Best light for the money

[trophycummins]

Anyone that defends the cheap $50 amazon/ebay leds has never experienced driving at night with proper lighting.

I've run all the big names. The only one I dont like is Rigid.

Currently, I run nothing but Baja Designs and Tomar TRX lights on my vehicles.

 

[AndysLog]

everyone that understands how leds are made and how these lights are put together are all laughing at that statement lol.

 

[freddyfcs]

I was thinking in go with M&R dual 40” setup for 600 bucks.in my opinion is a good bang for the buck option instead of 1k ridgid or Baja single 40”

 

[Deleted member 12951]

By all means if you want to go cheap and adding lights for the mere cosmetic look and needing to light up the alley or parking lot or the slow crawl, you will be fine. Might have some moisture and condensation issue but as long as you know up front, you can deal with those occasions.

If you want performance from these off-road lights then there is a difference. The faster you go, the farther you need to see so you don’t over drive your lights. You also do not want them to cast shadows but focus the light where you need it.

Sure if you don’t want to spend the money, gotcha. But comparing ebay/amazon sub $100 lights to lights like Baja Designs and saying they are close enough and don’t justify the price is just silly.

 

[AndysLog]

By all means if you want to go cheap and adding lights for the mere cosmetic look and needing to light up the alley or parking lot or the slow crawl, you will be fine. Might have some moisture and condensation issue but as long as you know up front, you can deal with those occasions.

If you want performance from these off-road lights then there is a difference. The faster you go, the farther you need to see so you don’t over drive your lights. You also do not want them to cast shadows but focus the light where you need it.

Sure if you don’t want to spend the money, gotcha. But comparing ebay/amazon sub $100 lights to lights like Baja Designs and saying they are close enough and don’t justify the price is just silly.

they both do the same thing and are designed and made the same way. sure there are quality differences, but im willing to bet you 10000000% you can take a 25$ light and a 600$ light and run it through baja with no problems on either.

justification is killer in this thread. its just an LED, not thors hammer lol.

and just as an added FYI i take my smaller truck to many more offroad parks and runs than i do with my raptor and its literally never given me any problems what so ever. its not an ally light or a dark street light, it gets abused like a mother ****** and keeps taking it.

if you guys that are NOT sponsored and not SEMA trucks wanna blow your *** on some LEDs by all means. it just makes 0 sense because its again just an LED, doing the same thing yours is for 5% of the cost.


5% of the cost. think about that for a second. what makes it worth that much more.

 

[Deleted member 12951]

they both do the same thing and are designed and made the same way. sure there are quality differences, but im willing to bet you 10000000% you can take a 25$ light and a 600$ light and run it through baja with no problems on either.



justification is killer in this thread. its just an LED, not thors hammer lol.

I missed out on bitcoin so I will take that bet. Problem is, you most likely will not pay up when you lose so what’s the point. You are convinced that your cheap lights are the best light for the money, good that is your opinion. The OP was asking and you have spoken with your expert knowledge. Its nice to have folks on here that are experts on cheap lights, we do need a mix to give us options.

 

[Baja Designs]

they both do the same thing and are designed and made the same way

Bailey here with Baja Designs. I wanted to chime in and provide some quick information about what we do differently and why customers choose Baja Designs over the competition.



ClearView Optics-
https://www.bajadesigns.com/science-of-lighting/clearview.asp
With more useable patterns than any other manufacturer, ClearView® provides you with a light for every zone and a scientific method to the madness.
ClearView™ is our proprietary optics, which are computer designed in-house by Baja Designs’ team of racing engineers who have first-hand knowledge of the lighting needs of all types of drivers and riders. We don't use an Off-The-Shelf optic like lots of the competition. The best thing is most patterns and colors can be changed in a matter of minutes with our uService Technology.



uService -
https://www.bajadesigns.com/science-of-lighting/uservice.asp
Baja Designs unique use of O-ring seals instead of silicone allows users to change their beam pattern and lenses with ease. This makes for a quick and easy change between a variety of different patterns or colors. You have the ability to fine tune your lighting package to specific needs. Try that with our competitors and you'll be left in the dark without a warranty.




CopperDrive -
https://www.bajadesigns.com/science-of-lighting/copperdrive.asp
BD’s CopperDrive LED management system uses next gen circuit board and driver technology to safely run high powered LEDs at 100% power. 4 levels of thermal management transfer LED heat up to 3000% more efficiently and provide an extra layer of vibration isolation creating the highest performing and longest lasting LED light on the market. We drive our lights at 100% capacity to make sure you're getting all of the performance needed.


Manufactured in the USA -
Another reason why our costs are higher than competitors is we try to keep as much as possible in the US. We average 65-75% US Content and our goal is to keep the number high. Here in San Marcos we have 3 CNC machines working on housings, bezels, end caps, for a wide variety of products from our S8 LED Light Bar all the way to the Lp9! The only things outsourced are very minor components where the cost would be too high to manufacture here (Rock Guards, Lenses, etc.)


On top of this our LED/HID Lights are covered by a Limited Lifetime Warranty giving you complete purchase protection against manufacturer defects. This gives you peace of mind knowing you're covered for many years of use and abuse in the dirt or on the street.
https://www.bajadesigns.com/help/warranty-policy.asp


Above is just a few reasons why customers choose Baja Designs (BD) and why our costs are a little bit higher than most. We put nothing but quality components into our lights in order to provide you with the best lighting in the industry that will last many years. If the above information isn't enough to convince you that we are different than "the other guys" I'd like to invite you to our Shop for a tour. We are happy to show you the day to day operations here and the hard work that goes into our products.

-Bailey, Baja Designs
www.bajadesigns.com

 

[smurfslayer]

I am diametrically opposed to the idea of agreeing with @AndysLog, so I’ll say the same basic thing, without -actually- agreeing with him.

I -just- picked up 4 BD pods to add to the 2 front facing 17” Amazon sourced kawells rated at 7500 lm per bar. As part of the install that took me way, way too long, I had to run up to the local park to aim them.

I used a field with woods off in the distance after getting them basically aimed. I still need to re-aim the 2x led bars I run in my grill.

Results matter.

I could have bought 5x the lights and I got basically the same amount of output of the BD pods. Not complaining here, it’s just math.

I added 2 BD squadron spots and 2x sport(?) combo cubes.

The 2 spots reach out further and with greater intensity for the size than the 2 17” combo bars behind my grill. Not really a fair test, but so what?

the 2 combo cubes don’t put out as much as the spots, but... I think they’re rated at half the output and it sure doesn’t look like they’re only half the squadron output! Still, the 2 LED bars I got off amazon for $99.98 kick ass.

I’m sure I could get more distance from lighting by mounting in front of the grill or otherwise unobstructed, getting spot lighting instead of combo, or buying more expensive lights. Sure, for their size, the Squadrons throw a lot of light and they have off road cred, I get that. But if you’re in the mud, woods, not racing baja or high speed desert or some other competition at night, admit that having BD lights is 99% posing.

Nothing wrong with buying the best, it’s kind of why we’re here. But OP asked bang for the buck, not best no matter the cost.

Baja Designs make better lights. I don’t think anyone can reasonably dispute that. But without easy financing terms, equipping your truck with a full BD setup is there 2nd step to the poor house ( the first was buying the Raptor ) You will need more space and wattage with cheap Amazon lights to get the same light output from the spendy B/D lights. But it’s easily achievable and can be done. Worst case, if you find other Raptor owners are snickering at your cheap Amazon lights, sell them in the garage sale forum and buy up when you’re ready.

 

[AndysLog]

Bailey i appreciate your response. would you mind telling me where your LEDs are actually manufactured, i dont see it posted.

Bailey here with Baja Designs. I wanted to chime in and provide some quick information about what we do differently and why customers choose Baja Designs over the competition.



ClearView Optics-
https://www.bajadesigns.com/science-of-lighting/clearview.asp
With more useable patterns than any other manufacturer, ClearView® provides you with a light for every zone and a scientific method to the madness.
ClearView™ is our proprietary optics, which are computer designed in-house by Baja Designs’ team of racing engineers who have first-hand knowledge of the lighting needs of all types of drivers and riders. We don't use an Off-The-Shelf optic like lots of the competition. The best thing is most patterns and colors can be changed in a matter of minutes with our uService Technology.



uService -
https://www.bajadesigns.com/science-of-lighting/uservice.asp
Baja Designs unique use of O-ring seals instead of silicone allows users to change their beam pattern and lenses with ease. This makes for a quick and easy change between a variety of different patterns or colors. You have the ability to fine tune your lighting package to specific needs. Try that with our competitors and you'll be left in the dark without a warranty.




CopperDrive -
https://www.bajadesigns.com/science-of-lighting/copperdrive.asp
BD’s CopperDrive LED management system uses next gen circuit board and driver technology to safely run high powered LEDs at 100% power. 4 levels of thermal management transfer LED heat up to 3000% more efficiently and provide an extra layer of vibration isolation creating the highest performing and longest lasting LED light on the market. We drive our lights at 100% capacity to make sure you're getting all of the performance needed.


Manufactured in the USA -
Another reason why our costs are higher than competitors is we try to keep as much as possible in the US. We average 65-75% US Content and our goal is to keep the number high. Here in San Marcos we have 3 CNC machines working on housings, bezels, end caps, for a wide variety of products from our S8 LED Light Bar all the way to the Lp9! The only things outsourced are very minor components where the cost would be too high to manufacture here (Rock Guards, Lenses, etc.)


On top of this our LED/HID Lights are covered by a Limited Lifetime Warranty giving you complete purchase protection against manufacturer defects. This gives you peace of mind knowing you're covered for many years of use and abuse in the dirt or on the street.
https://www.bajadesigns.com/help/warranty-policy.asp


Above is just a few reasons why customers choose Baja Designs (BD) and why our costs are a little bit higher than most. We put nothing but quality components into our lights in order to provide you with the best lighting in the industry that will last many years. If the above information isn't enough to convince you that we are different than "the other guys" I'd like to invite you to our Shop for a tour. We are happy to show you the day to day operations here and the hard work that goes into our products.

-Bailey, Baja Designs
www.bajadesigns.com

---------- Post added at 01:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:52 PM ----------

I missed out on bitcoin so I will take that bet. Problem is, you most likely will not pay up when you lose so what’s the point. You are convinced that your cheap lights are the best light for the money, good that is your opinion. The OP was asking and you have spoken with your expert knowledge. Its nice to have folks on here that are experts on cheap lights, we do need a mix to give us options.

next time you run the baja 1000 ill send you a set of cheap lights so you can run them! ill even pay for the lights and shipping. since they are so cheap.

i am convinced they are the best light for the money for all of us in here yes. do i think race trucks should run them? maybe if they work for what they are doing, but for everyone on here an ebay light would serve them just fine. trying to justify an almost 1000$ is insane lol. but hey different strokes for different folks.

with the money i saved on not buying way overpriced lights, i dumped a bunch on money in bitcoin and now i have enough money to just own the word LED.
lol JK i only have a little in bitcoin. its all friendly here BTW, im just being a shit head.

---------- Post added at 02:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:54 PM ----------

I am diametrically opposed to the idea of agreeing with @AndysLog, so I’ll say the same basic thing, without -actually- agreeing with him.

I -just- picked up 4 BD pods to add to the 2 front facing 17” Amazon sourced kawells rated at 7500 lm per bar. As part of the install that took me way, way too long, I had to run up to the local park to aim them.

I used a field with woods off in the distance after getting them basically aimed. I still need to re-aim the 2x led bars I run in my grill.

Results matter.

I could have bought 5x the lights and I got basically the same amount of output of the BD pods. Not complaining here, it’s just math.

I added 2 BD squadron spots and 2x sport(?) combo cubes.

The 2 spots reach out further and with greater intensity for the size than the 2 17” combo bars behind my grill. Not really a fair test, but so what?

the 2 combo cubes don’t put out as much as the spots, but... I think they’re rated at half the output and it sure doesn’t look like they’re only half the squadron output! Still, the 2 LED bars I got off amazon for $99.98 kick ass.

I’m sure I could get more distance from lighting by mounting in front of the grill or otherwise unobstructed, getting spot lighting instead of combo, or buying more expensive lights. Sure, for their size, the Squadrons throw a lot of light and they have off road cred, I get that. But if you’re in the mud, woods, not racing baja or high speed desert or some other competition at night, admit that having BD lights is 99% posing.

Nothing wrong with buying the best, it’s kind of why we’re here. But OP asked bang for the buck, not best no matter the cost.

Baja Designs make better lights. I don’t think anyone can reasonably dispute that. But without easy financing terms, equipping your truck with a full BD setup is there 2nd step to the poor house ( the first was buying the Raptor ) You will need more space and wattage with cheap Amazon lights to get the same light output from the spendy B/D lights. But it’s easily achievable and can be done. Worst case, if you find other Raptor owners are snickering at your cheap Amazon lights, sell them in the garage sale forum and buy up when you’re ready.

hahaha dude you crack me up.

 

[Darick]

@AndysLog I think you're missing the point, as others have pointed out. The LED chip is likely the same. The OPTICS are what makes the Baja Designs lights do what they need to do, with LESS LUMENS than almost all of the direct competition, let alone an Amazon light bar. It's been proven time and time again, with a lux meter, that Baja Designs lights have the highest output at distance.

I've had cheap Amazon bars before, and they served a purpose, behind the grille. I also had 2 Amazon bars on the front of my truck. Once you change over to a Baja Designs light, it's like getting glasses for the first time and realizing you've been missing out this whole time.