Best flood light <$100

Yes, 3500+ real OTF lumens, with the new XM-L2 version which I linked. I believe people are actually getting more than the stated 3500 lumens though. Also, the Terminator is probably the most comfortable flashlight I have ever held to be honest. Just feels amazing in the hand.

be warned about the terminator - its a great light and i had one, but ultimately sold it because of the horrid pwm on low

it might not bother some - but it made me horribly dizzy

Can’t find any reviews. Do you know of any ?

I did a little searching and found this: TERMINATOR, TK75, TN31mb, BTU, King , & TN31 - Beamshots

The XML1 version is around 3000 lumens, not sure about the XML2 version.

So maybe a TK75 or BTU Shocker? If they offer just as much flood but more throw then why not. The TK75 and Shocker definitely do not get too hot to hold. The Shocker only just gets warm since it has such a massive head though.

HOWEVER if you want portability don’t get the Shocker, it’s incredibly heavy at I think 1.2kg without batteries so that’s the main downside.

Thanks matey! Good to see some counter-arguments!

Just remember, 99.6% of the population never see PWM from lights/flashlights. I will be very hard pressed for almost anybody to be dissapointed in the Blackshadow Terminator in the least bit, minus jmpaul320 .

There are lots of reviews, but here is the Official BLF review by JohnnyMac: Review: Black Shadow Terminator 4*U3/4*18650

Same light, just older XM-L version he reviewed. The one I linked is newer XM-L2 verison.

And one more thing, this morning, I left my Terminator Clone out on the table, and my fiancee looked at it and said, "Wow, nice beasty little light you got there, compared to all your other lights!" and started to fumble with it. Of course I told her it's not a toy, and immediately took it away from her, and gave her her car keys, which has a nice little Olight i3s on it to play with, lol. She just rolled her eyes at me!

And lastly, is that this is one small, compact, powerful light! Big head, small body! Smaller than what your probably thinking honestly. It's a beast, and it will amaze!

lol i honestly wish i didnt see pwm and have to sell it - any pwm lower than around 1khz makes me dizzy :frowning:

If the 3T6 isn't floody enough then the SRK, M6, and other "soup can" style lights won't be any better. I'm not quite sure why there have been so many recommendations for these lights when the OP specifically states "I currently have a TR-3T6 which is ‘good’ but not floody enough for his purposes." The TK75 and BTU Shocker are even worse choices if the 3T6 isn't floody enough.

How much light do you need? I would maybe even recommend an XM-L headlamp with aspheric lens, it isn't more light but it is light where you need it, hands free.

The Mod 2 will not burn your hand because it steps down from turbo before the light gets that hot.

Maybe get the Supfire M6, and put this Niteye Eye30 handle on it. Looks like a match made in heaven. Best of both worlds.

Edit: doesn't seem like this handle is compatible, watching this youtube review at 2:44.

Remember that you can fairly easily convert a throwy light to a flood with a diffuser.

I have a TK70. Turns out a simple coffee can top has a bit of opacity and fits right over the top perfectly! It makes for an excellent diffuser and turns my TK70 into a great work light with no hotspot at all.

I wouldn’t bother with these 12x XMLs as it is a waste of money to have all those emitters all driven so low. XM-L output is pretty linear up till over 2 amps…so 6 XMLS 2 is about equal to 12XMLS 1amp, with half the emitter cost.

A 4x version is plenty. Make sure it has enough modes. You really dont need 5000 lumens as it will get really hot really fast. A few thousand is probably more than adequate. No need for overkill since on a budget.

A Terminator is a thrower 1st, flooder 2nd. Can't flood as well as the big boys. SRK's style, maybe better for this guy with a handle, like the Yupard - all depends. Obviously he can't hold a flashlight while loading a dirt bike on his truck - thinking temporary or permanent mounting to the back of the truck would be better, but dunno the details enough. If he wants to hold a light while others (maybe kids?) loads them, that's a different story - form factor not as important then.

I've used a J18 to light up a yard, worked well, but I thought the 4 or 5 emitter soup can lights are better flooders than the classic 3 emitter SRK or M6 -- 3 LED SRK's are still good flooders though. Basically the smaller size reflectors will make better flooders, and if you can easily power a few of the small reflector LED's, then more brightness in the flood area. You can go crazy with the LED count, but you may hit diminishing returns, and also drain cells quick. The SRK type is nice because you get 4 18650 cells in a small package - can stuff it in your pocket if need to for example.

The Apex 5T6 or something similar would do well. I love the BS terminator, have one, but have to agree, it's not as much of a flooder.

If you can wait a bit, the Niwalker MM15 that's coming out should fit the bill nicely.

All the guy wants is something floody to light up the back of a truck, not a football field!

Grab a Convoy S3 and be happy. Buy two or three for less than a hundred bucks, and you’ll never be in the dark again. Want a headlamp? Grab a Nitecore head band for $9, stick your S3 in it - or two S3s, or three S3s - and off you go. See what you’re doing and keep your melon warm all for the same price.

The search light from an anti-aircraft battery is NOT the answer for every lighting problem.

You have no idea how much I just laughed.

I respectively disagree - if the guy is willing to pay up to $100, give him something decent - I assume he wants more than an EDC level of output. I do think a XM-L2 M6 or high qual SRK would be sufficient though.

You could use a Sipik 68 for that matter - in flood mode of course

If I wanted to light up the bed of a truck, and the area around the truck, I would glue a neodymium disc magnet on the tail of this light and stick it to the back of the truck cab. Mine lights up my entire back yard just fine.

Yes, the problem with the TR-3T6 is that it has a solid spot with a complementary flood. It does indeed have a very nice beam overall with a good spot transitioning into an even flood. I would say the spot is about 60-70% light and the flood area is about 30-40%. When I say ‘light’ I don’t mean in terms of the spot’s surface area on the wall, but the strength. While the reach and spread of the flooding area is quite wide and satisfactory, the problem really is that the spot is too intense and is a bit disorientating when you’re loading in pitch black. You move around the truck and your eyes adjust to this intense spotlight where you tie the straps down, and then you move off to a flood part where its dimmer and you need to readjust your eyes again.

That’s why I was after something without a significant hotspot effect

You’re right, but you don’t want to have a candle when what you really need is an anti-aircraft search light :slight_smile: The flexibility of modes and higher powers is handy. This is a light forum right, we all spend excessively on lights we don’t really need. It’s part of the fun! >)

The magnet idea was something I had in mind yes, currently use them in the garage for a million purposes! Really good.

Regarding the PWM, again I can only draw on my experience with my 3T6. You don’t really notice PWM if you are the one shining the torch in hand. But if you are moving within the torch’s beam, you will notice it. And all of this is on the low and medium modes. Moving in the dark on the lower modes and you can see the ghosting.

I have a BS Terminator, TK75 and a SRK. (actually a Fandy Fire) Although the SRK is somewhat more of a flooder, quality isn’t even in the same ballpark as the Terminator. I find the Terminator is a good example of flood and throw. Handle is great and the led in the on/off switch is actually a very good night light.

I love both my Terminator and my TK75 but I find myself using the Terminator more often. It really is kinda cool to have a light that throws like the TK75 but in real life I really don’t need or use that much throw very often. For the money the SRK is a bargin though.

If I were loading a dirt bike in the dark, I would be much better served using my Zebralight head light. Plenty of light for the job shining exactly where I’m looking.

I still think a headlamp is where it's at for this kind of stuff. I have both aspheric and reflector XM-L headlamps and I prefer the aspheric for most uses because of the wide and even beam pattern. You can pick up one for around $13, then put in a neutral white XM-L2 and better driver for an additional $15 and for around $30 have a really nice and powerful headlamp, with fast and nice mode spacing.

I did suggest the headlamp to him. This guy is old school. He has a Dolphin light he uses now and he likes the size and ergonomics of it but not the brightness. Can you believe it, using a Dolphin light in this age? hahaha

I have to post the picture because i think ‘dolphin light’ is an Australian thing.