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Name-brand Auxiliary Lights vs. Cheap Substitutes

Discussion in 'Lighting' started by evanhmn, Apr 11, 2023.

  1. Apr 12, 2023 at 8:04 AM
    #31
    BravoDeltaRomeo

    BravoDeltaRomeo Old Man Little Blue Finger

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    I went DD for my fogs and RC for my light bar. I'm hoping the Rough Country is safe enough to work (when needed) and is sealed enough to keep the water out.

    When it's time for Ditch Lights, I as planning on CaliRaised.

    None are installed yet.
     
  2. Apr 12, 2023 at 8:14 AM
    #32
    reywcms

    reywcms New Member

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    Too many mods to come

    What is this kids you speak of lol
     
  3. Apr 12, 2023 at 8:31 AM
    #33
    MedCityMoto

    MedCityMoto SciTech Nerd

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    I mean, I'd consider it if the light's proven to work via a photo or two, and the price is right!
     
  4. Apr 12, 2023 at 8:32 AM
    #34
    VWTim

    VWTim Mid-Travel Crew

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    Here's a horrible picture after putting the lights on. I'm running BD Squadron Sport's in wide cornering in the bumper, Morimoto XB fogs w/ Lamin-X covers, and the (2) Auxbeam 7" I mentioned before. I like the Auxbeam's enough I have 2 more ready to go on when I have time. Don't forget to upgrade your headlights as well, those are what most of use 90% of the time anyway. Mine are retrofitted with Bi-Xenon HID projectors and LED projector high beams, they're actually bright enough they would satisfy most people.

    Would I like BD LP6's in place of the Auxbeams? Sure, but I can't justify $2K vs $300. Also if one of the lights I have now gets taken out by a rock, a PHX driver, or a tweaker, I'm not out a lot.
     
    chugs likes this.
  5. Apr 12, 2023 at 8:48 AM
    #35
    texasrho83

    texasrho83 DGAF#1

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    See build link
    My RC pods had condensation within a year or two. They were located in my old front bumper. The light bar stayed sealed but I didn't keep it as long as the pods. One thing I noticed was that the pods that were covered stayed sealed longer than the ones without covers.
     
  6. Apr 12, 2023 at 8:51 AM
    #36
    Mr.bee

    Mr.bee King Turdra

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    I like my traveller lights i picked up from tractor supply.

    E72CB0F3-AC76-439A-A349-24C269A0CB39.jpg 0B56E561-BD86-4C74-85EA-DFB8894C880C.jpg
     
    KNABORES and chugs like this.
  7. Apr 12, 2023 at 9:36 AM
    #37
    BravoDeltaRomeo

    BravoDeltaRomeo Old Man Little Blue Finger

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    Good to know, thanks!

    The lightbar will be somewhat protected from the elements in the bumper, but I'll keep an eye on it or see about a DIY seal on some of the seams.
     
    texasrho83[QUOTED] likes this.
  8. Apr 12, 2023 at 10:21 AM
    #38
    memario1214

    memario1214 Hotshot Offroad Staff Member Vendor

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    HELLO! I AM HERE




    So to put it bluntly... Does anyone NEED very high-end lighting equipment? No. /Scene

    TL;DR - If you are willing to recycle your equipment every time it goes bad and you additionally are willing to devote enough real estate to cheap equipment you can technically get away with cheap stuff. Strap 4 light bars onto your truck and you can in fact have the same raw output as a Baja Designs OnX6 (although it won't be aimed very well). If you are tight for space and still want to have good output, have ANY interest in being street legal, or don't want to throw your stuff away when it fails go quality.

    All jokes aside, let's be real I put food on the table by offering (what my team perceives to be) quality equipment as it relates to lighting, suspension, armor, etc. As new companies come up or product offerings change we change ours as well. Has a company started to fall off in customer service or build quality? We'll drop them (Ex. we no longer sell Camburg products). Does a company have a single product offering that makes sense in the market? I'm happy to sell you an Auxbeam switch panel if it fits better with your budget than a Switch-Pros 9100. I won't ever recommend their lighting equipment to you though. We generally cater to a customer who wants and demands the best in terms of equipment on their vehicle. Does that apply to everyone? Certainly it does not, and honestly not even the majority considering how much stuff is sold on Amazon/Ebay. However, I'll toss a couple reference points out here for you to chew on. I'll just compare lighting equipment here for now since I am sure to get lost in the weeds along the way.

    1. Overall build quality - As you, and others have referenced the higher end equipment generally commands a higher level of build quality. This can come down to the finishes used on the materials, their resistance to water/dust intrusion, or the connectors that they use to seal the electrical connection. Your high-end brands will typically look new longer, keep out more moisture, and be more reliable in terms of flipping a switch and being certain that your light will come on and perform how you expect. That said, they're not all perfect. I have complained for years that Baja Designs uses cheap hardware on both their faceplates and side bolts. The faceplate bolts will happily strip the hex head (especially on the S1), and the side bolts will happily seize into the housings after a couple of years. Are these deal-breakers? For most people they are not, but just pointing out that no one is perfect.
    2. Warranty - The Baja Designs and Diode Dynamics of the world are well-known as being very competent in regard to honoring their warranties. Reach out with an issue, and they'll take care of it. Simple. Rigid (in my experience) generally has a few more hoops to jump through, but they have always taken care of me and my customers at the end of the day. "But I can buy 3 of these lights for the cost of one Baja Designs light so I can just throw them away when they stop working" - Please reference point 4 below.
    3. Aesthetics - To put it simply if you want something that "looks" like it didn't come out of the same Chinese factory as everything else, you'll likely have to pay for it. The upper-tier products have unique looks about them, have options to fit cleanly into OEM locations, etc. There's more R&D into how the product looks and feels, and it allows the consumer to install something that fits an aesthetic that they are going for. Take a quick look around the Home Depot parking lot. Some people care about how something looks, and some people will literally bolt a light bar to the hood of their '00 Camry. This is something that the Chinese OEMs could easily do, but to put it simply... just don't. They're putting together products that they can produce and sell cheaply to move as much volume as possible by making designs that are easily replicable, re-using as many components from old builds as possible, and ripping off current popular designs and producing the cheapest "good enough" version of that product that they can to get out in front of us quickly.
    4. Performance - The performance of a product is what grabs my attention, and I am happy to shout from the rooftops whomever produces the best products in this space. Lighting is one of those things that is VERY hard to quantify as our eyes perceive things very differently than our cameras do. Additionally, the power of computing and digital editing makes it such that I can take any light bar and light up a hillside 100yds away and make it look like daylight by moving just a couple of sliders. That's kind of why the communities that I hang out in have moved into discussions of candela to measure performance vs discussions of something like lumens. I'll give a few detail points below here, but to put it simply the high performing lights produce more output with smaller bodies.
      1. Optics - When it comes to LED offroad lighting, optics are key. LEDs produce light from a single fixed point, and as a result if you are not focusing them properly will throw light everywhere. That doesn't much matter if you're looking for slow-speed flood type of lighting, but for the down-range visibility it's critical. For reflector-style lighting the bigger the bucket, the better in most cases. Ex - Look at Baja Designs. Big and deep light buckets to allow for focusing of lights. Now look at the Amazon examples. Tons of LEDs peppered in very shallow light buckets. What that means is that the Amazon lights are often lighting up the owl 30ft up in the trees vs putting light down the road where you often want it.
      2. LED Efficiency - I won't get too deep here, but just know that the individual LEDs used in high-end equipment are a magnitude higher in efficiency in comparison to the LEDs used in Chinese stamped out stuff.
      3. "Wattage" - Many of the Chinese OEMs will use wattage numbers to sell their bars. That way you can just look for the bigger number, right? What they're actually doing is taking a count of the LEDs on the light and multiplying it by the theoretical maximum amount of draw of each LED. That 270W Amazon bar likely either has 54 5W chips on it or 90 3W chips. However, it isn't pulling nearly that amount of power. The boards are not designed nearly well enough for that, and a quick look at the wiring harnesses that get sent with these things will also tell you that they never had any intention of managing 20+ Amps. If you dig deep enough some of these lights will provide amperage draw numbers. A quick little bit of math will tell you that most of these pieces of equipment are actually pulling anywhere from 40-60% of their theoretical numbers.
    Okay, I have tapped my attention span for one post here so I'm just gonna send it! :cheers:

    If you have more questions please feel free to give us a call here at Hotshot Offroad and we'll help where we can. 406-936-0206

    Colton
     
    This site contains affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
    #38
  9. Apr 12, 2023 at 11:16 AM
    #39
    Baja Designs

    Baja Designs The Scientist of Lighting Vendor

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    Hey @dittothat, Thanks for the positive feedback. Looking forward to helping you out when you stop by.
    Best,
    Brandon
     
    dittothat[QUOTED] likes this.
  10. Apr 12, 2023 at 11:25 AM
    #40
    Baja Designs

    Baja Designs The Scientist of Lighting Vendor

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    Great write-up @memario1214. This pretty much sums up the question between quality lights and cheap Amazon options. If anyone has any product-specific questions about lights feel free to reach out to me directly at brandonk@bajadesigns.com.
    One thing to mention from our experience the private labeled Amazon products have misleading specifications, counterfeit components, and oftentimes blatant copies. After further testing, we continue discovering they only drive their lights at 50%-60% percent yet they continue to advertise 100% output specifications (blatant false advertisement). This will hinder the overall performance of the light but will lead to the initial question, what are you looking for out of your lights? They also falsely advertise the optics used with their lights as some of the name brand leaders.
    Best,
    Brandon
     
    This site contains affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
    #40
    Wallygator and texasrho83 like this.
  11. Apr 12, 2023 at 12:04 PM
    #41
    Baja Designs

    Baja Designs The Scientist of Lighting Vendor

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    Hey @evanhmn,
    There are a lot of options on the market for lights that range in price and quality. Baja Designs is proud to be at the top of this category and for what we believe to be the best lights on the market. We are backed with some standout programs to support our products as well. While there are cheap options available, most of the lights we have tested head-to-head with our products stand no chance. Most companies are advertising their products at 100% output and are selling solely off this but when tested are reaching maxes of 50%-60%. Another downside to these lights is the optics being used which more than not are falsely advertised for some name leading companies in this space. All of our lights are designed with our CREE LEDs and are backed by our lifetime warranty. This will eliminate the chances of needing to purchase replacements down the road due to water issues or the light going bad. Another awesome reason why our light stands out is the versatility you gain from our uService program. This allows the consumer to purchase replacement lenses to achieve different light zones depending on what their applications require. We stand behind our products and will always help you choose a lighting package depending on your needs as well. We have recently developed the first way to measure our products through our Effective Lighting Score (ELS) page located on our website. This page breaks down the science behind our products and allows you to visualize the light's output and zone changes with the different lens patterns. With hours of behind-the-wheel testing, we feel our lights will give you the best driving experience when you need it the most. If you have any questions or concerns about our products feel free to reach out directly to me and I will be happy to help out.
    brandonk@bajadesigns.com

    https://www.bajadesigns.com/els/

    https://www.bajadesigns.com/uservice/

    https://www.bajadesigns.com/clearview/

    https://www.bajadesigns.com/vehicle-hub-lp/toyota-tundra-14-on-lighting-kits/
     
  12. Apr 13, 2023 at 12:28 AM
    #42
    AZ Red Nek

    AZ Red Nek Native of the Valley, Bowl, Basin, ETC...

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    20210419_194643.jpg 20210419_194650.jpg 20210419_194656.jpg1. Headlights only
    2. Plus Baja Designs
    S2s mounted in grille
    3. Plus Baja Designs S8 in hood bulge.
     
  13. Apr 13, 2023 at 4:32 AM
    #43
    Js18tundra

    Js18tundra New Member

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    I’ve had Gg lighting on my truck for 5 years, no issues with moisture, always performed perfectly, I would highly recommend!
     
    chugs likes this.
  14. Apr 17, 2023 at 8:30 AM
    #44
    king.cong.1119

    king.cong.1119 New Member

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    I did a comparison review of 4 light pods varies in price, should give you a general idea.
    I'd say auxbeam is a great budget alternative for the more expensive ones.

     
    chugs, VWTim and texasrho83 like this.
  15. May 7, 2023 at 3:12 PM
    #45
    Thumper_6119

    Thumper_6119 New Member

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    As I am now looking to add some auxiliary lighting to my Tundra, this thread is of particular interest to me, and I am following it. The generous contributions of information, reviews, and experiences are pure gold. Very much appreciated, y’all.

    So what I am seeing as being recommended as the name brands (of better quality, reputation, and slightly higher cost) are:

    Baja Designs
    Diode Dynamics
    Rigid
    Rough Country
    (Please add others that should be considered as well. These are the ones that seem to be referenced here most frequently).

    I’ve been shopping the SAE offerings of the above manufacturers in LED light bars and 3”(ish) yellow fogs. I’ve shopped a lot of the knockoffs (not a lot of offerings for SAE, which stands to reason). I’m looking for better build quality, better illumination (not just brighter, but better application based on the intended use) and reasonable cost. “Reasonable” is a relative term. For me, I’m not looking to spend several thousand dollars, but I don’t mind paying a fair price for good quality products, service, and support.

    This thread has given me a lot of great information to consider in my shopping. I’ll continue to watch this thread for more great information. Thanks, y’all!
     
    Baja Designs likes this.
  16. May 7, 2023 at 3:16 PM
    #46
    BiggHertz

    BiggHertz DZTLIMO

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    sync up with Colton @memario1214 and have a conversation.
     
  17. May 7, 2023 at 9:38 PM
    #47
    Thumper_6119

    Thumper_6119 New Member

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    Thank you! I saw his post above, and I am grateful for such a knowledgeable resource. I am putting together my end of the initial conversation before engaging him so as not to waste the man’s time. If I better define the scope of function that I would like, it makes his job a whole lot easier.
     
    BiggHertz[QUOTED] likes this.
  18. May 8, 2023 at 9:57 AM
    #48
    ToyoMafia

    ToyoMafia SSEM #15-3MW-RGBA#?-@toyomafiaworld Vendor

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  19. May 9, 2023 at 1:11 PM
    #49
    ToyoMafia

    ToyoMafia SSEM #15-3MW-RGBA#?-@toyomafiaworld Vendor

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  20. May 10, 2023 at 10:15 AM
    #50
    Baja Designs

    Baja Designs The Scientist of Lighting Vendor

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    ToyoMafia[QUOTED] likes this.
  21. May 10, 2023 at 10:33 AM
    #51
    ToyoMafia

    ToyoMafia SSEM #15-3MW-RGBA#?-@toyomafiaworld Vendor

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    I think LP9 pro would be more comparable size wise but we are definitely gonna see what’s what. I believe the LP6 is gonna preform very very well side by side. We will do a night run through the Everglades and report back. Time to pack up a pelican with drones, light meters and plenty of batteries for the challenge.
     
  22. May 10, 2023 at 10:41 AM
    #52
    Baja Designs

    Baja Designs The Scientist of Lighting Vendor

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    Looking forward to the results. Size wise I think you are right about the LP9s but excited to see the outcome.
    Best,
    Brandon
     
    ToyoMafia[QUOTED] likes this.

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