Milwaukee has come out with a new M18 Rocket Tower LED worklight and charger.
This is a second-generation update of their 2016 model, and features quite a few improvements. It’s brighter, has more charging capabilities, and there’s also a new carrying bag.
To start, Milwaukee has doubled the brightness of their M18 Tower worklight and charger. It looks like this was accomplished by making each LED light head larger, but it’s possible the LED emitters are also brighter.
There are 3 output settings, with 6,000 lumens at maximum brightness.
The M18 Rocket Tower light/charger has a covered AC port, compatible with standard 3-prong extension cords – for powering its on-board M18 battery charger.
Of course, the AC plug also means that the Milwaukee M18 Tower light can be powered by battery or AC power.
And, there is also a new USB charging port, for recharging your smartphone and other personal electronic devices.
There is also a new carrying bag.
This zippered soft-style carrying bag will be included in the M18 Rocket Tower light/charger kit (2136-21), and will also be available separately (42-55-2137).
It looks like Milwaukee has also beefed-up the base unit and tripod leg deployment mechanism.
Milwaukee has undoubtedly drawn upon several years of M18 Rocket Tower LED worklight field use and consumer feedback to make this new model even better than its hugely popular predecessors.
Milwaukee boasts that their newest M18 Tower worklight towers above the rest with 2X the light output, and it does look to be the most sophisticated tripod-style worklight on the market today.
Features & Specifications
- Powered by M18 battery or AC cord
- 3 multi-direction pivoting light heads
- 3 brightness modes
- 6000, 3200, 1700 lumens
- Runtime
- 3.5, 5, 10 hours
- Built-in M18 charger
- USB charging port
- Weighs 21 lbs without battery
- 40″ tall when closed
- Can be extended from 4′ to 7′
- TrueView high definition light (what’s this?)
The kit, (2136-21) comes with an 8Ah battery and carrying bag. A bare tool (2136-20) will also be available, and the carrying bag will also be a separate accessory (42-55-2137).
The carrying bag will presumably be compatible with Milwaukee’s other M18 Rocket Tower LED worklights.
Price: $399 for the bare tool, $599 for the kit
ETA: October 2020
Buy Now: Kit via Tool Nut
Buy Now: Bare Tool via Tool Nut
Compare: Gen 1 via Acme Tools
Compare: Gen 1 via Home Depot
Discussion
At the time of this posting, Home Depot has the first-generation model at $239, but Acme Tools and other Milwaukee dealers still have it at $399.
So, let me get this straight. The Gen 1 model was regularly priced at $399. The new model is 2X brighter (6000 lumens vs 3000 lumens), has a built-in USB charging port, looks to have a more robust tripod leg deployment mechanism, and benefits from several years of field research, and without costing a penny more?
With an October 2020 ETA, that means the new model should start shipping any day now.
This should also mean that we’ll see the first-gen model discounted, as Home Depot seems to be doing right now. If you don’t want the newer features or added brightness, $239 for the original Rocket Tower LED worklight and charger seems like a great deal.
This new version will be $399 for the bare tool, and $599 for an 8Ah battery and carrying case.
We don’t know how much the carrying case will cost by itself, but the M18 8Ah High Output battery typically sells for $169 by itself.
The kit doesn’t come with a separate charger, because the light itself has M18 charging capabilities, you just need a standard 3-prong extension cord.
More brightness, and more features. Sounds good to me!
Have you used Milwaukee’s M18 Rocket Tower tripod LED worklights before? How likely are you to upgrade to this one?
