We’ve already covered all of the new Packout system additions that Milwaukee revealed in the second installment of their Pipeline, but we’d like to take a closer look at the M18 Packout worklight and battery charger they teased at the end of the presentation.
This new Milwaukee M18 light and charger takes the space of two compact Packout organizers on a stack or more precisely it measures 16.9” x 9.8” x 8.7”.
It features three Rover-style rotating light heads and a compartment with a single M18 charger that is compatible with the entire line of M18 cordless power tool batteries.
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What’s more is that it incorporates a USB charging port into a separate compartment. Both charging compartments are IP54-rated with the doors closed. An IP54 rating means that is protected from limited dust ingress and water spray from any direction.
It also has an AC plug that can power both the lights and charger simultaneously – you’ll need to supply your own standard-style extension cord. Alternatively, the lights (and the USB charger) can be powered by any M18 battery.
Both the lights and charger are designed to be used either on or off the Packout stack, although some of the maneuverability of the lights will be lost if you stack a box on top.
The Lights
This Packout box has three different light panels featuring Milwaukee’s TrueView technology: one larger panel with 36 LEDs and two smaller side panels with 9 LEDs each. The panels are attached to arms that rotate 180° and all three panels swivel almost 360° on each arm.
Both the larger main panel light and the two smaller side lights can be operated independently or together at low, medium, or high brightness, giving you 9 different illumination modes. Milwaukee has provided the above chart, listing each mode with it’s Lumen rating and estimated runtime using an M18 XC5.0 battery.
All of these setting are operated by two different buttons, one that toggles the configuration of the lights, and the other that toggles through the different illumination modes. At the highest brightness setting with all of the panels at full power, the light can output a total of 3000 lumens and run for 4 hours on a fully charged XC5.0 battery. At the lowest setting with only the side panels lit, the light can output 325 lumens and run for an estimated 31 hours on the same battery.
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The Chargers
The M18 charger delivers a 3A charging current — the standard Milwaukee charging rate. This means that a 5Ah battery would take approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes to charge while the M18 HD12.0 would take about 4 hours to charge.
In the rear compartment lives the USB charger, which can deliver 2.1A for charging your phone or other device. That black rectangle next to the USB port is an on button. When you press that button, it will turn on the USB charger for 2 hours, after which it automatically turns off.
The compartment itself is 7.3″ x 3.9″ x 4″, and so you should be able to squeeze in your super-sized Galaxy Note 20 Ultra or iPhone 11 Pro Max smartphone inside with the charging cable attached and shut the door.
Price and Availability
Milwaukee expects that the 2357-20 M18 Packout light and charger should be available October 2020. Several retailers currently offering preorders are claiming they will ship mid November 2020. Right now it looks like it will only be sold as a bare tool for $199.
Price: $199
Available: October 2020
Buy Now via Acme Tools
Buy Now via Tool Nut
Discussion
This new Milwaukee Packout accessory is clearly meant to be a light primarily with the convenience of a built-in charger (with a USB charger thrown in to boot). With a standard charging rate of 3A, it clearly isn’t meant to replace your jobsite chargers, because charging even Milwaukee smallest 3Ah battery will take an hour.
Since the box is IP54 rated, I’m curious to see how Milwaukee handles cooling or venting with the charger. This could be one reason they limited charging to 3 amps, to potentially avoid needing to engineer the Packout Light and Charger with vent holes or added complexity of active cooling. Other Milwaukee lighting products also feature built-in chargers, such as the M18 Rocket tower light/charger, but they don’t appear to have IP ratings.
The cordless + AC hybrid power option is a welcome touch that many users consider a must-have. It would still be nice to see a Packout-compatible dedicated super charger or even a dual rapid charger that could begin to keep up with the charging demands of moderate tool use, although that might present its own issues.
With this only being Milwaukee’s third M18 cordless power tool system and Packout tool storage system mashup, it is very possible that a premium fast charger or multi-port charger is still in the works. In the meantime, the worklight features are the star of the show here, with the “standard” charging rate being slow but useful.
For what you get, this Packout accessory seems pretty competitively priced compared to Milwaukee’s other Packout and lighting products. For instance, an M18 Rover light gives you 1500 lumens and costs about $100. Here, you get double that output, M18 charging, USB charging, and Packout compatibility for $200.
Evadman
Why would you not want the USB port active at all times, or at least when something is plugged in? A sense circuit is cheap, but without it, I would prefer to be powered all the time. If standby power draw is a concern, then keep it on for the length of a normal workday.
Can the USB charger run from either wall power or a battery? I often use my M12 (and dewalt) batteries as USB chargers for my phone and tablet.
Stuart
It’s possible that it could drain the battery over time.
I have another brand’s battery USB charging adapter, and if you leave it attached to a battery it’ll keep draining the battery until low voltage shutoff, even with no USB cord or device attached.
I’d think the USB charger would work whenever the worklight is connected to a power source of either kind.
Chris S
Can’t believe they don’t hype up the compartment as something big enough to carry a spare battery.
Based on Milwaukee’s dimensions…
https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/Batteries-and-Chargers/M18-Batteries-and-Chargers/48-11-1812#sp-specs
…the M18 12AH battery should “just” fit.
Though I wonder if the compartment dimensions you list include that usb bump, if not, you might be limited to 8AH batteries and smaller. Still pretty useful for someone that wants to carry a spare battery with them.
I really like almost every M18 light that Milwaukee has offered lately. Their only drawbacks are generally the price (and sometimes weight), but a home depot deal of the day with a “free” battery will make this light at $200 easier to splurge on.
Benjamen
That’s a good idea, you could fit a 5Ah battery and a phone pretty easily.
Yeah, I know Milwaukee lights are pricey, but knowing you are going to get something that renders pretty true colors and not that bluish garbage that so many other LED lights project is worth it for me.
I just bought one of the 3 AAA Milwaukee (2104) headlights for camping, because accurate color is really important for cooking in the dark (at least for me). Previously I had a headlamp with an incandescent bulb just for that task, that lasted about 2 hours max.
I’ve been really impressed with just how bright and even the beam from the headlamp is and probably won’t even bother bringing another flashlight — well maybe a backup, because I’m that person.
Nathan
It’s a nifty idea. especially if you are in packout already. ONly real concern I would have is how you would use it well if you didn’t have the packout setup to place it on.
Seems a bit awkward otherwise. Otherwise really neat idea. – like the charger setup but also wonder about the Usb power options.
Now I’m not in team red – but I will say team yellow needs to pay attention to this.
Plain grainy
I would have liked to see a remote with this light.
Adam
Can someone explain the math on the total lumens? One main @ 1500, and two secondary @ 1000. Isn’t that 3,500 total?
Hey Milwaukee how does that bohemoth of a phone charge? That’s right it’s 2020, and USB-C is all the rage. Add a 2nd port!
While typing this, I’m thinking how cool would it be to have a USB-C port capable of powering a laptop on a M18 product.
Plain grainy
My guess is power available. They have higher output(lumens) when run separately. When they all are run at once, the higher power draw reduces the output.
Tojen1981
Agreed. USB-C/PD would be a nice feature. You could charge your m18 battery with it (though it would be slow) or use the m18 battery to charge other electronics. Just seems Milwaukee isn’t taking big enough steps here.
Plain grainy
The Packout radio has the USB 2.1 charger, but not the two hour charge button.
Benjamen
Our Milwaukee contact likened it to the M12 power source, which I know turns off at some point, but I don’t know the timing on that device.
Scott K
spelling & grammar notes:
“USB charging post” should be “USB charging port”
“might present it’s own issues” should be “might present its own issues”
Feel free to delete this comment when it’s no longer necessary.
Benjamen
Fixed. Thank you!
Plain grainy
My Grammar wouldn’t care if I used it or it’s. She was just glad I didn’t eat the ink pen.
Plain grainy
Could have been reffering to the Adams family character cousin It. Which would have made it a possessive, where It’’s was correct.
Plain grainy
Actually the Addams family, cousin ITT.
Dennis Janowicz
You know what he meant. Blow stick
Stuart
Isn’t it better to suggest a correction than to let an error ride for days, months, or years before Ben or myself noticed? Corrections or error alerts are always appreciated.
Plain grainy
I was just teasing. It was actually a nice gesture to point those things out.
Plain grainy
There was mention of more battery storage. Acme sells Stealth battery dock/ mounts to add storage adaption.
L3
New M12 Light/Power Source/Charger found this morning while perusing HD:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-M12-ROVER-12-Volt-Lithium-Ion-700-Lumens-Compact-Pivoting-Flood-Light-With-Charger-and-Portable-Power-Source-2367-20/314746266