I see this as rank having it’s priveledges. You pay more for cutting edge. The Terminator is a new design w/ U3 emitters. While it may not be as impressive as one would hope. It is new cutting edge technology. You always pay more for this. Besides, it must be worth it. You paid for it. If you want lower prices wait till it is no longer ‘cutting edge’ & get it at a reduced price.
Nah, it is worth it if it is worth it. It should be brighter than this.
I’d liken this to quite a few of my smaller lights.
All of the talk of it being almost on par with the TK75 but with less throw would be fine with me but either I’ve got a way over spec’d TK75 or a way under spec’d Terminator.
The price I paid is a good price for a good light or an expensive price for a average light
There was a comparison pic that someone posted (sorry can’t remember who) that had a terminator, eye40 and tm26 all aimed at a wall, apart from the term’ having a slightly smaller hotspot, didn’t think it did badly against the those. Mind you I think the TK75 against the same wall had a stronger hotspot.
Either you have a duff one or might they may have had problems with the upgrade to u3s (maybe a diff factory making them?) seems strange that people that have got them recently are disappointed yet there were a lot of good reports earlier, so much so I had it down on a very short list of probable buys.
Are you still bringing it? I dont have a SRK either.
my terminator u3 puts out approximately 13-16% more otf lumens than the tn30 xml2 with cleaned battery carrier (for improved elec. contact)
Got mine this morning,excellent build quality.However i consider i have quite small hands ,yet to me the handle seems too small you cant grip it with a full hand.Also box and info say u2 ,how will we ever know which one we have.Got mine from doingoutdoors ,came in plain box a couple of pieces of styrene then in a blackshadow box inside the plain box,adequate packaging.One thing i have noticed against my nw king from ffl,the terminators hotspot is a lot whiter shone at the ceiling.
Jakey, I would question DO as to why it came in a generic box with non-factory packing. To me it seems something is off and could explain why some folks are not getting the output they are expecting.
As to the handle, it is only a 3 finger handle and is not designed for a full hand grip nor could it ever be a full handed grip and still tail stand. As it is the handle is as large as it can possibly be without making a goofy shaped handle that extended forward before curving back. If they had done that it wouldn't be balanced in the hand and would be extremely tail heavy. I don't understand why people expect such a compact light to have a full sized grip. I think they just don't realize just how small and compact this little powerhouse is.
Hands up you got me there on the handle ,you are totally right . 
my description i will edit as i didnt make it clear it came in a blackshadow box which was inside a plain boxl lol…
I have to say I'm genuinely stumped as why people bought the Terminator expecting it to throw with the likes of the TK75/70 and the TN31. No where is it advertised as throwing 700 yds and my review accurately states the throw as under 500 yds yet people still buy it expecting it to throw 700. I call that not doing your homework before buying. As for brightness, my Terminator puts out an honest 3000+ OTF lumens after 30 seconds and around 3200 OTF on startup. Output is indeed comparable to the TK75 in terms of sheer output. White walling the two sould leave the TK75 looking brighter as the hotspot is more focused and will overpower the Terminators.
The only accurate comparisons to make against the Terminator are the EYE40 and the TM26. NO others no matter what anyone wishes it to be. You will find that it is their equal and when you factor in the fact that those lights are twice the retail price and nearly 3X (THREE TIMES!) the lowest street price of the Terminator there is simply no comparison.
Yes, the TK75 is a better light in terms of maximum throw but while still being a small light for it's throw, it is still huge compared to a Terminator. Remember folks, the Terminator is the same size as an SRK except for the handle. It's a small light. A tiny light that for it's incredible performance alone should have the right to sue Nitecore for using the monicker "Tiny Monster" because the Terminator really is a tiny monster. Expecting a light with 4 small reflectors to out throw a light engineered for maximum throw is simply foolish. Nothing as compact as the Terminator puts out as much light. Factor in the outstanding build quality and sheer all around usefulness and it easily justifies it's price.
My advice for those not happy with the Terminator because it doesn't match the TK75 is to sell it immediately to someone who appreciates it for what it is and do what you should have done in the first place - buy a TK75 or just save your money for something even better than a TK75 one day. Promise yourself that the next time you buy a light you will do your homework ahead of time. ;)
You definitely received a defective Terminator if the TK75 on mid power beats the Terminator. I have the TK75 and Terminator also, and in ceiling bounce, both on Max - they are very, very close. The TK75 of course out-throws the Terminator - but as far as ceiling bounce goes they are virtually equal. I would return the Terminator for either a refund or exchange. Got mine from Illumination Supply - very happy with it.
Absolutely. I second returning it because yours, ChrisC, definitely sounds defective or is a U2 version and a bottom of the bin tolerance one at that and not putting out what it should. Myst999, I’m happy that someone else with both lights can attest that they are equal in output.
Sensational torch, thanks JohnnyMac for bringing it to light.
A ceiling bounce is like removing the roof on a sunny day.
I now desire no other torch…
Until the new DQG 18650 comes along.
I’ll get some sample shots up for you guys within 8 or so hours.
I’ve got plans for most of the night so might not get much chance to get out with the lights but hopefully my photos will show you what I am seeing.
Johnny, though Terminator output is higher, I consider Zebralight S6330 a true tiny monster. Nitecore should rename their TM series.
No I had no reason to question the BTU. The pre-order thread Pre-order--BTU. Shocker 3xCREE XM-L U2 3x18650 Super Thrower Flashlight stated that it has 3000 lumens. My light had slightly over that at start up and dropped to about 2880 after 30sec. So that was close enough to specs I was happy with it. Why his site says 3500 now I don’t, but that was added afterwards as you can see from my link.
Now for the Terminator I’m not unhappy with it and demanding a new light. I politely emailed Black Shadow, notified my light appears to be about 600-700 lumens short of their specs and was wondering if I got a U2 spec light instead of U3. Asked them if my Serial number was adequate to figure this out. The told me that my light is not up to its specs and they would try to fix the issue.
Also I would never had even written them if I was not aware of other Terminators that have been tested about 300 lumens higher than mine, such as JohnnyMac’s. to me that was a red flag something was up and maybe I did receive a U2.
All this aside, even If I never get the light fixed, I won’t have an issue with it. It’s still a very cool light and very bright. Not quite what I expected, but 2830 lumens is not to shabby.
Hey myst999, I usually don’t compare my lights with a ceiling bounce test, but your post got me curious.
I got a U2 BTU driven at 3.8, and a U3 Terminator, so I compared them on the ceiling both on max.
My results are the same as yours, very close. But I give it to the BTU.
There were some people posting that their Terminators seems underdriven.
After I did my little test, it would appear that could be the case. Because mine looks like it’s up to par.
I would email BlackShadow and question them on that if you got one that seems it’s under performing.
Inquires like that are good to keep a company on their toes. Either fix the problem or the specs.
After all, a large percentage of their sales are to flashlight forum nuts like us who can tell the difference.
Member’s who post’s negatively on the light or their customer service can hurt their sales.
I am picking up my ‘u3’ version from the postoffice tomorrow. It came from doingoutdoor.com.
DX isn’t shipping out my lux meter, but if someone can tell me how to measure the current draw, I will compare it to my U2 version that I currently have (and love).
Bill from doingoutdoor did a nice photo comparision. I need to find that thread for you.
edit: link added…
I think the reason why comparisons are being drawn with the TK75 and the terminator is not for throw (unless your a newb) but flood. From a tiny compact light like the terminator it wouldn’t bother me at all that it won’t throw like a TK75, that’s not what I expect, but I don’t think it’s entirely unreasonable to think it should therefore outflood it. Problem with some beamshots I’ve seen it appears the TK75 has a wider spill which is what I’m personally looking for in a flooder. Of course floodiness of the hotspot/corona is also a factor, I would expect the terminator to outperform the TK75 in that department. Everyone’s requirements are different, each to his own in that regard.
well I did do a comparison last night: