Makita LXLM03 18V LXT® Lithium-Ion Cordless 12 L.E.D. Flashlight, Flashlight Only

Like everyone else who bought this, I just needed a solid and dependable work light.Build: Solidly constructed, with enough weight that is does not feel "dainty". The swivel and pivot action has positive feel with no unwanted movement. It folds up very slim to fit easily in my tool bag. The LED lens cover does not seem very scratch resistant, however, but I do my best not to abuse it like any other flashlight. The push button positively clicks the high and low settings, but mine was a bit picky. If I did not perfectly click the low setting, it got stuck and required a flick of my finger to disengage it. Annoying at first, but it broke in after a while of use. Not enough reason to have sent it back, to me anyway. This light has survived a few short falls with no apparent damage and has maintained 100% functionality.Ergonomics: The rubber contoured grip is comfortable, as with all other Makita tools. The power button is easily activated with gloves, and has enough tactile feel to distinguish it without looking. Also, it does not protrude from the body, so I have never had it accidentally engage while in my tool bag. Always a plus, eh? The integrated hook works pretty well, but I have not had a lot of use for it as of yet. It stores snugly in the body, so it is not in the way or does not get snagged on anything, which is appreciated. Regardless of the position of the head, it stands solidly upright on the battery base. The high and low function is great for close work applications, so you do not blind yourself from the glare while up close to objects. The light output is better than expected, as well as great run time. I have not timed it with either size battery, but I know for sure that with a 3.0 mAh it will last me through my work day and then some. Three days of moderate use is the most I've gotten from a 3.0mAh battery. As I said before, it also folds away nicely.Overall: This light performs better than expected. As I have close to 10 or so batteries, this is also a great power outage light. If I ever get the chance, I'll time the battery life and post my results here. Great job, Makita.

I have to admit that I love Makita tools. This light is amazing. Without the battery it is very lightweight and the fact that it folds up so nice made it a no brainer adding it to my tool bag. The light output is fantastic and I have to say that I didn't research it alot before I bought it so the fact that the light head not only colapses but also swivels and have a built in hanger hook lets me know that once again Makita did alot of research to get this light right.As with all LXT tools, the price is only good if you have other LXT tools due to the battery and charger cost. If you only need a light I wouldn't suggest paying for the setup for just the light but if you already have a battery and charger then for me it's a great price for a well made light.The high, low, off switch works well but it will take me a few more uses to get used to the switch placement. It's not necessarily in a bad place but I do find myself searching for it. Maybe if it stuck out a little more it would be easier to find. My finger goes to the trigger side (I use the Makita impact driver alot) and the switch on this is thumb side. No major issue but I guess I'm a creature of habit.Summary: The fact that you can stand it on the battery and aim the light in any direction, it's very lightweight, great light output and low battery drain make this an outstanding light. I'll just need to remember to stop using my trigger finger to toggle the switch.

I hesitated on this, even though I own a sizable set of LXT tools (and love them all). There's something about the product picture - I don't know what it is exactly - that makes it look odd or cheap. Trust me, this light is up to the same standards as all the other LXT stuff. Very solid and lots of good quality light. Many cheap LED lights are more blue than white, because the closer an LED comes to putting out truly white light, the more expensive it is to manufacture. This flashlight isn't completely white, but it's more than close enough to serve as a great work light. Expected run time on a fully charged BL1830 and at full power is 9 hours.The light falls off fairly quickly once you get out about 6 feet. It'll light up a completely dark room, but not to the point where it will take the place of work floods, etc. It would be perfect for working under a sink, under a car hood, or maybe as a backup desk lamp if the bulb in your swing-arm lamp goes out, etc.In the picture, only one swivel point is obvious. There are actually two, making it easy to point the light in any direction including straight up.Update, 3/13/23 - I’ve now owned this light for 9 years. Last night I was working under a sink and the light went out. I fiddled with it, it kept shutting off, I got fed up with it and used a different light. It acted like the switch had gone wonky, which there are many complaints about. Once I got to a stopping point, I put a voltmeter on the battery - which itself is now 14 years old! - and the voltage was down to 14.4V.Lessons:1) Makita batteries are incredible.2) LED lights are electronic devices designed to run on a given voltage, in this case 18V. Once their battery drops below some design threshold, it goes out. It doesn’t dim like an incandescent light, making it obvious the battery is running down - it just goes out all at once.I’d bet a large sum that 99% of the “bad switch” complaints are just low batteries.The LXLM03 has been discontinued for years, but if you somehow are in the position of buying one, here’s your long-term owner advice: BUY IT.

Fantastic Torch.Turned it on for the first time in the dark and it was like having daylight.