Shadow SL-3 vs Blackshadow Darth?

Hi there,

I’m looking for a new light (3 or 4x XML) and looked at both the Blackshadow Darth and the Shadow SL-3. I was wondering if someone owns both or either one and can recommend me which of these two would be the better choice according to them (in terms of throw/flood/output and build quality).

I already own a Shadow TC6 and I think the build quality is great so I’m leaning towards the Shadow, but I like the magnetic mode selection on the Blackshadow and perhaps the longer battery life (more batteries though). The Shadow however seems to have a much bigger reflector…

This will be my first multiple XML light with 1000+ lumens. Hopefully the output of these lights will be much higher in comparison to my TC6 (800~ lumens).

Thanks in advance for your reply.
Aeonis

I own a BS Darth, and I like it quite a bit. The quality of the finish, and quality overall is good.

It's definitely more of a flood light, even more so than an skyray king. It's also a bit less bright than the SRK.

Overall I like it, but do have one gripe in that it has noticeable PWM, (not as bad as SRK) and it doesn't have as many settings as it would be good to have... specifically lower lows.

You have five magnetic control ring settings on it... Off, Low, Medium, High, and Strobe.

Vs the Shadow SL3 it definitely will be more of a flooder.

My personal preference would be for the BS Darth due to it using 3x18650. With the SL3, on one 18650 battery you won't have much run time.

That, and the fact that it's far more pocketable.

I wouldn't really consider either one as pocket lights, but the BS Darth would definitely be easier to carry around, or stick in a jacket pocket. It also tail stands perfectly... so you can use it as a candle. Not sure that you can do that with the SL3

Thanks for your reply. Indeed, the runtime on the SL3 won’t vote for it, it can also use a 26650 by the way, but still…

The 26650's are great for being able to support the higher draw, but in terms of capacity, they aren't keeping up.

I wouldn't be all that surprised if we end up seeing 4000mAh 18650 batteries in the not too far off future. Personally on my to do list is to buy 20 of the sanyo 2600mAh batteries in case of power outages... best $/mah/performance ratio I can think of.

Panasonic is releasing a 4000mAh 18650 soon. The problem is that it’s nominal voltage is 3.4v, instead of 3.6v with the NCR18650A/B/PD. This means that it achieves it’s higher capacity by being able to be discharged safely to a lower voltage. So they won’t really be any more useful to us because protection circuits and lights will cut them off before they can discharge down to their useful state.

http://translate.google.com/translate?tl=en&twu=1&u=http://panasonic.co.jp/corp/news/official.data/data.dir/jn091225-1/jn091225-1.html&sandbox=0&usg=ALkJrhjO93KOtv0jiVmHYG_OdPpMdDr1FQ

Heh, unfortunately the development is probably geared towards laptops. Hopefully we will also see some development for driver designs to compensate for this, but I won't be holding my breath :(

i have a sl3 but dont have a darth. the sl3 can tail stand perfectly as well.
if you dont care too much about having a side switch, then i would recommend the darth.
i mean the sl3 is ok i guess, because of the small diameter, but the head is quite large so that kinda makes up for it.

the things i dont like about the sl3 is the switch. its kinda hard to press. its not like any other side switch i have in any of my other lights. you have to press down prettty damn hard. most of the time, i see myself using the very tip of my thumb to turn it on.

i also dont like the fact that it comes on low first, and that you have to press and hold the switch for like a second to turn it off. you might have to hold it down to turn it on as well too…i cant remember.

if mine was not modded by vinh from cpf which is now running at 6.5 amps, i would have sold this light….so if your planning to mod it, then its a good light…very bright for the size.

so thats telling you alot if a sl3 owner is recomending the darth when i dont even have that light.

sorry to say but you really can’t compare them…

  1. completely different form factor- 3 x 18650 vs 1 x 26650
  2. the Darth has a much more sophisticated UI- magnetic control ring (thus automatic mode memory) but with no parasitic drain.SL3 has no mode memory either, and no parasitic drain, but to change modes you have to click through them-with the Darth you just rotate the ring.
  3. although the Darth is “beefier”, overall it’s IMHO actually more compact than the SL3- no large head.
  4. slightly- and I do mean slightly- superior build quality on the Darth.
  5. different beam: SL3 is slightly more focused; Darth throws a wall of light but still has throw.
  6. factory customer support: I don’t know about Shadow; I don’t have any experience contacting them, but I’ve become friendly with Helen Lee at BS; she went above and beyond to satisfy me (I originally bought 5 Queens, then returned them directly to BS when I found out about the excessive parsasitic drain; she accepted them for return with no problem, and after several emails back and forth. exchanged them for 3 Darths….so I have nothing but good to say about them & her.

I like them both, but I think the Darth has it all over the SL3…hope this helps….

just my two cents

I don't have the sl3. I have the darth and it's a fine light, but I think it may not be as powerful as you want (you said 1,000+ lumens). The light is underdriven and doesn't have enough mass to be driven hard for anything but short bursts. It's more of a high quality "mini" flooder. Just don't want you to be disappointed if you are wanting SRK or better output.

I have both the original BS Darth and the Shadow SL3. Both do 1500 OTF lumens so brightness is comparable. The difference in their output is the SL3 is more a throwing triple and the Darth is more flood. In addition to all that Steve said (I agree with all of it) don't let the fact that the Darth is 3*18650 make you think it's a thick light. The way it's designed you will hold it and look at it and wonder how the hell there are 3 18650 cells in it. It is so compact and feels as great in the hand as it is to look at with the eyes. The finish is also more durable than the SL3. The control ring is super easy to use and allows for momentary on in any of the modes. You can't do that with the SL3 plus the SL3 switch is very stiff. The biggest thing is my SL3 flickers where my Darth is perfect. I think it may be due to a small positive contact area on the driver surrounded by a fairly thick layer of non-conductive paint separating it from the outer negative contact ring. I think I need to put some solder in the center of the driver board of the SL3 so it makes better contact with the battery.

Long story short, listen to me and the others above and go with the Darth. ;)

Thanks all for the helpful replies! I see that almost everyone is voting for the Darth haha even SL3 owners.

@ImA4Wheelr: What you said got me thinking… Perhaps I’m indeed looking for a very bright light at around 70$ max and the 1500 lumens of the Blackshadow won’t be what I’m hoping it to be (not much brighter than my Shadow TC6 800 lumens), not sure though. Guess I’ll also do some research on the SRK and DRY + other competitors, although I’m not too fond of the usual SkyRay quality, same idea as Trustfire and all those other brands.

Hmm wait a minute… Blackshadow lights are manufactured at the SkyRay factory? Or just certain models?

Maybe the Warrior or it's equivalent (I don't have one). JohnnyMac has a thread on it:

JohnnyMac also has a nice review on the Darth:

The Darth is not as bright as well driven SRK's but it's certainly no slouch. I can very very easily see the difference vs 900 lumen flashlights.

My hands down favorite, small multi emitter light is the Zebralight S6330... but it's a bit pricey compared to the others on the market. It's also the light I actually end up using at home the most though, and that is always by my bed.

The Darth is far more than the sum of its parts or the numbers it produces. It really is a wonderful light and those that have them nearly unanimously praise it as such. I never understood why it is not more popular than it is. I think it's because there are brighter lights for the same or less money.

after what johnny and steve said, it sorta made me wanna purchase a darth now haha.

and johnny, think your right, its not as popular because of the brightness.
that was what veered me away when it first came out.
other lights out there for cheaper price.

to the op, hey if you can up your size standard, go with the warrior!
i have the warrior xml2, and a good driven srking, and ill take the warrior all day .
you will love it, trust me

Yes- although it’s a separate division and trademark, Skyray is the parent company.

So, with all that’s been said, I’m leaning toward getting a Darth myself (already own 2 BS Terminators, excellent). However, what about the Palight D3X? ’Seems like it’s driven considerably harder & has more levels. I have the Palight V60, and it’s solid. In addition, Palight makes the ETS40, which seems identical to my BS Term’s. Any thoughts, Johnny, on the D3X vs the Darth…?