I can see both sides of the argument… having to maintain 8 individual cells for some people could be a major pain in the butt… say this light was going to be used for search and rescue or for some other nightly shift/task etc. - in practical terms, including a large battery pack that someone can plug in at the end of each shift/night instead of 8 individual batteries makes things stupid simple…
however with convenience comes cost, hence the high price… hell… even the GB price is a lot of $ to shell out
If I could buy just the head of this light for use with a TM11 bottom I would… of course then it would be top heavy… so theres that to consider I guess.
I have had the chance to test this light (lumen/throw) for a CPF member - it is quite nice in terms of build quality and feel… and it has a CRAP ton of heatsinking… probably more than any light ive seen except for maybe the BTU shocker… its quite heavy as well…
I dont think anyone who is willing to shell out the $ will be disappointed really… so long as you know you are basically buying a 4-5D mag lite sized light haha.
The problem I see with this light, is the performance for the price. A modded K40 will beat it in throw, and be just shy in terms of lumens.
In terms of battery packs, there is definitely something to be said for simplicity. I don't have to match batteries, or keep separate sets for my RC40 like I do for my X60's, and that's just 6 batteries.
Still, I really don't understand why the manufacturers don't make the packs with higher capacity batteries.
Cells are in parallel, not series. Even a 12 x 18650 cell carrier would be a non-issue for most people who would pony up for a light of this type and price range. Its a specialty item geared for enthusiasts and not something you would find in a battlefield or the back of a patrol car. Nor is it a light that any experienced and properly trained SAR team would ever use or stock in its inventory because of its ridiculous size and weight. By far, the majority market is squarely aimed at the enthusiast, not the professional. If the customer follows the minimum cell requirements (such as has been mandated and already well proven by Acebeam in their 6 x 18650 flashlight with battery carrier) the customer is immediately and richly rewarded with higher cell capacities of their choosing, the ability to swap cells without having to purchase grossly overpriced/low capacity proprietary cell packs, and can continue to reap the rewards of higher capacity cells as newer and better offerings are brought to market. If you search the many other threads spanning several hundred posts on the TM36, you will find that the NBP52 battery pack is the one big mega-fail that has prevented many people from purchasing this light.
Also, all TM series 4 cell lights are configured in parallel and battery tubes are interchangeable with the TM36, so unless you’re using a cheap charger and/or cheap cells that dont terminate consistently with the same ending voltage (which could be potentially dangerous in any multi-celled light), its no more or less dangerous than any other parallel configured 18650 flashlight. As with many other potential buyers of the TM36, I would have purchased one if it came equipped with an 8 x 18650 carrier or was offered as an optional purchase item. Nitecore failed again by not listening to the many complaints of its customers by not offering an 8 cell carrier option.
The 4 cell carriers work with this light but make it nose heavy and off-balanced. As others have also mentioned, you can run the TM36 on a single 18650 in a pinch at the lower levels if you desired (with massive voltage sag).