The led light bar is currently the most popular product in automotive accessory lighting. This is because it improves the driving illumination of the vehicle ensuring the safety of driving and also makes the vehicle look more versatile and spectacular. If this is your first time buying a led light bar, you may not know much about the models and categories. Luckily this article will help you understand what aspects and parameters to look for in order to purchase a led light bar that will satisfy you.
Color
The first thing to consider when choosing a led light bar is what color you need. There are various color options for led light bars, including white, driving light, yellow, blue, green, red and so on. Mainly depends on the scene with which you want to use, if only need to assist the original light of the car, then the driving light is enough is generally in the 5700K-6000K, if the color temperature is too high on the face of the vehicle driver’s eyes have damage. In special scenarios, such as police cars, ambulances, fire trucks have to choose red or blue lights to warn other vehicles, and roadside assistance is to choose yellow/amber lights.
Specification
Wattage
Wattage is used to measure the power of the light bar. Therefore, you should understand how important the wattage is when deciding on the suitable light bar for you.
Lumen
Lumen is a unit of measurement that indicates the total brightness of light emitted by a flashlight or light. It actually means that the higher the lumen, the brighter the light.
Size
The led light bar ones come in different sizes, depending on the fit and needs of your tools, as short as 5 inches and as long as up to 50 inches are also available. The smaller sizes are suitable for those who need to use it occasionally and can be easily disassembled. The longer sizes are for professionals who use it heavily and need this powerful light source for larger vehicles. Consider the size of the vehicle, the role of the vehicle and the power output when choosing a size.
Beam Pattern
Led light bars are available in a variety of light types, spot, flood, and combo. Spot lights are suitable for high speed driving on long, dark, straight roads, while flood lights are suitable for use on buildings or accident scenes where you need to illuminate a specific area over a wide area. If you have a variety of scenarios to choose from and are still struggling to make a choice, then a combo light bar with both functions may be the best choice.
Type
Single Row led light bars vs Double Row led light bars
Generally, a double row led light bar produces more light than a single row led light bar, so a double row led light bar will be slightly more expensive. But double led light bar is the most popular in the market. Dual led light bars are used for larger vehicles and are also more attractive and appealing in appearance than single row lights. If the model is small and you want your vehicle to have a low profile appearance, then single row lights are also a good choice. The ultimate ideal type depends on your personal preferences and the vehicle you intend to install them on.
Curved vs Straight
Straight light bars are the most common shape, but curved light bars have a wider beam pattern that provides more illumination to the sides of the vehicle. Curved light bars are better for lighting large areas. However, curved light bars do not allow for optimal illumination distance, making them less desirable in any speed-based application. Straight light bars provide better long range illumination.
Durability
Material
The quality of the led light bar PC lens depends on whether it can resist scratches and falls, a lot of cheaper led light bars with ordinary PC lens so that after a short period of time, the lens are scratches, which very much affects the appearance of the light, and fragile to protect the inside of the light reflector. Good quality led light bar is made of 6063 aluminum, which is resistant to falling and has a good heat dissipation system. The installation of a breather can also further ensure that the normal operation of the light will not burn out.
LED Chips
The led chips used in top quality led light bars are branded. For example: Cree led, Osram, epistar, Philips These led chips are world famous brands. The life of the light is extended to more than 50,000 hours. Widely used in some premium led light bars.
Accessories
The led light bar can be mounted on the vehicle using either the bottom bracket or the side bracket according to your preference. Some led light bar brackets will use iron, after a period of time the bracket will rust and rot. Good quality led light bars are usually fitted with 304 or even 316 stainless steel brackets, which are corrosion and rust resistant.
Certificate
Usually the led light bar needs to have a waterproof certificate, the better quality will have IP67,IP68 certificate. It can help the lights to be used in extreme high and low temperature weather, waterproof, anti-fog, dustproof and shockproof, and further extend the service life of the lights. RoHS and CE certificates should be the most basic certificates needed for lights. According to the regulations of some regions in Europe, you can only use the led light bar with Emark certificate. Then it’s time to purchase according to the local regulations.
Application
As we all know, the long bar lights can be installed on the off-road vehicles. In addition to that, the application of led light bars is still very wide.
When driving at night, led light bars can help you effectively avoid road risks such as mud puddles, puddles and oncoming wildlife;
Led light bar for marine and nautical use, led light bars can be used as an auxiliary light source for traveling on a boat to illuminate the sea in front of you and to inform other boats of passing ships, led light bars can be installed on the deck of a boat as a lighting device for activities on the deck, and can be installed on the side of a boat for docking and mooring;
For heavy machinery or commercial vehicles, commercial vehicles can also be installed with led light bars including commercial vehicles snow removal vehicles, roadside assistance vehicles and snow plows. There is also industrial transportation equipment that can also utilize long led light bars.
Conclusion
By focusing on these aspects, you can finally have a long bar light that you can enjoy for many years.
