Light Output vs. Light Distribution

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Baja Designs

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Hey everyone,

Just wanted to share some information about light output vs. light distribution. The brightest light is worthless if it is not where the driver needs it. Most LED light systems use optics from third party companies. The vast majority of these optics produce round shapes (similar to a flashlight) - small round for a tight spot pattern, and large for a driving pattern. All "spot" patterns are round to achieve maximum distance and much of the large circle light is wasted at the top and the bottom because it is not useable by the driver. Driving lights should be wider and more oval shape to take maximum advantage of the available light provided. Cornering/fog lights need to be even wider and more oval/rectangular than a driving pattern. Quality optics efficiently use the LED light output to put the light right where you need it. Good optics can make an LED appear brighter even when compared to another light with the same LED bulb.

In addition, different terrains (including desert, forest, rock crawling, sand dunes, etc.) require different light patterns. If you drive multiple terrains you will want to change your light patterns based on the terrain. Some changes can be effected by proper aiming but the majority of pattern change comes from changing the optics.

Baja Designs provide optics designed by an engineer with over 30 years of real world off-road experience, and the optics put the light right where you need it. Each optic in a Baja Designs LED light is user changeable to create a spot, driving, or cornering light. This means you can modify your light depending on the terrain instead of buying multiple lights.
 
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