Milwaukee goes deep in the LED work light category with options on their M18 and M12 platforms along with RedLithium USB personal lighting and even some traditional alkaline powered options. The Milwaukee M18 Lantern is one of their most versatile in terms of its ability to easily crossover from your professional needs to your recreational ones.
Pros
- Clean, accurate light output
- Good lumen output for its size
- 180° – 360° lighting adjustment
- 2.1 A USB charging port
Cons
- No major drawbacks
Recommendations
If you’re the kind of Pro that works in low or no light and loves to spend time outdoors in your free time, this is the light you’ve been waiting for.
Milwaukee M18 Lantern Feature Set
Area or Flood Lighting?
A simple twist of the color near the base of the light allows you to shift the LED’s anywhere from 180° to 360°. You’ll get a satisfying click when you reach either extreme. It’s a really handy feature that allows you to light an entire area or direct the light to just one direction (no, not the band).
Modes and Output
You get 4 modes to work with on the Milwaukee M18 Lantern. Pressing the power button on the front cycles through high (700 lumens), medium (350 lumens), and low (100 lumens). There’s also a 700-lumen strobe hiding in there. Press and hold the power button to get it going.
As one of Milwaukee’s TrueView products, the light is clean and allows you to see all colors accurately.
Using a 4.0 Ah battery, you can expect up to 10 hours of runtime on high, 20 on medium, and 100 on low. Strobe should last around 16 hours.
700 lumens may not seem like a lot for a work light, particularly one that’s functioning as an area light. For its size, though, that’s plenty. The design intent is clearly focusing on smaller areas and close tasks, not lighting up larger spaces like the 9000-lumen Radius does.
Device Charging
Whether you’re on the job site or the campsite, there’s a USB charging port on the back. It gives you fast 2.1-amp charging from the battery.
Hanging Around
Two stainless steel hooks at the top come together to form a handle. The pivoting design means you use just one hook to hang the light or both two set it on a line or cable. There’s even an indentation in the center of each hook to help it balance evenly on a nail or line.
Protection
The clear, impact resistant lens is just that – a clear protector for the LEDs without any focusing or diffusing properties. The whole light earns an IP54 rating, meaning you have reasonable resistance to dust and water, but it’s not waterproof.
Price and Value
The only other lights similar in design to this are all on the outdoor side of the aisle, so there’s really no direct comparison within the power tool industry. Even in the outdoor arena, it’s a pretty unique design. That said, the $79 price tag comes across as fair pricing considering its feature set and output.
The Bottom Line
The Milwaukee M18 Lantern is a good all around area/flood light for smaller workspaces. It’s a really attractive option for Pros that want some crossover into their recreational activities.
Milwaukee M18 Lantern Key Features
- 700 lumens of TrueView high definition output
- 2.1 A USB charger for tablets, smartphones, and other electronic devices
- Four modes: high, medium, low, and strobe
- 180° – 360° adjustable beam allows you to select between area and task lighting
- Impact resistant lens and IP54 rated
- Two stainless steel hooks to use as a hook or a handle
Milwaukee M18 Lantern Specifications
- Model: Milwaukee 2363-20
- Power Source: Milwaukee M18 battery
- Output: 700/350/70 lumens
- Estimated Runtime: 10/20/100/16 (strobe) hours
- Height: 11.5″
- Weight: 1.2 pounds without battery
- Price: $77.95
- Warranty: Lifetime LED, 5-year product
