Milwaukee Low Profile Headlamp Puts Alkaline Batteries To Bed
We’ve been looking forward to the release of Milwaukee’s Low Profile Headlamp since we saw it at the New Product Symposium this past year. Unlike your clunky, alkaline-powered headlamps, this one runs on a rechargeable RedLithium USB battery.
Pros
- Slim front profile
- Comfortable strap on bare heads and universal clips keep it from going anywhere on a hard hat
- IP54 rated
- 6-foot drop-tested
- Rechargeable lithium-ion power source sits on the back of the strap
Cons
- No major drawbacks
Recommendation
Milwaukee makes it pretty easy for us to recommend the Low Profile Headlamp, and the design is really what makes it work. It’s a do-everything headlamp that’s a great fit for hard hats and bare heads with enough output for nearly any job or outdoor adventure.
Low Rider
The Milwaukee Low Profile Headlamp has been designed to sit close against your head. By putting the battery around the back of the strap, the bulk of the headlamp stays out of the way.
This design also manages weight distribution better. Rather than feeling front-heavy like your typical headlamp does, the Low Profile model puts the weight in a more manageable spot. Granted, most headlamps aren’t going to break your neck with an overabundance of weight anyway, but this design does feel more comfortable to wear for long stretches.
Putting the battery at the back of your head means you have a wire running from the lamp to the battery, but Milwaukee straps it down and it stays pretty tight against your head.
The light itself is only 1″ thick and hugs your forehead really closely. It stays out of your field of vision, yet, with its 125° flood beam, manages to light a wide area in front of you.
It also features a hinge if you need to angle the light down toward your hands. With a hard hat brim, you’ll lose some range of motion from the hinge, but otherwise, it can swing a little short of 90°.
Milwaukee Low Profile Headlamp Light Quality and Runtime
The Milwaukee Low Profile Headlamp has 4 different settings of TrueView light. This is Milwaukee’s proprietary “high definition” light…which basically means that rather than lean to either the cool or the warm side of the color spectrum, the light output on this headlamp sits right at neutral. This simulates midday sunlight, giving whatever it is you light a true representation of its color.
The four settings are a high, 600-lumen setting, a medium, 350-lumen setting, a low, 125-lumen setting, and an Eco mode, which fires off 25 lumens. In terms of runtime, you can expect 2 hours worth of the high setting, 6 hours at medium, 10 hours at low, and 27 hours at Eco.
When you do run out of juice, recharging via the included USB cable is pretty quick. Milwaukee says that the Low Profile Headlamp will get back to a 50% charge in under 30 minutes, 80% in under an hour, and back to full in under 2 hours. The battery compartment also includes a fuel gauge to let you know where you’re at.
The Milwaukee Low Profile Headlamp is IP54 rated against water and dust intrusion, and it’s drop rated at 6 feet. It also features a corrosion-resistant body and lens.
It comes with a micro USB cable for charging and 4 hard hat clips that fit universal hard hat slots.
Pricing
The Milwaukee Low Profile Headlamp runs just under $70. That might seem like a premium if you’re coming from the alkaline world, but it’s actually a very competitive price in the 600-lumen rechargeable class.
Milwaukee 2115-21 Bottom Line
Milwaukee makes it pretty easy for us to recommend the Low Profile Headlamp, and the design is really what makes it work. With the battery positioned on the back of your head, it feels balanced and comfortable on both hard hats and bare heads. It produces a good bit of light where you need it, and its compact design allows it to do its job unobtrusively.
But, perhaps the standout feature here is its rechargeability. I love being able to ditch the AAA’s. Plugging the headlamp in at the end of the day is a whole lot less obnoxious than having to keep a stockpile of batteries close by. It charges up pretty quickly too.
However, folks that need a lot of light across the entire workday might want to invest in a second battery. At full brightness, you’re only going to get a couple hours of runtime. But you’ll do most of your hands-on work in low, which still cranks out 125 lumens for 10 hours. Overall, the Milwaukee Low Profile Headlamp is a good fit for anyone working in dim or dark conditions regularly.
Milwaukee Low Profile Headlamp Specifications
- Model Number: Milwaukee 2115-21
- Length: 3.66″
- Height: 1.42″
- Width: 1.22″
- Weight: 0.41 lbs
- Power Source: Milwaukee RedLithium USB battery
- Warranty: Limited Lifetime Warranty on Light; 2-Year Warranty on Battery
- Price: $69.99
