Review: BTU Shocker (3 x XM-L T6 NW | 3 x 18650)



It's huge so when you pick it up you think holy cow this thing is going to be like an HID but it isn't. It's a cool conversation piece but the TN31 beats it for throw and the TN30 spanks it for flood, and by the looks of it the TK75 beats it overall. I need to do some further testing in an open area against my other lights to give it a far comparison though.

For the size of this light and the three c8-sized reflectors it should blow my socks off. It might be because I have the NW version?

Even though there’s no point arguing opinions I just want to say that even though a TN30 will beat it for flood and a TN31 will beat it for throw, what if you want both the throw AND the flood? We don’t have any side-by-side comparisons of the CW and NW together, so we can’t be 100% certain you would be impressed by the CW. I’m using the Shocker daily for my needs and I can say that it does meet my illuminations requirements (and surpasses them by a lot), but I do agree it is too big. I’m getting a bit bored of it now, and want to get an insane single emitter thrower now.

Bottomline: It’s not a light for everyone due to the size, weight and output, but it beats carrying both a dedicated flooder and thrower since it combines them into one.



That's what I meant by "overall" for the TK75. I have no doubts the TK75 is a much better light than the Shocker. I just can't justify spending that much on a flashlight that doesn't have XM-L2 emitters right now.

Please dont get me wrong ...The BTU is an IMPRESSIVE thrower/flooder light !we all agree with that but the overall thinking we have is when holding it in our hands ,,the sheer size and weight gives the impression that this thing will shock and awe but it dsnt ...Iv held the tk75 in one hand and held the btu in the other hand a and the tk75 is very light weight compared to the btu ,and yet gives it a serious competetion!!! The good news is that when a 1500 lumens led does come out(it will be easy to upgrade while the tk75 will not be) il updgrade this thing and once it gives 4000 lumens and throws 900 meters il say then only will it justify the weight and size of this thing .

@ slewfish -I use 3 keep power 3400mah on my BTU.so battery isnt a factor.There probably was a increase .i have no measurement tools. but to the naked eye there was no diffrence when i compared it to the tk75 when using the DRY driver, which was disappointing . The original digital driver performs flowlessly.

A cool white BTU is pretty much dead even in throw with a TN31. Personal tests on mine and my brothers lights show this. This is what I have recently gotten -
Brothers TN31 - 126k
My TN31 - 122k
My BTU - 125k
All tested under the same conditions at the same time. All 3 lights running Keeppower 3400’s. The BTU’s throw is sometimes misleading because it lights up so much crap in the air that it is harder to visual detect stuff way down field like some dedicated throwers. But I have also verified its throw with true measured distances and a meter. The BTU will truly throw 700m.
And I’m truly glad this light isn’t like an HID. If it was, I wouldn’t want it. I also must add this light will easily out throw and out power my Ryobi 35wt HID. And it spanks it with the instant on that only LED’s offer.
And I don’t doubt the TN30 might have more flood than the BTU. However one should note that even the new XM-L2 TN30 only throws 440m - WAY short of the 700m the BTU does. TN30 is much closer to a king in throw than a BTU. Basically these lights have different intended purposes.
Now a TK75 is worthy contender. Output is about the same, but even falls about 100m short in throw.
The BTU is a thrower first in foremost. It just happens to put out a ton of light doing it.
But yes the light is pretty big and heavy. I personally like that. Besides its considerably smaller than my SR90.
But I honestly admit its not too practical for everyday flashlight duty. But I also don’t think a 3000 lumen, 700m throwing light was ever intended for everyday use.
But all this aside I know this light isn’t for everybody. It just stumps me when people say the light doen’t impress them. I’m just curious what would it take to do that exactly?

I am really curious why you keep boasting about BTU performance that only last for 3 minutes.
After that 3 minutes, its output and throw is worse than TK75. And you can’t ignore it is using 3*18650, lousy battery carrier, lousy UI with tail clicky, not so shiny reflector, no AR lens. To me, BTU is more expensive than TK75, it doesn’t have any value except maybe the short 3 minutes that will shorten LED and battery life.

Well I could also say after 20min the BTU will KILL the Tk75 with its 2000+ high vs the 1100 high of the TK75. So that’s a tit-for-tat in my mind. And a mute point when both lights can be turned right back to turbo. And it’s also very likely with the 2200otf I tested my BTU on high (not turbo) it will still out throw the TK75.
And I’m not saying the BTU is a better light or has a better value than the TK75. I’ve tried and tested my brothers TK75. It’s a great light, no question about it. I find both very equal in my eyes.
And the BOTH the TK75 and BTU run at basically the same amperage - appx 3.8A. And a LED setup with good heatsinking like it is in both lights will last longer than you or I will live.
Heck my TN31 is factory driven at over 4.2A.

+1

20 minutes is very long compare to 3 minutes. Your ASSUMPTION of current consumption about TK75 is wrong as it doesn’t match runtime measurement of 4*18650 and someone already make measurement about TK75 using power supply. BTU is over driven for 3 minutes, harming LED and battery, but does not better than TK75 that last for 20 minutes. BTU throw better due to its reflector, but flood worse than TK75, your beamshots show this but you still claimed BTU flood as good as TK75 (not sure you have changed your mind about this).

Just to neutralize, so that not many newbies fall in the “trap” buying BTU. There are better choices. We don’t need to support an expensive copycat brand.

I’d say the BTU fills a niche that the TK75 does not simply by not having Loctite in its threads. Easy to upgrade down the line.

3.8A will not harm an XM-L. You’d have to pump 4.44A through an XM-L in order to match current density of the XR-E EZ900 at its maximum forward current rating. 4A through XM-L to match XP-E EZ1000 at 1A. The smaller emitters have considerably higher thermal resistance than the XM-L (8, 9, and 2.5 °C/W, respectively). To that end, the XM-L handles 1A/mm^2 current density better than the XR-E/XP-E.

No there isn’t better choices. There are other good choices, like the TK75. And yes the TK75 has slightly better flood than the BTU. And the King has better flood than the TK75. This is all normal results from shallow reflector (king), deep reflector (tk75), and very deep reflector (BTU). This is also why their throw goes in the opposite direction. BTU, TK, King. Simple facts of reflector size and depth. The BTU and TK75 are setup to do a good job of both throw and flood. One has an edge in throw and one has an edge in flood. Both slight in either direction.
The BTU is not over driven and its not driven any harder than the TK75. A U2, like in the TK75, will not produce the 975otf lumens I tested on the TK75 when pushed under 3 amps like you believe. Now thats a fact. I’ve tested countless T6’s, U2’s, and U3’s. none can come anywhere close to that number out-the-front driven so low. Only a freak of nature XML would produce those numbers driven so low. The light is drawing over 3.5A, no way possible its not.
And any newbie that falls into the “trap” of buying a BTU will be rewarded with a awesome light. They should count themselves lucky to start the hobby with a BTU.
And I’m perfect content supporting a non-brand light. I think you should have noticed that at least 75% of the lights talked about on this forum are not “name” brand lights.

Brother, no amount of logic is going to penetrate that haze. You know this…. The boy has been anti BTU from the word go. Despite all the people who have bought them & love them. The only question I have? What was his hire date @ Fenix… LOL

Good one dale!

TK70: Hey, in defense of my twin brother, the BTU, this is what I have to say

1. BTU is way cheaper now - $100

2. Add another $50 - you get the SRK.

3. Add the 2 light together, 5000 over OMG lumens. Huge throw and flood. For the money - how to fight the BTU
with the TK75?
Will outshine and outdo even Olight X6.

4. Formidable weapon in defense and attack due to heft and reach.

5. Versatility - Leds and driver easily self replaceable and or upgradeable. So you can drive it like crazy - no
worries here. Marginal replacement cost. Dedome or not, U2/ U3 / XML2 U2 or neutral white - up to you.

6. TK75 breakdown hurts - huge shipping cost, plus lost time.

7. Turbo - BTU at 3 mins and repeatable (heft and size adequately handles the heat); TM26 at 4 mins; repeatable
1 min. each time; TK75 - 20 mins.

8. No AR coating is not a big deal. Clean the AR lens often, the coating will wear down as well.

9. Feeble battery holder - resolved easily. See Shaquille beefup do-over.

10. Stepdown after turbo - BTU high mode - 2000+ lumens and TK 75 lumens at high ??

Given the new price, the BTU is formidable in every respect.

OH GOD!!! NOOOOOOO!!! NOW HE’LL ARGUE ALL NIGHT!!! …I’M GOING TO BED. Seen this show to many times…

I know many won’t admit they bought a worse product. Luckily fact is fact and not changeable by anyone.
You have been ignoring all the bad thing about BTU. Its weight, lousy UI, lousy battery carrier, etc.

BTU is cheaper now, you know why. Think about it.
If BTU is selling for $100 now, it should be correct price for it(I once said it should be $120). It was aiming $180, remember?

Not targeting anyone here though Dale accuse me as being Fenix employee. I am not.
You can love your BTU, but you should not boast around its 3 minutes performance and that will lure newbies to buy it.

The facts put forward by RDR. Look if you don’t like the BTU. Thats your right. But the curious thing. RDR & even myself concede what a great light the TK75 is. We have all conceded that it’s a matter of personal preference. Yet you continue to slander the BTU as sub standard. Being that Mrs D has her masters in psychology. I know that all behavior is purposeful. Bearing that in mind I can’t help but wonder… Whats your motivation behind the behavior. Even when confronted with facts you ignore them. It’s like you have a personal vendetta against a flashlight or something. Were you violated with a BTU or something? If so there are several private self help groups I could point you to.

Big + 1 and LMAO
That pretty much sums it up.

I’ll highlight some of your arguments which are not correct:
“You have been ignoring all the bad thing about BTU. Its weight, lousy UI, lousy battery carrier” and “but you should not boast around its 3 minutes performance”
They’re not ‘bad things’ being ignored - because they’re not “lousy”, and I’ll tell you why.

  • The weight - It’s approximately 1kg without batteries (and 1.2 with). While someone who may struggle to lift this may find it cumbersome it comes with its merits. More mass means a longer time before the body becomes saturated with heat which translates to better cooling for the LED (in short bursts).
  • The modes (or UI) - It has mode memory, and cycles from low to medium, high and then turbo then repeats. I do not see how this is “lousy”.
  • The battery carrier - It has copper discs on each terminal to reduce resistance which is the primary factor in controlling the amperage in direct drive (which can be used in the DRY driver). It isn’t aesthetically pleasing? Suck it up, it goes inside the light. Nobody complains when I spill coffee on the inside of my suit.
    It’s weak and flimsy? No, it has a metal frame. Even if it was made of hot glue it wouldn’t matter, as long as it fits snug there will be no stress applied on the carrier. The battery carrier rattles? This is a misconception - it does not.
  • Lens - It’s clear enough, plus AR lenses will be available soon and Ric may send them to owners free of charge (I had to email him, but he’s sending one to me when it’s available).
  • Reflector isn’t as shiny as the TK75 - Fair enough, it may not be as shiny but in terms of output the Shocker still beats the TK75.
  • Three minute turbo - This seems to be your main argument. After it steps down from turbo to high after 3 minutes you can just half depress the button to bring it back up to turbo. It’s not much of a visible difference between high and turbo in real life usage, and isn’t a big deal. The High mode on the Shocker is still over 2000 lumens, which again is not visibly different from the TK75. Remember you need 4 times the output to perceive a double in brightness. Eg, a Shocker @ 3k lumens will only look twice as bright as a 700 lumen P60.

You seem to dislike it and say that the owners will not admit to buying a bad product, but have experience with it. Not all the Shocker owners are asying it’s good if you haven’t noticed already. You’ve been openly bashing the Shocker without even trying it. It’s a multi-emitter light with crazy throw. It combines high total output with long throw (and they usually aren’t associated with each other) in a relatively small package. Why hate?

I own a TK75 and love it to death but can not for the life of me understand how someone can hate on a light that obviously has an almost perfect balance of throw and flood like the BTU does. I am amazed at the performance of both lights every time we take them out. When both lights were evenly priced it would be hard to choose between them. Now with the the BTU at $100 it’s almost a no brainer that the shocker is the super deal.