Earlier this year I proclaimed โhalogen is deadโโat least as far as it pertains to the job site light. Products like the Milwaukee Radius Site Light just seem to add additional nails inย the coffin. We took a look at this light during the 2016 Milwaukee New Productย Symposium, and it had a good set of features. The modelย 2145-20 lightย seemed bright, durable, and even had some advanced functionality. The Milwaukee One-Key model integrates the companyโs smart app-control technology. Itโs not that halogen lighting doesnโt work or isnโt adequate for the task of job site illuminationโฆ
Itโs just that itโs absolutely trounced by the advantages of LED vs halogen work lights.
The price of LED lighting has fallen quicklyโso the costย advantage of halogen is almost gone. Thatโsย particularly true if you factor in replacement bulb costs. Moreย LED advantages includeย zero cool-down time, better resilience to drops, and greaterย power efficiency. Asย you might imagine,ย LED is going toย quickly start dominating job sites this year. While no single light will work for every application, the Milwaukee Radius job site light aims to fill severalย important roles.
Editorโs Note: Check out the best LED work light buying guide for our top picks.
Milwaukee Radius LED Jobsite Light Features
This compact Milwaukee Radius Site Light puts outย 4400 lumens in high, but it can also be configured for lower output as well asย directional โtaskโ lighting. The front output control lets you move between maximum (4400 lumens), mid, and low (1000) lumens. Thereโs a nice ramp-up when you turn the site light on, so you have a fitting chance of not going blind if youโre accidentally staring at it when it comes onโฆNot that I ever did thatโฆtwice.
IP54 Ratedย Lighting
While the lighting features of the Milwaukee Radius Site Lightย are neat, the IP54 rating and drop protection really steal the show. We tested a nifty in360 jobsite fluorescent light a while back, but when it came to a dropย test, we busted nearly every bulb. LED technology seems to have a fighting chance at making job site lighting truly durable, but it takes a good design.
An IP54 rating translates into a product where the intrusion ofย dust is not entirely prevented, but itย takes an awful lot of it to impede theย operation of the tool. With regard to water incursion, theย splashing of water against the enclosure from any direction wonโt have any harmful effects. The next key step up from IP54 is IP56, where water jets can be sprayed on the device without issue. If youโre using the Milwaukee Radius light outdoors, rain or other splash events wonโtย be an issue.
The impact-resistant polycarbonate cover on the Radius LED light is removable and replaceable. While the default light comes with a ย diffuse, almost frosted cover, Milwaukee said that youโll eventually be able to order it in clear as well. In fact, the lighting system is capable of puttingย out around 20% more light without theย diffuse lens.
Mounting the Milwaukee Radius Light
A hidden hanging hook exists in the base of the Milwaukee Radius Site Light. It features a small bump feature to help keep the light centered. If you flip the hanger all the way over, it can be hung via wire. Since Milwaukee also has a One-Key version of the Radius, you donโt have to worry if the light is mounted high and out of the way.ย You can turn it on and off with the One-Key app. It also allows you to set a set the light output, run it on a schedule, or use the directional output feature.
The run times are quite impressive when paired with a Milwaukeeย M18 XC 5.0 battery, so hanging it in the air is perfectly fine. You still have to retrieve the light to change the battery, but hereโs how long you can expect it to work:
- 8 hoursย on low
- 4 hoursย on medium
- 2 hours on high
AC/DC Dual Functionality
The Milwaukee Radius jobsite lightย has an AC option thatโs different from the Milwaukee M18 jobsite fan and other hybrid products weโve seen lately. For starters, you can daisy chain lights togetherโup to 10 on a single circuit, if desired. The way to do this is to pick up a bunch of 6-8 ft extension cords, feed them in and out of the lights, and set them up as needed around the jobsite. The Radius doesnโt charge the battery, but itโs a great way to provide a ton of illumination without too much hassle (or using up precious temporary power outlets).
Milwaukee Radius Site Light Specs
- Light source: 180-LED array
- Lighting modes: Task (180ยบ), area (360ยบ), and overhead
- Output (low/medium/high): 1,000/2,200/4,400 lumens
- High-impact polycarbonate lens
- AC pass-through (10ย can be connected on a single 15-amp circuit)
- Protected AC plugs
- Self-centering hanging hook
- Low battery indicator
- Weight: 10.6 lbs.
- Warranty: 5 years
Using the Milwaukee M18 Radius Site Light
As easy as it was to describe the features of theย Milwaukee Radius Site Lightโitโs even easier to use. All of the controls are up-front and simple to operate. The battery slides in easily, and thereโs room for even the new Milwaukee 9.0 Ah battery if you really want to extend your run-time. In our PTR Shop, it really light up the space well when the overhead lights were temporarily off. Thunderstorms inย Florida tend to do thatโso having a light handy is more important here than you might think.
So all thatโs left are the drop tests.
The Radius LED light is very durable, and Milwaukee tests them with drop tests as well as with dust and water incursion for the IP56 rating. We did our own tests, dropping the light from 3-feetย and 5-feet onto concrete, and finally an 8-foot ladder onto dirt. The Radius lightย bounces, but the impact-resistant polycarbonate cover really does its job. When you factor in that there are 180 LEDs inside of it, the build quality really starts to get impressive.
The battery also stays inserted throughout all of these drop tests. While protecting the LED lights is imperative, having the battery fly out would render the tool useless as well. The Milwaukee Radius holds onto the battery like a starving man whoโs been handed a Philly cheesesteak. Great, now Iโm hungryโฆ
We also turned on the light and โwashedโ it with a garden hose, spraying it from all directions to see how it fared. This light may not be technically indestructible, but it certainly held up to our rigorous stress tests without losing a single array or LED.
Conclusion
So do you think much about jobsite lighting? I do. I hate halogens, in fact. Too hot. Too fragile. They tend to give you a good bang for the buck, but not over the long haul. The clean-up time wasted waiting for them to cool down, and the fragility of an expensive gas-filled lamp makes LED all the more appealing. With the Milwaukee Radius, you get a great site light thatโs not intrusive and which works in a variety of ways. With the notable exception of a spotlight, this Radius LED site light will handle just about everything else.
