Do Driving lights have to be so expensive?

[Voodoobones]

I'm looking at installing driving lights on my bullbar and I can't help but notice how expensive lights are! Part of me wants to get quality bright lights, but I don't want to spend hundreds on lights that are going to be possibly taken out by rocks in the winter time or brush or even with a deer. The Pacific Northwest isn't always kind to the front of vehicles, especially when wheelin'.
Can you get good lights for around the $100 mark or less? Why do people by $500 driving lights? I would be constantly paranoid of something happening to them.

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[Dave928]

Try the Harbour Freight LEDs and tell us how they work.

https://www.harborfreight.com/search?q=roadshock

 

[Voodoobones]

Try the Harbour Freight LEDs and tell us how they work.

https://www.harborfreight.com/search?q=roadshock

I did get the Nilight 60001F pods for my pillar ditch lights and they work great. They are built very well and sealed. Well worth the price of $14.37.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IY3YLCI/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_o2GAFbNB6R8TF

 

[Chocolate Thunder]

Quality LED lighting is pretty expensive. Some of it outrageously so. But the “good stuff” is head and shoulders better than the cheapo ones. If you don’t have a need or want for the higher quality stuff, just buy cheap crap and replace it frequently when it fails/rusts/leaks/breaks/fades. You’ll probably come out ahead money wise over time. You can replace those you bought 16 times before you spend the price of a pair of Baja Designs squadron sports.

 

[Voodoobones]

Quality LED lighting is pretty expensive. Some of it outrageously so. But the “good stuff” is head and shoulders better than the cheapo ones. If you don’t have a need or want for the higher quality stuff, just buy cheap crap and replace it frequently when it fails/rusts/leaks/breaks/fades. You’ll probably come out ahead money wise over time. You can replace those you bought 16 times before you spend the price of a pair of Baja Designs squadron sports.

Baja Squadron Pro's are $386.96. If I was to replace my Nilight 60001F lights once a year, it would take 24.7 years before it matched the price of Squadron Pro's.

I don't doubt that the more expensive lights are better quality as far as distance and width goes, but the prices are ridiculous. For the majority of wheelers, those expensive lights are not going to make that much of a difference.

Even if I wanted to step it up a bit, I can still get a pair of Hell 500's for $125.00.

I really think that companies like Rigid, KC, and Baja are gouging people. I am going to continue to research the less expensive lights. For the majority of Wrangler owners, I feel these less expensive lights will work just fine.

 

[sourdough]

I don't do hi-speed night driving. I run old school KC round 100w halogen's. Used, they are cheap yet work well. I like mine aimed 200 feet out and on the roads edge. That's where the deer you need to see are Haha.

 

[Voodoobones]

I don't do hi-speed night driving. I run old school KC round 100w halogen's. Used, they are cheap yet work well. I like mine aimed 200 feet out and on the roads edge. That's where the deer you need to see are Haha.

I hear ya! It only takes one deer to scare you for life!

 

[sourdough]

OP how do you like Spokane. I lived there for 24 years before retiring to a milder climate 10years ago. Still miss Spokane weather or not.

 

[Voodoobones]

OP how do you like Spokane. I lived there for 24 years before retiring to a milder climate 10years ago. Still miss Spokane weather or not.

I love it here! I grew up in Spirit Lake, just across the border and left in 1985 when I was in the military. After the Army in 1989, I moved to Spokane and have been here ever since. Having so many ski mountains and lakes so close makes it an amazing place to live for people that love the outdoors.

About 4 weeks ago my son and I were golfing at Downriver Golf Course and a buck with a big rack wandered on to the course and hung out with us for a while. The wildlife is amazing.

Housing prices aren't to bad either. Great place to raise kids.

 

[sourdough]

Yep, to all of what you said. I wasn't born there but was greatful to have spent the time that I did. You are a rich man.

 

[Voodoobones]

Well, I finally settled on the Nilight 15023SB-B. For the price, I’m very happy with them. I’ve had them for a little over a month and they do a great job. Especially since they were under $50!


Nilight - 15023SB-B Led Light Bar 2PCS 7" 51w 5100LM Black Round Spot Light Pod Off Road Fog Driving Roof Bar Bumper for Jeep,SUV Truck, Hunters, 2 Years Warranty https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MDG14CC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_0CkQFbC1DA83G?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

[TheRaven]

Quality LED lighting is pretty expensive. Some of it outrageously so. But the “good stuff” is head and shoulders better than the cheapo ones. If you don’t have a need or want for the higher quality stuff, just buy cheap crap and replace it frequently when it fails/rusts/leaks/breaks/fades. You’ll probably come out ahead money wise over time. You can replace those you bought 16 times before you spend the price of a pair of Baja Designs squadron sports.

Head and shoulders? Nah. Most of the comparo's ive seen struggle to find a difference outside of "a more quality feel". I have no doubt that the expensive stuff IS actually better but there's absolutely no chance that they can justify 6-10x the price like they try to. As you correctly pointed out, in many cases you can get 5-10 of the cheap ones before you surpass the cost of the "high end" one.

Just get a well-reviewed cheap one, and replace it in 3 years if you still even have your Jeep. By the ten-year mark you might be on your third one but at that point it's incredibly unlikely you won't have replaced your Jeep.

 

[Chocolate Thunder]

Head and shoulders? Nah. Most of the comparo's ive seen struggle to find a difference outside of "a more quality feel". I have no doubt that the expensive stuff IS actually better but there's absolutely no chance that they can justify 6-10x the price like they try to. As you correctly pointed out, in many cases you can get 5-10 of the cheap ones before you surpass the cost of the "high end" one.

Just get a well-reviewed cheap one, and replace it in 3 years if you still even have your Jeep. By the ten-year mark you might be on your third one but at that point it's incredibly unlikely you won't have replaced your Jeep.

I’ll concede that how much of a practical difference quality lights make over cheap ones is subjective. For example with two lights producing an equal amount of lumens, one can be tightly focused and having a color that’s easy on the eyes, vs a POS that scatters the light in a way that just creates glare but doesn’t illuminate well and has a color that fatigues the eyes. Same lumens. One is a quality anodized aluminum housing that won’t fade or rust. One is cheap mild steel with a questionable paint job that rusts within weeks. One uses Cree LEDs. One uses generic overseas modules of dubious quality. One has a lifetime warranty backed up by excellent customer service that handles issues. One has a 90 day warranty and nobody to actually answer a call or email regarding a problem Is quality the same? That’s for a consumer to decide. I know which I’d choose. If someone is OK with having a light that “does the job” and understands that it’ll not do the job as well and will fail more frequently and is cool with that, more power to them. That makes up a large market and there’s plenty of suppliers to meet that need. They sell Mahindra Roxors just like they sell Jeep Wranglers.

But the argument can be made that they have the same light output so why pay more, right? I’ve had both. How much it’s actually worth is up to what the consumer can afford and is willing to pay.

 

[TheRaven]

For example with two lights producing an equal amount of lumens, one can be tightly focused and having a color that’s easy on the eyes, vs a POS that scatters the light in a way that just creates glare but doesn’t illuminate well and has a color that fatigues the eyes. Same lumens. One is a quality anodized aluminum housing that won’t fade or rust. One is cheap mild steel with a questionable paint job that rusts within weeks. One uses Cree LEDs. One uses generic overseas modules of dubious quality. One has a lifetime warranty backed up by excellent customer service that handles issues. One has a 90 day warranty and nobody to actually answer a call or email regarding a problem...

The thing is, you don't have to make all those compromises to save BIG TIME on your lights. There are plenty of "budget" lights that tick most if not ALL those boxes and still come in at least 5x cheaper.

For example, the SBL "Super Series" light bar:

(https://www.superbrightleds.com/mor...oad-led-light-bar-90w-11000-lumens/3671/7633/)

Equal color: Check
Equal focus: Check
Aluminum housing: Check
Cree LEDs: Check
Lifetime Warranty: Check

SBL's bars are just a branded version of the same generic bar that many brands use. Now i'm certainly not trying to say that this bar IS as good as something like a Rigid, I agree it's not. But for God's sake it's ONE EIGTH the price (for roughly equivalent luminosity). There's no reality in which Rigid's price can possibly be justified with bars like the above out there.

See this youtube video for first-hand quality impressions:

 

[JohnT]

I have used Hella 55W halogens on three of my jeeps now (and a civic). They are not expensive, do a good job of lighting and I don't worry so much about losing them to a random Canada goose or a tree or a stone. As for high speed driving? We're talking Jeeps here, how fast you wanna go? btw, these driving lights do a great job of picking up the eyes of deer and other wildlife outside the range of your high beams (at speed).

Still "wrangling" with figuring out how to wire them up via Aux switch pod AND high beam. Right now, they will just be the Aux#1 switch

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