I bought a set of Rigid dually's and had to send them back twice because the seals were not installed and they fogged instantly and became inoperable. You don't always get what you pay for, and you WILL pay a pretty penny if you're not sponsored.
I agree, bought some China knock off had them over a year now at a fraction of the cost of a Speaker or a BaHa (those prices are obscene). I do have some KCs and some Rigid. Nothing magic about the name brands. Same thing bout the SPod, I don't know those people but 400 is too much to pay for a device that does nothing more than clean up your wiring set up. Trying to be civil, but if you are sponsee how can you tell me to save money "in the long run" by buying more expensive equipment.
Great information, thanks. May I suggest the addition in your Utility section, the installation of an amber chase light(s) in the rear of your truck. Adds spotting / identification of your rig's proximity to those driving behind you on a dusty or foggy trail.
Sfrdode I’ll second those amber chase lights, being able to be seen by others is important. I have amber fogs on one of my vehicles and run them when traffic becomes heavy as they stand out from white lights.
I've used the "LAMPHUS 6pc Stardust SDRL14 4x4 Offroad LED Rock Light Kit for 4WD Jeep & Truck ", available on Amazon, for years under my 4-Runner for ground lighting. A 6 piece set with mounts (bolt on or stick on, which really works well) costs $45 right now, which is less that $8 per light. They are bullet-proof, built really ruggedly, and I've never had one fail electrically or physically, including the adhesive mounted ones. I also use them for interior cargo area lighting, and under-the-hood lighting. Great product. They do not come with a wire loom, which is perfect for me, since I do all my own SwitchPro wiring.
I have a Baja Designs 10" bar mounted between the bull bars of my AEV bumper for the JKU. A pair of Baja Designs Squadron fogs that throw out the most useful wide angle lighting. Awesome combo. The squadron model comes with a wire loom for the JK specifically so it can be wired to the factory fog switch. I love this combo. 10" light for the off road trails at night + squadrons. I use the squadrons quite often when there's no one on the road. Can see deer much easier. I finally installed perimeter lighting with the Baja Designs S2 on the rhino rack and found them way too bright (blinding). Instead of buying new lights, I programmed the sPod to dim it via the Bantam unit. Slapped amber covers on. Hope that helps someone reading this comment.
Not to jump on the bandwagon but I bought rigid lights for my FJ and they’ve never fogged or faded over the past 6 years. Glad to have bought once cried once.
I have some high end lighting and some import lighting from a brand name. The High End has faded and I had to reseal to eliminate the condensation. All my lower cost are doing better and over three years of use. I agree 100% on the roof mount light bar, looks cool as hell but you have glare. I have driving and fog lights low on the front, they are great off road, led head lights for street driving.
There is a lot of redundance in the industry. This video touches the basics amazingly well. Personally, I like fog lights, bumper light wired into the high beams, ditch lights to get a wide scene of the trail, roof/windshield light for high speed on good conditions (being the front vehicle) and some way of scene lights to get light inmediately beside your vehicle to be able to navigate around tight spaces easily. Rock lights also seem to me like working lights, they get used for crawling, sorting problems or actually working on suspension components is something goes wrong. Camp lights are not a permanently attatched thing in my book because they will use the battery of my vehicle instead of their own rechargable or disposable battery without compromising my ability to start the vehicle afterwards. Just for the sake of setting up the camp site in the dark, rock lights, side scene lights and the actual headlights of the vehicle will do (as well as a light inside the cargo space where all my stuff is). But, being a light junky and an avid camper, I would love to have feedback from anyone who thinks there are better solutions or aproaches to this
Thanks clay, making a list right now of overlanding things to upgrade my rig, having trouble figuring out how to wire aux switches and lights and that s pod thing might just save me!
“I am a gear head and I love lights”. Lol. You are one of the true product advocates who tell the truth. I just wish some of the US companies would come down on the price point.
Take a look at Diode Dynamics. They're based in MO and in the past few years have REALLY come up a long way. In teh past they outsourced some, but nowadays most if not all is Made In USA. Prices are good, and their customer service is excellent
Another group of people who have been hoodwinked into the "white light is best" belief. Studies have shown that the BEST type of light to suit the human eye is actually the more "yellow" style emitted by halogen. Down here in Australia we are fortunate to have a local company called FYRLYT who make their 5000 Series and 9000 Series lights using only the best German halogen globes. I'm 65 years old and have been fooling around with aux. lighting since I bolted a pair of Hella 150s onto the "crashbars" of my Kawasaki 900 back in the early 70s. I've tried 'em all!!! I've been through all the good old halogen lights, then spent a fortune on HIDs, then had Lightforce lights converted to HIDs, then sold a kidney and bought the BEST LEDs I could find. Now I've gone full circle and am back to halogen....but with a difference. The FYRLYT Nemisis 9000 are 250 watt, 24 volt lamps (run via a 12v to 24v converter on my Silverado). The thing that people don't realise is that WHITE light isn't natural for the human eye and after a period of time it causes severe fatigue to the eyes. I have driven several trips across the Australian "outback" with differing light types. HID and LED invariably result in me having a colossal headache the next day....but with the halogen I'm just tired (from lack of sleep), but no headache from eye-strain. I know you guys aren't gunna change. Why would you when Rigid is your sponsor? Fair enough I suppose. If you're happy with the huge reflection you get from signposts etc and don't mind headaches etc, go for it......stick with the LEDs and good luck to you.
@@bryanrogowski yes they do......but as far as I'm aware, NONE of them come close to colour temperature of sunlight; which is what halogen is close to.
@@billroach2393 Three problems. 1. Light output of halogen lights is low, meaning you need more of them, 2. power consumption is high. and with more needed, the draw is tremendous, 3. They don't work well with LED headlights, which are coming standard on new vehicles. My older, 3 year old halogen driving lights are outclassed by my new, $30 LED bicycle light.
"it's good to buy from reputable companies"....or save a sh*t ton of $$ and get them for free because you are sponsored. Not all the 'cheaper' stuff is ripped off...there are basic designs that everyone is using. While established companies may make a better product you have to remember the average person...we/they do not have an unlimited budget, are not doing this for a living and do not have the support of all these companies. The idea is to enhance your experiences however you can and at whatever budget affords you to do it. A $2k rig will let someone enjoy themselves in 99% of the places a $200k rig will.
Stop buying your gear from our enemies, 12-14% of all revenue for Chinese made junk goes to funding their military and they sell you sub-standard products. If you think otherwise you are just too young to understand reality.
Thanks for the vid. Its hard narrowing things down to whats practical vs fun. Go low first is super helpful. Leaning towards more amber than white light for here in Alaska. Any recommendations for long dark winters and snow? Thoughts on ditch lights?
Newb question: For the camping lights, what's a typical amount of time you can have those lights on without draining your battery dry? Is there anything in the setup that gives a warning if you've used up too much of the battery?
2:05 The offbrand lights do not last long, I am done spending money on that junk. I change the light bar on my Baja three times after buying Amazon garbage
Don't tell me not to buy lights on eBay... Free Market: noun an economic system in which prices are determined by unrestricted competition between privately owned businesses. Buy from whatever seller has what you can afford! That being said, you get what you pay for.
Thanks for the info, Clay. Would you please do a follow on about how to do the installation? Also, what do you think of ditch lights mounted on the hood in front of the A pillars? Finally, do hood blackout decals prevent roof bar light glare?
Thats great that rigid hooks it up for ya but I'll stick with cheap Chinese brands I can buy 4x the lights and they are all now just as good... the same light chips can be found in a 100 bar vs 500 dollar bar. The power draw isn't THAT different, and doesnt matter if you run a second battery. Dont spend your money on a rigid, it cost them $50 to make and want to charge $500, its bullshit
Sorry, I just can justify spending a small fortune for some lights that I use occasionally on weekend wheeling trips. LED technology is not that complicated and the prices that Rigid and others charge is ridiculous!! There are differences between cheap and expensive. Usually its the lens and not the LED though. Ive been running some $200 Amazon LEDs for several years with no issues what so ever. If I were to have bought the Rigid or ARB equivalent it would have cost me $1400!!!! I spent my money on regearing/air lockers/a good winch and suspension. The lights I went cheap on and have no regrets years later. Ive compared my two 9" Amazon LED's to a buddies motorized rigid light bar. He was impressed with my lights. I was not impressed with his light bar. So to each their own, but expensive lights are not a priority for me.
It’s more about supporting good companies. If you find a legit company and it’s cheap awesome. So much of a legitimate companies cost is the prototyping/engineering/sourcing of good materials/and legal to defend their property. Buying ripped off stuff is part of the problem as buyers. When we do that we literally hurt the people that are paving the way. My .02. Clay-
@@ExpeditionOverland Clay, I totally understand your point. I just dont think a $1000 light bar is in most peoples budget. As you said lights are not a necessity. So does that mean I shouldn't have any aftermarket lights unless I pay up big money? The people that NEED those expensive lights are usually already sponsored anyway. (Race teams) The average guy doesn't need $1000's of dollars worth of offroad lights!
Chinese always rip off stuff Becouse the original product is overpriced. I prefer USA products, bit when you add all your gear up as far as cost, then a cheap set of lights helps save cost. I've had a 20inch light bar for 3 years. Paid 15.00 on amazon, no fogging, no fading. Works great. So tell these USA manufactures to lower the cost to be more resonable.
