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As our selection of high quality LED light bars and pods continue to grow, we wanted to provide a few more details on purchasing.  

• Beam Pattern - We use multiple combinations of LED technologies, reflectors and lenses to get the best results for the installation.  This results in different beam patterns that vary by different product lines. As a generalization the following terms are true across our products lines:
  • Spot - Spot lights will throw a far narrow beam.
  • Flood - Flood lights will have a wide beam that does not go as far as a Spot beam. 
  • Combo - Combo lights have a combination of spot and flood technologies typically giving the furthest light toward the center of the bar or pod and the widest light toward the outside. 
  • Scene - Scene lights are even more concentrated at close range than our flood lights.  Scene lights are great for work light scenarios. 
• Light Color - We use a combination of colored LEDs and colored lenses to create different lighting effects depending on the line of product you are interested in.  As a generalization, the following terms are true across our product lines: 
  • White (Clear) - Under normal conditions white lights are going to provide the brightest lighting experience. 
  • Amber - When there are particles in the air (dust, fog, rain, snow), white can reflect off of these particles making it difficult to see.  In comparison, amber will cut through the particles better.  
  • Combination - We provide a number of combined options in both our light bars and pods so you can switch to the most appropriate color for the occasion. 
  • Other Colors - Other colors of lights serve a number of purposes such as hunting at night and can be achieved by adding one of our lens covers to our white lights.
• Sizes - The named size of our light bars and pods is a general measurement of the size.  Depending on whether you are looking to put the light in a coutout or mount the light, the sizing charts for the light should be your primary reference to make sure it will fit. 

As LED light bars have grown in popularity, so too has their market. Once a specialty product, there are now numerous models of LED light bars from which to choose, each with its own advantages and drawbacks. If this is your first time shopping for a mounted light for your truck or off-road vehicle, you may be unclear as to what the differences are between these models and how you can be certain that the product you choose best suits your needs. Thankfully, there are a few distinguishing factors you can use to separate unreliable models from those that are worth your money, to ensure that the LED light bar you choose will provide unmatched illumination when you need it the most.

Why LED Light Bars?

First, it should be mentioned that not all light bars make use of LED bulbs. There are also a fair number of models out there that utilize halogen or high-intensity discharge (HID) lighting, and you may be curious as to why an LED light bar is the superior choice. The difference is five-fold:

• Efficiency - LED bulbs are among the most efficient on the market, using up to half as much wattage as their HID counterparts and as much as a tenth as halogen models.

• Size - LED bulbs are very small despite their power, meaning that the mount you choose will take up very little space and add very little weight to your vehicle.

• Length - With an average lifespan of up to 40,000 hours, there’s a good chance that the bulbs in your mount will outlive your vehicle.

• Durability - LED circuit boards are not susceptible to damage caused by vibrations or impact, making them an excellent choice for the bumpiness and unpredictability of off-roading.

• Style - LED lights can be created in a variety of colors, shapes, sizes, and styles. If customizability is your thing, you’ll be certain to find a model that perfectly suits the look of your vehicle.

All these benefits admittedly make LED light bars more expensive than halogen or HID models. For that extra cost, though, you’re getting a superior product and one whose durability and long life will save you money in the long run. And while environmental heat can play a larger role in the performance of LED lights than it does for other bulbs, that problem can be remedied by purchasing a quality model with a dedicated heat sink. The question, then, is what makes for a quality LED light bar.

LED Light Bar Brands

As the LED market has grown, certain manufacturers have distanced themselves from the pack by consistently producing bulbs that surpass the competition regarding both performance and reliability. One such manufacturer is CREE, which has spent over twenty years developing and honing its LED technology. Their bulbs are used by many companies as the lighting component of their mounts and have earned their place as the industry standard. What’s more, the previously mentioned issue with environmental heat is much less pronounced for models that make use of CREE bulbs, as their protective heatsinks are typically much more effective than those offered by cheaper and less reliable models.

LED Light Bar Features

Now that you know the benefit of LED lighting and of going with a trusted manufacturer, the only question that remains is what exactly you plan on using your LED light bar for. As mentioned, LED light bars now come in a wide range of features and capabilities, which means that there’s almost certainly a model out there that fits your exact needs.

Length

Obviously, the first concern is whether the bar you choose will fit on your vehicle. If you’re looking to mount it to the roof of a full-size truck, you’ll likely be looking for something along the lines of a 44" or 50" LED light bar. The 50" model offers both amber and white lighting within one bar; the amber provides mid-range flood lighting while the white offers a longer, narrower spot beam. Both can be used independently or at once, offering you a great deal of on-the-fly flexibility in your lighting. That is not to say, however, that those features are contained to longer models. A 22" light bar, for example, offers the same flexible lighting capabilities in a less powerful, more compact package perfect for mounting to your vehicle’s grille.

Beam Angle

While those models offer both spot and flood lighting (as well as a combination of the two), not every LED light bar provides all three beam angles. Generally speaking, you’ll want the long, concentrated light of a spot beam for driving, as its powerful, narrow illumination will allow you to identify far-off hazards before they pose a threat. If you’re more interested in using your light bar to illuminate an area - say, a work site - the width provided by a flood beam angle will likely be more of use to you.

Resistance

Despite their advanced technology, LED lights are unfortunately still susceptible to defects caused by water and dust intrusion to its components. As with heat issues, though, that concern can almost entirely be addressed by purchasing a model that boasts high-rated protection against those dangers. The rating in question is known as ingress protection, or IP; the five scores common to LED light bars (which indicate the hazards they’re tested to protect against) are as follows.

• IP65 – dust, nozzle-projected water

• IP66 – dust, powerful jet-projected water

• IP67 – dust, temporary immersion in up to one meter of water

• IP68 – dust, constant immersion in one meter or more of water

• IP69K – dust, high-pressure and high-temperature water spray

Generally speaking, a good rule of thumb is to consider the worst hazards that the vehicle to which your light bars will be attached will realistically encounter; then, if possible, buy one grade up just to be safe.

Conclusion

Adding an LED light bar to your vehicle is one of the easiest ways to improve its capabilities, to add a new degree of safety and usefulness to your everyday truck or off-roader. We hope that this guide has given you the information you need in your search for the perfect model. If you have any further questions as to which LED light bar best suits your needs - or if you have any other questions about the remarkable power of LED lighting - please feel free to contact one of our friendly and knowledgeable customer service representatives.

Spot, Flood, or Combo?

A question we get a lot is, "What beam pattern for my LED Light Bar should I get?". Well here is a little insight that we hope will help in making your decision.

Spot

A spot beam has a narrow beam spread of only 8º. This is great for task specific lighting. For example when you want night time road or trail visibility you want the light focused and intense in a specific area. The spot pattern is great for that.

Flood

Flood has a wide 90º beam pattern so the light is more spread out. When you want to more light up a certain area, like your camp site, or a work area, the flood is the right choice.

Combo

When you want versatility, the Combo is a good choice. It gives a mix of spot beam pattern LEDs and flood beam pattern LEDs all within the same light. The trade off is that you are not splitting up the beams so neither the flood nor the spot beams produced are as bright as a dedicated spot or beam light.

The Best?

Well that all depends on your specific situation and budget. If you can afford it, a great combination to have is a dedicate spot coupled with a dedicated flood. For example, it is typical for us to outfit a Jeep Wrangler with a 20" spot LED light bar mounted on the bumper which is used for road/trail visibility. Then have a either a couple of 6" flood LED light bars mounted at the lower corners of the windshield or a really nice set up is a 40" LED light bar mounted across the top of the windshield.

Determining the perfect location to mount your new LED Light Bar or Pod(s) is based on many factors: budget, technical abilities, intended lighting use, and finally, personal preference. See our picture gallery below to preview some of these lighting locations.

Some locations are easier to mount and wire than others. Here is a list of locations that we will review, in order of those that are easiest to mount first:

Front Bumper

The easiest location to mount your LED light bar is typically on the front bumper. Often there are already holes in the bumper so purchasing additional mounting hardware is not required. Even if there are not existing holes that will work for your mount location, drilling a bumper is a quick and easy job so you can mount your new light exactly where you want it. From the bumper, it is also a snap to get the wiring to inside the engine compartment.

The mounting flexibility of the bumper also makes it suitable for just about any LED light. For example, You could place a 30" LED light bar or two 5" LED Light Pods on the front bumper. 

The cons of the bumper is that the light direction is coming from the same direction as your stock headlights. Though this isn't a huge downside, you won't get the advantage of lighting your way from multiple light angles, which often provides overall better visibility than just one angle.

Lower Windshield Pillar Mount

The lower windshield pillar mount is a great place to mount a pair of our LED Light Pods and offers a greater amount of light angle differentiation from your stock headlights than the bumper mount location, increasing visibility. This location does require additional mounting hardware, such as our JK pillar mount or TJ pillar mounts, but they are pretty economical in price and simply bolt on using the existing mounting holes on your Jeep (no drilling required). 

Wiring from the pillar mount location requires some drilling, but it is pretty straight forward and can be easily filled with a cheap plug  that you can get at Ace Hardware, Lowe's or the like, in the unlikely event you decide to remove your lights at some point in the future.

Above the Windshield

This location is excellent for allowing you to have the greatest amount of light angle differentiation from the headlights, providing for the best overall visibility. It also has the room to use the largest of LED light bars, like our 50" LED light bar, giving you the most amount of lumens of light than the other locations. This location does require you to purchase additional mounting hardware, and wiring will require some drilling, but if getting the maximum amount of quality light is your goal, than this is the ideal location. Plus, it adds a certain "bad-ass" look that you might be going for :)

A Combination

Now no one says you have to pick just one! You can combine any of these locations to give you even more light and mean aesthetics. So go ahead, pick your poison!

This is a video demonstration comparing the stock headlights on our Jeep Wrangler with our F1 - 22" Led Light Bar and our F1 - 50" LED Light Bar. Spoiler alert: The difference is quite extraordinary.

Watch all our videos on our Extreme YouTube Channel

On 1/16/2015 we launched our new website. We hope you like the new look and feel of the site. But more importantly we've added a lot more features to help make the site a better customer experience for you. Below are just a few of the new features of our site.

1. Site is now mobile optimized
2. Easier categorized navigation
3. Integrated credit card payments (without having to leave to go to PayPal for checkout)
4. More shipping options besides our FREE shipping (need it next day? Live outside the lower 48? See realtime shipping quotes from USPS and UPS to get your products when you need them)
5. Ability to rank and review our products
6. Earn REWARDS! Earn 1 point for every 10 dollars you spend, then use your points for discounts on your next purchase where each point gets you 1 dollar off! You must register when you checkout to get and keep track of your points.
7. The ability to register an account so you can keep track of your order status, see past purchases, and see your rewards balance. Plus you get 5 reward points just for registering.

Now as with anything new, there may be a few kinks to work out. If you have any problems or questions, please don't hesitate to Contact Us!

Thanks for visiting!

Sincerely,

The ExtremeLED Team