Series 4 - LED lightbars, pods, and all that Chinese shit.
So, we learned a little bit about LEDs earlier, but here's where things get really fun...
A lightbar is made up of multiple LEDs, called emitters. Some have optics to help aim the light, some don't...
First. Ignore ANY lumen, wattage, or distance claims, or ANY advertising, really, on anything made outside the U.S.
Cree, Philips, Osram, all brand names that are tossed around, and misused, because odds are the bars don't contain those emitters.
Now, an individual Cree LED may have a theoretical max lumens of, let's say, 800...(For comparison, the average headlight is usually 850-1000 Lumens) That's NOT actual lumens, or OTF (out the front) lumens, that's theoretical maximum.. Just like the blister pack 2 way radios that claim '22 mile range' but have a hard time making it half a mile.. Same deal. The 22 mile claim is in perfect conditions coupled with theoretical maximums. So, you have a 12" lightbar with 24 emitters, that's 800*24 = 19,200 Lumens, right?! No. That same 12" lightbar that has 24 emitters, they CLAIM are 3W LED emitters, so 3w*24 = 72 right?! Nope. Don't believe the hype.
These are all theoretical maximums.
On top of that, most cheap lightbars are actually using cheap 1W LEDs that they overdrive (operate at higher voltage and amperage than rated to increase light output), and drastically reduce the longevity.
Most will claim a 3W cree, or a 5W Osram, or even a 7W phillips emitter, most are BS...What you WILL find is an overdriven Samsung 3030 LED that's 1W, not 3W..
This is a 3W knockoff LED...
This is a legit Cree 3W LED
and this is a 3030 SMD emitter...
So, you have an LED light, and it's claiming that it has 6 - 3W LEDs, and it looks like this....
Can you tell me what's wrong with that picture?
Pay close attention to the emitters.
Which does it look like?
Yup, those are 3030 SMD emitters, NOT Cree XPE, XPG or similar... IOTW, it's a 6W light, at best, not an 18W one, and it's not going to be as bright or last as long as a real light.. Now, these are 12$/pair.. So, you get what you pay for, and to be honest, at that price, they're not a bad deal, but you need to know what you're getting.
LEDs are generally rated by lux, and lumens. Lux is measured at the brightest part of the beam, and lumens is designed to be total output.
A properly aimed 50 Lumen light could have more lux than an improperly aimed 500 Lumen emmitter.
So, Lumen and lux go hand in hand, but that's not all.
Quote:
Lumens measure total amount of light output
Lux measure light intensity
Lumens does not equal perceived light quality
Now, we have a choice between 'real Cree' LEDs or knockoff 1W 3030 SMDs, it's a no brainer, right? Not exactly.
Remember the whole lux vs lumens thing?
Well, there's a surefire way to increase lux, and that's optics. You can take a relatively low power emitter, and put an optic in front of it, making the beam go where you want it to go...
The earliest models had no optics to speak of, just a cone to direct the light outwards....
From there, they starting calling their different generation of optics 'D'... Because someone called it a 3D optic, and what's better than a 3D optic? a 4D optic! Of course! But not to be outdone, they came out with a 5D optic! Hahaha silly Chinese..Different manufacturers call them different names, and they're up to like 10D now.....
First gen.... No real direction of light. Claims flood or spot or both, but has almost no effect on where the light goes... Not really useful for much other than cheap flood lights...
The next generation is 4D (3D isn't available)... The 4D optics have amazing spot beams, and very little spill. They will definitely put some light downrange and are my preferred distance optic.
Next, came 5D, but we run into a problem here. The optics changed, but with 5D came the explosion of cheap 3030 knockoff chips instead of 3W chips, because the optics made the 1W emitter look like a 3W emitter. Almost EVERYTHING 5D and after will have 1W chips, and relies on the optics to increase lux... The spot is decent, but the flood leaves a lot to be desired. Still the best bang for the buck, but not the best light emission.
6D-10D - This is where things get shitty. Different companies call their designs the same thing. One company's 6D bar is another company's 8D bar.. So, instead of going off of their name, I'll post some images and their beam pattern.
Tri-row, quad row, or ANYTHING with visibly open emitters (no optics lens). Absolutely USELESS for anything but a flood light, regardless of what they're advertised as...
Oblong or oval optics.... Very good at keeping light in a very tight pattern, great for long distance or driving lights. These will give you the best overall light output, and some even mimic a projector beam very well.
Reflective optics. Relatively new. VERY sharp cutoff similar to the oblong or oval optics, but too new to see how they last long term. They'd be on my list of things to try out...Some even have a high/low function to operate as driving lights.
There are a couple different versions that I didn't mention because they're oddball...Like the single row lights, for example...No optic = flood and most likely trash.
Basically, make sure you get the light that matches your needs, and make sure you're getting the emitter you're paying for..
Most lightbars have a built in voltage regulator, meaning they can run from ~9VDC to 30VDC, making it no problem to install on a vehicle with a 24VDC electrical system.