A reader spotted this Home Depot deal bundle on the Milwaukee M12 Rocket worklight, and asked if it’s a good value or not.
Tom (thanks for the heads-up!) wrote:
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What is your take on this M12 rocket light special offer at Home Depot? Seems like a good to me but I’ve never seen the light in person, only online.
I think that this is a very good deal for what you get. This bundle gives you the M12 Rocket worklight plus an M12 starter kit with (2) XC 6.0Ah batteries and a charger for $199. The worklight is regularly priced at $179, and the starter set $199.
I’ve been holding onto a sample of the M12 Rocket worklight, and it continues to see regular use. It’s compact, bright, and highly portable.
It’s not as bright or tall as Milwaukee’s M18 models, but the tradeoff is that it’s smaller, lighter, and easier to set up in indoor spaces. For instance, carrying one of the full-sized M18 Rocket tripod lights into a basement or attic can be a chore and bigger hassle compared to the M12.
Milwaukee says that the M12 has a 45% smaller footprint compared to their M18 Rocket Tower lights, and this difference is definitely noticeable in use.
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1400 lumens is still plenty of illumination brightness, and the M12 Rocket’s 5’8″ max extension gives it plenty of reach. The lamp head is also very adjustable and easy to aim. It also has a 700 lumen low mode and it delivers up to 10 hours of runtime with a fully charged XC 6.0Ah battery.
It deploys in seconds and closes down to a 31″ length.
I really like Milwaukee’s M18 Tower lights, but this M12 sees a bit more use (for my needs and purposes) in occupied spaces. I use M18 (and its competitors’ 20V Max) models almost exclusively outside due to their size.
This is a higher priced deal, but it seems to be very good for what you get. If you’re interested in the included XC 6Ah batteries and charger, or even just the light and batteries, I think this is going to be the best bang for the buck deal we’ll see on the M12 Rocket light. It’s a convenient and versatile worklight, and its size works very well for my needs.
Price: $199
Price History & Value
Last year, just ahead of Black Friday (2020), the M12 rocket worklight was on sale for $129 as a bare tool. It’s currently $179 as a bare tool. A 2-pack of 3Ah XC batteries was $79, meaning you could get a 2x3Ah bundle (but no charger) for $209. The early Black Friday deal was $209 for the Rocket worklight plus a 4Ah XC battery.
This past March (2021), a reader spotted a deal on the M12 Rocket light w/ a 6Ah battery for $149.
M12 XC 6Ah batteries are currently priced at $119 individually or $189 for two, and the M12 Rocket light sells for $179 as a bare tool.
With this bundle, you get the worklight with 2x 6Ah batteries and a charger for $199. This deal offers a greater value than previous offers, but this also raises the price tag.
Based on this, and in my opinion, I don’t think we’ll see a better deal on the M12 Rocket this season.
Who Should Not Buy This Deal?
With this deal, I would marry one of the batteries to the worklight and use the second one for a different worklight, a jobsite radio, or similar.
But, if you have absolutely no use for the batteries or charger, you might want to wait on a bare tool or smaller bundle deal.
Or, if you really have your heart set on an M18 Rocket light, the M12’s smaller size might be too much of a compromise.
If the M18 is a chef’s knife, the M12 is a 5″ utility knife or steak knife. There’s overlap and some interchangeability between how they can be used, but their suitability is really environment-specific.
Julian Tracy
Last year they did a deal at $129 with a free 4.0 battery
Stuart
Their mid-November deal was $129 for the bare tool, or $209 with a 4Ah battery.
https://toolguyd.com/milwaukee-m12-cordless-power-tool-deals-early-black-friday-2020/
Looking deeper, they *did* have it for $129 in the evening on Cyber Monday, but that might have been a mistake since the published deal was for $169. I couldn’t understand or explain it at the time, and still don’t.
https://toolguyd.com/home-depot-cyber-monday-tool-deals/
Thanks! This didn’t come up in my initial searching.
If both promos were available right now, that would be great, and it would present a difficult choice as to which is better.
But, this is still a great deal. If the $129 promo comes up again – and I don’t think it will given the anomalous nature of the late-Cyber Monday price drop – Home Depot tends to have a good return policy in case of buyer’s remorse.
Alan Wong
For indoor, the M12 trumps is use versus the M18 Tower Light. The M18 package overall is quite -huge and bulky- when working in finished spaces.
As well, I find 1500 Lumens Max is perfect IMO for all indoor applications. I have all the M18 lights – and generally opt for the M12 or M18 1500 lumens dialed down. Everything else IMO is too bright and things get washed out.
AlexK
Stuart, you’re an enabler. How do you sleep at night? I have to buy this. I must not listen to the voice of good alex in my head, saying, “I have the ryobi 18v/120v light and that is a 100 watt equivalent”, -but bad alex is saying, ” it isn’t dimmable”! “What about the 12v rover”? But it doesn’t have a stand (and don’t tell me I can mount it on my photo light stands). Milwaukee 12v flashlight? Ryobi lantern? Ryobi flashlight? Rigid flex light? Inflatable USB powered lantarn? Nebo flashlight with single AAA? Two USB headlights? Two more headlights, battery powered? Don’t open the drawer with all the sad battery powered flashlights that lay unused since rechargeable lithium power became affordable.
Where are my ginkgo tablets? I know I’m forgetting many more lights.
Where is the group therapy for addicts like me? And how will I pay for that therapy because I’m now going to spend $200 on this tower. Thanks a lot, Stuart. I’ll be sending my starving girlfriend and her starving son to live with you, while I feed off of and recieve my nutrients thru the daylight balanced light, blinding my neighbor with the reflected light shining off my bridgework, which I will no longer be able to make my payments for.
Stuart
Sleep? What’s that?
Seriously – my kids asked me why I work at night, and then I was back at this morning before they work up, and they asked why I wasn’t done yet.
My dial is set to 11, and it’ll stay there until mid-December.
The challenge for me is to be as least persuasive as possible, and this usually means more proofreading and rewrites.
Because ToolGuyd has affiliate relationships with many retailers, I try to tone down my excitement or eagerness as much as possible, and even look for reasons to discourage potential buyers, otherwise it seems too self-serving. I think we might be the only tool industry channel to ever give readers reasons to *not* buy a tool promo or deal.
All this is to say that I know you’re joking about my being an enabler, but I’m really trying my darndest to INFORM and NOT influence when it comes to these holiday tool deals.
AlexK
Seriously, I’m a little giddy with the thought of two 6 ah batteries and a small tower light that I’ve used on job sites, painting and such. It is so easy to move around, that I rarely got the 18v out. It is so light that I’ve held it over head into an attic to lend some light for a co worker. And the color balance is great. I’m not particularly team red, I’m kinda team red, green, orange and soon to be yellow. But this is a great light.
JR Ramos
I think that’s a pretty stellar deal really. The best I’ve been able to do with the 6Ah batteries (repeatedly) has been $79 with free shipping using occasional coupons from Northern Tool, and a couple on Amazon when people hit lowball prices. Recently got the same charger for a spare at $16, too. Even with that low pricing this package deal is great.
That said, to be honest, I’ve been wholly unimpressed with Milwaukee’s led lights. They are decent but for the cost they do not deliver much in light output – biggest advantage is the platform use of the batteries already owned, and they do have very good run times. Their “true view” or whatever is an ok color that leans to 4000K or so but something a bit cooler would be ideal, like 5000K but not cold white like most of the cheap lights and leds still use. These are not high CRI emitters, either, so 4000K seems a bit dull. It is nicer when color doesn’t matter as much and I have always thought warmer light was better when working with metal where it might be shiny from operations or during layout. Most of their lights do not use reflectors but are run in a “mule” configuration where it’s primarily a very unfocused flood beam…this is quite smooth but cuts distance considerably. I got their little M12 Rover job not long ago and for the 800 lumens it claims (or thereabouts), compared to many lights or the tighter beams of flashlights, it seemed visually to be more like 400 lumens. So, despite the numbers that light is really best for closer personal work or in very small areas as a room light…has a lot of useful applications just as is, though. Seeing the same general design in their tower lights…won’t be buying one for myself as their are lots of other options out there for less money and with output/features that would work better for me.
Strange emitters they use in these as well. Heavy partial phosphor coating. They almost look like some of the Nichia versions but it’s so hard to tell with this type of emitter and of course Milwaukee won’t give up that information. I think if Milwaukee’s product engineers would shift a different direction with their light designs they could come up with some fantastic lights, given the power available in their batteries, but as-is they’re pretty mediocre in my opinion. The “Milwaukee tax” is pretty high on these as well, considering what I know of the parts’ costs, driver development and manufacturing costs, and a lot of that related stuff. True of many companies but Milwaukee milks it pretty good and hefty discounts would not hurt their profit that much if they allowed them to happen.
Koko The Talking Ape
So I’m not sure what specific improvements you’d make. Improve CRI? A tighter beam?
Stuart
Milwaukee does have lensed LED lights.
Do you have an example of a worklight that you prefer over Milwaukee’s?
MM
This is a pretty darn good deal if you ask me. I’d be all over it if not for the fact I already have more M12 batteries than I need and I very rarely need this kind of worklight, but honestly it’s still tempting just for its fantastic value.
If anyone just needs M12 batteries Home Depot has often run a deal where you get a 2ah, 4ah, and 6ah combo pack for $150, I wonder if we’ll be seeing that deal again for this Black Friday this year? Perhaps not with the cost of everything going up so much…
Aaron S
I got this combo a couple months ago for a similar price. I was actually planning to return the batteries and end up with the light discounted but instead I kept them (I didn’t have any 6ah batts before) and gave away a handfull of my 1.5ah batts.
So far I’ve only used it in my shop because I cleverly put a pile of unsorted tools and boxes in front of the light switch for the overhead work lights. way more portable than my other tripod light which I don’t even bother to fold up, some day I’ll get it out on a job site!
Albert
Wow, this bundle has batteries that I want. I found another bundle with an M18 surge driver that I also want. Not being one to “hack” these deals, I’m thinking about selling the other pieces on eBay.
Arlan
This was a No-Brainer purchase for me. I’ve had it for about a week and already put to frequent use. It’s very versatile and packable. I would prefer articulating heads for a more adjustable spread like the M18, but this is still great. Maybe they’re preparing to roll out articulating heads, and need to dump these.
I just wish Milwaukee would get the battery removal of the M12 corrected. I had read that the batteries are hard to remove on this, but these are REALLY hard to remove. Probably will resort to filing down the battery tabs or the tool slot eventually. Maybe they will loosen up with time.
Regardless, I’m happy with this light.
Addicted2Red
Bought this a few weeks ago just for the 6.0 lights. I find myself running out of M12 batteries.
The light is just a bonus. already have the M18 light but the smaller one is more useful.
Adam B
Wasn’t sure if I really needed a light this nice but over the last 18 months I’ve owned one I’ve really come to like it. From painting, to shop work, to laying decking, to outdoor ping pong, this thing has been so handy. And the batteries are killer for my surge driver with their larger bottom, so I can stand it up. Definitely recommend this package if you’re using Milwaukee battery platform.
Michael Quinlan
I just looked at my receipts and confirmed that I picked up two of these (bare tools) in December 2019 for $75 each on clearance. At the time I planned to sell one and keep one. I ended up selling both for $125 each, to the same guy, two days apart, after I decided I didn’t need/want the “keep” one. Now you’re tempting me all over again. I really need to stop following your posts – it’s not good for my mental or financial well being.
Seriously though, keep up the good work, but dial it back to 9 or 10 so you can enjoy the holiday season with your family.
Stuart
As strange as it sounds, I do enjoy the exciting chaos of the holiday season. And, I am also usually tool shopping for myself as well. =)
Dave P
They are a very good light.
I can tell on at least a few tools that they have a bit more “oomph” with a 6.0 battery (not sure why as they are still 12v), especially the compact rotary hammer drill, but I don’t think the light is any brighter w the 6.0, just lasts longer.
Plain grainy
I noticed the Rigid 2600 lumen light in some combo deals. I wonder if those are good work lights? Reviews state their heavy, and a 4.0 ah battery only lasts 2 hours on high.
Peter Fox
I ordered one Thursday and had it Saturday. That deal was too good to pass up. Especially considering that I have gone all in on M12 in the last year.
I am quite impressed with it. It is a great balance of size and brightness. They almost could have eliminated the side to side swivel on the head as it is easier to just pick it up and rotate it. I was quite pleased to find that the battery is not really that hard to remove. many Reviews suggested that it is really hard, but I found the fit and retention to be just about right.
The only improvement that I could see is if it charged the battery when it is plugged in. Otherwise I think they hit the mark for a compact telescopic stand work-light.