elblako91

I bit the bullet and bought one of Rigid Industries 30 inch LED light bars to replace my 4 Hellas that i had retrofitted with DDM 50 watt 5K HID. Well the bar came in this afternoon and i have to say im somewhat disappointed with it. First off they sent me the amber led bar when i asked for the white bar. It's bright no doubt but they do not project as far as my hellas did. I'm wondering if this has to do with the amber color. What i did like about it was that there was no warm up of any kind and they seem much more reliable than HID's. I'm going to send them back and exchange them for the white bar in hopes that i will be more satisfied.






Low beams only


low beams+light bar

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

for that kind of money you would expect the correct product...you definitely need the white light, the amber might be good mounted low in the fog or something

elblako91

Well i ordered it from another company who in turned ordered it from R.I. I'm sure there was some sort of miscommunication between both of them. I do think the white will be significantly brighter from what I've heard from other people on other boards.

ToyoTech559

need a pix of the HIDs to the LEDs.

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

so have they swapped you the amber for the white yet?

elblako91

Yup sorry forgot too update. They sent me a prepaid shipping label and as soon as i sent the tracking number via email to them to verify it was on the way they shipped out my white one that same day. Installed it and wired it up to come on with my high beams (tapped in to the positive high beam wire). Only problem is when i take off my high beams they still stay on requiring me to turn click my lights off and then back on for a split second. Anyways I'm quite pleased with them. They have a nice wide even white pattern with no hotspots. The HID's had hotspots and were not as even. My HID's did throw out further but the beam was all scattered as opposed to the LED bar. Another advantage is that the LED's are so much more reliable. I can flip them on without having to worry whether they will work or not. Also don't have to worry about water getting into the ballast and ruining them since they are waterproof. With the HID's I went through more than 4 ballast in 2 years. I'm thinking of mounting 4 hella pencil beams on the roof to get that distance spot i need. That plus the LED bar would be the best combination as you have long distance plus a nice even consistent pattern for closer. Tried taking some night shots with my phone of the bar but was in an open flat field with nothing to really reference the distance.

LOW BEAMS



LOW BEAMS + HELLA MICRO DE (3K HID)



30 INCH RIGED BAR WITH HIGH BEAMS



LED BAR + HELLA MICRO DE + LOW BEAMS



BAR MOUNTED



Hope this helps people trying to learn more about these LED's as I know there is not a lot of info on them on the internet.

StangBanger

How much was it? If you dont mind me asking. Im looking into getting one.

elblako91

Not at all. Was around $980 shipped to my front door. That was with their optional locking nuts and mounting tabs

MaK92-4RnR

Jesus! 980? and they're barely brighter than the HID hellas.... I think i'll stick with retrofitting HID into hella's. much cheaper and just as effective.

All in all though, the light bar does look bad ass.

elblako91

lol yeah in comparison the HID's do seem brighter but this is just one of those things i thought i will only buy once and it will last my my whole life. Assuming it doesnt get jacked first Also a million times more reliable since you don't have to deal with cheap chinese ballast going out on you every 2 months.

MaK92-4RnR

mount it inside your truck by your windshield.... ( most people mount the 48" because it goes the length of the window ) but i think it would look good regardless.

elblako91

Actually the 40 inch fit perfect on the roof but would have been 2 long for the bumper. The 30 inch i bought fits perfectly as it's about the same width as the toyota grill so it looks like it belongs there. I'd mount it inside but I think that would give off some terrible glare since I still want to utilize my windshield. Dont like bugs in my face and still enjoy the cool AC in the texas summer heat .

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

would have to have some kind of shield made to fit the curve of the windshield..seems like the glass would reflect and flood the cabin with light..

another major advantage of the LED is the lower current draw.

whitecollarredneck

If your HID's went farther you probably bought a funky beam pattern. You want the spot light in white. I have a 10" spot/flood combo and the angle of the spot beam is wide enough to not need the flood lights. Just with that and not my duallys I can see traffic signs light up over a mile away in the dark if the terrain is right.

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

20" T-track - mounted Sunyee/Aussie lightbar in flood/spot..... Love it! They normally go for $240, but I got in on a bid on a short-timer eBay sale and got it for $99 + $10 shipping.....got it in 5 days......

Aztecdiver

I really want one of these light bars. Really bad. I just cant afford to dump $1,000 on a light.

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

I hear ya..... Thought about grabbing one of the ones I did? If you keep your eyes open they do come up on auction and people just don't see it... Just sa I got mine like I said, for $110 to my door. Ask Redeth or his neighbor Ruben how bright is... I think I would rather buy 10 of these any days in a rigid unless I was planning on driving over it or lighting it on fire throwing it off a 20 story building. Besides, well this might not be as strong it is definitely strong... As is all the mounting hardware.

CG4runner28

ChefYota do you have an update on the 20in light bar you installed? Looks great in the video you sent especially considering it was daylight. I have looked at these after seeing your video and there are plenty of good reviews but also a small percent of negatives(ie: bulbs burning out fast, not water tight, sometimes will not come on) have you had any similar problems? My main concern is it being water tight. I'm new to Yotatech or atleast not a frequent poster so sorry if this isn't the proper way to post to the forum haha. Thanks for the help with this.

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

I've had it on 20+ times in a couple months, had them on for 3 hours in Pismo on a night wheeling run through the dunes... And, I've been very heavy rain and was feeling nonstop heavy heavy moisture through the entire trip at Pismo.... Never had one issue. You have to consider, that while some complaints may very well be justified, many times it's installer error that causes issues. I'm no electrical guru by any means, but I've learned alot, and I understand relays and switches and wiring gauge requirements.... Many dont take the time to do things properly, let alone cleanly, and still, the things often remain working in spite of that. I don't know if there are just as many complaints with rigid lights, I'm sure they're very quality, and I know trucks can drive over there and so forth for her but they're also $500 I simply couldn't stomach forking that over...lol. Obviously thereafter I cannot give you a comparison, as I do not have a rigid industries light... but maybe tgey have quality control issues from time to time? I would imagine it's, just like with any company, you gotta look at the customer service. As an example I have had excellent customer service from superbrightleds.com... Fortunately I have not had 2 contact Sunyee for anything.... but when contacting the ministry with some questions ice to shipping and how long it will take, I got very quick responses from their headquarters in Australia. I promise if I have any issues with this product I will immediately posted up on my build thread and try to remember to post it here as well. Best to ya man!

thafluffinato

What do you guys think about the eBay light bars? I've hear the ones with Cree led tech are pretty decent. They are decent priced and seem to be pretty bright on the review photos I've seen. Just would like to hear an opinion of a person who has actually purchased one!