DEWALT 20V MAX* LED Work Light / Flashlight (DCL040)

$30 for a light I didnt have on a battery platform where I have like 18 batteries. Yep sold. $30 well spent.

I have a pile of DeWalt 20V Max batteries, so I bought this flashlight to try and get more use out of the batteries. The flashlight is very handy since its always sitting right next to my toolbox, its design makes it easy to grab, hold, and use, and I know I will always have a battery handy. The fact that it stands upright on the battery is a big plus. As others have noted, the brightness and beam are the two weaknesses for this flashlight. It is simply too bright for most situations where you are holding the flashlight close to your work. The reflected light is blinding. The first improvement DeWalt could make would be to provide more than one brightness level. A low and high, or low / medium / high would be a huge improvement. Second, the very tight beam is a problem in many workshop situations. If they made the beam adjustable, like the old school Mag Lights, it would be a fantastic feature. The trend with LED flashlights to make a laser-like tight beam is not very helpful for many situations. Sometimes a broad beam is much more valuable. Id gladly pay more money for the flashlight if it had those two features. Other than those two weaknesses, its a very useful flashlight.

Back when I was a teen, my parents proudly presented me when a Craftsman cordless drill and spotlight combo. The spotlight was a favorite of mine, but it ALWAYS blew out its little bulb, just a slight jostle was all it took. After replacing the bulb four times, I got frustrated and left it in its case. Fast-forward a couple decades, my parents (yes, they spoil me!!) bought me a DeWalt cordless vacuum with two batteries for Christmas. I saw this on a slight sale after Christmas and decided to get it. WOW. Dont stare at this thing when you turn it on. Seriously. You will injure your eyes. Even the lower-brightness red setting is more than sufficient to light up a room. While I know from study and experience that LEDs are more robust than bulbs, I still wondered how durable this spotlight is.... Well, I had to help my dad replace a pump in the washing machine recently, and this spotlight was a clutch tool. It was left on for just over four hours, and barely used any of my 3 aH batterys capacity. Also, it was kicked, knocked over, and accidentally bashed around inside the washing machine repeatedly in those four hours. Nothing burned out! So as youve likely gathered, I am stoked to have a portable spotlight back in my tool arsenal, and more stoked that I know it wont burn out if I so much as gently bump it. Given the price of DeWalts batteries, this may or may not be a worthwhile purchase for you if you need to buy a battery for this. BUT, if you have one of these 20v MAX batteries, Id strongly suggest looking into this spotlight.

I generally use the DCL043 as a work light when doing various household handyman-type work. The multiple ways it can be positioned (adjustable head angle, hanging loop, standing vertically, etc.) without having to rig something up is awesome. I also tested it by pointing it towards the ceiling in a completely dark room, and found that it can act as general purpose lighting for the room during a night time power outage.

Strong light, and the lithium ion battery pack is UNBELIEVABLE!!! Lasts and lasts and lasts and lasts....! A must have for every home. Easy to hold, stands upright, can hang it, can drop it, no issues. Here are my recommendations: check Home Depot or Amazon for some bundled deals on DeWalt 20-Volt Cordless items. Dont bother with the DeWalt 18-Volt or Milwaukee. The DeWalt system is more interchangeable, prettier to look at, and works like a dream. Get these: Impact driver cordless (like a small drill/ screwdriver, less heavy than the hammer drill) - use this anywhere to drive screws in, drill, and tighten nuts. I use this A LOT!!! Not only cordless, but quick change type - no need for a chuck to tighten. Hammer drill - heftier drill and screwdriver and because of the hammer action, can drill into masonry to put in screws, bolts, etc. Heavier in the hand, so I use it much less, but it is stronger. 2 Lithium-Ion Max power type battery packs. Yes you need two! 1 battery charger Hex stemmed drill bits and screw driver bits which fit both of the drills (round cylinder stems wont fit these) If you get a freebie tool with a bundled deal, pick either the Sawzall, or Circular Saw, or the Angle Grinder. Make sure all the above are DeWalt 20-Volt. Comes in a nice bag too.

Regularly built.

Drank the Kool-aid and bought several DeWalt tools and 20vMax batteries. Tired of typical/regular battery operated flashlights, decided to buy this since it was compatible with all of my 20voltmax lithium ions. This tool is light weight but rugged. Simple pistol grip with two modes. Full white LED and red. The white is as advertised. Enough lumens to make the neighbors across the street (+300feet) flip me off and close their blinds when I shine it in their windows. Has a semi-tight center beam that spots targets over a hundred feet away as well as a wide perimeter spread that illuminates your immediate surroundings. One 1.5ah 20vmax battery seems to last forever. Trigger switches between full-on white-blasting light to red light. Which is also bright enough so you wouldnt stare into it without blinding yourself red. Curiosity made me turn the light on (white) and press it against my face/cheek. The surface of the glass did not get hot but the light emitting from the LEDs felt like it might cause a sunburn (or get a tan?) after about 90 seconds. ....20 minutes of turning on and off, shining on the neighbors and trying to burn my face hardly drained the 20vmax. Cant wait to shine it in your review mirror when you are driving 20mph below the speed limit in the passing lane.

I saw a lineman using this light in the middle of the night in the rain with a utility emergency. The light was stronger than anybody else’s spotlight, so I decided to get my own. I’m not disappointed. It’s been used and abused but still lights up perfectly.

A very bright light, but seems to have a serious flaw. The light on a fully charged Dewalt battery pak just abruptly shuts off and will not come back on until you pull the battery which is very loose when connected and wait a few minutes and it will come back on by reinserting the battery, but then go off again, I suspect bad connection with the battery do to it not fitting tight on the tool. Returned it to Amazon and am waiting on a replacement to hopefully solve the problem.

It’s my go to flashlight. Battery has never gone out on me. I keep one in the garage and one inside the home. Like the total adjustment and being able to set upright and won’t fall over. Part of collection of 20V Dewalt tools I use.