Educate me on LED lightbars

lfhoward · **Posted:** Fri Dec 21, 2018 5:25 pm

Hi Jeepers,

I'm about to order a new AtTheHelm roof rack (https://athfab.com/product/roof-rack-for-08-12-jeep-liberty-kk/) that has a mount for a 40-42" light bar, which could be curved or straight.

I went on Ebay this morning to see what was available, and the low prices made me wonder if everything they were selling was absolute junk. It seemed to me that a good light bar couldn't possibly be under $100, even though I know electronics tend to get cheaper over time.

Now that I'm thinking more seriously about getting a light bar I realize that there are a lot of variables, including the lumens, the color, the wattage, and probably lots of other things I don't know about. Can someone give me a quick rundown on what to look for when buying a LED light bar, and what brands are actually good?

Thanks for your help!

turblediesel · **Posted:** Fri Dec 21, 2018 9:47 pm

Rigid is supposed to be good, and spendy.

I bought a pickup with a 52" double row lightbar on the roof and a couple of 4x on the bumper. Insanely bright with it all goofy wired to the high beams; Like closing my eyes every time I switched to low beam. Sold the lightbar cheap to a friend who really wanted it, keeping the 4x LED fixtures for the jeep.

Hope my 2 cents helps.

tommudd · **Posted:** Fri Dec 21, 2018 11:34 pm

lfhoward wrote:

Hi Jeepers,

I'm about to order a new AtTheHelm roof rack (https://athfab.com/product/roof-rack-for-08-12-jeep-liberty-kk/) that has a mount for a 40-42" light bar, which could be curved or straight.

I went on Ebay this morning to see what was available, and the low prices made me wonder if everything they were selling was absolute junk. It seemed to me that a good light bar couldn't possibly be under $100, even though I know electronics tend to get cheaper over time.

Now that I'm thinking more seriously about getting a light bar I realize that there are a lot of variables, including the lumens, the color, the wattage, and probably lots of other things I don't know about. Can someone give me a quick rundown on what to look for when buying a LED light bar, and what brands are actually good?

Thanks for your help!

I haven't seen any on Ebay I would buy
But backing up a bit, I really don't like roof mounted lights.
Had them on some older pickups with roll bars and also the RL full length rack ( LED full width light bar)
Dust etc at night blocks some of your view when looking out through the windshield.
But if you do buy the best you can afford
I'm running rigid cubes and Vision X Light Cannon's on the front bumper and can see WAAAAY out there
Some will tell you the cheaper ones do great but I have some cheap cubes to test a few years back, put them up against the Rigid's and no comparison. They are bright but just right in front and light is scattered

Gojeep · **Posted:** Sat Dec 29, 2018 7:52 am

The chip used and the reflector in front of it make a huge difference. Don't get swayed by Lumens either and only trust LUX. LUX patterns showing at what distance it is reading at give you a direct comparison of both the LED chip and reflector combined. I have seen the same housing with the same chip used with both single row and double rows of LEDs by the same manufacturer. The double row had twice the lumen rating but due to the reflectors being half the size to fit them in, their LUX was actually worse at longer distance. Great for up close if you are doing slow offroad work only, but not good on the highway where you want distance.
This channel will teach you a lot.
https://www.youtube.com/user/HeadlightRevolution/videos

GordnadoCRD · **Posted:** Sun Dec 30, 2018 2:03 am

If you can't afford Rigid lights right now, save until you can.

That's what I'm doing, and it's the only recommendation I can make that I know you will be happy with the result.

I watched a guy with a brand new 52" full over head bar out in the sand dunes, get completely put to shame by a girl on a quad with a probably 10" Rigid 2 row mounted to her handlebars. I'm guessing on the length but I'm sure it was under a foot.

Sad thing for the guy in the Bronco, they probably paid about the same. He just wanted something BIG and manly.

Also, Bronco dude with the overhead light had reflection issues from the light hitting the back side of his chrome bumper bull bar, and his white hood. His light was mainly helping others around him, but not him or the people inside his rig.

My biggest problem is getting lights I can mount in a protected area. Just about everyone I know around here with auxiliary lights has had at least one set stolen.

snowballs · **Joined:** Sun Aug 13, 2017 4:05 pm **Posts:** 85

GordnadoCRD wrote:

If you can't afford Rigid lights right now, save until you can.

My biggest problem is getting lights I can mount in a protected area. Just about everyone I know around here with auxiliary lights has had at least one set stolen.

Sad commentary on society; stealing from someone because they have nice lights mounted on their rig.

tommudd · **Posted:** Sun Dec 30, 2018 5:31 pm

GordnadoCRD wrote:

If you can't afford Rigid lights right now, save until you can.

That's what I'm doing, and it's the only recommendation I can make that I know you will be happy with the result.

I watched a guy with a brand new 52" full over head bar out in the sand dunes, get completely put to shame by a girl on a quad with a probably 10" Rigid 2 row mounted to her handlebars. I'm guessing on the length but I'm sure it was under a foot.

Sad thing for the guy in the Bronco, they probably paid about the same. He just wanted something BIG and manly.

Also, Bronco dude with the overhead light had reflection issues from the light hitting the back side of his chrome bumper bull bar, and his white hood. His light was mainly helping others around him, but not him or the people inside his rig.

My biggest problem is getting lights I can mount in a protected area. Just about everyone I know around here with auxiliary lights has had at least one set stolen.

lfhoward · **Posted:** Sun Dec 30, 2018 6:04 pm

Thanks everyone for the info. I’d love to get a Rigid Industries lightbar but at the same time I think I’d worry about it being ripped off. A $75 lightbar would not be as much of a bummer if it were stolen off the Jeep. Maybe I’ll start with the cheap version, see if it walks or not, and then upgrade to Rigid in a year if it stays put. If a new $1000 lightbar disappears, I’d have to get my insurance company involved.

tommudd · **Posted:** Sun Dec 30, 2018 11:45 pm

I have about $550/600 ( retail ) worth of Rigid, Vison X, Hella on my Matrix brush guard
Of course don't live in the big cities anymore but go to visit every now and again
Basically the way I have them bolted on if they did manage to get them off they would be destroyed so just hoping they would start and give up LOL

Seems light bars are much easier to remove and quicker though, one of the downsides to them
Do they make any type of locks for them now ??

GordnadoCRD · **Posted:** Mon Dec 31, 2018 5:06 am

"tamper proof" hardware is hardly a deterrent anymore, with everyone selling bit sets.
There is stuff like this, but as long as there is an exposed or accessible bracket, they will just go for that. The Chinese stuff doesn't even require a saw or cutter, just tin snips and it's gone.
I like Rigid for their overwhelming output in small packages. It's easier to hide the lights when they are off, so they don't attract attention to begin with.

lfhoward · **Posted:** Mon Dec 31, 2018 1:03 pm

I think I have found a “happy medium” between Rigids and eBay specials. Summit Racing sells a 40” light bar that might be a possibility. It has glass instead of plexiglass, a gore valve to prevent interior condensation, IP67 waterproof rated, a wire harness with a relay and waterproof connectors, and costs $157. Looks like an upgrade over most eBay lights but not nearly as spendy as Rigid. Chances are the output is nothing near Rigid though. Thoughts?

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-890264/

And a couple of pods for back up/flood lights on the rear of the roof rack:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-890250/

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Mon Dec 31, 2018 3:01 pm

lfhoward wrote:

I think I have found a “happy medium” between Rigids and eBay specials. Summit Racing sells a 40” light bar that might be a possibility. It has glass instead of plexiglass, a gore valve to prevent interior condensation, IP67 waterproof rated, a wire harness with a relay and waterproof connectors, and costs $157. Looks like an upgrade over most eBay lights but not nearly as spendy as Rigid. Chances are the output is nothing near Rigid though. Thoughts?
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-890264/
And a couple of pods for back up/flood lights on the rear of the roof rack:
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-890250/

Another good place to look at LED lights:> https://www.superbrightleds.com/cat/off-road-lights/
I have purchased several LED lights from them and been very satisfied with all.

Always look at Watts and Lumens to compare true light output.
Also on LED lights color of light output is important, for bright daylight light you want to be close to the 6000k color spectrum.
Above 6k it gets blue in color, and below 6k, it get yellow looking.

I have a 52 inch bar on my Polaris Ranger roof and it lights up everything in front of you like daylight.
I put a 24 inch bar on both of my Dodge trucks and one on the Jeep Liberty and they do a good job.
I added a pair of six cell LED pods under the rear bumper of both of my Dodge trucks and wired them into the backup light circuit and what a difference it makes when backing up at night compared to the whimpy OEM BU lights.. :BANANA:

Educate me on LED lightbars

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