Halogen Versus HID

Advantages of HID over Halogen

 

Compared with incandescent bulbs, HID lamps have higher luminous efficiency since a greater proportion of their radiation is in visible light as opposed to heat. Their overall luminous efficiency is also much higher: they give a greater amount of light output per watt of electricity input.

  • The 50W HID has approximately six times the output of a standard 100W Halogen globe
  • HID has a low amperage and very low current draw
  • A 12V 50W HID globe draws 4.16 amps compared to 8.33 amps drawn by a standard 100W halogen globe
  • This means a 50% reduction in power consumption
  • Cold to touch because the low wattage means the heat output is reduced significantly

Here is some easy math to work out the amperage!
Divide wattage by voltage to give the amperage:
A 100 watt, 12 volt bulb draws 8.33amps … 100 divided by 12 = 8.33

Beware of imports!!  What is the one thing Lightforce HID have that imports will never have? Low Colour Temperature.

Colour temperature is measured in Kelvin.

The easiest way of comparing cheap imported lights (apart from the build quality) is the colour temperature. Anything above 5000K will only produce glare, not clarity. Keep in mind on a sunny day the colour temperature is about 4300K.  Because Xenon gas is naturally blue it can be expensive to bring it back to a natural white light  which is about 4300K. That’s why the cheaper imported lights are anything from 6000K up to a ridiculous 7000K.

Remember ... Clarity not Glare

One thing buyers will need to be aware of is that a HID light takes approximately 15-25 seconds to reach a stable brightness, time to "warm up".

 

But no matter which one you choose, you need to remember the importance of driving lights. Some people think they don't need to see more than 400 metres to a kilometre along the road but this isn’t true.  The stopping distance in a 4WD once you have noticed an obstacle is at least 300m, possibly more.  Add to this if you are on a dirt road, loaded up with gear or towing a van or camper and it is easy to see why being able to see beyond 300 or 400 metres is essential!

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