Cheap vs. Expensive Lights

[Blackbox0903]

I think its worth putting high quality lights on an expensive vehicle. I went with Baja Designs but there are also a lot of high quality options that are a little less money. I think its worth it.

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[ChrisB351]

Cheap lights built by little Chinese children for the win! They work great so far. Will upgrade later if necessary.

Support the children!

 

[ozark_stang]

I’ve been looking at adding lights to my new Bronco and am blown away by how expensive the name-brand options are. I also saw that there are a number of sellers on Amazon (see Auxbeam, Nilite, and Lasfit) who offer very reasonably priced alternatives. While I’m sure the quality is much lower, they can be replaced many times over for less than the cost of name brands.

4” ditch light pods for $90: https://a.co/d/3hk8qtO
52“ Light bar for $170: https://a.co/d/0fEdrg7
Fog pocket lights for $150: Light https://a.co/d/8CXpOQS

This setup from amazon would cost ~$410 (and given prime day sales, actually much less).

Baja Designs has a somewhat similar (though obviously much nicer) set up on their website for $4,398.85 (https://www.bajadesigns.com/products/ford-bronco-stage-3-light-bundle-kit/?vid=169469).

I’d like to see if I’m missing something about the value proposition of the bigger brands and why I should be paying thousands instead of hundreds. $4,400 for lights just seems outrageous.

When it was time to trade in my Badlands I had no problem swapping the Diode Dynamics pod lights over on the brand new vehicle because they still looked brand new. I have seen that with very few manufacturers.

 

[Sparkherd]

If you spend 50-60k on a vehicle adding lights isn’t a place to cheap out. If Baja Designs are too much then try Diode Dynamics for a good middle ground. You will notice a quality difference between the cheap ones.

I've got four sets of Diode Dynamics lights on my Badlands, and I'm very happy with them, also with the eight year warranty...altho I haven't had to use it yet...

 

[Oldhippie]

I want to legally run my lights on road as well as off so went with DD SAE fogs and driving lights (they light up the night)…I have cheap floods on the back without issue so far…the halogen Daylighters up top are mostly for looks (I may take them off because of low hanging branches)…haven’t really used the BD ditch lights, but think they would be useful (probably overkill) on those rubicon midnite runs I used to do…lights are so much better today they all are way brighter than the “old days” so get what ya are comfortable with…just don’t run them non SAE ones when anyone else is around ya…

 

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[Mishra42]

For over 30 years, we've specialized in premium lighting solutions tailored for off-road enthusiasts. Our products are accompanied by a Lifetime Warranty, reflecting our commitment to quality and innovation. While we acknowledge that our offerings may not fit every budget, we emphasize that the right choice depends on your specific off-roading style and requirements.

Starting at $232.95, our lighting solutions include a harness and a lifetime warranty, making them ideal for casual off-roaders. For those seeking more performance during off-roading, we offer tailored solutions to meet Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced needs without stretching your budget.

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If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out to me via PM or email at [email protected]. I can gladly help you out with any questions you may need.

Best,
Brahian Herrera | Forum Sales & Support
Email: [email protected] | Phone: (760) 560-2252 Ext 201

I'll say I got some Baja lights for my fog lights which I use all the time as part of a bumper kit from @4x4TruckLEDs.com during black friday 2 years ago. While prepping for a sabbatical cross country trip to Moab I noticed corrosion/powdercoating issues on the ditch lights and some of the fogs. Baja replaced them immediately no questions asked. Excellent customer service, so worth it to me!

 

[Rydfree]

Apparently this is a touchy subject

Apparently if you bought a 60k Bronco you should have enough bank to buy expensive accessories. Also it would seem to be better to do without lights all together if you are on a budget rather than spot that deer in the road with a cheap ass set of rusty Harbor Freight lights.

Don't you dare start a conversation about winches

 

[HotdogThud]

This is why I avoided the Chinesium lights, or the American lights (also usually made in china), and went with the Aussie-made ones:

Nearly 3 years into the main light and ditch lights, and no yellowing, no dead leds, housing still looks new too. My truck is not garage kept, and sits in the Arizona UV all day, and no age-related issues.

 

[Bikeric]

Remember too that the Aux Switches 1&2 are wired with 16ga wiring which should limit you to 10A, but Ford fused them at 30 and 15 Amp. Aux Switches 3-6 are 18ga and fused at 10amps so you want something with half those amps.

Check the wattage of what lights you are installing if you plan to use the Aux Switches. Sometimes you might need to pay for higher efficiency CREO LED's to reduce the wattage draw.

 

[4x4TruckLEDs.com]

This is why I avoided the Chinesium lights, or the American lights (also usually made in china), and went with the Aussie-made ones:

Nearly 3 years into the main light and ditch lights, and no yellowing, no dead leds, housing still looks new too. My truck is not garage kept, and sits in the Arizona UV all day, and no age-related issues.

Anything that is "Made in the USA" is nto made in China...

Diode Dynamics for example makes their products in the USA. They make their own circuit boards and all that jazz.. They DO use LED chips from overseas... but so does ARB and other Australian brands. Because pretty much all LED diodes are Made in Germany and China.

 

[Silver-Bolt]

The biggest difference I have seen from cheap to expensive is in the reflectors. They can all use the same brand LED. The difference in light output is the reflector. I have run cheap, middle, and high quality in the past. Today I spend the money for the known high quality. Lights are kind of like a winch. You won't use then all the time. When you need them you want them to work. Cheap winches work sometimes. The ebay/amazon 50" light bars likely produce less usable light than a pair of high quality pod lights.

 

[Callelk]

I will agree, spending $2K on lights is just a waste of money if you don't need/use them.

From Sept to the end of Jan I hunt on average, 4 days a week. Some days I leave at 4:30 am, some days I leave at 3 pm and don't get home until 9-10 pm. I hunt high desert with a lot of off-camber and rutted trails so good lighting is a must when it is pitch black out. I spend 30-40 mins on hwy's and 6-8 hours off road a good portion off it in the dark. Additionally, we get heavy fog at times and cheap lights are worthless with their hot-spots and piss poor light patterns.

As I mentioned, I had Amazon lights on my Jeep, the fasteners corroded and the water intrusion from car washes was a joke. I had one 20" light bar go out in less than a year and for $80 or whatever it was I didn't sweat it. However, it was just before daybreak when it went out and I replaced tit with pods. I admit, the cheap pods actually put out more light than my DD's. Its is harsher, more of a blue/green, the hot spot is terrible and there is no cutoff to speak of.

I build Fire Apparatus and DD or BD lights are cheap compared to the scene and brow lights we install on trucks. 54 inch light bar.... $4800 but it does include DOT lights in the bar. They don't fail or a least I have not heard of one failing in the last decade we have been installing them. Which I guess is my point, if you need them, you need them and you don't want them to fail.

 

[Fordified1]

Remember too that the Aux Switches 1&2 are wired with 16ga wiring which should limit you to 10A, but Ford fused them at 30 and 15 Amp. Aux Switches 3-6 are 18ga and fused at 10amps so you want something with half those amps.

Check the wattage of what lights you are installing if you plan to use the Aux Switches. Sometimes you might need to pay for higher efficiency CREO LED's to reduce the wattage draw.

Most of the lights come with heavy guage wire and relays. All the amperage comes straight from the battery. All the switches do is trigger the relays.

 

[Bikeric]

Most of the lights come with heavy guage wire and relays. All the amperage comes straight from the battery. All the switches do is trigger the relays.

IF you wired it in that way, then absolutely and that is exactly how I would wire in a 50” roof light bar. However, the “typical ditch” lights are low enough amperage to be wired directly through the Aux Switch without the need for relays or tapping the positive wire (still need a ground).

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