For a long time headlights and accessory lights were built using halogen technology, then HID technology, and the new kid on the block is LED light. Any time you read reviews about lights there will be some technical information which can seem complex, but garnering an understanding of these concepts ensures that you get the best value for your money. In this guide we look at the power consumption of the potential LED light bar, what the current requirements are, and the quality of the light output.

Wattage

The wattage of a light fixture is how much electricity it consumes as it runs. Compared to both Halogen and HID, LED lights are far more efficient at converting electricity into light; which means that for the same light output as older type light bars, an LED light bar will use about 80% of the same power. If your lights are running with the engine turned off, this will help your battery last longer.

Amperage

Amperage is how much current is drawn by the lights as they are running. A vehicle’s alternator is only capable of supplying limited amounts of current, and if the total draw of your accessories goes beyond that then you will have problems. The good thing is that nearly all vehicles alternators have a reserve capacity of approximately 40% above their rating. In the event that you are going above the rating, you can install a more powerful alternator, otherwise if you keep your accessory use below the rating everything should be fine.

Light Output

This usually referred to as luminous flux, and is measured in lumens. What is measured by the lumens is how much visible light is being radiated by the lamp of that cree LED light bar you are eyeing. The output of light measured in lumens is used to calculate what the actual brightness level is that can be created, this is now measured in lux.

If 200 lumens is projected over an area of about 1 square meter then the brightness level of that area is 200 lux. If you spread this over 10 square meters, then the level is only 20 lux. This is why spot lights go a greater distance than flood lights. A spot light and a flood light can have the same LEDs, but with a spot, the light is concentrated over a smaller area, whereas a floodlight casts the light broadly. When reading light reviews it is essential that you know both the lumens and the beam angle, this way you can tell how bright the light will be and how far it will go.

Lights come with a lot of technical information in their reviews, understanding this information goes a long way in giving you the best experience with whatever product you purchase. Be it a spot light or a LED work light then you are guaranteed to get one that will suit you perfectly in terms of its efficiency relative to your system.