Kaiser posted this on another forum. I'm re-posting it here because I think it speaks volumes about the issue (and it's why he posted a link to the Lighting Shootout):
"My solution was to test different lights at different distances using a lux meter. Lux (light per area) is by far the best unit to measure true light output. For example, at 50 yards, a Rigid 40" light bar put out 36 lux vs the 4 lux an M&R (a Chinese sourced brand popular in the Raptor community) 40" light bar put out."
36 Lux vs. 4 Lux!
It's NOT just about the money!
In my opinion:
* Most LED lightbars look similar.
* Most LED lightbars look like they perform similarly...from 20 feet away.
* Just going by a "CREE" label doesn't get you anything since companies (from a certain country especially) have been known to lie about LED engines, performance, specs, and anything else.
* LED lights are systems that involve engineering, design, optics, manufacturing know-how, quality and warranty (and a company's willingness and ability to stand behind their products).
* Not all LED lights are the same even though they look similar.
* Lumens don’t mean anything but people still compare lumens and dollars.
* Lux does matter, so a lux number should be present and considered on any light. Lux means distance and distance means superior optics.
If you like a light buy it. But because you (or I) bought it doesn't mean it's better. It just means we made a decision based on price and other factors like PERCEIVED value.
