Milwaukee introduced several new lighting products at their 2016 New Product Symposium, and two of them will be on the market shortly. The M12 metal flashlight which Stuart already previewed in April should be out at the end of this month (June), and the M18 Radius Compact Site light should be here next month (July 2016).
Both of these lights feature Milwaukee’s TrueView technology. TrueView uses advanced LEDs to get a consistent or uniform beam. The color temperature is also carefully chosen to reproduce colors accurately.
Advertisement
I had a chance to see both of these lights in action at Milwaukee’s 2016 New Product Symposium. Here’s a closer look at the metal-bodied M12 LED flashlight. We’ll discuss the M18 Radius light a little later.
See More Milwaukee NPS16 Tool Preview Coverage
From Stuart’s preview we already knew the size (9″ long and 2.5″), the construction (6000 series aluminum, with a Type II anodized finish), and the runtime with an M12 XC 4.0Ah battery:
- High mode (800 lumens): 5 hours
- Low mode (325 lumens): 7 hours
- Strobe mode (800 lumens): 7 hours
Runtime specs for the XC 4.0Ah battery is a bit strange, considering that the demo flashlights at the show, as well as all media images, show the flashlight being paired with compact 1.5Ah or 2.0Ah battery packs. The flashlight kit will also be bundled with a 1.5Ah battery.
With these smaller capacity batteries, the actual run times should be half as specified, and that’s if you go with the 2.0Ah battery. We also won’t mention how silly the light will look with the XC 4.0 battery hanging out the back.
Even so, if 5 hours with an M12 XC 4.0Ah battery pack means around 2.5 hours of runtime with a 2.0Ah battery pack, at the high output setting, that’s not bad. We’ve seen some handheld flashlights top out at under an hour of runtime when used at their high output settings, and that was nowhere near the 800 lumens this flashlight is said to pump out.
Advertisement
The power button is independent from the mode selection button, making it easier and more convenient to operate the light and change output modes. Have you ever been frustrated with a flashlight that forced you to cycle through several modes before getting to the one you actually wanted to use it at? Not with this one!
You can slide the head of the flashlight, rather than twisting it, to adjust the beam angle. Adjustments range from a wide flood light to a tight spot-style beam.
When the light is in spot mode, it can cast a beam of up to 375 yards. In flood mode, the flashlight casts a wide and evenly lit beam. The flashlight is sealed, for an IP54 rating for dust and water resistance. It weighs a hefty 1.2 lbs.
The bare flashlight will be priced at $99, and is due out this month, while a kit with a 1.5Ah RedLithium battery and charger will cost $149 and should be released next month.
You can still pre-order the bare flashlight at Acme tools for $99.
Price: bare flashlight $99, kit $149.
Buy Now(via Acme Tools)
Despite its unusual hourglass-shaped ergonomics, Milwaukee’s new M12 LED flashlight seems to offer many advantages compared to traditional handheld flashlights.
First Thoughts
After having held the flashlight, I can say that I like it. It feels good in the hand and is well constructed. Sliding the head forward and backward to change from spot to flood light took me a while to get used to, but the action feels smooth and solid with no slop.
I think this flashlight faces a few hurdles though. First, it’s expensive for a flashlight; there are many great flashlights out there that can be had for half the price of this one, or even less. Second, for a flashlight this big, you’d expect a longer run time.
Drew M
IP54 means that it is essentially not sealed. However, getting a light to seal tightly with a push-pull focusing mechanism is very difficult.
TrueView means they might be using high CRI LEDs but I doubt it. I bet they’re around a CRI of 80 with a color temp selected to not make everything look strange.
This is probably the closest competition for a runtime comparison…
http://goinggear.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/s/r/sr52ut-launch-en10_1.jpg
Adam
I don’t know how you could consider it sealed with the battery. Maybe the light itself is, but I never believed the battery to be sealed for water.
Drew M
To be completely honest, I might be more interested in this if I didn’t already have a bunch of Bosch 12v stuff and a Fenix FD-40.
That said, I think this is probably one of the best flashlights to come from a tool company. I just hope the aluminum body is fairly thick to make it darn near indestructable and the performance is excellent.
I’ll be very surprised if someone tests it and it actually stays at 800lm without a stepdown. Lights that focus are harder to design with the heatsinking required for the LED. But maybe that’s why Milwaukee chose 800lm on high instead of 1000+lm.
OnTheWeb
$100 is a big swallow for a bring-your-own-battery flashlight, I don’t care who makes it.
Pete
My thought exactly. I love mikwaukee but i love lights more. I can get a smaller light that is as powerful and actually water resistant that is rechargable for under that price.
I can see service techs using it because you can always have a battery and a spare or two on you but its not for me at that price. MAYBE if it was $60 or $100 with the light and battery and charger. I dont really care that its once peice billet aluminum, the weak point is the battery getting wet or broken.
OnTheWeb
Hopefully the price will drop quickly. I’m pretty happy with the M12 lantern from Milwaukee, but that was slightly innovative. There are a zillion flashlights out there.
Jay k.
They have new m12 batteries coming out which will make the light last even longer…
Richie
It sure is ugly.
Ryan
I like the look until you stick a battery in it- then it just doesn’t look right. The plastic battery with the modern anodized maglight look just seems like an afterthought. I wish it had a sealed internal (replaceable) battery that could be recharged by sticking the end into the m12 charger
JC
I agree, looks great w/o battery. They really should have found a way to conceal it.
Doug
I’m reading lots of negative comments, so in defense of Milwaukee – two points. The light from their m12 lantern really is spectacular, so it is at least possible that this flashlight will have superior color to Fenix, Olight, etc. Also, most ~$100 and under flashlights have a peak output above 800 lumens, but only for a few minutes, after which they drop to the 400-500 lumen range. So, if Milwaukee’s can put out 800 lumens for several hours, that will set it apart.
Eric
And a lot of those lights your talking about will fit in your pocket. If your willing to get a little bigger there are several lights the size of a pop can that will put out 2000+ lumens in Turbo and maintain 800+ lumens for hours. If your not a flashlight enthusiast I’m sure this light will look impressive. But for those of us that are, this light is pretty unimpressive in it’s specs.
Jerry
Does it have a flat spot so it won’t keep rolling off the bench?
KokoTheTalkingApe
I have to say, I don’t need a flashlight. The rare times I need one, I use a camping-style headlamp. Keeps the hands free, which is a huge advantage. The only disadvantage might be that the beam being very close to your eyes means that you hardly see any shadows, which can affect depth perception slightly.
Mine happens to be a Princeton Tec EOS. It takes three AAAs, and it is plenty powerful enough. If I were buying a new one, I might go for one with a slightly wider, broader pattern.
Ben
Gotta love all the genius comments asking why Milwaukee couldn’t make this exactly like every other darn flashlight on the market. It will look silly with a bigger battery? Are you serious? Who cares! Plug it in to recharge? Just what the world needs – yet another light that works for a couple of hours then has to go home for a rest.
I’m an emergency responder and I’ve been waiting for something like this for years. Finally, a serious LED flashlight option with easy modular batteries. Big win. Carry a couple of spares, maybe a charger in the car, and you have light all night. No fiddling with dismantling things in the dark, just pull the dead one off, stick the new one on and get back to work. Fuel gauge? Brilliant. Spot and flood? Seriously handy. USB power source that runs off the same batteries? Priceless.
True that better IP would be good, but I’ll bite your hand off for one of these now and hope that the next gen is fully submersible.
JeffC_VT
I’ve had mine for about a month and I’m very pleased with it. I’ve had a lot of flashlights over the years and this is my favorite larger-than-belt-carry light I’ve found. I got mine as a bare tool packaged with a Hardline knife for $99. The knife is $59 by itself, so I thought it was a great deal! The knife is awesome too. They probably still have some of those packages out there somewhere online.
Marc
Awesome product! Use it for helicopter maintenance and hiking/working in the bush, I always have m12 batteries around from other tools so my works is always bright.