat the Ryobi LED light on the market @ $69!
Bertil
Crikey! Looks like a brilliant unit, I wonder how much we’re going to get stung for one down here in Australia.
Have been doing construction site labouring, so I can see the absolute value of one, and even 400usd seems pretty decent to me, so long as the runtime on lower modes is outstanding.
Would be excellent if you could charge batteries whilst using AC mains, I love my dewy corded/cordless vacuum but wish it could do that little bit extra.
Also, I really wish that some solid flexvolt reviews would show up, I haven’t been able to find anything recent in my searches the other day, I want field reports before I start investing
Nate818
Include a radio that takes Bluetooth
Steven
There we go!! Now thats an idea
What i hate about new tools lately is that they are all generally one purpose use only.
-light
-charger
-radio and or bt speaker.
Than I could understand a premium number
Koko The Talking Ape
That R2 unit is in prime condition!
Ryan
This is an absolutely absurd product. It’s way oversized and overpriced. With battery It costs more than the festool but puts out a 1,000 less lumens, takes up far more space and has basically the same tech as the m18 radius light, and no alternative mounting options. The stacking photo shows that the base is mostly hollow. It would have been nice if they had designed the light/battery portion as a separate component, a unit similar in size to the radius light, able to be removed from the base for mounting inverted on the ceiling. Come to think of it, if Milwaukee just bundled a special tripod for the radius light it would have all the functionality this has and more in a fraction of the space. Granted, the Dewalt is 7k lumens and the radius is 4400.
Barri
There was a few reason I went for the DUO even after seeing the dewalt and Milwaukee. Ignoring the cordless features as I already have cordless lights for tight areas like lofts and crawl spaces.
1. Size – the festool light is extremely compact for its lumen output.
2. Built in cord and storage – hate losing a cord just to power a light. Cord is long too.
3. Mounting options – the base can mount to anything with just a couple of screws.
4. Tripod accessorie – very handy if you want the light nice and high but portable to move from room to room and it’s a very nice quality tripod too and can take up a large area to be extra stable or smaller to fit through stud bays. That was one of my biggest issues with the wobble lights were they didn’t fit through a joist bay. It also acts as a laser tripod when I need it too as well.
The issue I see with these cordless lights is they take up too much room. I could get 3 duo’s in an area the size of one dewalt. Like the wobble lights they just take up way more room than they need to and they serve only one purpose. I’m not sure why they have to be so large.
Tim
This is a handy statement as I was just looking at the Syslite duo and think it fits my needs.
Dewalt has convinced me here that festool doesn’t want too much for a light.
neil
I think DeWalt is a little behind Milwaukee in the LED cordless light department, and maybe this is an attempt to take things to the next level?
Personally I would like to see a more compact work light, something comparable to 2360-20 TRUEVIEW LED HP Flood Light from Milwaukee. 3000/1500/650 lumens. That’s more of what I would like to see from DeWalt.
This light seems good for its task, but maybe DeWalt just skipped a step/segment.
( I have the 20v stick light, and love it….just want a 20v flood with higher lumens)
Jason
Yea Milwaukee is at a whole other level when it comes the lighting in the market. Even though their stuff isn’t cheap either!!
Nathan
is one of the functions to blink/strobe? because I see a make shift construction cone too. – especially with that stacked picture.
I’d have to see the light in person and in use – IE put that in a garage like you did the Ridgid light and let’s see what it does and if that’s useful.
I love my DCL061. you can power a tool off it – and I bet you can off of these lights too. something like a capacitor to even out current – perhaps a 14amp limit or something. It would be interesting to see what the light needs off a power cord.
charging would be nice but I can see why it wouldn’t.
Ryan
That’d be one hell of an expensive set of traffic cones
Tom Mix
The battery does charge when plugged in to AC.
The light above the battery compartment door illuminates red just like the chargers do to indicated charge status
Jerry
It’s probably a great light, but my current work truck didn’t cost any more than that.
Nathan S
So I was recently at an Amish (yes, Amish!) bakery in southern Ohio, and they were lighting their store with one of these.