Outstanding Cree spotlight

[The General]

Hello,
I looked at the advert, and they quote 1200 lumens, which converted to Watts is around 20 watts.  Whereas mine are 1700 lumens and reportedly output 200 watts equivalent.  From the research I did, there seems to be a glut of makers all using led chips, but there seems no standard. The fact they quote lumens pisses me off, it's just a bigger sounding number.  I think the good buying is in the maker of the led chip, and the lens.
I bought mine in a store because I knew if they were crap I could return them quickly. I reckon I got lucky.
Although I have never spent so much on bloody lights before.
I would suggest buying off sellers that other recommend, or spend heaps from shop and return and exchange for lights that suit you if need be.
Just a thought, gareth

Good point Gareth....but then again for that price of $11 (U.S.) it may be worth the risk....I too checked out that site and also researched the more expensive units in the same area. For only $30 (U.S.) more you can get a 3000 lumen beast with an IP67 rating.....if you trust the Chinese suppliers. (ken`s has a 96% feedback rating...though not based on lighting sales.)

Cree did buy a Chinese manufacturing base in 2007 but their History and main (U.S.) base has some great credentials.

The prob we have is deciding when to buy in and supplier reputation. The exponential increase in LED lighting efficiency is kinda profiled under Haitz`Law (Dr Rowland Haitz) that every 10 years the price of LEDs decreases by a factor of 10,
while the performance (measured in flux per unit) increases by a factor of 20. In recent years, this
rate of, has increased,....

In 2014 Cree exceeded the milestone 300 lumens per watt. (Was 276 the year before) Now if they research and develop a (say) 28deg perfect auto lense that doesn`t get too hot and breach a IP67 rating, we could have ourselves a truly great Roo spotter and eventually maybe even a road kill grill!..... but to return a profit on such research won`t see them supplying any chinese internet opshop me thinks....though there is such precedence with Chinese manufacturers and their hungry marketers.

I`m hoping we get more pics like yours (and hopefully Ken`s) for comparison on this interesting subject. (Like the following, but without the huge margins of profit & commercial interest....http://www.outbacktravelaustralia.com.au/4wd-mods-electrics/led-driving-lights-on-test)   

[ribbert]

Doug, you're right, it is an interesting subject, keep the info coming.

Every time I contemplate buying lights I get confused and give up. I know from experience that the hodge podge of performance indicators mean very little. A compulsive buyer of torches, work lights, spot lights etc, I have found it near impossible to guarantee a certain type of light and beam from the description. The lens/reflector also plays a big part in the lights performance and throw.
For example, I bought some spotties (HID) for the the car that will not only kill a roo at 200m but have it cooked by the time you reach it. They have a very narrow beam but they also have snap on lenses that convert the beam to a conventional headlight type broad spread and out to the sides.

Just about every light is advertised as a spot, driving, headlight, camping, emergency, landing, marine, ATV, UFO spotting, hunting etc. - all in one.

Testimonials can be dodgy too because the writer can only compare against his previous light. I have lights that I thought were simply amazing, that was until I bought the next one which was obviously the best one in the world - until I bought the next one..........

My heads starting to hurt just writing about it.

Keep the info coming, I would love to buy some lights and be confident of how they will perform before I buy them.

Noel

[Arnie]

I've bought and installed some 10W LED lights intended for bicycle use that have Cree XM-L elements.
These were under A$20 each and provide about 3x the light output of the 80W H4 Halogen in my FJ headlight.  I'm very happy with how much light and how well I can see when using them, except.....
when I turn them off because of an oncoming vehicle I struggle to see anything in the relative dark.
This is because my eyes irises have 'pinned' to cope with the brightness and it takes a bit of time for my eyes to re-open to see in the dark.
Putting any more light out there would only make this problem worse, so I'm not looking to "improve" my lighting any more than it is.

Arnie

[mr blackstock]

There is some good info in these posts, I imagined the world of lighting was complex, and then Arnie started speaking a different language.  the man has done some serious research. I too had wanted to avoid buying "the next best thing", so i am glad these spots worked out.
One problem is that, like Arnie said, when I switch the low beam, it's like I have no lights on at all. I did not expect that.

Still, it is worth being able to see every creature for half a kilometer, ironically when I could not see shit i was only stressed about roo's now I can see all the other bloody animals in the bushes which sorta stresses me more.

Ignorance was bliss I guess.....

Cheers, gareth

[The General]

I found some info on what is called "Light/Dark adaption" in some medical circles while more can be found under the subjects of "Photopic, Mesopic and Scotopic Vision"

One driving forum discussed how his optometrist claims that people with light blue or light hazel eyes are more sensitive then others....The following links kinda verify this claim.
The info seems to support the theory that it is worse as we get older too. These links lead to many links, but the easiest example is people entering a movie theatre with the lights out have great difficulty with vision but after a short time can see virtually all seating etc.

So how long does it take for our eyes to adjust?.....in one example the time was forty minutes! (movie theatre).....I`ll google some more on the subject tonight, hoping to get a driver/rider example.....but Arnie is definitely onto something!

http://www.cns.nyu.edu/~david/courses/perception/lecturenotes/light-adapt/light-adapt.html
http://www.visualexpert.com/Resources/nightvision.html

[Bones]

What about mounting a cheaper duller set elsewhere on the bike to use with low beam so there's not that sudden moment of blackness when switching beams.

I know legalities come into play with spotlights and what beam they should work on, but they don't have to be retina burners, just something to enhance low beam.

Ive had pushbikes coming towards me some mornings with their light on, and they must be lights that Arnie has on his bike, because they had a dazzling bright blueish light that actually hurts your eyes coming towards you, but there was also a GS BMW dual sport coming toward me the other morning with his factory spotlights on and they didn't hurt the eyes at all, weather they were just adjusted lower, maybe low wattage, but I'm sure he was on low beam because even his headlight didn't hurt the eyes, but all combined made HIM a lot more visible which to me can only be a good thing.

[mr blackstock]

G'day,

It is not a bad idea, but I think I will try to upgrade my headlight bulb to a better and brighter one first.  Like the one below.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/PHILIPS-H4-Diamond-Vision-5000K-Genuine-Bulbs-12342DVS2-OZ-Seller-/271845233526?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item3f4b3d1376#ht_9390wt_1153

Currently I have the spots pointed into the bush either side of the road, just for animals, my current H4 high beam is pretty good for straight ahead.

But at the moment I have bigger issues.... I have lost compression on no.2.  Tonight I will be checking valve gaps.  I hope it is not another burnt valve, last one cost me heaps.

gareth

[Urban_Legend]

I just put a supercheap auto plus 50 bulb(60/55 watt bulb but 50% brighter)in my headlight  and it made a massive difference.  Cost $30 but we'll worth it.
Mark

[ribbert]

I just put a supercheap auto plus 50 bulb(60/55 watt bulb but 50% brighter)in my headlight .........
Mark

It may have been very cheap, but where did you get it from?

Noel

[Arnie]

Always the joker, right Noel?
Yeah, perhaps the syntax could be improved slightly to show that he bought a (snake oil) H4 (5000 or 6000K) globe at SuperCheap (the auto parts shop).
That claim of 50% brighter is bunkum.  The globe burns at a higher temperature that is slightly  brighter, but doesn't last as long as a standard H4 60/55W QH globe.
One HUGE problem with the attempt to improve lighting is that it is very difficult to get all the specs of a light unit before you buy and try.  Changing type of illumination complicates the comparison dramatically.  Its very hard to compare Incandescant to QH to HID to LED even if all the specs actually appear on a listing.  There is no standard that all manufacturers use. 
And, to further complicate matters some (many) of them lie.
2 different lamp makers may both use the same Cree (or other) LED chip, but the actual light output in brightness (lumens) at some fixed distance and beam spread may be vastly different even though the LED chips are both the same.
Its unfortunately a case of 'suck it and see' with lights.

I bought 2 different pairs of LED 1157 globes to try.  Both claimed to be brighter than standard 1157. 
Pair 1 was about 1/2 the light output as a standard incandescant 1157. Pair 2 was maybe 85% of a standard incandescant 1157. bummer
Yeah, I could return them, but postage back to China is more than they cost :-(

Arnie

I just put a supercheap auto plus 50 bulb(60/55 watt bulb but 50% brighter)in my headlight .........
Mark

It may have been very cheap, but where did you get it from?

Noel