HID vs LED vs Halogen Headlights in Projector Housings
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- čas přidán 25. 01. 2018
- **Before you do any alteration to your vehicles lighting system, make sure it is legal for you to do so in your area. After installation make sure the lights are also aimed properly.
About a year ago I did a similar video using reflector housings. At that time many of you commented that you didn't feel that was a good test because it was not conducted in projector housings. That was a great point.
Now I'm back with what I feel is a better video conducting the same tests in projector housings. I hope you enjoy it.
Here's a link to the original video: • Halogen vs HID vs LED
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making my last comment I didn't realize this video is from 2018. LEDs have improved so much compared to HIDs. hopefully you're doing another one of these in the future. thanks for your time
Eric, I believe that HID lux value is not 140k, but 14k. The three dots you saw on the screen are just ellipsis, indicating that the value doesn't fit on the screen completely, but it doesn't necessarily have to be exactly three digits.
You are right in saying that HIDs are definitely brighter than Halogen bulbs. 3.5 times brighter sounds reasonable, but 35 times brighter isn't really possible. Especially since at 50ft they read only twice as bright as the halogen lights.
Agreed, Direct sunlight is between 30,000 and 100,000 lux. No way these tiny things are putting out more than the output of the sun.
Agreed
More like 1400
zaqway kinda blows his expertise out of the water. Rendering his video completely useless
That sounds about right 3.5 x brighter. Minor detail we can take in our stride.
9:50 is when the testing stops and he does the summary, in case you wanna skip.
Thank you
I should have read the comments before watching the full video :( Thanks anyway.
Bless
Thank you for doing that :)
I'd love to see a remake of this video. From my understanding, LED technology has come a long way in 2 years.
Dude. Just did 4 different led on Projector (RAM 2016) . Ranged from 40-250€. Now i am back to HID for ca 75-100€. Hid is still the way to Go at least from my perspective
55 W ballast and 6000K bulb. Perfect light Color.
@@lordodd452 which bulbs?
RedWings-44 depends on car. For My RAM 2016 with projector headlights is the best bang for the Buck the WinPower HB3/9005 55W Auto HID Xenon Kit. Regards
@@lordodd452 correct. Sorry, I forgot to specify. What LED bulbs and reflector or projector housings?
It's really good to see you back and posting on ETCG. Thanks man.
Hey Eric, just want to say i love your videos and watching and learning from you has inspired me to teach myself more about automotive maintenance. Ive just started taking a automotive class and i love it! In the process I've also discovered a new interest in it. Just wanted to say thank you and keep making videos as long as you can! Thank you!
Thank you for this useful information eric! I can see that a lot of effort went in to making this video.
I know I'm about 3 years past the original posting of this video. But I only just now searched for this kind of info. Want to say: thank you! I need to replace my housings, and had been hung up on the idea of going with LEDs. This video has helped to clear my head and make me reconsider. Also, I only recently learned the terms "projector" and "reflector", so this also gave me a very good visual reference. I feel much better informed than ever, and am more confident in my shopping for replacements.
I had actually used HID bulbs years ago to replace fog/flood lamps. On that vehicle, HID was not a good choice for the headlights due to the warm-up delay--the separate beams were mutually-exclusive in operation. But my current vehicle keeps lows on during high-beam operation, so I think HID could be a much better candidate this time.
Great job Sir. I drive a new semi and need brights lights. Thank you for clearing up my questions.
I appreciate all the time and effort you put into this video. Im going with LED in my 2015 RDX
Best comparison video I've seen on CZcams. Great job man.
Wow...awesome testing. I had a lot of confusion over these bulbs & now I'm cleared & I'm satisfied with your test results. Thanks for giving a detailed description about the lights. Good job keep it up.....👍
This was an awesome test. I'll be getting HIDs for my lights. Thank's bro.
That's exactly the video I was looking for. As always, awesome video! Thanks a bunch Eric ;)
Great test Eric!! This is definitely good data in choosing what "bulbs" to use when deciding to modify the lights.
Excellent video, you did a FAR better job than I could have done. It's interesting that the glare that people are knee-jerk "warning" about with the HID retrofit in these projector housings is no more than with a Halogen bulb. I did a comparison of the "cheap" H3 LED bulbs on my Expedition's spyder auto projector lights today and found all of them lacking, So, HID is getting ordered. Damn, my BMW's factory xenon lights got me spoiled :D
I bet even engineering explained would be proud of such scientific test
Damn....1 million subs....bet Eric didn't see this happening 20 years ago
I really enjoyed this video, good information. A lot of people install upgraded lights, whether or not they are supposed to, it happens a lot. Good to see some solid information out there. Projector housings are the way to go if you are switching to HID or LED bulbs.
Thanks for taking the time to do this.
You need to do your testing in a secluded area with no lights and determine the reach of each light into the darkness. That is the thing you should be concerned with is how far the light can illuminate objects down the road. Also keep in mind the brighter a light gets the shorter the spectrum of light it emits, no matter what type of light it is
Pretty sure it’s going to be 14,000 not 140,000. I don’t think the amount of dots equals the number of 0’s. Great video though Eric. You’re right, it’s wayyy better than your last one.
I'm a flashlight maker (yes it's more scientific than it sounds) and I commonly work with high power LEDs. This is probably 1,400 lux since lux is just lumens per square meter, and it's spreading out over a very large area.
I appreciate the efforts you have put into the testing.
Exactly what I was searching for ! you are the best Eric !
just wanted to add my 5ct.. Actually lux or lux-o-meter is used to measure brightness of light on the surface, for example it is mainly used for measuring how bright is the surface of the sign of the supermarket or exmpl. coca cola sign. So when you were measuring the effect from a car that mainly may have had an effect on the reading, because accuracy of the reading in luxometer depends on the angle of the light that is projected to the sensor it self. In this case it would be better to use a lumen meter, as it is the most accurate metering device for light output from the source. BUT!, just for a comparisement this was an awesome test Eric, thank you.
140000 seems like a huge difference. It's probably 14000. Appreciate the video Eric!
Good job, I already had the feeling that HIDs are what I want in comparison to LEDs and this was a very good video to give me the info I need to make my decision. Thanks
Good to see you again wish you the best
Great video mate, can tell from making videos myself the time and effort which has gone into this video👌🏻 top class job💪🏻
Hi Eric.....
Thanks for shedding some light on that for us 💡💡
Great content & very informative as usual.
Pretty decent video. Answered quite a few questions that were coming to my mind. Thank you for your footwork.
Thank you Eric because I have a 2003 Toyota Sequoia I've been wanting to put either hid or LED and unfortunately can't find any manufacturers that make projector housings but this video was incredibly helpful thank you.
Eric💖 welcome back
Hey Eric, depending on the type of chip technology and layout that's inside the actual LED package, it will determine the pattern/layout and brightness of the bulb. It would be unfair to categorize all LED's under one umbrella since they are all made differently, designed differently, and perform differently. Even some halogens are like this to SOME degree but, in general, you can make a generalization with halogens. I do not have enough data about HID's or hybrids (xenon) bulbs to say whether or not generalizations can be made about them. I thought I had HID's in my system but after taking to many mechanics I found out I had a hybrid system of xenon bulbs, which is most annoying.
So my recommendation to you is to find some LED bulbs with different LED chip technologies and find some different manufacturers and use them as a good comparison.
EpicATrain I tried two brands of LEDs in my projector housings, both of them had great reviews and moderately high prices. The ones from 4x4 LEDs died in less than 3 months and had poor light output. The second pair I had got better light output but died in 11 months. I decided to have my local shop install some HIDs and it’s literally night and day. In projector housings the HIDs just throw the light so much further that it’s crazy.
Granted there could be better LEDs out there and worse HIDs out there. But it seems like for the housing the LEDs just can’t hang from my experience.
@@jmwlife2k Two different brands in housings? Wow, that's a unique study....NOT. Again, LEDS need to be in housing DESIGNED FOR THEM, NOT SHOVED INTO HOUSING DESIGNED FOR OTHER TYPES of bulbs. Just look at how they are designed.
@@f5fstop For one both LEDs were recommended for the housing I bought. Secondly I never said what happened to me is going to me the experience for everyone or it’s some great case study. I even made clear that there might have been better LEDs or worse HIDs out there. - With that said, it doesn’t change the reality of what I experienced. Why would I buy a third pair of different recommended LEDs when two failed in less than 18 months and the light output for both of them were bad?
HIDs in both experienced I had with them worked better. Stop being a weirdo product defender and learn how to read.
Those projectors are commonly known as "bi-xenon" projectors, so named for the HID headlight assemblies that use them to get both low and high beam from a single HID xenon capsule, since firing the capsule on and off as with normal halogen low/high beams can drastically shorten the life of the HID capsules. This is the first time I've ever seen them in an aftermarket assembly designed for halogen bulbs.
The mid-2000's Nissan Maxima used a single halogen projector with a solenoid on the cutoff shield like this, along with a similar bi-xenon HID projector housing on the HID equipped cars (same projectors as used by the mid-2000's Mercedes E55, which I used in my Integra bi-xenon retrofit back in 2004).
Just gonna say that this video clearly shows why you need to have the correct focusing elements for your bulbs. These are for HID bulbs. With the LEDs and Halogens the hotspots are in a different place, the cutoff isn't as clean, and the spread is different. All of those things make a huge difference on how much you actually see when driving down the road.
Much better video
l was debating what to possibly upgrade to, this video just helped me make my decision.
One point I would like to make to your test. Although this is a very good test, the LED lights are at a great disadvantage because when you sit any aftermarket LED bulb in a projector housing, it is not in the correct position to give you the maximum output. The LED chips do not produce a full 360° light dispersion even if you have 4 large chips that cover the entire bulb. The chips project the light perpendicular, whereas the HID and the halogen project the light forward, backward, and around all sides of the reflector within the projector housing. To get the maximum output the light source needs to be at a specific focal point inside the reflector parabola. You will notice that if you take something like an H1 bulb and move it forward and backward in a reflector parabola (just the part that has the reflective surface) made for a H4 bulb the light output will fluctuate until you get it at the right focal point where the light will be able to hit the immediate surrounding surfaces of the reflector and project it forward as a concentrated beam of light.
Thanks for your input. If you watch the other video linked in the description you'll see that the results of the LED are typical. The light for LED is not as intense as HID.
Yes. Watched that just now. The LED lights are a lot tougher to maximize the light output using after market bulbs. If you were to compare Audi's matrix LEDs or those from Mercedes multibeam LEDs.....or even one from a Mazda CX-9, you'd see the output is 10 times greater than what any aftermarket LED bulb could duplicate because the factory LED set up don't use actual bulbs like H11, HB4, etc. as far as I know. The LED chip is mounted to a board and several mirrors are used to get the LED to project in a true 360° pattern (forward, backward, and around all sides). A test comparison between the 3 bulbs that would be a bit more fair where all the bulbs would equal would be to make the HID and halogen bulb similar to that of the LED by preventing some of the light from going forward, backward, and masking off 2 sides depending on how many LED chips you have. That would be a bit extreme though.
czcams.com/video/2FwdoXpNBSI/video.html
Thanks for Another great comparison review on the 3 types of bulbs!
Thank you for the explanation in a way that I can understand! I have projector xenon HID lights in my 2010 Nissan Murano LE. I changed the HIDs two weeks ago and upgraded to 8000. I believe the previous owner used 5000. I see the difference. I’m impressed with your video and love my HID lights are awesome!
Going from 5000 to 8,000 is not an upgrade, it's just changing the color from whitish Blue (5000k) to much less white and more blue purple (8000k) . All other things being the same 5000k will be brighter than 8000k
HID’s for LOW beams
LED for DRL/High beams
LED’s look brighter but don’t go as far.
Daytime running lights on most cars ARE low beams.
@@caseywilson9520 Most car in the early adaptation of DRL uses 'High Beam' with lower voltage for DRL. Now most vehicle uses separate DRL and/or Switchback (switches between DRL and turn signals).
early 2010, this would be the answer. 2020 ? not so much
My car has one bulb for High and Low beams.
@John Doe aftermarket lights aren't bull shit. It's just with reflectors it blinds people if not set up properly.
I got aliexpress headlight and it has total of 4 projector (hella +Q5) and my lights are amazing after adjustments
You have not used any other cars with proper led headlights. That's why you were amazed.
I changed my halogen projectors to hid projectors. The results are absolutely amazing! I have them adjusted properly. And I couldn't be happier. The light travels noticeably farther. And I know they are not blinding oncoming traffic. If you're getting blinded by someone's low beam HID projectors, that means they are not properly adjusted. People have them adjusted up past the level of the mark on the light housing. Those people are really the douchebags!
I know I should use HID projectors but my car already comes with halogen projectors so I guess I'll just settle instead of getting a projector retrofit. Hopefully it's not enough to make me regret it.
Very informative! Thank you very much for this comparison video. It answers A LOT of questions!
Thanks for revisiting this.
Awesome vid, man! LEDs are just a tad dimmer than halogens but, IMO, you cant beat that white. HIDs are great but too expensive, and maybe too bright. Few people actually need that amount of light, unless you're off-roading in the middle of a new moon night.
ComandanteJ I nightly drive Florida back roads, so I really do need that bright of a light. Deer are a serious issue here, and with my stock lights I could barely see the sides of the roads
Well, that's definetely a justified use-case, then. Bambies are a dangerous lot.
People, PLEASE recognize what eric did in his low car. I have a low car and can't tell you how often I get blinded by people with aftermarket headlights. AIM THEM DOWN. Don't worry, we can see you, my god.
You seem to forget that headlights are to see _by_ - not just so you can see them. And just aiming them down isn't necessarily safe as, in a lower vehicle, there will always be a point where the light beam is going to be at the same height as your eyes. How about "set them correctly - both for height and horizontal aim"...?
Some people are just really dumb and point their headlights straight forward. It's actually best to aim at the road because that's what you are trying to see.
Lift your car
That point goes clearly over the heads of most people with lifted vehicles in particular. I drive a lot at night for my job, and live in the South, so I regularly encounter lifted trucks and SUV s. With the over abundance of cheap LED and HID retrofit kits on eBay and Amazon, these types also like to find the brightest (ie., most glaring) lights they can find. So anyone in a lower vehicle, like me in my Mazda 3, get a double whammy or poorly aimed, too bright headlights.
Jeff Reeves Yes the road. Not the obstructions or the pedestrians ahead, nor the oncoming traffic.
Now you got me thinking about installing projectors in my '06 Element.
Nice vid man! Although some may argue that there are various lux output ratings for the various types, the relitive comparison seems pretty clear!
I wonder whether the low lux reading of the LED’s is due to LED’s flicking on and off so quickly. The camera may pick this up, where we don’t? Just a thought. Great video though!
was there a lumen rating on the led bulbs because i do know that not all leds are created equal
also were the HID bulbs 35 or 55 watt
EmofacePS3 LASFIT H7 LED Headlight Kits-COB Flip Chips/Adjustable Beam- 60W 7600LM 6000K-Hi/Lo Beam/Fog Light Bulbs. Link is in description above. They look like the low end types with the flat cob leds. I would say try it with the 4 sided cob leds, or get some like those opt7 ones. What ya think?
Blueford86 no the more sides an headlight led has the cheaper and usually more ineffective it actually is at displaying a proper beam pattern my friend. Two sided LEDs at the most are the industry leaders blueprints for production
@@slumygoat Having upgraded honda dual-sport motorcycle headlights, I have to firmly disagree with your statement here.
If you are trying to replace a halogen bulb with the most comparable coverage, you want a minimum of 2sided led unit that mimics the halogen filament location.
And even stepping down in wattage, it will be a massive improvement in visibility (near doubt the long reach and more evenly out to the sides)
@@SportBikeAnthony Actually, the link is for 50W version LED's, vs 55w halogens, vs (link broken)
Great tests. I enjoyed the video. I did scroll past some of it, honestly, but still it was interesting and fun to watch.
For my money, LEDs are the way to go. The 5K white light gives you the clarity to see perfectly well with a comparable brightness to halogens (but superior spectrum of reflected light actually gives greater perceived brightness from the driver seat). The moderate brightness also is a benefit since you won't be blinding that driver speeding towards you in the oncoming lane. Best of both worlds.
Good informative video, ignore stupid comments, he is a mechanic not a scientist so stop acting like the video lacked information or that he done this and that wrong, if you don't like it don't watch it.
It's worth mentioning that some aftermarket headlight upgrades are too hot for the stock reflector housings. I've seen cheaper eBay hid kits in an early 2000's Pontiac and the bulbs we're so hot during normal usage, the stock housings melted just enough for the bulbs to fall half way out. I had to replace the whole mess and pull out the hid kits and go back to stock with new housings too. Maybe you you could run the hid kits for 6 months and report back if they melted the plastic in yours too.
Peshewa diy I'm confused HID lights by fact run more cooler than a halogen, think you got some nice fakes haha
they should, because of quality, if you buy a 35W its no problem, but most promise "better visibility" and "bright white light", yet a cheap ballast will never give you a nice white light like the Osram or Phillips HIDs, in order to compete they are forced to give you a 55W ballast to give a similar light...again you may get better visibility compared to the cheap 35W, but will never get the white light the 35w Osram and Phillips gives in OEM cars today. and with a cheap 55w ballast and bulb, they would melt your housing just like a 55w halogen would because they give off much more heat and don't give you twice as much output, no reason ever to go 55W because its too hot for plastic, you run the chances of messing up your cars electrical system and melting the housing, besides the lifespan is already short, why reduce it in half for a 55W? sorry its a little long
logan thompson
My customers may have, yes. However, I've seen it several times.
Something I would be curious about in HID vs halogen too. Some plastic housings will not tolerate a halogen upgrade over standard without melting. Also Ebay is probably not the best source of good quality. Some really rubbish stuff sold as premium product thanks China!
So much dedication!! We love you for it!!
This is an excellent video. I was going to buy HID bulbs or LED bulbs for an upgrade like the dealer told me. However, after seeing this, I know I would have just become on of those rude people with glaring lights on the highway because I didn't have the right housing. My car, a 2017 Kia will not take Projector housings so I can only replace my Halogen with Halogen...Need to buy a new car. Thanks
Same... VW Polo 17" 😢
Just proves that HID's are still king 😎 LEDs are perfect for brake and tail lights because they turn on instantly but I always prefer HID's for headlights.
my Corolla's stock LED bulbs are just as bright as HID, he's using shitty aftermarket bulbs.
Wesley Green If you have a new 2014+ Corolla then no. Proper testing will prove that an OEM HID projector system of the same time beats it in glare levels, foreground, distance, and width. Also, most OEM HID projector systems are bi-xenon.
I think LED comes out on top when it's done right. Led's dont' work the same way halogen's and hid's do, they require different housing requirements. If you want to see what LED is capable of look at either car's that come stock with them, or the sealed beam LED's. Both of these offer engineers the chance to properly heatsink the led's and crank the power up.
I bought some headlights with integrated LEDs for low/high beams. They came with a warning that they make sound while operating because there is a fan that has to cool things. The only reason they don't seem as bright as the stock bixenons is because they are ~6000k while the stocks were closer to ~4500k
So YOU'RE the guy who is always blinding me on the road! >:(
"High beams, low beams, high beams, low beams."
Colonel Jack O'Neill did a similar test on Thor's ship, the Daniel Jackson. "Light's on, light's off, light's on, lights off..." Thor, T'ealc and Daniel were understandably unimpressed. :o)
....What?
Thanks for all the effort you put into this project, very good video
I know its a 4 year old video but thanks for taking the time to really show every aspect of the light
Not all LED bulbs are created equal, some project more light forward than others, the rated brightness is not indicative of how much light will be projected forward.
Some LED lights may do better in a reflector than a projector, and vice versa.
LEDs are overall brighter in reflector housing. Projector? Not so much. But you have to spend the money to get the better output.
@@matty1053 Totoally incorrect. OP has the proper statement. Most Led bulbs have their diode placement very far forward or at the end of the stall and this usually makes it bad for reflector housings but decent on projectors that uses to house HID.
Some brands, like Hikari found on Amazon, are developed to match halogen bulb filament placing. This makes them suitable for reflector or halogen projector. I put some in my 2008 MX5 and the improvement was vast. The projectors shot the light perfectly with no real issue except near car blind spots that you really can't see in the car. I never had to use my brights after that and was never flashed.
In addition to that my old Mx5 was better illuminated than my brand new 2019 that comes with LED from factory, in projector style headlights.
Also put same brand LEDs in a 2002 Porsche boxster with reflectors. Most European cars have projector style cut offs in their reflector housings so I tried them to make an improvement. They did make somewhat an improvement with better road illumination but overall it's a marginal improvement over halogens. Not like my MX5 where I could see down the road and off to the sides and never need brights again.
this may be old news, and you may already know this... but seeing as how it was done THIS year, im going to post it anyway. you cannot simply lump all LED bulbs into the same category. there are some out there that are terrible for projectors... no doubt (especially the cheap ones like you just tested - lasfit are complete garbage). they werent built for projector housings. however, if you do a minor amount of research, youd see that there are a ton that ARE designed specifically to work in projector housings. HID and LED bulbs that were designed for projectors will result in typically the exact same output numbers. while it is true that HID are the safe bet as no matter what... they will give consistent performance - it is still a trade off. HIDs take several seconds to 'warm up'.... you can't flash HIDs... flipping from low to high beams results in several seconds of little light. if you know what youre doing, and what youre getting, LEDs are the better alternative, but they are not all made the same.
Thanks for this review. It was maybe not scientific to suit pedantic types but certainly a good direct comparison between light types. I feel comfortable now upgrading to HID for my projector lights knowing I will not be spraying oncoming traffic with annoying glare. I hate glary aftermarket HID conversions in reflector housings with a passion as I encounter them far more often driving a truck. They deserve to be flashed or worse. Some are ignorant and others don't care. The authorities are asleep at the wheel on this problem too! The biggest laugh is those with "6 million K" glary blue lights that are useless to see with but glare worse than high beam. One of the problems with normal reflector lights using high k lights is that the reflector does not focus higher frequencies the same as lower frequencies so the glare is worse due to the poor cutoff (chromatic abberation same as that purple fringe you get on toy binoculars or telescopes) All car manufacturers use 4200K lights to my knowledge. They always look super white.
Great video. I tried switching to Led light bulbs (20,000 lumens) in my Kenworth T680 semi and was appalled that my vision was even worse than my stock bulbs which are pretty unsatisfactory to begin with. I am switching back to my halogen bulbs and ordering an HID kit for my projection headlights. Thank you for doing the legwork on my dilemma.
Brian. A good reason for the poor led performance is that there are no bulbs that will give out 20, 000 lumens. I think you could half that figure. About 6,000 lumens (per bulb) is the absolute max, contrary to what some suppliers claim.
Everyone is an expert in the comments apparently
when it comes to this topic and having done everything from stock reflectors to full custom retrofit HID projectors yeah I'd say so, also 5000k sucks unless you are running a 55 or 65 watt ballast, if you are on 35 watt ballasts you should be no higher then 4300k for the most light output.
As someone who deals with theatrical lighting on a regular basis, I'm not sure I see the connection between power dissipation and color temperature on non-tungsten lamps. It may be different for headlights, but this would be the first time I've seen it.
For what it's worth, 5000k tends to wash out details with its unnaturally white hue. My eyes prefer a slightly warmer temperature, which brings out details better (such as foreign objects in the roadway at night).
Again, just my $0.02 based on a loosely related field of experience.
the higher wattage ballast causes the bulb to color shift about 500k or so lower, like a 5000k bulb with a 55 watt ballast looks closer to a 4300k bulb with a 35 watt ballast then a 5000k bulb on a 35 watt ballast
AkiraTheGodEater it's Allright I'm a "CZcams master mechanic"
You sound like an expert on experts.
There are changes in the Fstop and the "time" of the light meter app... Shouldn it be the same for every step? As a photographer there is big difference in the F stops, for example ?
That's the recommended aperture (and shutter speed next to it) for the light conditions measured
Thanks for the great effort on this test...really interesting and useful.
Great video! This help me decide what type of bulb I am going to use
Good update on the video, but still please remind people that not all projectors are created equal. Before HID lights projectors were made to internally reflect halogen bulbs. When you put in an HID bulb, in a halogen projector, it WILL BLIND PEOPLE. The housing is not meant to reflect the light output of an HID bulb as the light output is not the same a filament bulb.
Please make sure that you mention that in your videos. I’ve had to research this myself as I have projectors but halogen H7 projectors. My car had an HID option and the internals are different.
CelicaAutocrosser Thank God you understand that HID bulbs are made for specifically designed Projectors and not Halogen Projectors or reflectors!!!! Someone with some common sense!
not true
Combustion69 wow insightful response. Anyways I own a vehicle in which offered both and HID and halogen option before HID was standard. The way the light is reflected from an HID bulb in a halogen enclosure is different than an enclosure meant for HID. An arc bulb is a lot different than a halogen bulb and light comes out of them differently. Just do your homework and when you put an HID bulb on a non-hid housing, be careful not to blind people.
False, many cars come with hid from factory on reflector housings, they only add a plastic shroud and call it a day, ANY reflector will bli d you if misaligned, whenever you upgrade or change your bulbs, Hids, or leds, the housing needs to be realigned to avoid blinding or glaring, an step most people skip.
This was a much better comparison video, my only problem is Eric, you used a very very poor quality LED Kit. The LED themselves on them are not powerful enough to produce the amount of light you need. Also Projector housings that are aftermarket usually have defects in the reflector base with the chrome usually its all bubbled and not a perfect mirror. Not saying yours are like that though. To have any comparison with the HIDS would be to get a 100 or more LED bulb/kit. Usually the good ones with be passive cooled and not fan cooled. They usually have a bunch of flat braided cables coming out the back. But for good LED bulbs you have to spend some money. Anyways keep doing what you do Eric!
If you watch the other video you'll see the results are typical. HIDs are brighter than LEDs.
HID are brighter yes but for reliability, ease of installation and the fact no ballast is needed like the HID bulbs need led is better and in a couple years I see LED surpassing them
Andrew Muller and that being said in colder climates HID are superior to LED due to the LED bulbs not emitting enough heat to melt ice off the lens
chrome shrouds/housing have little to do with emitting light so those defects don't matter. All you have is a type of light source, a physical piece to make the cutoff line, and the lens.
Plus he made sure the output of both led and hid were both 5000k
Nice test Eric
Nice work Eric! Loved the video, commented on the one from last year too and still can't figure out why people get in such a panic. Its just fun and interesting to test.... Beyond that just buy the damn OEMs, whatever they are they won't kill you, and move on with your life!!!!!
A bliding video...
I didn't see that one coming!
You really didn't see that one coming? To me it was glaringly obvious.
This comment shines.
Oly problem I can see with this otherwise excellent review is that not ALL Halogen/HID/LEDs are created equal.
I know this is an older video, and this comment may have already been made(not looking through them all) but I would like to point out that when purchasing aftermarket headlight housings from online, many companies are considered "euro style". Which basically means the housings were meant for driving on the left side of the road as compared to the right, so the lights will automatically be aimed towards the left, which is why aftermarket lights tend to blind other drivers. American housings are always aimed right. Certainly not saying the housings in this video are "euro style" but its something to look into when considering buying aftermarket lights. Don't always go cheap and always read the description, or even email the company making certain you're buying the right stuff! Nice video! I've been trying to decide which style lights to put in my wife's 08 Acadia and because of this video I'll be going HID. But I'll be using 4500k in the fogs, and 5-6000k in the headlights!
Great job Eric! Keep it up!
Oh shit! He marked it with a board! Damn, that is precision baby! 😂
I'm j/k
Just to note for UK readers, and motorists. Your car will fail an MOT if fitted with HID lights as fitting them is an offence, and illegal.
only if not fitted with projector headlights, lense washers and automatic leveling
Those cost 500$ plus labour. It's more convenient to run projectors and halogens inside .
very true, hence why there is a bad reputation in regards to HID's, so many people use them without the proper equipment..
Chris P Bacon charming ✌️
Smells a bit cheesy.. No you won't fail it with a projector headlight proven for many years
Mad, good work ETCG
Best informational video on headlight comparisons. Thanks much.
Aren't projectors also have many different type? Like projector for halogen is different than projector for HID and also LED.
Andri Herawan Yes. Different light sources have different projectors.
Ted R. Okay, now which type of projector does he use in this video?
an Ebay halogen projector, the worst one you can get
To be fair, it's not the worst. Some of those eBay projectors have that crazy ring of darkness through them. These are at least not TERRIBLE.
Exactly, if he’s using a halogen projector housing, then it’s not really scientific. LED light will scatter in a halogen projector and HIDs won’t put out the intended output, etc etc etc
Hate those turds driving their lifted trucks on the highway with aftermarket bulb installed HID FOGS, HEADLIGHTS and OFF ROAD lights all on running behind me.
Sky1 drive a 4miles below the speed limit and they will get frustrated and pass you up petal to the metal. easy stuff
@@williammares21 Thanks, I'll do this next time. Not to annoy them of course, but to drive more safely ;)
Eric, I like how you do your stuff. Thank you for taking all the extra steps you do to present your message.
Finally a very very good comparison test
Hi Eric, excellent video. Entertaining and informative. Quick question though... What Wattage are you using for the HID kit? Eg. 35W or 55W
Same question for the LEDs.
Thanks
All bulbs used are linked in the description.
My Eyeeeesssss!!!!...
J ROD baaald baaaald baaald
Excellent job Eric. Thank You
thanks for very helpful & technologically proven review....
one must go for hid or led by putting aside halogens...
must appreciate for your hardwork..
Please do not use hid or led in reflector housing.. The glare is terrible. Also people with hazy headlights+led/hid are even worse.
Preach it!!
Nah bro we’re good I love blinding other drivers it’s funny af when they rage then they get scared when they see how big of a penis I have and back off
Hence my Navigator. I did not see any projectors in the reflector housings and they seemed stock to me.
hmm I did not know that. I assumed it was LED since the interior had LEDS all in it.
Nah people are gonna do whatever they want to sorry pal
It all depends on what LED you use.. they vary greatly.. the one you got was as shitty as you can possibly find.. also a 55w hid will always kill every other option
Nice to see Brian's name back in the camera credit.
Awesome video, answered my questions!!!
Try driving somthing really low.. Like a c5 vette, and here come the God of light truck with full hids and light bars on...
Try a Toyota MR2 even smaller, and the lights output only goes 6 -8 feet away.
U finna meet Jesus lol
Eric the Car Guy meets Engineering Explained
What a damn good thorough review!
Very informative! thanx Eric. Good vid as always
Somehow 140k lux sounds like way too much. Sure this wasn't some measuring fault? Could you repeat that measurement and get that high a number each time? Sounds quite unbelievable...
I'm guessing it was 14K, which still is a bit hard to believe.
Needs to get a better app, it was probably 14k.
WHTMAN0815 he has a light reading attachment he's not using the physical phone to read the light
WHTMAN0815 even if he was using the phone, he measured all of the lights consistently with the same device. Rather than getting super accurate numbers, I think the point was more about comparing the three different light sources to each other. For that purpose, the phone app is fine.
The Ranch Mechanic yes but his numbers for the hid light are definitely not right haha but great video
Always go with stock halogen since I feel bad blinding people with the other bulbs haha.
On my cars with sealed beams I've been running Sylvania high output halogen's since forever. The difference is light is very noticable, no one flashes their lights at me unless I forget and leave the brights on, and I've never had any trouble with them... well except for one dark, foggy night on the Blue Ridge Parkway where the lights on my Studebaker pickup went out.
That's when I found out they draw more current than the stock lights and it popped the breaker. I added a relay and there were no further problems.
Great job on the test !! Thanks man !
Great Video Eric!