The LED Rock Light Showdown

Great write up and thanks for taking the time to do it. It makes the choice pretty easy.

 

Wow spectacular post the intel sounds empirical. my head spinning.

 

Wait til you hit a couple thousand posts. You won’t even be able to feel your wallet.

 

Testing out a new FLIR thermal camera.

The Cyclone has very consistent temp across the back as one would expect being a single piece of solid aluminum.


The back of the BD light is filled with resin, like the Rigid light. Resin is a plastic insulator and pretty obvious in the thermal image this doesn't conduct heat well as there is over a 13 degree difference between the back of the light and the outer body.


While the peak recorded temps are very close, Baja's temps are slightly higher even though the KC light draws over 20% more power and are over 50% higher in output intensity.

 

Those two look like there both selective yellow.

 

Hey Crash, have you had a chance to test the diffused Cyclone?

Looking to order a bunch depending on wether or not I want to add some in the rear cargo area in the back of the 4Runner or a couple under the hood.

 

I haven't tested the diffused Cyclone. It will likely pay a small penalty in output intensity but should get a wider area coverage. Keep in mind the Cyclone does have the best in class spread, even without the diffused lens.

 

Hmmm. I think I like this idea. Eventually rock lights are going to be added to my rig. Already got the switch panel wired up with a rock light switch. I like the idea of adding some under the hood too. Then I dont need a separate switch, wires, possibly a relay if so just for hood lights. Anytime I need my hood lights,my other rock lights would also be on. I dont see a problem or annoyance with that. As long as when I want to run the rock lights for the intended purposes wheeling offroad at night, the hood lights dont shine out the slight gaps in the hood.

Great idea. Stolen.

 

Want to thank you again @crashnburn80 for doing all this research and for all the write-ups. Certainly makes the choices a lot easier to both justify and select. Now, to just install the KCs. (Got them also for under the hood.)

 

KC Cyclones for the win FTW

 

How many did you install?

 

I installed a total of six (they sell in a pack). I tried to limit as much damage to the body as I could so utilizing the plastic in the wheel wells and bolt ins that were originally used to hold my factory side steps came in handy.
As for the fuse box (just to be fancy) I cut a piece of aluminum so it had a place to sit. The install was only a few hours due to the fact I’m OCD when it comes to wiring.
I am probably going to get more and add some to the interior, but I’m really happy with how the lights came out.

 

Great thread and write-up (as usual from @crashnburn80). Good info just like all his comparison threads.

One consideration that I don't see in the thread is that the comparison and conversation is real focused on brightness. While that's a key point for headlight/fog light/scene lighting applications, this is highlight/effect lighting. For my taste, and probably others, the effect I'm looking for is more subtle than just the brightest light I can get.

I started with some Lux that I got from a buddy and got some Rigid later. After experimenting a bit I went back to the Lux just because I liked the effect better. I haven't tried any others but I'm really happy with what I have.

Just sharing one mans experience so that folks reading don't necessarily think that brighter is always better for every application for every person.

 

I try to provide TW all the comparison data I can for individuals to make the most informed decision on their lighting purchases. There isn't a one size fits all product that is right for everyone. I also tried to capture pattern spread, not just peak intensity, which was a somewhat challenging thing to come up with a quantifiable metric to measure in this case. However, all my lighting threads are focused on peak lighting performance, if that isn't what you are after you can still use the information provided to help guide you in your purchase decision. My objective in this thread isn't highlight/effect lighting as you were looking for, so if isn't an ideal match, but hopefully you still found the information useful.

For me, I took the results of the thread and added 2 KC cyclones to my RTT. I've posted this image before but I'll post it again:

 

Oh heck yeah I found it useful. There are some other applications where I will definitely be referencing the info in this thread just as I do with your fog light thread and the AGM boost thread. Your contributions are always top notch. I totally understand that when doing any comparison the only differentiators are going to be the things you can measure so that's what gets included. You can't decide the best solution for each situation but can only provide the info so that folks can understand the differences.

My main point was that people who are cruising this thread should consider their individual application. We all tend to get caught up in bigger/louder/brighter is better (insert man grunt) but just like speakers shouldn't be driven purely by how many watts you can pump out, a lighting choice shouldn't necessarily be driven by how bright it is. I have more lights on my truck than a humble man would and all of those were bought to be bright af (for the record: Rigid 42", 20", ditch, fog, rear, plus 4 scene lights - still no locker ). I just found that the one application where I didn't actually like bright af was the rock lights. I figured it might be a bit of a different perspective for anyone considering a purchase.

 

I've been thinking that too. I'm sitting on 6 KC Cyclones in clear and unsure if I want to use for rock lights or camp are lighting. I originally planed on the diffused ones for rock lighting. What do you think?
Thanks for the excellent comparison test!

 

Thank's Colton.
I'm liking the idea of amber camp lights as well but still want white option too. Will see what happens there.
Clear Cyclones for the rock lights it is!

 

If this is the wrong spot, LMK and I will delete, but tried to find the biggest rock light thread and this seemed to be it. Figured some might want to see how the lightforce rok9's look. This is a quantity of 8 taken at a recent camp. Super useful, almost too bright (good for tire placement when wheeling, but a bit much for camp lights which is what I use them for mostly) but can be dimmed via the switch pro ap.