Dewalt has come out with a new cordless underhood LED worklight, model DCL045.
The new Dewalt DCL045 worklight is designed for automotive lighting tasks, and can be clamped to the underside of a hood to brighten up a car or truck’s engine bay.
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Dewalt says that you can also use this for undercarriage work, and there could be additional uses due to the light’s slender form factor.
Dewalt engineered the DCL045 worklight to be compatible with their full range of Li-ion batteries – 12V Max, 20V Max, and also FlexVolt (excluding the DCB615 15Ah battery).
The worklight features anti-marring hooks that extend between 51″ and 74″ to fit different vehicles.
The hooks can also rotate 360°, allowing for precise aiming.
There are two brightness settings – 1700 lumens (high) and 800 lumens (low). Runtime is 5 or 10 hours, respectively, when powered with a 20V Max DCB204 4.0Ah battery.
Users can also select single-arm illumination modes to preserve battery life or extend runtime if needed.
The Dewalt underhood worklight folds down for carrying and storage, measuring 26-1/2″ closed. It weighs 6-3/4 pounds.
Price: $179 for the bare tool (DCL045B)
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Compare: Craftsman via Amazon
Compared to the Craftsman Underhood Worklight
Craftsman has a similar version, CMCL090B, and it looks to have very similar construction.
Compared to the Craftsman, the Dewalt is brighter and also works with a wide range of batteries, whereas the Craftsman works with their V20/20V Max batteries. The Dewalt also has an added single-arm lighting option.
The main reason to bring up the Craftsman model is to show you how it holds up for storage.
I have been testing the Craftsman model, and it’s bright and convenient. I cannot tell if there are any other noteworthy differences between the two models, aside from the brightness, brand-specific battery connection, and single-arm mode on the Dewalt.
A Craftsman kit was very briefly on the market before being sold exclusively as a bare tool.
Discussion
The Dewalt cordless underhood worklight looks to be a safe bet.
It’s compatible with nearly all Dewalt Li-ion slide-pack-style batteries, and it folds up for storage. You get 2 brightness modes plus single-arm illumination mode. Plus, the extending non-marring clamping hooks offer 360° rotation.
What more could you ask for?