Milwaukee M18 Rocket Light vs Stand Light Review
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- čas přidán 9. 09. 2024
- Home Depot:
Rocket Light: homedepot.sjv....
Stand Light (upgraded model): homedepot.sjv....
Model number for the Rocket light is 2135-20, and for the Stand light is 2130-20.
Thanks to Home Depot and Milwaukee for providing a sample in exchange for my unfiltered opinion.
Thanks for your review. I ended up getting a stand light because of cost. Put the savings towards the Milwaukee M18 shop vac. Stand Lights are going for $249 at HD with a charger and 5.0 battery. Also they upgraded the clamps on the stand light. Look exactly like the clamps on the rocket light.
Yeah, I had the same thoughts on price. I also didn't know they had changed the clamps on the stand light - that's great news!
Not even two weeks later I upgraded to the Rocket Light. Stand light is great, but was in home depot over the weekend and the rocket light was $299! Upgraded in a heartbeat after I put my eyes back in. The stand light was going for $199 which is also a great deal.
Which should I buy??
I like the versatility of the rocket light best. This was the first time ive seen one of your videos. i must say i was very impressed with your detailed review. You covered everything. Well thought out , executed and edited. Good job!
Thanks, glad it was helpful!
Extremely thorough review, answered questions I didn't even know I had.
Finally someone with a good review on these two products side by side! Thanks for showing!
Glad I could help! Just so you know, they've recently upgraded the single head light to 2500 lumens, with an AC power inlet too. Still doesn't charge the batteries though.
@@DoresoomReviews Thanks for the update! Good to know!
Can u fit the 12ah battery in both of these or does it only fit up to the 9ah?
The 12Ah doesn't quite fit. Milwaukee does offer a free upgrade program to retrofit these to take a 12Ah battery though, all you have to do is supply the box for shipping. Go to www.milwaukeetool.com/eService, input the model number, and select "Upgrade to allow for 12.0 batteries" in the problem description. Everything that's manufactured after July this year should already include the upgrade.
I just purchased the rocket light and used it a few hours. Then I saw your review. Oops. lol. I noticed the same gripes with the balance and I figured out that if you turn the unit around with the light head facing the back of you, carry the main handle like you would a grocery bag (arm straight and to the side), and 1: Stick your fingers in the bottom grate slots under the battery compartment or 2: put your palm under the bottom base; it carries fine and is easy to support. You just have to be careful where you fishtail the business end of the unit. Or carry it like a light-zooka. Unfortunately, the unit is still like 5 lbs heavier than the previous tower and weighs about 21 lbs 14 oz w/9.0 batt. on my scale.
I also own the Rover m18 floodlight since I wanted another light I can plug in, which is the big selling point of the new tower. I've found the light output to appear the same in one smaller room (indoors shooting up at the ceiling. They are both rated at 3000 lumens), but the Rover looked slightly brighter in another room.
I bought it because I wanted it for a job and the free 9.0 battery + rapid charger promo is going on now. Otherwise it's a hard sell. I think the Rocket is the closest you can get to having a physical person holding a flashlight for you in multiple positions and spaces + a full-on floodlight + plug in runtime (or 9.0 HD batts) = no more excuses for not doing work.
the thing about the 2+ hours is that with greater capacity batteries, you're going to be discharging them more slowly. the lower draw rates actually improve capacity. so you're probably looking at an extra 10-20% power. Test it with your 5AH battery to see for yourself.
Excellent comparison! Good job.
Thank you for the review. I bought the Trueview LED Stand Light (Tool only) at Canadian Home Depot for $82.25! Out of Stock online, but was able to find one in a local store. A great versatile light.
That's a killer deal!
Thanks for the great review! It certainly helped with making the decision on which light to buy. By going by just the cost, without actually seeing how the two lights functioned, my mind was made up to buy the stand light (which is currently $199 w/start-up kit). Because I need a more true-to-daylight type of lighting for my painting business, I opted to go with the Rocket light instead ($399 w/ 9.0 battery & charger, free ship @ Home Depot). Yes, the Rocket light is double cost of the stand light, but for my purposes, getting the 9.0 battery, ($169) took some sting out of the price difference. I am converting over to the larger M18 battery for my other Milwaukee High Demand tools, and will be mainly using the other 4.0/5.0 batteries I already have to operate the Rocket light, if needed.
Thanks again, and thanks to those who originally posted about the better deal on the Rocket light at Home Depot.
Glad I could help!
Terrific, comprehensive and nicely detailed review. Well done!
Thanks!
Phenomenal review! I'm going to get the Rocket Light! Thanks!!
Best review i ended up getting both lights but since i work for construction i like the rocket light best...
thx so much for the reviews. this helped me a ton in choosing the lights for my business.
No problem, glad I could help! Just a heads up, Milwaukee is coming out with an updated version of the stand light that's 25% brighter and can be plugged in to wall power.
Great Review !
This was great. In the market today to purchase a portable light. You helped me make my decision with this very informative video. Thank You!
Just a heads up, the price points have changed quite a bit since I made the review. Milwaukee is also planning to replace the single head stand light with an upgraded 2500 lumen output and AC in but no charging function at the same price point later this year.
I saw that at ACME Tools. Bought the 2130-20 WITH a free 5hr battery for 179.00 with 20.00 off coupon total 159.00 I'm pretty pleased. Now looking at a tower (no battery) for 329.00. Did see the upgraded 2500 lumen (no battery) on sale for 199.00 at ACME. Thanks again!
$159 with battery is a fantastic deal!
The difference in color is the LED, not the glass. Most LED models are available in a wide range of color temperatures, but these two lights do not use the same LED model or even manufacturer. Based on visual identification, the 2135 eses the Nichia 219C. The 2130 looks like a Cree XP-G3.
Nichia LEDs are known for their beam and color quality, even when the color temperature and color rendering index are the same on paper.
Best review on these stand lights on YT.. thanks
Just bought the 2131-20 today thanks in part based on your review. Looks like exactly what I need.
The newer 2131 has more output and the power plug WITHOUT the huge price bump, so the issues are now fixed :)
Great review bro, I own this stand light and it's awesome
Really good comparison!
Excellent comparison!
Great review! I ended going with the rocket light. Keep up the great videos!!
Great review! Loved it. I've got to decide and you've helped.
I would use the light at trade shows and other events. Has so many other applications then just the work environment where power is not accessible.
Excellent Review ..
both lights would be more useful if you could detach the head and have it cable connected to the base and power. would be great to then take the light source into confined spaces. cable reach of 5-10 meters would be so useful in the work we do.
I think you'd get significant efficiency loss with the power running through a 10 meter cable. The M12 and M18 Rover floodlights aren't much bigger than the light heads on these, and then you don't have to deal with a cord.
Thanks for the great video! Very helpful!
well done, very detailed, excellent review
Thanks!
Nice job on the review!
This is the best review I have seen in a long time. Thanks!
Thanks for watching!
Great your review. Bro
the stand light, battery bundle dropped to $199 right now at home Depot just a little FYI
That's a freakin' bargain right there. Thanks for the heads up!
3/31/17 Home Depot has the Rocket light for $299. tool only.
Just got the rocket light at home depot for $169. Times are a changing.
Don't believe that that you got the rocket lights for 169
@@ME-ev8zs I believe it. its only 199 right now WITH the 8.0 battery.
You can order the rocket for 299 off of Milwaukee's web site w/out a battery which Ive found some cheap prices around 37 for some batteries as well. But i just got through ordering some for the fire department I work at and ill tell you the splash proof design and the versatility of using one light as well as the charge as you go capability if you are in need of a scene lighting is great, it remains to be seen how they will hold up but we went with the rocket light due to these factors.
Thankfully it's come down quite a bit in price since its debut. I agree, it's definitely a great design.
I love my rocket, but as you said, the price was a bear, and using it for coverage checks on paint was... difficult.
Was the uneven light pattern from the 3 heads the cause of difficulty during paint coverage checks? Just curious why it didn't work well for that application.
Doresoom Reviews I would say it was. Beyond that issue, the rocket has been great.
I think Milwaukee priced themselves out of some customers on this light. I was one of those asking for ac power for the stand light. Milwaukee delivered but at a ridiculous premium of $150. Not to mention the free battery/charger you get with the stand light. I was hoping the stand light would drop to $199 and rocket would be $249/299. For rocket light cost I can get stand light with free kit and a flood light, which gives me incredible versatility for different situations.
I agree on your pricing concerns. Like I said in the video, I would have loved to see a 120V hybrid model that was roughly the cost of an M18 charger more than the original Stand Light. So that would have put it roughly in the $285-300 price range for a Rocket Light plus one 5Ah battery. The new 50% brighter LEDs do merit a further bump in the price point, but in my opinion it's not worth the $$$ Milwaukee is asking.
I bought the rocket light during promo with the stick light for 370.
Clean review. Very clear.
Thanks!
I just bought the stand light instead of the rocket with a 9.0 battery (all brand new) for $265. I just couldn't justify the $400 for a light, let alone one that has tradeoffs over the older model. Thanks!
Glad I could help. That's a great deal you got.
The Rocket Light Tool ONLY is $500 in Canada from Home Depot. Milwaukee sells it direct for $580. The price needs to drop to $300. There is a new model coming out with Bluetooth control so I guess they are trying to recover the development costs.
Yikes! I know it was down to $300 USD for a short while earlier this year, and you can occasionally find it bundled with a free 9Ah battery or other M18 tool. I hadn't heard about the Bluetooth version, so hopefully that will push the older models down even further when they release it.
Just purchased the 2500 lumen updated model rocket tower but it doesnt even touch the 4 2 foot led shop lights i purchased at home depot for 12 bucks each. It also does seem a little toooo yellow of a color. I think i might have to take it back and try the high end rocket tower
great video
Wow! Thanks
There's a new 6000 lumen model out now too: czcams.com/video/md8kUDjxAUw/video.html
I’ve had 3 stand lights fail on me they blink as if the battery is dead I put a new one in doesn’t turn on with or without the cord after the 3rd fail I got contacted by a supervisor from Milwaukee lights and they are sending me the 3 head one with charger as a replacement they’ve all failed the same way I’ve got video of all breaking I hope with the 2135 I won’t have this issue keep happening
very good review my freind. i know what im purchasing know
i really like the rocket light more for 2 reasons. you dont need a battery to run this lights witch is really important if you forgot your battery or something like that. and 2. the light rotates a full 360 degrees of light
Excellent points - I think both lights have trade-offs which make them appeal more to different user groups. I primarily use mine for outside lighting tasks and video lighting, which makes the stand light more appealing to me.
Super review, thanks. ‘freeze
Hey man. Great review. Do you have a wattage meter? I was wondering how many watts it draws while plugged in. But not while charging a battery. Just with the light on.
Sorry, I don't have a wattage meter. I did some science-ing for a best guess though:
The data plate on the bottom says 120V @ 2.1A for the power draw, without specifying whether it was for lighting only, charging only, or both. I assumed it was for both, so that's 252 Watts max. The output on the Rocket light says it's 18V @ 1.8A, which I assume is just for the charger.
Then I looked at their standard charger to get an idea for its power conversion efficiency as just a charger. It's power draw is the same at 120V @ 2.1A, and it's power output is 18V @ 3A. So that's 21.4% efficiency just converting from AC to DC.
If you look at the straight 18V current draw when it runs off of battery power, the light runs 2 hours on a 5Ah battery, meaning it draws around 2.5A at 18VDC, which is 45 Watts. Throw in the voltage conversion efficiency, and you get 210 Watts, or 120V @ 1.75A.
So that's my final "guess": 210 Watts for just the light power draw on high. That actually lines up pretty close to the max power draw it's rated for too, since if you throw in the charging watts, it's another 32.4 Watts, which adds up to 242.4 Watts. That's less than 10 Watts off of the max power it can draw from the wall.
how can It be 50% brighter when you just said it only has 1/3 more lumens? (2000 vs 3000 lumens)
It has 1000 more lumens. It's 50% brighter than the one with 2000 lumens...
Now that Milwaukee has an upgraded Stand Light to 2500 lumens, there's only a 500 lumen difference between Rocket light and Stand Light. The upgraded Stand Light can now use AC. The upgraded Stand Light is a better deal.
They just announced a 6000 lumen version of the charger one. I'll be reviewing it too when it comes out.
@@DoresoomReviews It's available at HomeDepot.com now. Based on the specs, the new 6000 lumen light seems to have much better efficiency (lumens x hours run time on fully charged new battery until battery is fully drained)/(nominal 18 volts x amp-hr rating of the battery) than the 3000 or 2500 lumen lights.
Price is a bit much, rather buy another Milwaukee tool even if I don't even needed now. Two plug ins at Costco total more than 4,000 lumens less than $70! No way as nice but will do for most situations.
Stand light works very well. Plus the cost of the rocket and it won’t fit the newest HD battery. So even more buyers remorse if one were gonna add those batteries. I assume Milwaukee will update all their lights to holder the larger batteries. Like they did with the octagonal m18 small light. Originality it wouldn’t hold the 9.0. The newest one does.
Milwaukee is offering free retrofit kits and service for owners of tools that can't fit the new 12Ah batteries though.
Doresoom Reviews where can I find this info?
The rocket maybe shorter to keep it from falling off. It might be heavier that the other one.
My guess is they just didn't put the height stop in the right place, since it wasn't advertised as taller. You might be right though, your guess is as good as mine.
the base shaft is definitely shorter in the rocket stand. remember the base compartment is alot bigger in the rocket making the shaft shorter meaning a smaller overall height. as far as the spec sheets, maybe an oversight.
No fan cooling?
No, passive cooling via heatsinks are enough for these lights. They'll get warm, but not crazy hot.
You got now 2500 lumem dual for 186$
I've seen the new 2500 lumen dual power Rocket light (model 2131-20) usually for around $200. They're phasing out selling the 2130-20 I covered in this review, which was only battery powered.
15:00 police : holy ****, that guy is carrying a rocket launcher, take him down ......
That's why they named it the Rocket Light! 😆
May i ask which is better? Which is brighter?
The rocket light with three adjustable heads is brighter. Lumens are the measurement for total light output, which I discuss in the video.
2 together does not equal 4k lumens ... they are still 2k lumens each, 4k lumens would indicate more brightness in same area, all you are doing is adding more of the same light intensity to the same area, its still 2k lumens, your just covering more area with the same lumens ... even if you put 2 of these shinning at the same spot, its still only 2k lumens ...
Sorry, you're providing wrong information. Lumens is the total amount of light output from a source (luminous flux), so yes 2K + 2K = 4K. Lumens has nothing to do with area, you're thinking of lux - a measure of lumens per unit area. And your last statement about shining them in the same spot is just plain wrong if you're talking about lux or lumens.
Now perceived brightness is something different - 4K lumens doesn't appear twice as bright as 2K lumens to the human eye (it will still appear brighter a significant amount though). So if I said "twice as bright" somewhere I was technically wrong since I was simply using it to refer to lumen output.
My information is 100% correct, you just didn't understand and now your throwing shit in the mix that i didn't even mention.
Your math is correct at 2k + 2k = 4k but not in this specific situation.
You did not mention twice as bright directly but when you said you got 4k lumens ... thats where you are wrong and thats when i explained it.
Good review. So can I have m18 12ah battery?
Thanks! The 12Ah battery won't fit in the older versions of these lights, but Milwaukee does offer a retrofit service free of charge if you provide them with your tool serial number. You box it up, they give you a shipping label, and send it back with the 12Ah compatible upgrade.
классный обзор.
Спасибо!
damn thing is so bright I had to watch the vid with sunglasses
2500 lumen
The new model that replaced the original stand light is 2500 lumen, with a plug in option now. I list the correct specs for the one I was reviewing.
Great review!!!!!
Thanks!