The 6 Best Cordless Work Lights I Tested, Reviewed

After putting a dozen models through their paces, these are the ones I recommend for portability, brightness, and durability.

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A well-lit workspace is essential to maximize accuracy, productivity, and safety. If there's an old corded work light in your shop—or if you've made do with a headlamp or a rigged up flashlight—you might want to consider a cordless model as an alternative. Advancements in battery technology and efficiency have made them a viable option, ranging from handheld task lights to tripod-mounted floodlights for maximum illumination.

Cordless work lights offer freedom from outlets and the tripping hazard of trailing power cords, plus they're easy to quickly reposition or transport. They're also well-suited for areas where a power outlet might not be available. Essentials to consider when shopping for a cordless work light include brightness (lumens), battery compatibility, durability, and additional features like adjustable modes or weather resistance, depending on your potential use cases.

To find the best cordless work lights worth buying, I sourced models from trusted brands and ran my pool of options through a comprehensive testing and evaluation process.

While all cordless work lights perform the same basic task, a variety of design differences can affect their performance, and make some more practical than others for certain tasks.

These floodlight-style lights are mounted on stands or tripods, providing wide coverage for large workspaces. In addition to general illumination, tower lights are ideal for working on elevated surfaces (like painting ceilings and crown molding, or installing light fixtures).

For even more coverage, consider a model with a 360-degree lens, which have a fixed design (no adjustments or articulation needed) to provide a consistent beam in all directions. These aren’t great for focused lighting needs, but provide a ton of room-wide coverage, which is perfect when working on all four walls of a room or space. I find that these can be a little inconvenient for tasks that have you facing the light more frequently, causing you to avert your gaze or squint unexpectedly.

Smaller, handheld cordless work lights are great for their maneuverability and ability to fit into smaller spaces. They typically have a lower lumen output, which is ideal for close-quarters work, such as under the sink or inside cabinetry. They also often are designed with some kind of freestanding base.

Some cordless work lights are hybrids, with the option of power from corded electricity. I’m a big fan of these models, because if you find yourself within easy reach of an outlet, you can use the cord and not waste battery juice. Or, in the event your battery runs out in cordless mode, you’re not completely stuck without a light source.

Since the whole point of a work light is to illuminate your workspace, their brightness, measured in lumens, is perhaps the most critical factor to consider. For basic tasks in confined spaces like under-cabinet repairs, 100-500 lumens should suffice. However, for larger areas or detailed work, you'll probably want 1,000-plus lumens. For more versatility, look for a light with multiple brightness settings, so it's useful regardless of the amount of light required. The Milwaukee M18 ROVER Compact Dual Power LED Flood Light, my Best Overall pick, for example, delivers an impressive 4,000 lumens on its highest setting, but can crank down to 2000 and 1200 lumen if needed.

In addition to freestanding, many cordless work lights offer other positioning options, which can be really useful depending on your specific needs. Smaller task lights commonly have magnets for mounting on metal studs, pipes, or ladders for better placement and nearly all models feature retractable hooks for hanging on a nail or piece of rope. Lights specifically designed for use under the hood of your car have special hook mounts for convenient and damage-free attachment.

Similarly, almost all cordless work lights have an adjustable beam for directing light where it's needed without moving the unit. When combined with the positioning or mounting options, how a light's head rotates or articulates has a significant effect on its overall usability, so take the time to consider what options would be most useful.

Weight and size directly impact how easily you can transport and position your cordless work light. Compact models typically weigh under 2 pounds and can fit in tool bags, while larger area lights may weigh 15 pounds or more, but provide substantially more illumination.

If convenient storage and portability are important to you, consider these features:

Remember that the most portable option isn't always the most powerful—finding the right balance between size and performance depends on your specific needs and working environment.

I have many years of experience using cordless work lights, particularly as a former residential and commercial carpenter. I drew from this insight to source 12 models, primarily from brands I’ve come to know and trust over the years such as DeWalt, Milwaukee, and Makita. I tested each light through practical scenarios that mirror actual work conditions, assessing light quality not just by comparing overall brightness, but by evaluating beam pattern, color consistency, and performance at different distances.

I also evaluated portability by carrying each light around the house and to and from my car, noting weight distribution, carrying options, and durability under transport stress, with particular attention to how well folding mechanisms and protective features held up. Each light underwent as many real-world applications as I could think of, including outdoor evening projects and emergency power outage situations to evaluate beam focus and overall usability.

This compact yet powerful Milwaukee cordless work light strikes the ideal balance between portability and functionality. I found its 4000 maximum lumen output to be sufficient for the majority of tasks around the house and the 1200-lumen low setting convenient for close-proximity use. Sitting in a cradle-type design, adjusting the angle of the beam (0-120 degrees) is as simple as tilting it up or down as needed.

Like most Milwaukee products, the overall build quality is sturdy, and the wide base gives it a really stable foundation, whether it's on the floor or a tabletop. You can even use the keyholes under the base to mount it on a wall.

This cordless work light is a hybrid, designed to run off a rechargeable battery or an AC power cord. The caveat is that like the other cordless work lights below—and most on the market—there's no battery included. (Also, this model doesn't have a power cord either, whereas hybrid models from some other brands include one.)

If you're partial to another brand's tools (and thus have another brand's batteries lying around) this may not be the best choice. But if you do have a Milwaukee tool collection, it's tough to find a better choice given the price point, dual-power design, and three brightness modes.

This middle-of-the road Kobalt cordless work light lacks the ultra-smooth light quality of higher-end models (its beam is slightly uneven and streaky on walls), but it's a fine option for general home use.

Although output is relatively low, I was seriously impressed with the versatility of its rotating frame. I was able to pivot the beam all the way around and it made for a convenient handle to carry the light around during my testing process.

This frame design also features a threaded tripod mount and two keyholes for wall mounting, providing a nice selection of positioning and angle options.

If you’re working on elevated surfaces, or just want to be able to angle your light in a variety of directions, this DeWalt tower-style light is a fantastic option.

With a telescopic design it reaches a height of 7 feet and the lens pivots and rotates for a wide range of angle adjustments. A rubber-coated bezel protects the lens and locking clips keep it sturdy and secure at your desired height.

Although significantly bulkier and heavier than other options, this light was surprisingly convenient to transport around during testing, thanks to its dual-handle design—one at the neck and a second along the body. Despite its impressive height, this light folds down to a manageable size, with a footprint of 10 inches in diameter.

What this Milwaukee light lacked in power, it made up for in precision and accuracy. Thanks to a reticulating 90-degree neck, you can choose exactly where you want the beam to point, and its battery pack acts as a solid, bottom-heavy base to minimize tip-overs.

While testing it underneath a century-old sink, I appreciated the protective rubber bezel, which prevented damage from any falling debris during my inspection. While the single, 100-lumen output setting isn’t as versatile as other cordless work lights, I found the minimal design convenient to use—you just press the trigger to turn it on and off. Also, the output is perfect for using in cramped areas where a brighter setting would affect visibility.

This heavy-duty Makita light runs on either 18V batteries or corded power. It’s extremely bright, blasting out up to 10,000 lumen on its highest setting, with a reflective lens that emits a wide, consistent beam across the room.

I appreciated the sturdiness of the adjusting knobs—they satisfyingly locked into place after I set them—and the thick rubber coating on the carrying handle and around the lens.

Unlike the Milwaukee Rover hybrid above, this model comes with its own AC power cord, as well as handy on-board storage for wrapping it up. There's also space for two Makita 18V batteries, though like other cordless work lights, they aren't included.

If you’re looking for all-over illumination from a single light, look no further than this DeWalt model. What really sets it apart from the competition, is that although it’s capable of generating up to 5000 lumen, the lens does a great job of diffusing the beam so as to make it more comfortable on your eyes while maneuvering around it.

Although this light is pretty heavy (it weighed a little over 10 pounds with the 8Ah battery I was using) the four grab handles made it really convenient to grab and carry around while repositioning during testing. This weight also kept it sturdy, and combined with its squat, compact shape, it was virtually impossible to tip over.

This stable design, along with the extra-thick protective lens, made this an especially durable option. This model also features DeWalt’s Tool Connect feature for controlling the power and brightness settings from your phone, a feature I find really useful when on top of a ladder or when hanging it upside down with the hanging hook.

Alex Rennie is a freelance writer who specializes in the Home Improvement, DIY, and Tool space. As a former residential and commercial carpenter, Alex uses his hands-on experience to write practical buying guides, how-to articles, and product reviews. His work has also appeared in Business Insider's Insider Picks, and before his writing career, he was a full-time carpenter living in New York City. There, he worked as part of a team designing, building, and installing large furniture pieces, as well as performing a variety of home repair and maintenance projects. Alex currently lives in Los Angeles, CA, and spends his free time exploring the beaches and mountains with his fiancé and their dog Louie.

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