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When it comes to light bars there are a few basic things to avoid. To keep it short and simple:
1: 2D optics. 2D optics are the lights that looks like a solid chunk with little holes cut out. These will NOT focus light well. Even in spot beam. Our DuraSeries use a similar optic (with the addition of a reflector) as our FLOOD beams. Think about that for a second.
2: Epistar chips. Epistar chips tend to burn out quicker than all others. Now keep in mind they are fine if you are only using the light occasionally. We sell bars with these chips. They are great for ATVs and side by sides but not for a light that is used all the time.
3: Glass lens light bars. This should be obvious. you want a PVC or Poly carbonate lens. One little rock and your glass light bar is shattered.
But now, to the point of this post.
We had a customer get us to install a bar for him that was purchased online. It was suppose to be the same as our HyperSeries Bars. Looking at it you could tell it was actually CREE chips and not Osram due to the white board. We took a side by side picture showing the brightness and output difference. Both bars were good, but the true HyperSeries has a much more even and brighter output! The other bar also had different mounts and no breather valve!
If you ever have questions about a light from another company feel free to send us a message. We know everyone isn't going to buy from us and we have no problem giving you suggestions or feedback about other products. We've seen it all and are happy to help! We don't want to see anyone ripped off by someone trying to sell something like a 2D optic bar for an unfair price!
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So what you are going to see below are 3 different spot beams. 3 different lights almost the exact same power, using spot optics.
Budget Bar Cube: This is your standard cube with 2D optics. CREE chips. Please keep in mind this is a 18 WATT, 1800 lumen cubes. The cheap ones you often see online are only 12 WATTS, 1000-1400 lumens. Be careful what you buy! You can also get epistar chips which are not as bright.
DuraSeries Cubes: These use a slightly smaller version of our DuraSeries optics. The larger optics do not fit in our cubes. 20W, 2000 lumens. High Output CREE Chips.
HyperSeries Cubes: These use use Osram chips. 20W, 3000 lumens. They use 4D optics which are by far the most focused on the market.
What you see here in the first picture is our Budget Cube. Looks decent enough, however if you compare it to the second picture which is our DuraSeries cube. You can see it is much brighter and much more focused. Sure the first one is good if you want flood lighting, but they are BOTH SPOT CUBES. In the 3rd picture the Budget cube is on the left, and DuraSeries on the right. Yes, the budget cube is slightly further away, but at that distance it shows you loose all focus compared to the DuraSeries. Imagine how badly a 12 Watt version would be.
Here is another example. Budget Cube in the first picture, and DuraSeries in the second. In the third picture it is hard to tell, but the DuraSeries cube is on the left and the Budget cube is on the right. The DuraSeries cube almost drowns out the spot cube at that distance. Once again, imagine how badly a 12 Watt light compares!
Here is a video showing what the pictures are all about. We threw HyperSeries in at the end just to show a quick comparison. We didn't plan to, but decided it was a good idea after we shot the original pictures and video.
If you guys have any feedback or questions feel free to contact is at shop@nllightbars.com.
~ Travis Pinsent
Co-Owner/Operator