Little lamp, big light

This review was created as part of a paid affiliate program with the Home Depot.

My first order of business with this and every product review is a disclaimer: I am not a professional contractor. I am a farmer and a fine furniture maker. When it comes to construction and renovation projects, I’m a DIYer and weekend warrior. That said, I doubt many professional contractors will be reading my tool reviews. My goal in reviewing tools and products is to provide honest feedback based on my own use and experience with these tools to other regular folks like me- wanting to get their hands dirty, try new things, and get the best value for their hard earned dollars.

So let’s talk about the Milwaukee 550 Lumen LED Rechargeable Pivoting Flood Light:

I’m not really a big fan of little gadgets, but this little rechargeable LED mag-light from Milwaukee has become pretty dang useful to me the past few months. First of all, it’s BLINDINGLY bright, but in a good way. It packs a huge punch for its size. It’s got a little pop-out stand and it’s got a magnetic back. I started using it in the shop, sticking it to the arbor of the drill press to provide spot lighting for drilling, sticking it to the underside of my truck’s hood so I could get a better look at the notoriously shadow-y compartment, clipping it onto the stall doors of my barn when my goat had babies and I needed directional light for health checks. Then I started using it for filming too. It provides really clean light to move or remove shadows, it’s bright enough to bounce off light surfaces for ambient light, and it’s so tiny, you really can change a shot by shining it right where you need it. The battery life is great too.

Actually, as I’m writing this, I’m realizing I’ve only even had to charge it a couple of times even though I’ve been using it daily for the last few weeks. Just like other Milwaukee lights, it gives you a few minutes of warning blinks before it shuts down entirely. Of course when the battery dies at an inconvenient time due to poor planning on my part, I do lament the fact that it’s not like my other Milwaukee tools which I can just pop a new battery in, but with its compact size, that is obviously not an option. Plus, I’ve already got two other Milwaukee lights I totally love I can run up and grab if I’m in a pinch.

 This tool retails for $70, would I buy it? Absolutely. Milwaukee tools are well made, rugged, and functional. As a serial project-er, farmer, and movie maker, I always find myself needing clean, reliable, compact directional light, and this is a pretty handy little gizmo for all that.