Types Of LED Light Bar

Posted by Extreme Tactical Dynamics on Dec 12th 2019

When you need to announce your presence on the road be that to divert traffic, to enhance safety or to warn other drivers, an LED Emergency Vehicle Light is a phenomenal tool to own, provided you are licensed or the item is approved for installation on your car. Yet LED Light Bars are not a one-size-fits-all solution. In fact, it pays to do a little research before you make your purchase to ensure you can fit the item on your car, that you’re able to legally utilize it for your purposes, and that you purchase quality.

Thankfully, we at Extreme Tactical Dynamics only stock the most reliable and customized products for all purposes you may hold. That being said, we understand that this does not justify a lack of informing our audience, and so we have deemed it fit to guide you through the many types of Light Bars. As far as that is concerned, we would warmly recommend the following advice, utilizing it to inform your next purchasing decision.

The types of LED Light Bars

LED Full-Size Light Bars

When you need to announce your presence with true power, the radiant LED Light Bar is your best option. Featuring heavy-gauge aluminum housing sealed with industrial-grade epoxy, a full-size Light Bar offers a robust electroluminescence that pierces through the dead of night or thick fog with ease.

This kind of full-size Light Bar is most commonly installed on emergency service vehicles such as police cars and fire cars, but can also be well-placed atop a large truck hoping to increase its visibility. We offer a choice of both Linear 1 lenses and TIR, which means that the long-form reliability of said lighting is protected against fog or long-term yellow molding due to intense use. Of course, due to their mounted presence on your roof, we also ensure that our full-size Light Bars are fully functioning and aerodynamic, and this is a great feature to search for no matter where you purchase your Light Bars. 

Not only this, but our full-size  Light Bars selection understands that directional light is inferior if not backed up with 360degree visibility, especially for night traffic stops. This means that Generation III 1-watt and Generation IV 3-watt LED’s offer a piercing light that surrounds the vehicle with enough floodlight glow to make a difference.

The common standard for LEDs is the famous production of proprietary CREE LED’s, as they are the highest quality and a common fixture for many of our Light Bars. Cree is located in North Carolina and have been producing the most energy-efficient, robust, and reliable LEDs for years. With a reliable life of up to two decades based on three hours of usage a day, you can see why these LEDs are the most celebrated for a wide array of practical lighting purposes.

Mini Light Bars

Mini Light Bars offer all of the functionality of full-size Light Bars except, of course, they’re smaller. This ensures they are suitable for smaller vehicles and are easier to remove and install. Some vehicles suitable for mini Light Bars include personal trucks, SUV’s, emergency service vehicles and construction machinery. You may also use them for ATV’s and snowplows, where the weather is a stronger consideration to deal with..

Of course, mini Light Bars are more compact but have no trouble illuminating the forward momentum of any vehicle with care. Additionally, you will notice a greater range of color options as a result of installing one of these items, which can be useful for emergency service vehicles. Mini Light Bars can also save plenty of time, as magnetic attachments to a vehicle’s roof allows for immediate switching and maintenance of said Light Bars - while still remaining robust and in place even during stressful driving encounters.

Visor Light Bars

Visor Light Bars are also important to consider, especially for emergency services, or higher-ranked police officers such as Detectives. It’s hard to drive inconspicuously with a great LED Light Bar racked on top of your vehicle, no matter how impressive they look. An immediate need to drive somewhere and divert traffic, or traffic cops with waiting vehicles can all benefit from visor Light Bars. Installed just above the pull-down mirrors of your interior cabin, visor Light Bars are near invisible when not in operation but can shine brilliantly the moment they are switched on.

Thanks to their internal installation using adjustable L shaped and U shaped brackets that ensure mounting is easy, visor Light Bars are infrequently removed or need to be maintained, especially due to a limited need for weather protection. Visor Light Bars come in a range of excellent colors and are robustly built, allowing for customization no matter what emergency service uses them. Of course, visor Light Bars are also a stellar option for drivers who would prefer to ensure excellent lighting without the need for a heavy roof piece. While the light penetration may be less powerful than a top piece, it can still gather attention, announce your presence and work wonderfully for a range of intense driving situations. Visor lights have also been used with forklift trucks and other managed construction vehicles, as they allow for little excess baggage or weight on top of said machinery while still announcing a sizeable presence to nearby working staff. 

Traffic Advisor Light Bars

LED Light bars are also used for a variety of purposes, more than announcing a vehicle’s presence or signifying other cars to stop. Traffic advisor Light Bars are a perfect example of this. With up to eight or more potential linear dual color light LED sections, traffic advisor Light Bars allow traffic advisors to direct traffic with easy-to-see contextual lighting signals. This can be especially useful on busy intersections or in emergency road situations (such as veering traffic around a prior car accident scene), and gives the traffic warden much more utility in how they present their instructions.

Not only this, but as this is an LED bar signaling an emergency need, suction cups are used to mount said Light Bars to the front or back of your vehicle. This allows for easy lighting communication no matter which orientation you’re part in. Our stock also allows up to 20 to 30 flash patterns allowing a range of immediate directions that should ensure road users can register and follow your directions in no time at all. For those purposes, traffic advisor LED Police Lights and Traffic Advisor Light Bars are invaluable tools for emergency road safety needs.

Interior Light Bars

Not all vehicles are well equipped to handle large full Light Bars, or need to be as subtle the potential offered by visor Light Bars. Interior Light Bars are incredibly easy to install and remove, allowing this process to take place in a matter of minutes. This can be useful if needing to use the Light Bar with a variety of different vehicles.

TIR and Linear 1 lenses permeate the options we have available depending on your needs. Not only this, but you have some versatility in where exactly you may wish to mount your internal Light Bars, be that on your dashboard or deck. Immediate connection to your cigarette light power plug allows for an easy and immediate power solution that provides a consistent supply for regular, versatile use. This can be especially important if needing a quick and easy lighting solution due to driving replacement vehicles. The versatility of interior Light Bars are also something to behold, as a range of colors offers versatile use no matter your professional or personal needs.

Off-Road Light Bars

When it comes to off-roading, the need for clear and reliable illumination is essential. Not only will this help you assess grooves or drops in the road condition, but it can help you avoid obstacles such as trees. Because off-roading is such a versatile and unpredictable driving experience, forward-facing Light Bars may not be fully fit for purpose.

Large spotlights with the capacity to mount high or low are essential, and will fit a range of trucks. In fact, our offering allows up to 50” of Light Bar length, perfect for the dimensions of a truck roof. However, combined floodlight and spotlight lights and other navigable fixtures can also provide a thorough illuminative surrounding for your vehicle. This can be very useful if driving in adverse weather conditions, as rear lights may help you navigate out of a tight spot or alert other road users to your presence ahead of time. 

Additionally, off road light bars signify exposure to rough elements, and so all of our Light Bars are constructed with high-tech polycarbonate and CREE LEDs, which offer a phenomenal projection of light and can illuminate even the darkest of environments. Additionally, some spotlights may have 5-9 intensive clustered LEDs, allowing you to penetrate even the thickest fog or the darkest of nights. Furthermore, we understand that off-roading is not only measured in truck driving, but in ATV’s, tow trucks, jeeps and other vehicles. This means that a range of sizes and weights are important to consider when curating a product offering as we have done. This can offer you the most versatile selection going forward.

A Variety Of Purposes

So far we have explored the different types of LED Light Bars and have used a few examples to help illustrate their potential use. However, it’s also deeply important to consider that these product offerings can be useful even if you do not work in construction, or drive off-road, or are an esteemed member of the emergency services.

Boat users, those with practical home construction needs, illuminating a pitch of road or even workshop use can be aided with LED Light Bars, as their utility in mounting can allow them to be useful in a range of scenarios.

The different types include floodlights, which are utilized to cover a large and wide area but without much in the way of depth penetration. A spotlight, on the other hand, allows for penetrative light to shine in a concentrated area. However, combo light are the most varied and commonly used variants, as they offer a continual hybrid solution for a wide array of applications.

Investing In Safety

Remember that your LED Light bars are more than a convenience. They are a profound investment in safety. Light bars routinely allow vehicles to announce their presence, to avoid road traffic collisions, and aid emergency services when needing to drive in intensive road situations. Each day, in thousands of ways, Light Bars improve safety on the roads. This means that viewing our product catalog, contacting our team or going ahead with a purchase may help you avoid a needlessly dangerous situation on the roads. 

If there’s anything more important than that, we’re not sure what it could be.