Which do I choose an LED Dash Light, Visor Light Bar, Mini Light Bar, or Full Size Light Bar?
Posted by Extreme Tactical Dynamics on Dec 5th 2019
If you are stuck trying to decide between an LED dash light, visor light bar, mini light bar, or full size light bar for your emergency vehicle lighting then you have come to the right place. In this article, we are going to be looking at some of the benefits of each of these products, and then coming to a conclusion about which you should choose after we have weighed up all the pros and cons. If you are interested in finding out more about this topic, then keep reading down below where you will find the answers that you have been looking for.
LED Dash Light
One of the biggest benefits of having LED dash lights is the fact that they tend to last longer than your typical bulbs. Whereas a normal halogen bulb would usually last around 5000 hours, an LED is more likely to last up to a couple of years. So, this means that you are going to be able to save money if you are using LED dash lights rather than a different type of bulb. Something else to consider when it comes to money is if you are using LED dash lights, they are going to use less energy from your car, meaning you are going to need less fuel!
Another thing that you need to consider is that LED lights are often stronger and brighter than others on the market right now. A normal bulb will waste around 80% of its energy giving off excess heat, but an LED doesn’t do this, and instead uses that 80% turning it into direct lighting. This is going to be particularly important if you have an emergency vehicle because the better quality dash light means that you are going to be able to see more clearly. If you are driving at night, this could be very beneficial to you.
Something that you are going to have to think about, though, is that initially, they are going to be quite an expensive investment. While they are going to save you money in the long run, this isn’t going to be the case straight away. You have got to be willing to pay the high price in the beginning, to get the savings further down the line.
You should also keep in mind that LED lights are quite sensitive to temperature, meaning that if you overuse them, they could end up overheating which will cause you a bit of a problem. There are special kinds of LED dash lights that you can get in order to avoid this being an issue, but they are going to cost more on top of a product that is already quite expensive.
Visor Light Bar
Another option that you might be considering is a visor light bar. The first thing that we are going to look at with this is that it is super easy to install. It might need a little bit of adjusting to fit your car exactly, but once this has been done, there isn’t really anything too difficult left to do. For this reason, it is a quick and easy solution to your issue! Just make sure that you are using the visor mount clip so that it stays in place! Something else that you will find is that they are made to fit across the entire back or front windshield of your car, so there is no danger of someone not seeing them.
Another good point about a visor light bar is that it produces between 24 and 90 watts of LED light on average. What this means is that it is a super bright light, so there is going to be no danger of being missed while this is on. The fact that the visor light bar uses LED lights helps to save money by not having to replace the bulbs frequently, which is going to be a big bonus.
As well as this, this product comes with a flashback guard, meaning that the light is not going to get in your eyes while you are driving, and you are still going to be able to see the road clearly. You don’t want to have your view of the road obstructed by a bright light in your face, and the flashback guard makes sure that this doesn’t happen to you.
One of the issues with this product though, is that it is quite expensive. You are going to be set back quite a hefty sum of money if you want to get your hands on one of these, and there aren’t really many money saving tricks with this product other than the fact that it uses LED bulbs. So, you need to think about whether you can afford this, or whether a cheaper option is going to be best.
You also need to consider that mounting options are pretty limited. It goes across the front of your windshield or your rear windshield, but these are your only two options. If you want something that has more mounting options, you might need a different product.
Mini Light Bar
If you are looking at purchasing a mini light bar, then it is probable that you have some kind of vehicle that is used in the construction industry or you need emergency vehicle lighting. These kinds of lights are typically used for these vehicles. However, they are not exclusive and can be used for other vehicles. One of the big benefits of a mini light bar is that even though it is small, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t pack the powerful punch that you are looking for. In some vehicles, you are going to need flexible options when it comes to placing the light, and this is what this product allows you. You can purchase multiple mini light bars and then place them throughout your vehicle as needed. They are bright and powerful, so you aren’t going to have any kind of issue with visibility.
Another benefit of a mini light bar is that they are very durable products. You are going to need your mini light bar to be able to withstand some harsh treatment such as weather conditions, and maybe a few scrapes and scratches. This product can do this with ease, so you don’t have to worry about it being damaged and having to replace it any time soon. It will last you quite a long time!
Something else that you should think about is how easy it is to install these on your vehicles. With some of the larger LED light bars, it is going to be difficult to place as they need to be strategically placed and secured so that they don’t fall off. With mini light bars, you are not going to have a problem like this. Some of them even use suction cups to stick to your vehicle, so there isn’t going to be a lot of messing about that you need to concern yourself with.
Full Size Light Bar
Which do I choose an LED Dash Light, Visor Light Bar, Mini Light Bar, or Full Size Light Bar?
We’ve looked at mini light bars, but now we need to look at full size light bars. One of the things that you should keep in mind about this product is that it is going to provide you all the light that you need. A lot of the light bars on the market right now use LEDs to provide their source of light, and as we have looked at the advantages of this above, you already know how good this can be for you.
Something else that you should think about is the fact that because of the size, it is going to be more noticeable. For example, if you want people to see where you are, then the larger the product giving off light, the better, right? Well, this isn’t always going to be the case, but in some scenarios, it is going to be better to have a full size light bar rather than a mini one. Giving off a bright light that covers a larger area is going to make you more visible to people than if you only had a small light.
However, one of the issues that you are going to face is that they can be a pain to get installed onto your vehicle. You have to really think about the best place to put them and then strategically pick somewhere, secure it properly which can take time and be quite complicated if you don’t know what you are doing. While this isn’t a major issue and can be got around quite easily, it is still something that you are going to need to consider before you purchase this product.
We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now know more about these four types of lights and the pros and cons of each. Ultimately, it is going to depend on your individual needs to which option you should choose here, so look carefully at all the advantages and disadvantages that we have discussed, and make a choice based on what suits your needs best.