Diode Dynamics Color Match Petty Grudge Post

A couple IPAs later… it’s story time.

I originally bought the lower kelvin interior Tacoma lighting package and was pretty excited to update things. Switched things out and found that the dome light didn’t match…



No sweat let’s email them… Shit does happen and I get that.

A week goes by, no response.

Call them and explain what’s going on… They then email me back and offer to swap things out noting that’s not normal.

Great! Let’s get some new ones and move on.

New ones arrive… Exact same issue.

Email them… A couple times.

No response.

*8 weeks later*

“This is f*cking irking me”

Orders new map light and a new dome light, different color.

Package arrives. Lets install!

Same MF issue… Albeit more passable



Not sure why they state:
“Colors that match. Most of us have seen lighting setups with random shades of white that don't quite match. At Diode Dynamics, we operate an integrating sphere, which is a piece of lab equipment used to analyze the exact color spectrum of the LED bulbs we produce. By testing each batch of products, we can ensure that all bulbs will match in color, to avoid various tints of white. These bulbs will match any other upgrades you may have from Diode Dynamics, for factory-style uniformity and a clean appearance.”

Anyhow, this is admittedly petty but I’ve wasted to much time on this BS for no resolution and acting in good faith.

Tried to post an HONEST and RESPECTFULreview just stating “don’t expect this to match”… So no one else deals with this admittedly minor headache. Apparently, they moderate the allowable reviews and did not post mine… Shocker.

Kinda thinking about their fog lights though—they’re kinda sick.

Evidencia:

 

That color difference would bother me on the interior. I’d love to find bulbs that are pure white but most of the time they’re too blue

 

×2 I too have avoided LEDs in many places (both inside & out) because of their "cold white" color.
Warm white (2700°K) is a bit too yellowish (what OP's dome light bulb looks like might be), seems like 3500-4000°K is the ideal color temp range, but dammit if you can't find anything in that range...

CS like that would make me not want to buy anything further from them.

Edit:
Looks like DD does have some 4000K options for interior bulbs, though they apparently aren't consistent in color based on OP's post.
That still leaves offroad lights though... I find them too blue also.

 

I’ll update with the latest when I’ve got a moment (the pic is the original ones that are way off; not the 6k which actually look pretty good ) but yeah agree on the ranges you mention and the customer service deficit.

 

I’m unnecessarily vocal about it at times, but I haven’t had any good experiences with any DD products and I don’t see how so many people like them. Must be better luck or different expectations. They seemed like *the* place to go for lighting, until every thing I tried disappointed me. The biggest offender though were the SS3 Max pods. Loved the light output but the radio interference was insane and they offered no helpful solutions for that. Inexcusable for $540 (at the time) lights.

VLEDS and Rigid handle everything for me these days and I have yet to have a single issue with either of them.

 

…grudge bump

 

Circling back to add the 6000k.. Not as bad but definitely not a perfect match.

 

Meso Customs. Get the V2 ones that also switch to red. The white is a very nice pure white, no blue or yellow to it. They use the exact same diodes for both the map lights and dome light so it's the exact same color.

I like how DD says "6000K color temperature, which is a true cool white output without any blue". Yeah that's 100% wrong. 6000k is a light blue color. Anyone who's ever bought LED or HID headlights knows this. Pure white (direct sunlight) is 4900k.

Basically if you are buying different bulb types, even from the same manufacturer, good chance they won't match. Even buying multiple of the same bulb doesn't always mean they match. I've been putting LED bulbs in cars for over 20 years. It's always been this way. You basically need to do what Meso does and use the exact same diodes in all bulbs/boards to ensure the color matches.

 

Common LEDs also have limitations that make their light appear bluer than their °K rating suggests when the light reflects off objects.
High K (CCT) LEDs concentrate the light into a narrow peak in the blue end of the spectrum, which is why they tend to glare more and don't penetrate as deep into darkness as well as lower CCT ones do (blue light scatters in the air more than green, yellow, & red do).

HID doesn't have this same limitation, so 6000K HIDs aren't quite as bad as 6000K LEDs (but again, 4000-4500K would be more pleasing to the eye).