cory y said:
other than the amp draw and a variety of flash patterns (too many patterns) is LED really the best out there? is it really the "brightest?"
Absolutely LED is the brightest option! I am sure others may disagree and that is perfectly fine, but I have done the side by side comparisons myself between all three types (halogen, strobe, and LED) and LED takes it hands down every time by a mile. No one here has yet to mention anything about warranties, which is a factor to consider. LED lights have a no hassle 5 year warranty on them. That means for 5 years, if anything goes wrong, you just box it up and send it back, and get the repaired or replacement unit a few days later.
Strobe tubes burn out, guess what- your paying to replace them. Even it they are only a year old. Also strobes need a power pack somewhere in the vehicle. Not only are you increasing amp draw but you have hundreds upon hundreds of feet of wire in a vehicle you do not need. That means later on in life if your strobe head stops working and its not the tube or the power supply, you have to go hunting through 50+ wire harnesses and hundreds of feet of wire (thinking a pumper or ladder truck) to find the problem.
Yes LED requires wiring also, but its a much more minimal amount. Not to mention you can do a full LED package including a lightbar and not draw more than 40 amps. That is a lot less stress on the electrical system. And with the advancement of new LED scene lighting, you can virtually eliminate a generator from a truck now, or at least drastically reduce the size saving a department thousands of dollars.
I'm sure people will say strobes are brighter, and like I said, that's a perfectly valid opinion, but you also have to weight lots of other factors into the decision besides brightness.
I will say this- regardless of how bright LED bars get, you can still see flashing headlights on a police cruiser before anything else....