Switching back to Halogen?

BigDogg795

BigDogg795

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Member
May 21, 2010
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Long Island, NY
So I've been stuck in a rental the past few days and since I will be in it at least to the middle of next week, I decided to throw a metal plate on the dash board and attach my old Dashlaser...


Got me thinking, the "old school look" of the two color dash laser kinda looks nice.


Has anybody else gone backwards and given up LED for a simpler halogen (or even strobe) light?
 
Yup, I still keep a dashlaser as a backup.
 
I have gone back to all strobe to the front of my Explorer, I just like the look and the pop of them. I keep the LED to the rear because I work alot of US Highway and like to be seen from as far away as possible.
 
Nope. I am Super LED all the way. No 5mm first gen LED's . Untill they come out with a better product Im sticking to LED.
 
Leds are NOT always the best. They are simply the new hot thing right now and so everybody is jumping on the bandwagon.
 
I am the official site "sentry beacon" broken reacord.... When people want to know what to put on their service vehicle I always say "amber sentry beacon". That's what I would use if I were plowing, rural mail carrying or doing something similar. Super bright 360 coverage for cheap. Halogen par 36 flashers work great too. There are plenty of great halogen setups out there. I'm personally not a strobe fan, but I never have been. I will admit that strobes can be setup very effectivly.... There are a lot more expensive things present to fail in a strobe system just by design. Power supplies and bulbs are expensive. A strobe system just seemed more trouble than it was worth. They are however plenty effective, just not my preference.


Back to the broken record.....


You can make a great setup with any modern major manufacturer's equipment in halogen, strobe or LED. The setup is the key factor in effectivness. Mix a bunch of tiny red and blue lights and flash them fast mixing colors and it will look like a purple blob... in strobe, halogen or LED. Get 4 or 6 decent sized lights and flash them in groups based on location and color.... that will look and work great in strobe, halogen or LED.


So these days it's more a matter of cost, mounting location and presonal prefs. Buy what you like and set it up well...... it will work just fine...


Then upload the pics some we can tell you what you "shouldadun". :lol:
 
Whoever invents a halogen/HID lamp with the amp draw and lifespan of a LED will rule the universe.
 
I got Viper S2s, Dual talons, TIR3s, Impaxx, federal signal 4" LEDs in my truck, but my primary is a halogen MX7000, the tried tested and true comes first, the real 360* coverage
 
I have always kept a throw light to place on the roof for 360 degree warning at the scene - and a Federal Firebeam Halogen meets that need. LEDs are great directional beams, and Power Arc has figured a way to give more versatility, but at what price?


We all need to be concerned with what constitutes "minimum" visibility - and the that end, a halogen beacon meets the requirements.
 
I was really stumped as to what bar to install when I built my truck a few years ago.. I had a freedom sitting here, but i decided to do a custom mx build, I added rear pursuit lights, front intersections and kept the 6 high speed rotators and plenty of mirrors. I have 4 rear red ledx heads, and a 8 light rear arrow stacked under the red ledx's there are 4 amber and 4 red front ledx modules, and 4 take downs. I added 4 strobes to the front and 6 to the rear 2 being 7x3 tomar heads. I have a pair of lin3's on a license plate bracket and 2 side facing TIR3's and 4 tir 3's to the front. its a well rounded setup that get your attention no mater what weather or visibility condition presents its self. I set up the truck with lots of switching options so I can run what i feal is needed at the time.
 
I have a silverado with a dual Talon below the RVM, 4 LX4's in the grille, one LX4 facing to the side under each mirror on the door, and two rear LX4's on the toolbox. Technically I meet my state's requirement for 360 degree warning.


I have been considering getting an LED beacon to toss on the roof for better all around visibility. I have looked at just about every one out there, and the prices. Ouch.


But honestly, if you think about it, all of the LED beacons out there are just a lot of extra money spent on something that still is not as good as a $50 firebeam. Or a dashlaser. Or a pancake, etc.


You guys are right about the sentry too. Helluva bright beacon, just seems to me to be too large to use as a throw light.


Bob
 
Lol, glad to see I stirred up some decent conversation.


Although tonight I realized a major limitation of halogen: FLASHBACK!!!


I had to get used to driving down a dark block and looking beyond the flashes coming back at me...one of the major pro's of strobe or LED...
 
And one of the major pluses of halogen in heavy fog, where strobe and LED create an opaque wall of light to distract you, while a rotator allows other vehicles to see where the flashes are coming from.
 
Just passed a rural mail carrier sporting an amber fire beam. Showed up better than the fully lit wrecker down the road. Yay for well designed rotators!
 
After building a vehicle with only low amp drawing LEDs, I will never do anything else. The caveat is that you must buy good LEDs. My Whelen Supers and M series are amazingly effective. I need to get pictures posted one of these days.
 
Halogen is cool, but they draw an immense amount of power.


I love strobes at night. I really miss how my old Dashmiser just lit up the world at night. During the day? Not so good.


LED is great all around. Bright during the day, bright at night, low amp draw. They (almost) never wear out.
 
When I worked for my last agency, we had a transport van (Ford Econoline), now this was only maybe a year ago but the budget was super tight. By tight I mean almost non existent. The truck just needed basic lights, so it got 2 Halogen grill lights, 2 halogen deck lights in the rear windows and a dashlaser with flash shield. Compared to the standard patrol with LED's/Strobes, the halogens could sure hold their own!
 
I run a green Hotshot 2 (older style with metal reflector, flashback is not issue with the mirror assembly, not bad either with the half vynil hood. Firebeam with 5 flash, flashback is bad, but outward light output is unbeatable, federal has the best rotators.


BEST DASH LIGHT COMBO: the firebeam with a magnet, SVP mirror (firebeam magnets to it) and the SVP dash/whindsheild mount bracket. The mirror velcros to the dash mount bracket. Other beacons also magnet to the bracket. it suctions to the windsheild and has a foam pad to sit on dash.
 
A neighboring dept recently upgraded an engine's lower level warning to LED. It was Code 3 strobes that have been replaced with 700 series Whelen gen I LEDs. Despite the fact they were gen I, combined with a pair of amber halogen flashers and the a Code 3 550 amber halogen beacon up top, it was really nice. The red Code 3 550 halogen beacon wasn't so great in comparison.
 
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