Brightest and best led beacon

jmamrak

Member
Jul 17, 2014
382
Lagrange KY
With the newer beacons out there, which seems to be the brightest?
I am considering a Whelen L 32 or a Nroads 12 led single color. Thoughts and experiences?
 

Abacus

Member
May 24, 2010
432
Sydney Australia
L31 is the way to go. On the (non vintage,) fire truck I run I use 2 l31 outer reds and an inner blue with 2 led par 46 spotlights. L31s have cruise capability and sync. The vintage fire truck has a beacon ray and soon to be installed Twin Ge red lamps on a steadyburn/ alternating code3 flasher. Installation when our lockdown is over!
 
Mar 6, 2012
11
Indiana
I have a Whelen L32 in red which is not SAE Class 1 certified (per Whelen spec sheet). So I bought a Federal Signal ProLED Beacon (clear lens, red LED) which claims to be Class 1. I can tell you the Federal is brighter than the Whelen. I can also tell you that it is the "fill" of the light as Whelen's R316 Rota Beam is Class 1 certified but visual not as bright as the L32 or Federal ProLED Beacon. I do have some video but have not uploaded it. Also, be aware that Federal says to mount the light 18 inches away from your two way radio antenna.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jmamrak

pdk9

Member
May 26, 2010
3,834
New York & Florida
With the newer beacons out there, which seems to be the brightest?
I am considering a Whelen L 32 or a Nroads 12 led single color. Thoughts and experiences?
L31 is by far the brightest IMO. I love sound off products, but the Nroads doesn’t pack as much of a punch to me (I think the fluted lenses on the L31 give it a little extra punch than SOS beacon).

What’s the application gonna be for your beacon?
 

bright_towguybran

New Member
Aug 28, 2021
4
CT
realized this thread is old after typing this...--
People in my area think beacons are useless, dumb, until I demo them in front of them! many have been swayed from spending big bucks on a full lightbar.
The L31 & L32(low profile, single stack of LED's) are some of the best and brightest, most versatile & have great functionality within.

Since CT requires beacons and or lightbars to be 8ft on all towing & recovery vehicles as a regulation, the l360 series became extremely popular,(next to the micro freedoms/micro edges etc) im sure Whelen being right here in Chester, CT made it awfully convenient! Personally I love the micro's just don't like how they don't have a cruise function. I know i'm getting off topic as usual but not only do the beacons look sharp, but they're pretty much a universal standard & identifies tow trucks around here. Whelen all the way! I really want to get my hands on a SOS nroad to do a comparison, I've heard great things.
 

Frooom

Member
Dec 6, 2012
843
NH
Just gonna throw this out there, because someone has to. The STL octo is not worth it. It is very bright, but completely situational, since it's not truly 360. I was thiiiiis close to pulling the trigger on dual beacons for my pickup, and all my research told me since I can't afford a pair of whelen micro edges, to go with SNM ebeacons, and as a second best, feniex am600's (for the under 250 price range).
 
Apr 12, 2022
11
Sacramento
Just gonna throw this out there, because someone has to. The STL octo is not worth it. It is very bright, but completely situational, since it's not truly 360. I was thiiiiis close to pulling the trigger on dual beacons for my pickup, and all my research told me since I can't afford a pair of whelen micro edges, to go with SNM ebeacons, and as a second best, feniex am600's (for the under 250 price range).
Not truly 360?
 

Frooom

Member
Dec 6, 2012
843
NH
Not truly 360?
Yes, the STL octo has TIR modules that are arrayed around. Up close it's not too bad, but at a farther distance there are pretty large coverage gaps. I tested one extensively to see if I could make it work for primary lighting but ended up having to return it. For the same price point, I would get the AM600 or go a bit more expensive and get the SNM ebeacon, which is class 1
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dave F and Tony P
Apr 12, 2022
11
Sacramento
Yes, the STL octo has TIR modules that are arrayed around. Up close it's not too bad, but at a farther distance there are pretty large coverage gaps. I tested one extensively to see if I could make it work for primary lighting but ended up having to return it. For the same price point, I would get the AM600 or go a bit more expensive and get the SNM ebeacon, which is class 1
Ah ok. That makes sense. I can imagine those gaps get quite large a mile down the road.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Frooom

StEaLtH2

Member
Mar 3, 2011
2,159
New England
Did you end up going with an L32..?
What’s the primary vehicle it would be on?
Are you making it a throw light or will it be permanently mounted?
I I have both an L31 and a RotaBeam mag mount. Visually the L31 appears brighter.
But at night on the highway the RotaBeam lights up the exit signs from much further away.
 

Forum Statistics

Threads
53,964
Messages
449,810
Members
19,103
Latest member
Safetylight5

About Us

  • Since 1997, eLightbars has been the premier venue for all things emergency warning equipment. Discussions, classified listings, pictures, videos, chat, & more! Our staff members strive to keep the forums organized and clutter-free. All of our offerings are free-of-charge with all costs offset by banner advertising. Premium offerings are available to improve your experience.

User Menu

Secure Browsing & Transactions

eLightbars.org uses SSL to secure all traffic between our server and your browsing device. All browsing and transactions within are secured by an SSL Certificate with high-strength encryption.