Ebay lightbars? Need input.

So my daughter bought her a new Jeep Wrangler. She's wanting a lightbar that goes across the top of the windshield. My local 4x4 shops want $300+ for one. I see them on Ebay from $120.00 and up. Grant it she has no need for it, it's mainly cosmetic but I'm curious what I'm getting still. Thank you for any input.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/52-300W-2X-4-18W-LED-Light-Bar-Wiring-Kit-Mount-Brackets-For-Jeep-JK-Wrangler/381929563346?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

 

I've always gone this route, and as long as you wire it correctly you're fine. Here's a few I've bought.

 

Thanks very much. I assume the retail mark up is just insane.

 

Ive heard stories of cheaper lightbars developing moisture in the lenses, but ive also heard the same of higher priced bars.

Have you thought about a mid range like cali raised? They dont make jeep brackets i believe but their sizes should fit.

I have an OZ USA bar from Amazon, its been through water and rain, 4 mos old and no issues yet.

Id go with with a 5D lens no matter the brand though.

 

Ya know I forgot about Amazon. I don't plan on the cheapest but the locals here want so much its hard to justify for cosmetic reasons. I appreciate the 5D lens advice.

 

if it's cosmetic.. who cares if it's top of the line. I have a few light bars from Amazon (mictuning brand) they're plenty bright for the once a month I turn them on and have held up perfectly well for the 9 months I've had them. I just can't justify spending $1200 on a Bajadesigns bars for something that is a cosmetic/convenience item.

I did just find these that look rather intriguing: https://www.theretrofitsource.com/assemblies/off-road-lighting.html

 

No issues, super bright, gets pressure washed constantly and no moisture in it.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/9D-Quad-Row...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

 

the Amazon bar will be find for what you want, you can get one for 60 shipped. I have had ok luck with some and bad with others, wiring is easy, but how they are sealed is what sucks on them. have had random leds go bad too. but for this application there is no point in paying top dollar.

 

Yep it can be hit or miss with budget light bars.

Generally for budget light bars, youll wanna avoid the epistar led ones(like the one you linked op) as theyre generally not as effective as say ones with cree leds. But they are the cheapest and may work for what she needs if it ain't gonna get used often.

If youre looking for a better upgrade with a mid range budget bar that will get used fairly often, I'd suggest a clone. Like vision x or baja designs clones. Those are usually the better performing lights. They utilize the same optics but arent as fully effective as the real ones. But are also more in price, around that $300 price range for a full size.

Last thing i might add, is that optics do play a big role and to get what suits your needs. 5d isnt necessarily the one to shoot for, for everyone.
-3d generally provides the best overal spread(but are harder and harder to find for some reason. Its probably THE best imo and dont know why they're fasing it out).
-4d is purely long distance spot.
-5d is much the same as the 4d but a bit of a wider spot(still lacking in vertical and side spread imo).
-6d and up, meh, just crazy designs to try and push sales, imo.
-10watt led types (like baja designs and vision x) utilize larger reflectors and/or a combination of lenses and provide a much larger area of spread and distance combined, and are usually the winners in the light bar industries as far as overall output goes.
-Then there's the old school (yet still widely used) fluted reflector designs. Aka optic-less (with no lenses utilized for optics, just the reflectors) that you commonly find in the lowest grade (cheapest) quality light bars. Which are generally the most lacking in output as well. But also the most affordable.

So what you gotta ask yourself first is what type of optics you want(as just about any light bar of any quality/budget can be had with optics of your choosing). Second is your budget. Which ties into the performance you're looking to get, in terms of the led types. Like 3watt/5watt/10watt etc. Generally the higher wattage the more expensive and better performing itll be. But thats not to say that 3 watt bars dont perform just as good or even better, than say a 5watt led bar with crappy optics. I'd argue that a 3watt led with 3d optics would perform better than a 4d with 5watts. Only because you get more overall spread versus a pencil spot beam (which no one really NEEDS as youre not racing or using it on highways). But these factors(especially the wattage ratings) can be tricky and risky because so many vendors (overseas) tend to lie about their specs. So you might think you're getting 5watt/7watt/10watt (etc) leds, when they're actually just plain ol 3watt leds.

But anyways, this cpuld go on and on and cause some debates. So take all that in with a grain of salt.

Oh and btw(and forgive me because im not hating that you have this light, just hating on what they're advertising it as)...
I can guarantee that "9D" light bar is NOT "1800watts".
-10watt leds? Um, no...
-279,000 lumens!? Pfffft.
I'm sure its a great light for that price. Just think its funny what they listed the specs as. Total marketing gimmick. I would actually like to know the true specs on some of those quad row bars tho.. You got any output pics of that thing @wheeliest ??? Been waiting for someone to, shed some light, on that design, heh.. It has kinda piqued my interest a lil, over some of those other crazier designs, since i first saw them.

 

i'll upload some. it is really bright, i have true halogen 110w H4 headlights and it drowns them. I go pretty fast through the desert and have zero lighting issues. I go play in the desert all the time, if your in maricopa hit me up sometime

 

Fog only.


Low beams


High beams


32inch LED only


Full pwr

 

Not bad not bad. Little hard to judge with all that ambient lighting tho.

 

something doesn't add up. 1800w/12v=150a
those wires they use to power the light looks
too small to carry 150a, maybe if they used wires thick like
from the alternator then it would be more believable.

 

Its almost like AC wire.

 

Not only that, you'd have to have a massive relay to power that thing. Not to mention the kind of draw that would put on the electrical system. Its probably more like 180w.. I'd really like to test some of the lights i have and see if they're actually pushing what they are rated for. But I'm not that electrical savvy. Bought a clamp meter but havent got around to learning how to use it yet. ha.

 

Definitely supposed to be 180W, lol...and most likely 27,900lm...not 279,000

 

Welp, moral here is that we can't really say what you're gonna get for your money, if you decide to go with a random product from ebay. Only to do some research on what others have purchased (here or elsewhere as im sure theres some great wrangler forums that are probly overloaded with light bar threads) if youre worried about it.. But generally speaking, you can get some good products on eBay and get what you pay for. But there are some that are better than others for the same price or even less. Just gotta know what to look for..

You can also find some kits available for the wrangler that will include mounts and a light bar ready to install, versus fumbling around for mounts and a light bar to fit(which may also be risky as sometimes the specs are confusing/wrong, as far as the dimensions go, and may end up a tad too short, or long). These [kits] are probably more abundant than say tacomas, as the jeeps do tend to have a more popular niche for being, what's the word, modular? Thus more mounting options are easier to be had..

Another option, since you stated it'll be mostly for cosmetic purposes, is to get a light bar that has them led strips already built in for use as daytime running lights. Like these
http://www.ebay.com/itm/302178947881
http://www.ebay.com/itm/111991316427

You can view all sorts by typing in whatever size you want, plus led light bar rgb. e.g. "32inch led light bar rgb". Or for wrangler stuff just include that. e.g. "led light bar wrangler". Maybe a year/year range for her generation wrangler to filter those results even more.

 

As long as you are aware of the wattage issues, they have been reliable for me.

 

If that kit mounts the 52 to the windshield, and its mostly cosmetic, i'd say go for it. By the time you piece the mount, 52 inch, and pods together, you're probably about at that price range anyways. Keep in mind, if you want to buy all the parts separately, you can get a similar

$58 Nilight - 15026C-A LED Light Bar 52" 300W Spot Flood Combo LED Driving Lamp Off Road Lights LED Work Light for Trucks Boat Jeep Lamp,2 Years Warranty, White

52inch for about $45 on amazon, and the pods should be about $8 each. Depending on where you go, the mounts could be $40 or $140.

I agree with @NightProwler on the wattage and optics topic as it relates to price and output. I recently replaced my 4-row 20 inch(3w) with (2) 30 inch single row(10w) and it made a massive difference to the light output, I won't go back to 3w's unless i'm spec'ing something cheap and dirty for somebody else.

 

I got some on Amazon for like 60 bucks. bright as f&$k and had em two years