Blog about Rhino Lights

LEDs are an appropriate light media in plenty of applications due to their ability to produce lots of light in a small form factor while maintaining efficiency. There is a variety of LEDs available for different applications, but the trick is knowing how to use them appropriately. To understand whether amp draw or lumen output is the right way to increase brightness, you would need a little background.

What is an LED?

LED is a diode that transforms electrical energy into light. LEDs are popular for their colors and their brightness compared to other light sources. At times, it can be difficult to measure an LED’s brightness as it is measured in Lumens.

A Lumen is a unit of the visible light from light sources. The Lumens of an LED depends on the amount of current supplied, which is measures in amps (A) or milliamps (mA).

Does increasing amps increase brightness?

As current flows through the diode in a forward direction, some electrical energy is converted into a specific color depending on the material the semiconductor is made from. Increasing the current that flows through the LED increases the brightness. And this is what cheaper LED brands do to increase the brightness of their 3W LEDs.

Unfortunately, adding amps to an LED affects negatively affects the quality of lighting by:

• Significantly reducing the lifetime of an LED
• Increasing chances of the LED failing catastrophically

The 5W Creed chip benefits

This chip on board (COB) technology provides several advantages over the standard 3W LED options. The COB LEDs are nine or more LED chips that are bonded to a subtract, creating a single module.

The chips are easy to mount and take up less space while helping you achieve the highest potential from LED chips. Once energized a 5W Creed LED package appears like a single lighting panel instead of several individual lights.

The technology offers plenty of benefits, including:

• A single wire construction
• A low forward voltage and current demand
• Exceptionally thin for several applications
• You never need to worry about excessive heat been generated by Cree LED light bars
• Achieve the maximum life expectancy of 50,000 hours (five years and eight months of continuous lighting) before reaching 30 percent brightness
• The COBs are quakeproof, dustproof, shockproof and waterproof, so if you are looking to light up extreme environments, light bars with 5W Creed LED are your best bet

If you are like many other drivers out there, you find yourself wishing your vehicle had more lighting than the factory-installed ones. Cheap LED light bars have over the past couple of years flooded the market, costing only a couple of dollars.

So, is the ‘cheap’ light bar right for you? Below is a simple way of calculating the real cost of installing such a light bar.

Are you ready to sacrifice?

When lighting is critical for you, you should buy the best LED light bar your wallet can manage. However, not all light bars are made the same; and the cheaper it is, the more you will sacrifice. After all, this is just how the business world works.

You must choose between sacrificing performance and longevity and saving a couple of dollars.

Manufacturing

An expensive light bar is usually manufactured in America and has undergone thorough quality control processes and testing before it hits the market. Conversely, the cheap light bar is made in some other country and there is no guarantee whether it has been tested for consistent performance.

What about warranty claims?

Many cheap light bars have some form of warranties, but remember that you are dealing with an overseas company when it comes to making a claim. At the very least, you will be paying for your replacement when something goes wrong.

Being in another country doesn’t offer you much of a base in case of litigation, and the manufacturer knows this. So, don’t be surprised when your complaints are ignored.

Type of LED

Cheap light bars are fitted with low-quality LEDs that emit more of a blue light that does not project well when you need them. You are better off purchasing a higher-quality, more expensive light bar outfitted with Cree LEDs.

The beam pattern

You have three beam pattern options on the market; flood, spot and combined. Flood pattern covers a wide area in front of you, while a spot beam pattern is like your high beams on steroids. Many quality LED light bars offer you a combo of beam LEDs on either end and spots in the middle.

Lumens you are getting

This is a critical factor for expensive light bars as the number indicates how bright the device is. Cheap light bar manufacturers will usually lie about the number, so watch out for extreme numbers on either side.

Now, considering that you would be sacrificing build quality, warranty claims, high-quality LEDs, proper beam patterns and Lumens for a price, would you still opt for a ‘cheap’ LED light bar for your vehicle?

Understanding the different pod light optics is the first step in creating the optimal lighting configuration for your application. While there is an extensive variety of optics on the market, the one you choose comes down to your personal preferences and application. Below are some of the most common.

Spot

The precise and focused light beam from this optic provides a 10-degree angle, which allows light to illuminate objects far away without sacrificing side illumination. These pod lights are ideal for mounting on vehicles used mainly on straight country roads and slow-moving trails. Roof-mounting enables the beam to reach further away.

Flood

The flood beam is emitted from a pod light at a wide 60-degree angle, illuminating trail sides so objects are easy to spot and increase your safety. This pod light is best used on curvy backcountry trails and fast-moving roads. It’s advisable to mount flood pod lights on a vehicle’s front bumper to accomplish uniform luminosity of the road ahead.

Diffused

This optic provides you with a soft light that also gives the illusion that light is surrounding the object. Other beams, however, tend to shine the light directly on the object which may increase the chances of creating a glare. The diffused optic beam creates a 100-degree wide pattern that has no clearly defined edges, which makes it great for use as reverse lighting or as fog lights.

Diffused pod lights are excellent choices for use as your vehicle’s LED reverse lights, where they can be mounted on the bumper or roof. You can also transform them into LED fog lights using customized mounting for your factory fog light location.

Scene

This optic beam pattern offers a bright light with a 120-degree width that is wider than the flood pattern. The effect is achieved using a specialized housing around the light source and has visible sharp edges that create a rectangular or square pattern, depending on the housing’s shape.

The scene optic is a great choice for use in vehicles in farming, construction and landscaping applications that require lots of light but within a specific range to reduce the chances of blinding other people around you. Beam pod lights are also ideal for use as side or ditch lights, so you can navigate around narrow trails in the dark.

When mounting scene pod lights, it’s critical to ensure that there are no protruding components or obstructions near them to achieve the full effect of the 120-degree beam pattern. Roof mounting and side mounting (when used as ditch lights) are the best positions.