It's all Dale's fault. And everyone else's too...

[Grant Lamontagne]

Dale listed that Black Shadow Terminator a while back and my first thought was "MUST HAVE THAT."

But, I figured no, I don't really need another light.  Besides, it takes funny batteries and I don't like funny batteries. 

In the end since no one else had the decency to buy it (shame on all of you!) I figured it was up to me to buy it, so I did.  I also ended up ordering two sets of batteries for it and a charger (Intellicharger i4) so I will always have oodles of power for it.

At 3500 lumens it is approximately three times brighter than either of the LED lights I mounted on my Jeep.  Yup, a hand held light three times brighter than a vehicle mounted system.  Makes you think, doesn't it?

I'll post some pics tomorrow when there's some better light, but to give you an idea of how bloody bright this monster is, it left a bright spot on the ground in full sunlight.  This thing is awesome!

Thanks Dale, and thanks to everyone else who didn't buy it.  Now if you'll excuse me, I am off to signal some passing aircraft to land in my neighbor's driveway.

Def

[JAfromMn]

You can't blame me.

I got a 900 lumen beast from Dale so I didn't jump on the Black Shadow Terminator. I did check it out more than once.


he's a bad influence....

[Grant Lamontagne]

Very bad influence. 

I shone it on me Seiko Orange Monster for a couple of seconds and now the face won't stop glowing even though the light is on.

Def

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[derekmac]

Oooh, I can't wait to see pics!!  Second thought, just shine it up in the sky and I'll probably see it from here!  

I so wanted to buy it, but couldn't convince my wife to let me part with the money.


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[Pacu]

nice!

[Nhoj]

I'll post some pics tomorrow when there's some better light

In my opinion it would give us a better understanding to show a flashlight in worse light

[Grant Lamontagne]

I just had it out while walking the dogs. The green light that tells you where the switch is is bright enough to navigate around the house by itself.

One of my dogs lost his ball in the dark after I threw it. I flipped the light on low (goes low, medium, high) and it lit up a good portion of the field- more than enough to not only spot the ball in the distance, but also enough to wake up a dog about 1/4 mile away. Seriously, I flipped on the light and the dog started barking. After I turned it off the barking died out. 

It was so bright on the low setting I was almost embarrassed to cycle through the other settings to turn it off. 

I really wanted this to light up the sides of ships at night so we can read the drought lines at work.  I had my doubt that it would be sufficient for that.  Not any more.

Holy smurf this smurfer is impressive.

Def

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[sir_mike]

I need a good flashlight that has a ton of lumens, okay not a ton but a bunch but dont want one very big, must be pretty portable and not take some "weird" batteries!.

I have a Cree that has like 200 lumens and runs on AA but would like to find one more powerful than that and with AAA if they make them!

[NutSAK]

Very nice.  I'm glad you didn't take my advice and dump AA's with washers in there.

 

[Millhouse]

I need a good flashlight that has a ton of lumens, okay not a ton but a bunch but dont want one very big, must be pretty portable and not take some "weird" batteries!.

I have a Cree that has like 200 lumens and runs on AA but would like to find one more powerful than that and with AAA if they make them!

I don't think you will really find anything running on AAA. I think the most compact light offeriing higher lumens is the Eagletac GX25A3. Runs on 3AA, outputting 915 lumens.

[PTRSAK]

ONE POINT TWENTY-ONE GIGAWATTS
THREE POINT FIVE KILOLUMENS ??
   

[Grant Lamontagne]

The lights on my Jeep are 1200 lumens each. I would need a third one to equal this light.

Def

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[gregozedobe]

I need a good flashlight that has a ton of lumens, okay not a ton but a bunch but dont want one very big, must be pretty portable and not take some "weird" batteries!.

I have a Cree that has like 200 lumens and runs on AA but would like to find one more powerful than that and with AAA if they make them!

You can find some single AA lights with a bit more output (but not tons more) eg Zebralight SC52 on eneloops.  You may be able to find some 2 x AA lights with more output - have a look over at CPF to get some ideas (and maybe another addiction    )

Unless you get into customs or small volume lights running on  "weird" batteries most manufacturers are constrained by the practicalities of heat dissipation and the small amount of charge stored in a regular AAA battery.

Another factor is how wide or narrow a beam a light has - a narrow, highly focussed beam will throw a lot further but not illuminate a very wide area.

[MadPlumbarian]

Ok so where's the pics? JR

[sir_mike]

I need a good flashlight that has a ton of lumens, okay not a ton but a bunch but dont want one very big, must be pretty portable and not take some "weird" batteries!.

I have a Cree that has like 200 lumens and runs on AA but would like to find one more powerful than that and with AAA if they make them!

You can find some single AA lights with a bit more output (but not tons more) eg Zebralight SC52 on eneloops.  You may be able to find some 2 x AA lights with more output - have a look over at CPF to get some ideas (and maybe another addiction    )

Unless you get into customs or small volume lights running on  "weird" batteries most manufacturers are constrained by the practicalities of heat dissipation and the small amount of charge stored in a regular AAA battery.

Another factor is how wide or narrow a beam a light has - a narrow, highly focussed beam will throw a lot further but not illuminate a very wide area.

I might look at a 2x AA one that can yield me more lumens!  I would like one that can give me a wide and narrow beam if I need it.  It doesnt have to be too wide or too narrow, just the ability for both would be great!

Thanks for the info.

[derekmac]

I'd love to have one like the Black Shadow Terminator, but I think I'd be better off getting something that's bright, yet can go on my belt.

A buddy bought a Fenix PD35 XM-L2 , and I really like that light.  Might get one of those, or that Eagletac GX25A3.  I like the idea of being able to use regular batteries. 

I've also been thinking about getting a good headlamp, and I've been looking at the Fenix HP30.

And yes, this is all Dale's fault!!! 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Ok so where's the pics? JR

Keep yer pants on!  They are coming! 

In fact, here they are! 



First up, it is an impressive piece to look at- someone went to an awful lot of effort to machine this beast!



The above photos are with the batteries locked out- ie the butt end twisted so that the batteries can't make contact and drain.  That's important because I understand the parasitic drain of the lit up switch can be significant.  Here's the switch lit up:



This is pretty well the only real drawback to this light that I see.  If you are using it as an emergency light then you would want the switch lit up all the time to make it easier to find in an emergency, however doing that will kill the batteries so much that it would be dead and not much good in an emergency anyway.

If you look closely you can see that the handle is bolted on, which would mean that it is removable except that the switch is in the handle.  If the switch was on the main body somewhere then the user could have the option of carrying/using it without the handle.  This is not a small light, but the handle does add a lot of bulk- without it I could see it being carryable in a large sheath or small bag.  Here's a size reference:





That's an 85mm Wenger S557, which is not a small knife in it's own right.  If you don't know how big an S557 is, shame on you, it is one of the most functional and carryable SAKs on the market- send Tim a message right now and try to get one before they disappear forever.

Having been a long time incandescent light user (I was slow to switch to LED's) I am used to the excessive heat thrown off by glass bulbs.  Because I am used to a much higher heat scale I don't usually think of what kind of heat LED's throw off.  Apparently this light creates a significant enough amount of heat that they had to put a warning label on it.  I'll have to test it with a temperature probe some time. 



With a warning like that one it, it might double as a place to cook some bacon in the morning!



Black Shadow also did a tasteful job of marking this light.  It has the logo to let you know who made it and what model it is, but it also comes with a serial number.



Now I know a serial number in a lot of cases is just a marketing ploy, but I for one find an individually identified number to be reassuring on a product.  Maybe that just brings me back to my Mag Lite days, but when you think about it, most serious consumer goods have some kind of individual number on them- your car has a unique VIN number, your TV, computer, tablet and phone all have unique identifiers so that somehow, somewhere, if there's a problem someone can track down who did what, what may have happened, and determine if there was a problem what range of consumers may also be at risk.  Maybe it's a pipe dream, but it is comforting to me.

Inside this thing is a huge battery cavity that takes four 18650 batteries, something I know almost nothing about.  I found a relatively decent deal on eight batteries on eBay and I took it, not knowing any better.  I'm sure folks here will tell me I got the wrong type or something, but they work and this thing is already bright as a supernova, so I'm figuring they will do for now.





What they are (as you can see from the photo!) are 5000mAh, 3.7v Lithium Ion batteries.  I think I got all eight for $12 or something, including shipping.  Considering it would cost me about $19 locally per battery with half the capacity I'm considering that a win.

Now on to the important part that you've all been waiting for- how bloody bright is it?

Well, as I mentioned before, the green light in the switch is bright enough to navigate a dark house at night, which is good because this is most definitely an outdoor light.  You don't want to flip this on in the house to try and get to the washroom at 2am.  Not unless you never want to see or sleep again.

So, keeping in mind the auto light adjusting levels of a camera, and the fact that this was taken in a light tent in broad daylight, here are some comparisons:

Low:



Medium:



High:



I thought the light sensor on my camera was going to explode.  I realize medium and high look more or less the same since I think it maxed out the cmos on my camera, but you can see the difference in person, and in the photos if you look at the footprint of the light on the "floor" you can see that much more is whited out in the last one.  The front of the handle, under the switch is also showing a lot more reflection.  I'll get some shots after dark sometime soon and really show the difference.  This thing is amazing.

If I was able to change a few things I'd move the switch and probably make it GITD rather than lit up.  Maybe a small tritium insert rather than a light?  I dunno, I just don't see much point to the light in the switch where it is, plus I'd move the switch as mentioned so that the handle would be removable.  One other change I'd make is to space out the modes a bit better.  I'd make Low a lot less retina scalding so that it could be used indoors or other confined areas.  While I like three settings (useful but not complicated) I could actually tolerate this one with four or five settings- something like 50 lumens, 100 lumens, 1000 lumens, 2000 lumens, and the full Monte at 3500 lumens.  A timer would also be a nice feature.  Some lights if you leave it on a certain setting for five or ten seconds then the next time you hit the button it turns off.  This one doesn't from what I've seen.  You have to cycle through the modes no matter what.

Lastly, if you press and hold the button from the Off position it will start an emergency strobe.  This is important because the minute you flip that on you'll be sending kids in a three block radius into seizures the likes of which Manga can only imagine.  If that happens, you'll be glad to have a bright emergency strobe to signal medevac choppers.

All in all I like this light.  I got a deal on it from Dale, and I thank him for that even if he is a dirty bugger for taunting me with this light.     I've seen lesser lights sell for more, so all in all I have to say this is well worth even the retail price of about $150, even if you then have to spend another $40 or so getting a charger and some fancy batteries for it like I did.

We'll see if it holds up to regular use at work, which is what I wanted it for.  While a large portion of buying it was to have a cool looking overpowered light, I do actually have a use for it, so I'll update this thread once it has a few more miles under it. 

Def

[sawman]

That's just insane. Genuine flame-thrower you got there.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I have dealt with a problem for a long time.  So many people automatically point a flashlight at their faces and turn them on.  I don't know if they are trying to see if it's on or try to see how bright it is, but I usually try to warn them before handing the light over.  Sometimes they listen.  Sometimes they don't.

I am thinking no one will be able to handle this thing without a waiver.  With your pupils fully open in the dark I imagine flipping this thing on within a couple of feet of your face is going to cause permanent damage.  Even on low.  This is not a toy by any stretch of the imagination, and I can see some serious problems if children or idiots get a hold of it.

Def

[MadPlumbarian]

Yeeouch, can you like roast marshmallow over that thing or what? Dang that things like nasty looking! (In a good way) I think wow! JR

[derekmac]

... I can see some serious problems if children or idiots get a hold of it.

Def

Guess I'll never get to touch it then.                         

You can really tell that they went to great lengths to make a quality light with that one.  Once you have those fancy batteries and a charger, it opens you up to other small, high output lights.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Nope. No it doesn't.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Def

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[NutSAK]

That thing ain't right. 

I'm glad you included the Wenger in one of the pics--it looked HUGE until I saw that.

[Grant Lamontagne]

For a handheld light it's quite big, but compared to the giant spotlights you used to have to get to get this much light it's amazingly compact.

Def

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[derekmac]

Yeah, I figured it was going to a fair amount bigger than what it actually is.  I guess the days of buying massive spotlights that weigh 10lbs and only last a short amount of time are over.

[ducttapetech]

That, is one bad ass light! I like it.

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[PTRSAK]

It's a beast for sure.
I didn't realise this was a multiple emitter light.  Surely that would open the door for them to have even more "modes" where you could run it on 1, 2 or all 4 emitters. as well as output regulated.

The sellers of those 18650 cells on eBay are notorious for overstating the capacity. But even at 2500mAH that's a fair but of power.
I have some that are supposed to be 3500, but when I charge them on a monitoring charger it only puts about 2000-2200 mAH back in from flat.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Combine this light with the settable UI options in the NexTorch type lights and you could have a whole light show in the palm of your hand!

Def

[sawman]

Combine this light with the settable UI options in the NexTorch type lights and you could have a whole light show in the palm of your hand!

Def

I'd be afraid of accidentally blinding myself or somebody else with it. It's just too bright... 

[ducttapetech]

No such thing.

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