(Last update) Wanna buy BTU Shocker, but...

I wish to buy one, probably this is also the most expensive flashlight I have ever bought so far, so I’m a little bit of worried that is Ric’s service still reliable? Reading so many comments saying that he is not as responsive as before. If I place my order on this light how long am I going to wait to get it?


EDIT: Thank you all for the input, guys, now just a little bit of update here. Actually I have placed my order on the BTU Shocker in FFL last Tuesday (16th April). I have asked Ric few questions before I ordered one, though there were some delay but he responded to my questions anyway.

Ric also has shipped my light on last Friday (19th April) which is still not bad to me. Now I just have to wait for receiving my light and will let you guys know about the light quality and performance by updating in this thread :slight_smile: If everything goes well then CNQ/FFL is still a recommended place to buy things from.

And for the reason of ordering BTU Shocker is simply because of its performance vs price ratio. Actually I was eyeing for a TK75 but at last I thought I wasn’t ready to spend that much of money on a single flashlight yet, so I keep browsing in this great forum to search for other multi-emitter alternatives, such as SRK, Roche M170… and now end up with the BTU Shocker :smiley:

Sorry guys I wasn’t intended to start another BTU vs TK75 fight here. TK75 is definitely an excellent light but just that my wallet doesn’t encourage me to purchase it at the moment, cheers :bigsmile:


Today I have received my BTU Shocker! But I have not got the chance to see it yet as I am working and away from hometown (my parents helped me to sign and receive it from postman :laughing:. Beside of haven’t seen the actual light performance and overall quality, I shall say Ric is still providing good service and I recommend fellows here to order flashlight from him. Maybe just like some members pointed out that Ric might be just too busy, I am not sure anyway.

Can’t wait to open my gift now!


I have played around with my BTU Shocker finally, and below are my impression.
Pros:

  1. Bright! I own two HID lights and DRY, so I know how to define it!
  2. It does throw seriously!
  3. Simple and practical UI, exactly same with DRY. This is what I’m looking for.

Cons:

  1. It is a HEAVYWEIGHT!! Can hardly accept this!! Even my 85W HID loaded with battery pack is slightly lighter than this!! The only winning edge for BTU Shocker is having a shorter body. I wonder if I can carry this heavy thing around for long time. Is it really necessary to remain so much aluminum materials inside it? For heat dissipation purpose? Don’t think so.
  2. Reflector not very smooth, considering my Lightmalls C8’s reflector is even smoother than this.
  3. Tailcap switch. I hope it is a side-switch, but I still can live with it since all my other lights are tailcap switch, so not a
    big issue. Required two-hand operation though.

Overall I am satisfied with this light, but if you want me to rate this light out of 5 stars I will just give it 3.5 stars. If it was sold at $80 then it worth 5/5 stars.

That’s it. I am not going to write a review on this as I do not have the equipments to do beamshot and current measurement, there are already few good Shocker’s reviews in this forum. Ric is still a good and reliable dealer around here.

Anyway it really need to drop some weight!! |(

I see you haven't got a response yet so in case you are still wondering I would buy something other than the BTU.

It is big and bulky and my T6 NW is extremely under-whelming. The TK75 is a much better light in every way besides being more expensive. However, it's worth the extra price. You could get the BTU and mod it with the money you save but stock the light is only a conversation piece.

Ric doesn't seem to be as helpful/responsive as he used to be in the past.

If I remember right packages from CNQG arrived in 2-3 weeks.

The light is amazing don’t let anyone tell you it’s simply a conversation piece. I got mine very fast and I am sure you would get yours quickly as well. His communication might not be the best but I think it’s simply because he is busy.

As for the light, the two brothers on this site tested the TK75 and the BTU shocker side by side and the BTU outthrew the TK75 by a little bit and was equal in every other way. Yes it’s true that T6 neutral white isn’t going to be as impressive as the U2 but then you can’t compare the two they are apples and oranges.

Trust me on this, you do not have to mod the BTU shocker to have much more than a conversation piece. It’s an amazing light just the way it is. I have done all kind of mods to various lights and I have not been tempted to mod mine. It throws a huge amount of light as far as I can see, what more can I ask for?

I suppose it’s legitimate to say that it’s heavy, but I don’t understand the concern. It’s supposed to be, it’s a huge light and that is why it can take being driven as hard as it is and can throw as far as it does. Also my wife has no problem carrying it around and she is just your average housewife not a workout person or anything like that. Just an average sized lady with average strength.

Last but not least is this, it is a Budget Light compared to the TK75. I paid $120 for mine and I talked him into giving me another $20 store credit because of this previous sale which was $150 and $50 store credit. This is after all Budget Light Forum not let’s pay more for the same. Not that the TK75 isn’t worth the money though, it’s just that I would have paid even more for the BTU so I think it’s a bargain and the TK75 is simply priced right.

They are both amazing lights and the BTU is no conversation piece unless your conversation goes like this. DAyammm that light is hella bright!!

The U2 must be a completely different animal than the T6 version. Every single non-flasaholic (10+ people) I have handed this light too says, "Holy cow! This thing is huge; it must be bright!" Immediatly after they turn the the light on they get a confused look on their face and say "That's it?" Then I hand them the TK75 and they fall in love with the size, quality, and UI. The TK75 is a million miles ahead of the BTU and if they release a TK75 XM-L2 it will be game over for 90% of the lights on the market.

For me I would rather have 1 TK75 than 2 BTUs and that isn't an exaggeration.

Luckily we all have different taste otherwise there would be alot of single people in the world....

Wow is it possible that something else is wrong? Even though the NWT6 would be less bright it should still be, Holy hell that sucker is bright! Mine is just amazingly bright and throws as far as I can see.

I have a 3T6 it gets blown away in brightness and throw by the SRK and the SRK gets blown away in throw by an Trustfire T8 that I have modded with a XM-L2 on copper. The BTU shocker throws easily as far as the modded T8 and puts more light on target and it’s flood blows away the SRK by a ton. I have a 6T6 and it doesn’t flood as well as the BTU.

It sounds like you must have gotten a dud. Have you considered buying a DRY driver for $5 and throwing it in? Ric might even just send you one.

Seriously the BTU should impress even a hard core flashaholic.

I know it seems very strange that is isn't performing similar to a TK75.

I am most likely going to sell it or have it modded. The light has some serious potential so I don't want to let it go.

Although even if the BTU U2 is similar to the TK75 I would still choose the TK75. I'm usually under-whelmed by lights that are hyped up but the TK75 is the only one that actually lived up to it.

I claim that mine is under-performing (originally a U2 version, now XM-L2 on copper) but so far I cannot pin-point the problem. The reflector appears OK (compared pics to rdrfronty’s reflector), the current is definitely OK (over 5A), and lens is not eating a ton of lumens (I’ve tested it lens on and lens off to make sure). With XM-L2 @5A, mine performs about as good as the stock version others have received. It makes no sense yet.
I want to fix it, I just do not know what to change. :~

Well the TK75 is a thoroughbred and the BTU is a Clydesdale, but I've played with both, and both are impressive, but if you want decent throw, hands down the Shocker is the winner there with it's bigger, deeper (and more complete) reflectors and confirmed in the published throw numbers. You gotta go with the U2 version though - the T6 3C will under achieve, but still should impress. Thinking also there's something wrong with that unit, but also, a nice neutral tint will be deceivingly appear to be a lower brightness that what it really is, least I think so in comparing a lot of lights, some 3C's in XML or XM-L2.

It's funny how every discussion about BTU Shocker starts to sound like politics at some point. Or religion. Maybe it should be added to the list of prohibited topics? ;)

This light really splits people. Don't know why.. I love mine. A lot!

Even the NW version is very bright and throws more than most of us would never need. And with a tint suitable even for photography.

Plus it's fully user serviceable, unlike TK75. You can easily mod it with new generation NW emitters on copper SinPADs. Or you can try CW and enjoy >3500 lumens or kick down to 2500 lumens, as told by rdrfronty.

Ps. I can vouch Ric. He might be busy and doesn't always respond fast, but he delivers. And you know that his goods are the real deal, not any random clones. I have bought a lot of lights from him (currently waiting for 2 x DQG 18650) and will buy even more in the future.

i have no issues with BTU it’s a beast of light, but i held both TK75 and BTU in my hand before, if i have to go searching for somebody lost in the wood or have to carry it for a long time, i would definitely leave BTU in the car as it is Daaaaamn heavy and even TK75 with the extension tube still weight less than BTU :stuck_out_tongue:

I think Joe here is doing a huge disservice to the OP and all the members of BLF. The NW version of the BTU sucks! Plain and simple. If you buy the BTU go for the CW version and possibly even with the dry driver if you really want things bright (but you won’t have the same turbo runtimes then).

I have the CW version and its a VERY impressive light. It will out throw the TK75 easily (and by a lot due to the deeper and bigger reflectors) and the feel of it is amazing. When you hold it just feels like a incredibly well built tank. I really appreciate the heavy solid feel of it.

Now the one negative in mine is I don’t think the turbo mode is working properly since I see no difference between turbo and high so I think there might be a driver problem… Ric was nice enough to send me a free dry driver so I’m going to take the old driver out and solder in the Dry driver so that will hopefully fix my issue and make the BTU an even greater beast!

Now having said all this I recently bought a 85w aliexpress HID light (the long one) and it beats my BTU pretty easily in terms of throw… hell it would beat an SR90 easily…. it would probably destroy almost any of the typical LED lights in terms of floody throw. But then you are talking about HID which is not really fair. Just thought I’d mention that.

I personally think they are both excellent lights. I’ve spent a good amount of time around both. The BTU is slightly cheaper, has better throw, and is much easier to mod. The TK75 is a little floodier, is lighter weight, and has excellent thermal/heatsink properties and regulation.
I prefer the BTU, my brother prefers his TK75. Both wouldn’t consider trading for the other. But on the other hand both of us like the opposing light quite a lot.
Basically you won’t go wrong with either light you choose.

Hey Rdr any idea how to do the dry driver install on the btu ?

you failed to mention the run time of HID light… AFAIK it can only runs few minutes at a time before the protection kicks in because the heat issue.
it’s only for show and tell, not useful for everyday use :slight_smile:

+1

Few mins? I ran mine at 45W for 20 mins and it gets hot for sure but it doesnt shut off or anything. It has a pretty nice heat sink on it. I havent tried doing that in 85 w mode though.

Best to ask Tom E, he was the mod guru on my BTU. I don’t wont mis-direct you.

Ok… I asked him before but he didn’t reply to that specific point (he addressed other things) but lets see what he says later.

A little off topic, ok a lot, but has anybody actually measured the lumens and lux on these 85wt HID’s? I HATE the delayed power on of HID’s. But I’m curious if the output is truly enough to make me look past the delay on these 85wt lights.
I mean I have a 35wt Ryobi HID that I haven’t turned on after it was perhaps a month old. Nowhere near enough power or throw on it to make up for the delayed power on. Though I tested it at about 2500 lumens and 600m throw.
So any REAL numbers out there on the 85wt?