The Makita 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless 12 LED Flashlight (DML801) shines in more ways than one, but it does have one flaw.

I have had this light for review for over a month now, and I have used it a lot. My work shop is about fifty yards from my house, so I have to walk that distance without any illumination at night. I also don’t have any power installed in there yet, so I have been depending on extension cords ran from the house, and battery powered lighting units.

Provided by the Home Depot Prospective Program

Some of the features on this light really set it apart from any other on the market today. First of all it’s much larger (15” long) (2.1lbs), which some people don’t like, however, I actually like that it’s designed the way it is. It basically stand upright like a drill would, and the batter goes in the bottom of the unit. Because you can adjust/swivel the head to just about any position, I can use it like a table lamp while doing carving work. I love how it stands up on its own like it does, and I would say that this is probably one of my favorite features. Not to mention, you don’t have to worry about losing the

damn thing like I constantly do with my smaller lights.

Now in the last paragraph, I mentioned that is swiveled, but it also folds, turns, tilts and hangs as well.  The Flashlight head folds up and down with 7 positive stops, so there is no fussing around when trying to keep it focused on your work. You can also swivel the light head 360 degrees, or hang it from the integrated hook that will also turn 360 degrees. It really does not matter where you need to use this light, and it will work in just about any application because of how versatile it is.

As for build and ease of use, it’s definitely built just as well as any other Makita tool, but I will say that the two mode power button on the back is somewhat of a pain to press. It just feels like a smaller bump on the back of the light, and sometimes you have to press down a couple times just to get it to stay on. I really wish they would have added a trigger style on/off switch as that would have really fit the style of this light well. It is however very sturdy, and will hold up to some abuse.  

For as much as I love the versatility of this light, I have to be honest with you… it’s not that bright. The light head comes with 12 (12) LED (120 lumens) that does a half decent job while illuminating a large area, but it really isn’t as bright as I think it should be. If anything, it lives of a soft, 5,000k Daylight style illumination, but it just isn’t enough if you ask me. If I use this to do some wood carving, I definitely need to use a secondary light just because I can’t see all that well. It does do a nice job giving off a wide light pattern, but again, I just think for being an 18V, it could have been much better in that department.

At the end of the day, I think this light works well if you are looking for some illumination while walking around. I use it all the time when its dark outside, and need something to light a larger area, but if you are looking for something that is bright enough to light your work area, I would say look for something else.