Review of AWL Venom, AWL 46 Light and AWL T-3
I was looking for an affordable light system for my patrol vehicle. Having used Whelen, Tomar, and Sound Off Signal, I saw the Advanced Warning Light link on here and clicked on and started to review their products. I sent Tom and email and told him what my budget was, my vehicle and what I was looking for. I wanted an interior Light Bar for a 2007 Ford Expedition and a grill light set up for the push bumper with Brush Guard.
I purchased the AWL-Venom all Blue, the AWL 46 all blue and the AWL T-3 ‘s. My vehicle is a patrol vehicle and I wanted that punch up front so I chose those items with Tom’s assistance.
MSRP- I ordered the AWL Venom in the late summer of 2012.
AVL Venom- $169.99 with shipping and two T-3 lights for $59.99
I further ordered the AWL 46 Light in all blue.
$159.00.
The items arrived quickly and were well packaged. The RX-46 was delayed by a few days and once they got them in stock, it quickly arrived. Right off the bat, there was constant communication. They even called my phone to tell me the order was slightly delayed. That is Top Notch in my book.
Advanced Warning Lights web site
The Venom was installed first. After some negotiating, the brackets went on without a hitch. The brackets mount to the visor screws in the vehicle and they fit snugly against the windshield. The wiring comes with a cigarette plug and flash pattern changer. I opted to direct wire to my Omega 8000 control box. The first thing I noticed was that the light hides well up in the upper windshield behind the tint. During daylight operations, there was no noticeable flashback. During the night, however, there was noticeable flashback. I had to adjust the brackets slightly to limit the flashback. There is no way to avoid some flashback. I found that using a small amount of black cardboard, I fixed the issues. There is a ton of wire to run to the control box and after getting the installation instructions in my email, it is pretty simple even for a novice. One thing I noticed with all the wire is when hiding it, it may cause your headliner around your visors to buckle a little. It’s a simple fix by pulling the wire down the A-post. It is thick wire and protected well.
The Rx-46 was mounted on the front of the push bumper first and has since been moved to the grill on the Expedition. Simple reason for moving it was I have hit 14 deer in my career and didn’t want to destroy this since it was purchased out of my pocket. A dominator lost its life to a large doe so I wasn’t taking a chanc
[PDF][/PDF]e. The wiring is very similar to the Venom. Plenty of wire to run from the front of the vehicle to the passenger side firewall. Once there, I synced the two together by connecting the wires. I further wired the pattern change to the momentary switch on the Omega and have the option of changing the patterns with a push of a button.
The T-3’s were mounted on the side of the push bumper and have decent flash patterns. They push a a good amount of light to the side. They were easily mounted to the side. For the price, I am very satisfied.
So far these have been in service for about 6 months and I have been very happy with the quality, and effectivness of the lights.
Ratings
Customer Service- 10
Durability- 8 only been in service for 6 months
Performance- 9 Very pleased with the output and effectiveness of these lights.
Cost- 9 Compared to Name Brands, these lights could easily stand up to these without a problem
Appearance- These lights blend into the vehicle and can be fitted into almost any scenario
Shipping-10 For once I didn’t feel like I was robbed on shipping
Overall- 9.5 I think Tom and his staff are Top Notch, hands down. The products are easy to install, and the feedback you get from the staff is great. Are these the brightest led systems, no, But I learned a long time ago, brighter is not always best. If you are working on fixed budget like many agencies are, these lights wont disappoint.
Pros- Cost, Communication and Ease of Installation. Overall Brightness and effectiveness. The Rx-46 is very effective and bright. The T-3’s are effective for their application.
Cons- The Venom is difficult to limit the flash back. These are not vehicle specific but included are Universal Brackets. It does take some time to get the Venom just right.
I would recommend AWL Lights to anyone in the market for LEDs. Next purchase will come from them.
I was looking for an affordable light system for my patrol vehicle. Having used Whelen, Tomar, and Sound Off Signal, I saw the Advanced Warning Light link on here and clicked on and started to review their products. I sent Tom and email and told him what my budget was, my vehicle and what I was looking for. I wanted an interior Light Bar for a 2007 Ford Expedition and a grill light set up for the push bumper with Brush Guard.
I purchased the AWL-Venom all Blue, the AWL 46 all blue and the AWL T-3 ‘s. My vehicle is a patrol vehicle and I wanted that punch up front so I chose those items with Tom’s assistance.
MSRP- I ordered the AWL Venom in the late summer of 2012.
AVL Venom- $169.99 with shipping and two T-3 lights for $59.99
I further ordered the AWL 46 Light in all blue.
$159.00.
The items arrived quickly and were well packaged. The RX-46 was delayed by a few days and once they got them in stock, it quickly arrived. Right off the bat, there was constant communication. They even called my phone to tell me the order was slightly delayed. That is Top Notch in my book.
Advanced Warning Lights web site
The Venom was installed first. After some negotiating, the brackets went on without a hitch. The brackets mount to the visor screws in the vehicle and they fit snugly against the windshield. The wiring comes with a cigarette plug and flash pattern changer. I opted to direct wire to my Omega 8000 control box. The first thing I noticed was that the light hides well up in the upper windshield behind the tint. During daylight operations, there was no noticeable flashback. During the night, however, there was noticeable flashback. I had to adjust the brackets slightly to limit the flashback. There is no way to avoid some flashback. I found that using a small amount of black cardboard, I fixed the issues. There is a ton of wire to run to the control box and after getting the installation instructions in my email, it is pretty simple even for a novice. One thing I noticed with all the wire is when hiding it, it may cause your headliner around your visors to buckle a little. It’s a simple fix by pulling the wire down the A-post. It is thick wire and protected well.
The Rx-46 was mounted on the front of the push bumper first and has since been moved to the grill on the Expedition. Simple reason for moving it was I have hit 14 deer in my career and didn’t want to destroy this since it was purchased out of my pocket. A dominator lost its life to a large doe so I wasn’t taking a chanc
The T-3’s were mounted on the side of the push bumper and have decent flash patterns. They push a a good amount of light to the side. They were easily mounted to the side. For the price, I am very satisfied.
So far these have been in service for about 6 months and I have been very happy with the quality, and effectivness of the lights.
Ratings
Customer Service- 10
Durability- 8 only been in service for 6 months
Performance- 9 Very pleased with the output and effectiveness of these lights.
Cost- 9 Compared to Name Brands, these lights could easily stand up to these without a problem
Appearance- These lights blend into the vehicle and can be fitted into almost any scenario
Shipping-10 For once I didn’t feel like I was robbed on shipping
Overall- 9.5 I think Tom and his staff are Top Notch, hands down. The products are easy to install, and the feedback you get from the staff is great. Are these the brightest led systems, no, But I learned a long time ago, brighter is not always best. If you are working on fixed budget like many agencies are, these lights wont disappoint.
Pros- Cost, Communication and Ease of Installation. Overall Brightness and effectiveness. The Rx-46 is very effective and bright. The T-3’s are effective for their application.
Cons- The Venom is difficult to limit the flash back. These are not vehicle specific but included are Universal Brackets. It does take some time to get the Venom just right.
I would recommend AWL Lights to anyone in the market for LEDs. Next purchase will come from them.
