Light Review: Milwaukee "RedLithium" 1100L

CloneWerks

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I'm a long time collector and reviewer of lights, sometimes referred to as a "flashaholic" by friends and associates so I have quite a collection of higher end "illumination tools" to choose from for various tasks.

As I go along I’ll probably be reviewing more than one “Cycling” light (donations gladly accepted LOL) but for now I’m going to write about what is currently mounted on my handlebars, the Milwaukee "Redlithium" USB 1100L Twist Focus Flashlight ($85.00 from Home Depot).

This light was intended as a working light for mechanics and electricians. As such it is built like a freakin’ tank with a thick aluminum body and large controls that are easily operated with gloved hands. The LED module is what Milwaukee bills as “Trueview” which means the LED emitter has a higher CRI (Color rendition index) and therefore gives you superior color accuracy. This is extremely helpful for wire and fluid color identification.

What a high CRI means to a cyclist is that the quality of light produced works well with depth-perception, identifying hazards like potholes and wet patches, and just generally makes things easier to identify. This is further enhanced by the “twist-zoom” feature that allows you to set the light from a broad flood to a fairly specific spot. For riding I found that a roughly mid-way setting gave me excellent side spill and a nice long throw that allows for distance viewing.

Even zoomed out to full flood 600-1100 lumens is more than enough to give a good viewing distance however be aware that on full power the light gets hot, FAST. I found that the airflow from riding does a lot to cool the light down but I honestly never really felt the need to go above the 600 Lumen “Medium” setting.

Settings are easily changed via the large button which also has a ring that illuminates in Green, Orange, or Red to let you know about charge level and the light remembers the last light level you used. The battery pack can be removed for charging, or charged in-flashlight via a well-protected Micro-USB port. About the only thing missing for a cyclist is a strobe mode that you could use for daytime riding visibility.

Non-Scientifically tested runtimes seem to hold pretty closely to the manufacturers claims. And the light is IP67 rated which is more than sufficient for any rain or soaking a cyclist would encounter.

I had been using a Klarus tactical light before I mounted the Milwaukee as a lark. I genuinely prefer the Milwaukee for this application, in large part due to the color rendition which I feel makes it a lot easier to spot pretty much everything after dark.

RECOMMENDED!

SIDE NOTE: The light is mounted on my handlebars with a “BlueSunShine Universal Clamp” ($5.00 on Amazon) which does a good job of holding a very wide variety of light sizes.


Milwaukee "Redlithium" USB 1100L Twist Focus Flashlight $85.00 from Home Depot
“BlueSunShine" Universal Clamp ($5.00 on Amazon)
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