Surface Mount Lights are getting slimmer and brighter

Posted by Extreme Tactical Dynamics on Jun 29th 2019

As technology advances, you can bet that everything is going to get smaller, slimmer and better. Just take a look at how big mobile phones used to be and how clunky they were. They’ve turned from bricks into small, stylish and compact devices that can fit in the palm of your hands, and the technology inside has greatly improved.

The same can be said for virtually any kind of technology, including the surface mount lights that we offer.

Why Go Smaller?

But first, we have to ask the question; why should we reduce the sizes of our surface mount lights? One of the biggest advantages of reducing the size is being able to fit more surface mount lights onto the surface of a car and keep them from protruding out. One of the biggest issues owners have with large and bulky surface lights is that they can be an eyesore, but they want the same power and versatility.

Thanks to technological advances, we can now pack brighter lights into our surface mount LED lights (and all of our lights in general) yet still keep the size relatively small. It’s still just as power efficient and there’s no worry about how the lights function because they work the same way, use the same connectors and are powered the same way. For the consumer, you pay no extra price for the benefits. As technology improves, so do the cost-saving measures. However, it also enables us to open up more possibilities when it comes to sizes.

Take, for instance, the Elemental 3 TIR LED Grille and Surface Mount Light we offer. It’s easily one of our best-selling surface mount lights due to the price, size and versatility. It comes in five solid colors and can easily be installed on any surface on your vehicle assuming it has a space for screws. They’re extremely bright, virtually out of sight, contain 18 different flash patterns in the memory and meets the IP67 standard, making it waterproof. To sweeten the deal, the entire thing is only 3"L x 1"W x 0.75"H, making it smaller than a standard-sized deck of cards.

Being able to fit so much power in such a small package gives you far more possibilities when it comes to mounting and wiring. You can place them on your vehicle grille as usual, you could put them on the side of your car, on the back or on your rearview mirrors. Because they’re so small and portable, you can do a lot more with them that you previously wouldn’t be able to with bulkier solutions. Surface mount led lights are also great for mounting on a motorcycle.

One benefit of having a bulkier light is that they’re more durable and long-lasting. However, this simply isn’t true because slim lights also have the same level of durability. The polycarbonate material we use is sealed with epoxy, making them waterproof and virtually immune to any weather effects. The material itself is strong and won’t be broken with normal use, and the lenses we use won’t scratch or shatter. They’ll continue to stay strong and even though our lights are getting slimmer, we won’t sacrifice the durability and reliability that our customers know us for.

Why Go Brighter?

Some could argue that our light bars are already incredibly bright. Even the smaller options we have such as the Halo ONE TIR LED Grille and Surface Mount Light pack 3 Generation IV 3-Watt LEDs and fit in a package that is around 2.75"L x 2"W x 1.75"H. Such a tiny light can output plenty of brightness, but why does it need to get brighter?

Simple; for more customization, more safety and more options. Being able to dim our lights to our desired level gives us more control over our vehicle lights. When we want to make a statement or warn someone, we want to output more light so that we’re easily visible from longer distances. However, we also want to tone it down when we need to, hence why all of our lights have brightness settings.

Currently, old-school halogen bulbs are still being used on the street. They’re arguably the most common and currently produce more light than LEDs, but that doesn’t mean they’re more useful. While older bulbs are great for seeing the sides of roads, LEDs are much better at reflecting light off road signs so that they’re easier to see. They’re typically around 6,000 Kelvin which makes them appear whiter than even daylight, giving you a clear view of whatever you’re illuminating. However, as LEDs get brighter, the gap will eventually close and LED bulbs will be superior for brightness and visibility.

The bright LEDs that we offer can be seen from great distances. They’re bright, energy efficient and ultimately make driving safer especially in harsh conditions such as heavy storms, snow and also at night. If you want the best in safety, efficiency and durability, then there’s nothing better than an LED surface mount light.

Slim and Bright Lights for Other Vehicles

Keep in mind that we don’t just offer slim surface mount lights for cars and trucks–we also offer our lighting options for motorbikes and other smaller vehicles.

For example, our PAR36 SMD 5MM LED Fog and Grille Light is just 4.25” in diameter and 1.25” deep, yet it packs 20 0.5-Watt Generation II LEDs and contains 19 flash patterns. It easily fits in a 4” fog light niche and is a favourite of many motorcycle police all over the world. It can easily be mounted and installed, comes in a variety of colors and has all the sturdiness and durability of our other surface mount lights.

However, we also have a slim series (detailed below) that can just as easily be installed on smaller vehicles provided they have a power source that can keep them running. Since our slim lights are incredibly small and light, they’re diverse and give you plenty of possibilities. They can be installed on uneven surfaces thanks to the rubber mounting flange and their small size means they can be installed anywhere that you have space. Even though they aren’t specifically designed for other vehicles, a bit of imagination can open up their uses and they can be applied to many different vehicles.

These smaller options can have many different applications, but they’re going to continue getting smaller, more efficient and ultimately brighter. This will help all emergency responders to be more visible during chases or important times and it also ensures that you have a reliable light that is able to stay brighter for longer. They’ll also help vehicle owners on private property, or those that do a lot of driving in the country where visibility is low and street lights aren’t as common.

Our Slim Series

Signature 6 Slim DS Linear LED Grille and Surface Mount Light

While some people prefer the larger and bulkier lights, Extreme Tactical Dynamics has always been about giving our customers a choice. For example, we’ve put slimmer versions of our existing lights (such as the Signature 6 Slim DS Linear LED Grille and Surface Mount Light) to give our customers more choice at no extra price. Yes, we don’t charge more for the slimmer options! They come in the same variety of colors, contain the same number of LEDs and they’ve been cut down so that the light and the mount are much smaller.

They contain the same great features, they’re waterproof and as sturdy as ever and they can sync with up to 19 other units. This means that they can be installed anywhere around your vehicle and they’ll all light up at the same time and follow the same flashing options. Because they’re so thin and light, they can fit flush with your vehicle and won’t rattle around at all thanks to the rubber mounting flange. This makes them the perfect choice for anyone that wants a more discreet surface mount light for their vehicle.

If you want even more versatility, then consider looking at the Signature 6 Slim DS Dual Color Linear LED Grille and Surface Mount Light. With 24 Generation IV 3-Watt LEDs, an incredibly slim size and the same features as our other slim models, it can easily be fit on any vehicle with the added functionality of having dual colors. You can make two different color LEDs alternate or keep them the same, and it comes in a variety of different color models so you have the perfect match no matter what state you’re in. It’s available in both split and solid colors and as with all of our surface mount lights, they’re bundled with a 5-year warranty to give you peace of mind.

Our slim series lights are incredibly popular and versatile. They can be used for a variety of different purposes and they fit on virtually every vehicle. Their small size means that you can also use them on your motorcycle or any other vehicle as long as it has a power source. If you have any other questions regarding our slim series, then don’t hesitate to contact us for more information.

Undercover Lights

If you want something even smaller, then consider the Undercover 3 DS TIR LED Grille and Surface Mount Light. Although more expensive than our popular Elemental 3 light, the Undercover 3 packs even more power in a sleek and stylish package. While it’s also larger with dimensions of 5.75"L x 1.5"W x 1.75"H, it’s extremely compact still and a popular choice due to its powerful lighting. It contains 6 Generation IV 3-Watt LEDs per unit, making it twice as bright as the Elemental 3. It’s still just as durable and sturdy and you get a choice of color bezels to make it fit flush with the rest of your vehicle.

Undercover led grille lights are great for a variety of reasons. They can be hardwired to existing siren or lighting systems to synchronize their patterns, and they’re also easy to install on virtually any surface that is compatible. They have over 100,000 hours of lifetime, making them a good investment for the price and the choice of bezels makes them even harder to spot on your vehicle.

The Undercover lights offered at Extreme Tactical Dynamics are some of the most sought-after lights that we have on offer. They’re power efficient, long-lasting, durable and fit the bill of being hard to notice, slim and bright. As our surface mount lights continue to get smaller and more discreet without sacrificing functionality, it opens up more opportunities for undercover police officers to stay hidden and perform their tasks to the best of their ability.

The Future of Ultra-Efficient LEDs

Although LED lights are currently already very efficient, the future is looking even more exciting for those who are after ultra-bright and ultra-efficient LEDs. Companies are starting to push for even more energy efficiency, with some companies such as Samsung claiming that they can pack 220 lumens per watt of energy used. In comparison, most LEDs today (at least, consumer varieties) can only pack around 90-120 lumens per watt. That’s a massive energy saving and it comes at no cost to the overall brightness and functionality of the LED.

This means that your future surface mount lights are going to be even brighter, more efficient and cheaper. Even though our lights are still incredibly slim already (just take a look at our slim series!) we can go even smaller and start offering better-quality lights at smaller packages and more affordable prices. This will ensure that we can drive more safely even in harsh conditions, and it will give us peace of mind knowing that we’ve got a sturdy and reliable light to use on our vehicles. You can find out more about the different types of emergency vehicle light mount types and colors here. we also have information about other equipment such as the police siren.

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