LED lighting - importance of aiming your headlights

[Schoolboy]

Well I sent them back and decided to ask for a refund which I got in the form of base amount only. I got stuck eating the shipping in both directions. Moral of the story, if you're gonna buy chinese lights do it on amazon where you'll get a full refund.

[TechnoWeenie]

Well I sent them back and decided to ask for a refund which I got in the form of base amount only. I got stuck eating the shipping in both directions. Moral of the story, if you're gonna buy chinese lights do it on amazon where you'll get a full refund.

... manufacturing issues happen, regardless of where they're made. Calling them 'chinese lights' implies they're intentionally designed/manufactured in a substandard way, which I think is a grossly unfair generalization.

That being said - Fahren Termitor is the 2nd best...and available on Amazon, for ~$60/pair. Actually, looks like they're $70 with a $15 coupon right now, so even less.

https://www.amazon.com/Termitor-H4-9003 ... B0CWCZ7KK7

[Schoolboy]

Well I sent them back and decided to ask for a refund which I got in the form of base amount only. I got stuck eating the shipping in both directions. Moral of the story, if you're gonna buy chinese lights do it on amazon where you'll get a full refund.

... manufacturing issues happen, regardless of where they're made. Calling them 'chinese lights' implies they're intentionally designed/manufactured in a substandard way, which I think is a grossly unfair generalization.

That being said - Fahren Termitor is the 2nd best...and available on Amazon, for ~$60/pair. Actually, looks like they're $70 with a $15 coupon right now, so even less.

https://www.amazon.com/Termitor-H4-9003 ... B0CWCZ7KK7

I'd call the tiny o-ring and soft plastic sub standard for sure. That's a lot of mass to be contained by such pathetic contact points. And it's not like that style of light is unique, they are everywhere on Amazon so he may be spacing out the chips or something to that effect but they really are just amazon chinese lights at double the price.

I'll look into the termitor lights but I think the mini projectors are the way to go. https://www.amazon.com/CO-LIGHT-Anti-glare-Headlight-Projector/dp/B0CN72DSBT/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?adgrpid=151959801066&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.QzNYSp2l1cjlYJKoy1BE0f6-mYEBu5t6UXnPXU6CeUU10TJmgR6FtEb2Xxb2-asE9e1EVOeDwRXWc06OUdYVajnvv8LjWluV7WcMFBBRKWhID80LpP8dKJZX6LYIoHNXWOBiAwhAuK1rGWN82QfN_mSo6FFBRGrUWImWBfuK0Jbv4NeVWX1__J3VN9OEbRAJzy6-f2q7aIF7-066BP5_lA.fAMAcgG_VsKVxBpRnbi3G2BxjNxfJHDA9nLuVz4ZEQg&dib_tag=se&hvadid=669680674044&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=1027744&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=8028585287192303870&hvtargid=kwd-2211134256210&hydadcr=11039_13632930&keywords=co+light+h4+projector&qid=1714145293&sr=8-1

[AR15L]

Well I sent them back and decided to ask for a refund which I got in the form of base amount only. I got stuck eating the shipping in both directions. Moral of the story, if you're gonna buy chinese lights do it on amazon where you'll get a full refund.

... manufacturing issues happen, regardless of where they're made. Calling them 'chinese lights' implies they're intentionally designed/manufactured in a substandard way, which I think is a grossly unfair generalization.

That being said - Fahren Termitor is the 2nd best...and available on Amazon, for ~$60/pair. Actually, looks like they're $70 with a $15 coupon right now, so even less.

https://www.amazon.com/Termitor-H4-9003 ... B0CWCZ7KK7

These are the ones I need.
Do they aim right?

[TechnoWeenie]

Well I sent them back and decided to ask for a refund which I got in the form of base amount only. I got stuck eating the shipping in both directions. Moral of the story, if you're gonna buy chinese lights do it on amazon where you'll get a full refund.

... manufacturing issues happen, regardless of where they're made. Calling them 'chinese lights' implies they're intentionally designed/manufactured in a substandard way, which I think is a grossly unfair generalization.

That being said - Fahren Termitor is the 2nd best...and available on Amazon, for ~$60/pair. Actually, looks like they're $70 with a $15 coupon right now, so even less.

https://www.amazon.com/Termitor-H4-9003 ... B0CWCZ7KK7

I'd call the tiny o-ring and soft plastic sub standard for sure. That's a lot of mass to be contained by such pathetic contact points. And it's not like that style of light is unique, they are everywhere on Amazon so he may be spacing out the chips or something to that effect but they really are just amazon chinese lights at double the price.

I disagree but...it is what it is.

I'll look into the termitor lights but I think the mini projectors are the way to go. https://www.amazon.com/CO-LIGHT-Anti-glare-Headlight-Projector/dp/B0CN72DSBT/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?adgrpid=151959801066&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.QzNYSp2l1cjlYJKoy1BE0f6-mYEBu5t6UXnPXU6CeUU10TJmgR6FtEb2Xxb2-asE9e1EVOeDwRXWc06OUdYVajnvv8LjWluV7WcMFBBRKWhID80LpP8dKJZX6LYIoHNXWOBiAwhAuK1rGWN82QfN_mSo6FFBRGrUWImWBfuK0Jbv4NeVWX1__J3VN9OEbRAJzy6-f2q7aIF7-066BP5_lA.fAMAcgG_VsKVxBpRnbi3G2BxjNxfJHDA9nLuVz4ZEQg&dib_tag=se&hvadid=669680674044&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=1027744&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=8028585287192303870&hvtargid=kwd-2211134256210&hydadcr=11039_13632930&keywords=co+light+h4+projector&qid=1714145293&sr=8-1

They can be a viable option as long as you get decent ones, and you don't have an internal glare filter on the housings. Most housings for H4s have a glare shield that will have to be removed. Unfortunately, my experience on them is relatively limited, so I wont be able to give any suggestions on them.

[TechnoWeenie]

Well I sent them back and decided to ask for a refund which I got in the form of base amount only. I got stuck eating the shipping in both directions. Moral of the story, if you're gonna buy chinese lights do it on amazon where you'll get a full refund.

... manufacturing issues happen, regardless of where they're made. Calling them 'chinese lights' implies they're intentionally designed/manufactured in a substandard way, which I think is a grossly unfair generalization.

That being said - Fahren Termitor is the 2nd best...and available on Amazon, for ~$60/pair. Actually, looks like they're $70 with a $15 coupon right now, so even less.

https://www.amazon.com/Termitor-H4-9003 ... B0CWCZ7KK7

These are the ones I need.
Do they aim right?

They're the second brightest bulbs I've seen.

Aiming will depend on your housing. H4 housings can be hit or miss.

[Schoolboy]

Things have now been fully sorted as I have received the rest of my refund. In response to this I have deleted my videos of the issue from youtube. I still don't recommend the H4 versions of these lights at this time.

[TechnoWeenie]

Things have now been fully sorted as I have received the rest of my refund. In response to this I have deleted my videos of the issue from youtube. I still don't recommend the H4 versions of these lights at this time.

Still sucks. I don't make any money off of anything - I spread information because I want people to know what I know so they can enjoy what I enjoy - and it's obviously a random issue, or he'd be getting a ton of other complaints which he doesn't have, but I still feel bad for the hassle since I'm the one that suggested them - albeit I still stand behind that suggestion.

I completely understand the 'wanting to buy from Amazon' thing, and I did exactly that for my first few purchases but decided to go with 'the best' this time around.... and put out the extra change and shipping delay, and so far I'm extremely happy with the upgrade. There's a noticeable difference between the Termitor and the F9, however the Termitor's are over a year old, and while some degradation is expected, as bulbs can lose intensity over time - even LEDs - there was little to no degradation, and the F9s are clearly significantly brighter.

I'm a light snob, just like I'm a radio snob. Just because I do all the research and know the 'best' way to do something, doesn't mean it's wrong to do it another way - or that my way will work for everyone. Just because I carry around a $1200 radio doesn't mean that a $300 or even $50 radio won't do for what someone needs to use it for - especially when that $50 radio is better than the tin can and string they have been using.

This is usually why I suggest a 'good, better, best' when people ask me for suggestions on things. Not everyone can afford, or even want, the expensive toys. On top of that, especially in the LED market, things are constantly changing. What I'd consider a 'cheap' bulb today dwarfs even the brightest bulb from 4-5 years ago, which was still 2-3x brighter than the halogen it replaced. Right now it's more about design and placement of the emitters, as thermal management and LED emitter technology issues have pretty much been solved. LASERs are the next step in bulb technology.

Also, understand the difference between 'the best' and 'really good' might only be 5-10%. So, the $30 price difference between the F9 and the Termitor wasn't worth it. Now that I have more money, I can buy the premium product, and not feel as bad.

The Termitor are still 100% recommended, and the F9 is for sure the premium product that you only need to buy if you want 'the best'.

[Schoolboy]

Well I tried the Fahren Termitor today and they were very snug/secure in the housing and even put out a decent pattern on low beam. The high beam was kind of screwy pattern wise. The other goofy thing thing is when I turned the fog lights on the headlights would jump into hi beam. So I yanked them back out and will be returning them to Amazon. Not sure what the deal is because the diamonds did not have that issue.

[TechnoWeenie]

Well I tried the Fahren Termitor today and they were very snug/secure in the housing and even put out a decent pattern on low beam. The high beam was kind of screwy pattern wise. The other goofy thing thing is when I turned the fog lights on the headlights would jump into hi beam. So I yanked them back out and will be returning them to Amazon. Not sure what the deal is because the diamonds did not have that issue.

Sounds like you're not having much luck with LEDs on your truck.

The housing just isn't gonna work that great, and there may be transient voltage in your lamp wiring.

Win some; lose some.

Do you have DRLs? I know some vehicles have issues with LEDs because the DRL system usually drives the high beams at lower voltages - lower voltages which some LEDs can still run at.

You've had issues with 2 of the top rated LED replacement bulbs... I don't know what to tell you. I can't suggest going with Morimoto because they're super expensive, and anything below these are gonna be meh - and if you're having issues with beam pattern on these, then it's only gonna be 10x worse on other models.

You might be better off either trying to remove the glare cone and using the H4 projector retrofits, or just sticking with halogen. Not all reflector housings do well with LEDs and you just might have one of those vehicles.

The other, more expensive option, is to see if they make aftermarket replacement projection headlight housings - which would completely replace the headlight housings you have.