Recomendations on lighting. Lightbar or Spotties

[Babs]

Hi Guys,

I wanted to gets some opinions on lighting, I had a light bar on my last Deefer and was extremely happy with it but like everything in life I/we want more.

1. I want to stick with LED
2. I'm looking for projection as well as spread

I don't know much about LED Spotties, will they project further than a LED light bar?

My light bar previously was decent for its projection.

Maybe a good quality light bar is all I need?

I would love to hear feedback on the LED Spotties.

Any recommendations on a really good quality light bar or Spotties would be appreciated.

Cheers.

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[Baytown]

Look up Unsealed 4x4 magazine (ts free!)
They had a great write up on various lighting solutions in a recent edition.
I have the big ARB Intensities on my 110.
Ken

[DiscoMick]

I have read that spots are best for long distance but LED bars are better for mid distance and spread. Do people agree?

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[Baytown]

UNSEALED 4X4 ISSUE 005 (http://unsealed4x4.com.au/issue005/)

[nate_110]

I run both in LED. I find LED provides the best spread but does sacrifice distance. LED technology is getting better all the time, is cheap and I rarely need the distance a HID spot would provide. I find the led much better in every day life. Lightbar is 43000 Lumen Osram and Spotties are 9000 Lumen Cree.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/03/257.jpg (http://s1194.photobucket.com/user/nathanccarrington/media/EE4DCE0C-064D-4B58-9841-F313135D3FEA_zps0thvams5.jpg.html)

[bee utey]

LED light bars are only going to throw a good distance if their optics are well made. Then there's the issue of radio interference which I have experienced with some cheapies. These ones look like they may be worth investigating:

80W Spot Beam 18 Inch Light BAR 8 X 10W Cree XML LED'S NO Radio Interference | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/80w-Spot-Beam-18-Inch-Light-Bar-8-x-10w-CREE-XML-LEDs-NO-RADIO-INTERFERENCE-/171843700705?hash=item2802aec7e1:g:~6IAAOSw~gRVk-0x)

And they're being sold by a local seller with an excellent handle...

[Bushie]

One thing I will say - if the mounts on the bullbar are just tabs and not web reinforced, then they will be likely to break off.
LED lights tend to be heavy relative to normal spots etc, and the mounts don't like lots of corrugations.


Martyn

[Babs]

One thing I will say - if the mounts on the bullbar are just tabs and not web reinforced, then they will be likely to break off. LED lights tend to be heavy relative to normal spots etc, and the mounts don't like lots of corrugations. Martyn

Martyn thanks for the heads up, it's an ARB bar so the tabs have reinforcing ✅

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[karlz]

I originally bought some ARB Intensity clones (225w Cree) from a store in Melbourne. $600, they were super powerful, but didnt fit my ARB bull bar properly, i.e. they protruded too much. I wanted my lights inside the protection of the bar, not out the front.

I returned them for some other LED spots, a little smaller and a little less powerful, 185W Cree, cost $300.
They fitted well within the bullbar, they have a cover to diffuse the beams, i.e. to make them floods. But without the covers, they are in between lights, i.e. they have a fair bit of distance and a bit of spread as well. They are actually pretty good lights well made and come with a decent loom. I was pretty impressed with them, had them on the car for a few weeks.

What I didnt like about them was the LED light itself.
Too me, I dont like the "white" light. It tends to reflect of all the signs. Its bloody bright though.

I took them off and have replaced them with 150W Fyrlts. They dont look as bright as the LED's, but I reckon they work better.

Im selling the LED's whenever I get around to sticking them on ebay.
Although the intent of this reply is to provide information, pm me if you want the led's cheap.

[BigJon]

1. I want to stick with LED
2. I'm looking for projection as well as spread


1: Why?
2: You won't get that with LED. I do know how you will, want to know the secret?

[BigJon]

What I didnt like about them was the LED light itself.
Too me, I dont like the "white" light. It tends to reflect of all the signs. Its bloody bright though.

I took them off and have replaced them with 150W Fyrlts. They dont look as bright as the LED's, but I reckon they work better.



This echos mine, and many others, experiences.

[Disco Muppet]

Fyrlyt nemesis :cool:

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[Babs]

1: Why? 2: You won't get that with LED. I do know how you will, want to know the secret?

Why? - I like the white light, heaps brighter

Went for a light bar with combination flood and spot.
Spread of approx 12 m either side of light bar
And projection out to 870m (but not so bright @870) read a newspaper at 550ish m.
Just right✅

Yes agree the street signs reflecting back with LED can be a little distracting but then there is not so many street signs along the driving I'm doing.

Can't go back to halogens after White LED, bad experiences with HID besides their old news now.
Could have chosen the 120w 14200 Lumens each Spotties which projected over 1klm but I don't need to see that far and you loose the spread beam out on the sides of the road.

The light bar I got is 24 LED 6 floods on each ends and 12 spots in the middle. It is 20,640 Lumens. Giddy Up❗️

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[noyakfat]

I used to run round halogens, initially IPF and later Lightforce. I thought these were both great at the time, in absence of any of the newer fan dangled designs and lighting technology.

I still had issues with roadsigns reflecting, particularly with the Lightforce model, likely as they were pumping out more light, but then again, roadsigns are designed to reflect light.

I thought long and hard about lighting options for Agnes. I was pretty well set on a light bar. However, I then decided to go ahead with a custom hybrid tube bar from Murray at Rijidij, and I just feel that round lights go better in a bar (for my taste).

I ended up purchasing a pair of Lightforce LED round lights (180SD) at a 4WD show. I haven't fitted them yet, as I'm waiting on the tube bar from Murray first.

I'm sure I'll be happy with them, as back in the day I was more than satisfied with my old halogens.

Enjoy your light bar, I'm sure it will do the job admirably.

Cheers,

[D90 orkney]

When I get around to it I think I'm going to go with fyrlyt halogens. Read good things about them and price is excellent

[cactus]

i have both types on mine. the landy came with round narva 100w halogen spotties. one spread beam and one spot. (best set up for most situations) ive always run spread and spot for every 4wd ive owned over 35 years. compared to the standard high beam on the landy, brilliant.

flicking through "bay the other week and i see light bars. 20"wide with centre spot and outside spreads.126w. brand new with 2 year warranty for the pricely sum of $39 delivered.

for that price i had to try them. i mounted the lightbar bar centre of the spotlights and just higher. i wired them up per state legislation. they have their own switch on the high beam curcuit as do the narvas. makes it easier to compare the two.

its so much whiter than the halogens is the first impression. and way more spread up, down , width. the spot doesnt reach as far as the narva spot but i find the combination of both to be a good compromise. only trouble is when a car approaches and you flick off high beam, its as if you switched all lighting off. the landy headlights are really very poor. but then again its old technology.

the other thing that im still getting used to is the look of a light bar on a vehicle that looks 50yo. the light bars just dont look at home on a landy. thats just an older blokes opinion.

that sums up my thoughts on them. and if i really cant get used to the look of them, for $39 , ill put em in the shed for 12v lighting when we lose power.

cheers cactus

[Crocodile Dundee]

i have both types on mine. the landy came with round narva 100w halogen spotties. one spread beam and one spot. (best set up for most situations) ive always run spread and spot for every 4wd ive owned over 35 years. compared to the standard high beam on the landy, brilliant.

flicking through "bay the other week and i see light bars. 20"wide with centre spot and outside spreads.126w. brand new with 2 year warranty for the pricely sum of $39 delivered.

for that price i had to try them. i mounted the lightbar bar centre of the spotlights and just higher. i wired them up per state legislation. they have their own switch on the high beam curcuit as do the narvas. makes it easier to compare the two.

its so much whiter than the halogens is the first impression. and way more spread up, down , width. the spot doesnt reach as far as the narva spot but i find the combination of both to be a good compromise. only trouble is when a car approaches and you flick off high beam, its as if you switched all lighting off. the landy headlights are really very poor. but then again its old technology.

the other thing that im still getting used to is the look of a light bar on a vehicle that looks 50yo. the light bars just dont look at home on a landy. thats just an older blokes opinion.

that sums up my thoughts on them. and if i really cant get used to the look of them, for $39 , ill put em in the shed for 12v lighting when we lose power.

cheers cactus
I rolled my defender 2 years ago and the only thing that saved me getting crushed was my 50 inch Rigid Industries Light Bar which stopped my Defender going right over and crushing me,
Anyway the moral of the story 2 years later been ------ over by the insurance company l got my rolled defender back took my light bar ran cables to the battery and it still working today know that is Quality there is no other brand l will ever buy Rigid Industries they are made in the USA

[Tombie]

Look up CRI - then understand the science of how the human eye works...

Once you do you'll realise that serious drivers need the ability to differentiate flora from fauna (hard to do with a grey Roo on a grey background).

The lower the CRI the worse it gets...

[Aaron IIA]

I am still trying to find a good LED light bar in 4000~4500k. The ONLY light in this range that I have been able to find is an 18w flood light. Everything else is 6000~6500k. Once you start to go above 4500k, the kangaroos start to disappear into the background.

Aaron

[Tombie]

And at the lower kelvin levels LED output is severely diminished.

[Tombie]

Have a look at the Tyndall Effect as well...
Something that has a big impact in driving lights.

It's why when HIDs or LEDs are used and there is dust, mist, fog, smoke etc in the air that they (HIDs or LEDs) glare back so much in such conditions.