KC C series vs Harbor Freight Roadshock

So I am looking at getting some lights for my sport bar on my truck. Looking to run probably five 3” cube spot lights.

i was pretty set on the KC c series, but was in harbor freight the other day getting some miscellaneous tools and happened to run into the harbor freight Roadshock brand. Looking at the specs, they’re really not that different, and they are significantly cheaper than the KC lights!

by chance does anyone have either of these, or possibly even better and have had both at some point and can comment on how they compare to each other?

so from the specs, the KC lights throw about 335ft farther, are 30 lumens brighter, and use 12w per light instead of 15w per light. So while they are indeed better, the Roadshock is $22 per light and the KC is $185 for two, or essentially $92 per light. So with a $70 price difference, I feel like the Roadshock really holds its own versus the KC.

Another difference is of course design feature. The KCs are more chrome in the middle with black housings, and the Roadshock are more black in the middle.


Regardless, just curious on what you guys think.

thanks for your input!

 

Are you wanting lighting shooting down far away or are you okay with something with not as much distance? and or patterns wider / smaller? They both look like a SPOT pattern.

Aside from the chrome / black internals colors. The KC looks to have the reflectors covering as much real estate in the housing for more cast of light. The HF looks like it will cast a small spot using smaller reflectors.

 

you do bring up some good points. In reality I probably won’t be using these very often, just some nights on the back roads when I am on my way home from work. But in this case I’ve also got a light bar in my body armor front bumper. I’ve also got the factory LED headlights on my truck and I swapped out the OEM fogs with Diode Dynamics SS3 pros, so I already have a ton of light out front. So these pods aren’t too important for distance I don’t think since I’ve got the other lights. Most likely I’ll do 3 middle spotlights and the 2 outer fogs.

 

Those HF units look pretty poor. Smaller reflectors are not going to perform as well as larger ones. By those published specs the KC units will throw light an entire football field plus further than the HF units. I wouldn't put a lot of faith into the HF lighting specs being accurate. That said those KC lights are not anything special either and overpriced IMO. The KC C3 pods are made in China, they are not up to par on quality or performance vs most the KC main product line and carry a greatly reduced warranty. If you were looking at spending that much on pods, I'd go with the Diode Dynamics SS3 Sports, only $15 more than the KCs at retail and absolutely no comparison in performance. The SS3s will make it look like those other lights are not even on in terms of output intensity comparisons. And with the 20% off sale at Hotshot Offroad on Diode Dynamics good till 1/5, the SS3s will actually be cheaper than the KCs. I'd suggest contacting @memario1214 (Hotshot Offroad) to get hooked up with real quality lights at a great price.

SS3 Sport Spot specs for comparison:

 

Dammit man. You’re making this choice so much harder. Haha

so right now I have the KCs brand new in box. I’m still within my return window so that’s why I asked about the Roadshock brand since I just saw them in the store. Figured i would return and save a ton of money by going cheaper.

the deal with these lights is that in all honesty, I won’t just them much at all. Every now and then, but realistically, maybe once in a blue moon. I really like the look of the KC and Roadshock designs and how they look more sleek compared to the ss3 pods. Being a sport bar mount, I am unsure on how the ss3s will look, as most people I’ve seen use the old school circular lights or these square 3” ones like the KCs.

I looked up the sports you mentioned and it is no doubt that the ss3s are much much better than either of them. Just aesthetically designed, they don’t have that same sleek look. So I guess at this point it is up to whether I want better performance over aesthetics, or vice versa

 

Oh... are you planning on mounting small 3" pods on a rear cab bar? That is a terrible configuration for lights that small. You'll get no light on the roadway ahead of you, basic geometry of light being obstructed by the cab. And if you use crap lights, you are barely going to be able to tell they are on, aside from lighting tree tops above you maybe. They will provide virtually no usable visual functionality. For rear cab mount lights like that, I'd look at something in a much larger form factor to be useful, even going to inexpensive halogens like Hella 500s would be vastly better. If you are sticking with 3" pods in that location you might as well buy whatever is the cheapest thing possible since they really won't work there at all anyway.

 

yeah unfortunately I am one of those guys. I just love the look of the rear cab bar and always have since I was a kid. Adding lights not only helps at night, but makes the bar look even better imo. I know it’s not something everyone would like, let alone even be properly functional.

i do really appreciate your input crashnburn80, you have so much knowledge and because of you I went with factory LEDs on my truck instead of the alpharex I was planning on, and I love them. Paired with the ss3 pros in white I can see everything on the road at night. It’s light years better than the halogens I had, that’s for sure.

as far as the lights on the sport bar, I really am conflicted. I would really like to stay with LEDs in the 6000k range as that is what is roughly on the head and fog lights, which is why I was thinking KCs originally. But that sale at hotshot for the SS3s making them cheaper than the KCs and being better makes me feel like I should get the SS3s instead. The roofline will definitely cut off the bottom of the lights due to placement, but ideally I’d hope to still be able to get some light out front. After looking at the SS3s I am considering the combo cubes so I can get a little throw and still achieve a wide range despite the roof blocking some light.

by chance do you have any other recommendations for LEDs around the 6k output that you might consider be worthwhile in this situation?

thank you!

 

I have these and they are insanely bright. 2 of them are better, brighter and throw farther than any light bar. 4 of them is an absolute wall of daylight. It is the deep reflector that makes the difference, which most modern pods and light bars do not have. I think they look good, sort of round like old school KCs but have the heat sink look of modern pods

https://www.ebay.com/itm/165795115950

 

As far as 3” pods, you won’t find a better option at the price point compared to the SS3s. Combo optic will likely give you the best pattern you are looking for in that location. If you go through the pages of this thread there are comparisons of spot, driving and combo.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-sae-j581-aux-high-beam-thread.696597/

With a short 3” lamp mounted at the roof line at the back of a double cab you won’t get much light forward below the cab height, if that makes sense. The driving optic in the combo will project decent distance, but it isn’t going to be illuminating the ground unless there is an incline in front of you if that is important. Taller lights like the ones posted above will do a slightly better job of getting light toward the ground, though only by a little. I’m not advocating for those off brand lights. Just trying to set expectations. With the OEM LEDs you do have a good high beam, so it could be not that important and maybe cab level output is fine for your purpose.