Cheap vs. Expensive Lights

[SROC3]

I have a mixx up of lights.....RIGID PODS + Rough COuntry (spectrum series). They all work fine. I think more important than the price - is what you will be using them for, what kind of light "spread" you will need in order to suit your needs, and how powerful the beam is.

I may not fly through the desert at 100mph......but I do not have the best eyesight and I do like to SEE everything down the road as much as I possibly can. I also do a lot of solo runs or I am leading the ride. In which case, I do turn everything on. I also do group rides, so I don't want to blind in front and leave my 20in light bar off. I also live in the desert......#DUSTY. So, I do have a pair of yellow fogs and amber pods on the hood (amber covers).

I don't like "light pollution" (meaning the terrible reflection on my hood) so I have abstained from the roof top light bar.

Now having said all that - I have friends who have AUXBEAM lights (from Amazon), going on 2 years now and they have had no issues. They are just as bright as the bigger name brands. And why don't I own any? Well, I want longevity and dependability. I do NOT have a $4,000 light setup at all. Not even close.....more like $1,800-ish. I mean my Rough Country light bar was only $150....Amazing light. No issues, No condensation. Happy I didn't spend $500++ for it. And I see just fine down a trail I'm barreling down at 35 to 45mph.....Yes, that's fast if it's tight, bumpy and dark Most people would average under 20 mph down that same trail. Again, it all depends on how you drive and what you will be wanting to "see" at night. If a $1,500 light bar gives you that, get it. It's way cheaper than not seeing something you should have and then crashing.

It isn't wrong to mix and match light brands either.

Sponsored

 

[Poppavein]

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)

How would the authorities know whether they are "legal" or not?

We have no vehicle nor emissions inspections.

I have some ditch lights to install, and they came with covers. Ostensibly, to stay "legal".

 

[GroovyGeek]

One day and already 6 pages of replies... As usual this is a topic that stirs up a lot of passions.

My answer has always been to ask myself whether the application is critical and spend accordingly. My offroad lights are intended to make the occasional low-speed night drive more pleasant. If for some reason both my light bar and ditch lights go out it will not affect my ability to do proceed on any given trip. As such I never buy brand name. In my experience Lasfit and Auxbeam have come a long way, and their top-of-the-line products, which are still 2x-4x cheaper than DD, BD, Morimoto, etc, perform wonderfully and have never failed. So on my Bronco I run a 42" light bar from Lasfit for around $130 and a set of ditch lights from Auxbeam for $100. Could not be happier with the choices.

When it came to SAE fogs my calculus changed, and I decided to spend more. Bought a pair of DD SS3 Pro fogs at the recent 20% off sale. The best I have to say is that I am underwhelmed. People here describe these as very bright and worth the money. However there are number of side by side YouTube comparisons that say otherwise. My experience is aligned with the YT videos. I should have spent half the money on the Lasfit SAE fogs and call it a day.

 

[Matthew2023]

I’m genuinely trying to understand - could I not just replace them at that point and still be ahead? And then when those rust out and fail, replace them again? And then 4 more times on top of that? I‘m just struggling to see how the name brand lights are worth so much more - I’d happily pay 2-3x the cheap options for better quality.

And then you get to do it again, and again, and you get the point. Before you know it, you have spent more money, time, headache and frustration that you will end up paying what you could have paid (or more) once and been done with it. Rarely do you find that diamond in the rough and get cheap that will defy

I have learned that the hard way more than once so now I have adopted the "get what you pay for" philosophy as well. Rarely do you find that diamond in the rough by going cheap that will endure.

 

[Snacktime]

Cheap light work, expensive lights are better. If someone steals your lights you spent to much.

 

[Sitruc_btb]

I'm sure the big dog lights are bulletproof and baja proof, probably why they are expensive. If you need them, cool, if you want bragging rights, great.
I have some harbor freight ditch lights and Black Oak amber fogs. They work just fine for my needs.

 

[Mikerider]

A big issue I have run into with cheaper lights besides quality/Leaking/early death/low reliability is Noise. they components are not as well shielded, some lights will make the radio hum or produce alternator wine in the stereo, also causes interference with GMRS/VHF/UHF radios that is maddening. My Mabbet dome lights I tried would also turn on any time my VHF or GMRS radio transmitted. that was crazy.

Happy with my gear form Baja Designs/Rigid

 

[Los]

I got these lights over a year ago and they work great, and it did not break the piggy bank.

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.

 

[Mr Bacon Jr]

I've put @Baja Designs on both rigs- integrated into front and rear bumper on the ZR2. Front bumper only on the Wildtrack. 3 LP6s in the middle, 2 Squadron Pros on the outside. Well engineered, rock solid kit. And ~40k lumens of light. The Squadrons are great for deer detection/avoidance in Nothern NM, and the LP6s will pierce the snow and dust that we get up here.

I get I could have bought cheap and replaced multiple times over, but the light output and usability is not nearly as good, and I am a big fan of doing a job once and moving on.

High bean->Squadrons>Both>LP6s

 

[cgv]

One day and already 6 pages of replies... As usual this is a topic that stirs up a lot of passions.

My answer has always been to ask myself whether the application is critical and spend accordingly. My offroad lights are intended to make the occasional low-speed night drive more pleasant. If for some reason both my light bar and ditch lights go out it will not affect my ability to do proceed on any given trip. As such I never buy brand name. In my experience Lasfit and Auxbeam have come a long way, and their top-of-the-line products, which are still 2x-4x cheaper than DD, BD, Morimoto, etc, perform wonderfully and have never failed. So on my Bronco I run a 42" light bar from Lasfit for around $130 and a set of ditch lights from Auxbeam for $100. Could not be happier with the choices.

When it came to SAE fogs my calculus changed, and I decided to spend more. Bought a pair of DD SS3 Pro fogs at the recent 20% off sale. The best I have to say is that I am underwhelmed. People here describe these as very bright and worth the money. However there are number of side by side YouTube comparisons that say otherwise. My experience is aligned with the YT videos. I should have spent half the money on the Lasfit SAE fogs and call it a day.

Like you, I chose Lasfit and have been very happy with them. I'm running their SAE fogs on my aftermarket front bumper and the flood lights on my rear bumper. Quality was MUCH better than anticipated. Seems well sealed and the wiring uses a standard connectors that made install even easier after buying wiring harneses for connecting to the OEM fog light connector and to wire up the reverse lights to the auxiliary switches. So far no issues with coatings/fasteners/condensation/etc.

I may go with DD for ditch lights, but I'll likely just choose Lasfit again. Lighting is low on my priority list, so I don't feel it's necessary to spend tripple the price on other options.

 

[Oldhippie]

How would the authorities know whether they are "legal" or not?

We have no vehicle nor emissions inspections.

I have some ditch lights to install, and they came with covers. Ostensibly, to stay "legal".

in Calif uncovered “ditch and “windshield“ lights are illegal because of mounting height so you can be stopped and they will look at your lights…yes I have been stopped in daylight for uncovered lights and night for running fog lights without fog…having the fog and driving lights on the same time is actually illegal too (maybe even having both) but I will take my chances and feel I have a better chance avoiding tickets with SAE lights…plus they are kinder to other drivers…

 

[Modad]

Don’t be fooled thinking you need to spend $$$$ for those name brand lights or you want have a real Bronco. Go with the best lights you can afford and if you need to replace down the road you’re still way ahead. I went through the same thing with the 9 jeeps I’ve owned. The name brand lights will continue to increase in price as long as the fools are willing to pay the price. Most all the LED bulbs come from China so what’s the real difference.

 

[NatureMan]

A big issue I have run into with cheaper lights besides quality/Leaking/early death/low reliability is Noise. they components are not as well shielded, some lights will make the radio hum or produce alternator wine in the stereo, also causes interference with GMRS/VHF/UHF radios that is maddening. My Mabbet dome lights I tried would also turn on any time my VHF or GMRS radio transmitted. that was crazy.

Happy with my gear form Baja Designs/Rigid

I’ve had diode dynamics sae fogs on 3 vehicles. I love the output, but they definitely produce noise and make FM radio mostly static.

 

[GroovyGeek]

Don’t be fooled thinking you need to spend $$$$ for those name brand lights or you want have a real Bronco. Go with the best lights you can afford and if you need to replace down the road you’re still way ahead. I went through the same thing with the 9 jeeps I’ve owned. The name brand lights will continue to increase in price as long as the fools are willing to pay the price. Most all the LED bulbs come from China so what’s the real difference.

Not a fan of expensive lights but the above statement is incorrect. LED quality can vary widely depending on spectral purity, guaranteed performance, power consumption, and output per unit power consumption. I have little doubt that BD, DD, etc procure from the premium section of the yield curve and test their products more rigorously. The unanswered (for me) question is if this is quality for quality's sake, sort of like the ridiculous practice at AR to make everything out of billet aluminum, whether the application requires it and benefits from it or not. Ditto with "made in the USA". Sometimes it matters, often it does not. Especially when it comes to cars

 

[AttackGuy64]

It's your money and if you are happy buying the same lights over and over to keep replacing them that's up to you. But me personally... I've ran the cheap lights before (when I first got a truck) and hated them. Ever since going to a QUALITY brand I'm much happier because I know they'll work and last.

You can spend $199.95 now for a quality set of USA made lights that will last the life of your truck.

OR

You can spend $71.99, have to modify the included harness only to have to replace them within a year because the power coating will flake off and the lights will start to rust and/or get water in them. So you'll then be at $144.

You really do get what you pay for. At the end fo the day, an LED diode is an LED diode. But what makes the lights different/worth more is the manufacturing process and the components used in production.

We've had customers come in here with cheap lights that wanted to upgrade to better lights and OHH MYY the condition of the cheaper lights is just TERRIBLE. It's so bad we almost never want to touch them from all of the oxidation and rust and the wiring falling apart.

I stand by what he is saying. I have had the same set of BD lights since 2016 and swapped them between 3 vehicles. There is some wear and tear, but they still function at 100% and still look great. I will not buy any other brand. I have had Rigid and some of the cheap ones, the Rigid lights still work, but the body is so corroded I would be embarrassed to show them. The Amazon specials stopped working 3 months after I bought them. They went straight into the trash.

Sponsored