Whelen LAW vs. Vertex?

A

akrja_07

Member
Member
Nov 12, 2010
99
0
42
FL
So I am just kind of getting back into lights, been out of the game for a while. First big change I noticed was everyone is now running LED HAW kits. I dont have much experience with them, I have been noticing alot of construction trucks and what not running them and they don't seem very effective at all, but I figure they are running cheap versions of these lights... That being said, I am super tempted to purchase some but have some questions. Anyways, my questions are:


- Are they as effective as strobe HAWs? I understand the benefits, low power consumption, no power supply etc.


- I have seen some in action, but have no idea what brand or model I have seen. ARE THEY WORTH THE MONEY TO UPGRADE?


- Lastly, I would more than likely purchase Whelen or Code 3 brand. Which would be better as far as light output goes, LAWs or Vertex? And is Code 3s version any good? I would really like to stick with Code 3 because that is my fav. brand.


---Thanks
 
Couple points...


1) Whelen LAW was designed for use in CVPI. Other vehicles require splicing and other modifications to work.


2) Never seen them in person, but heard they are very effective as they disperse light in all direction to fill the reflector and make the best use out of it.


3) Whelen Vertex are no longer the major player in the game.


4) Feniex Cannons (see #3 above) http://elightbars.org/forums/f13/feniex-cannon-light-emitting-diode-hide-way-42943/


5) If using clear, I personally say to use strobe. As they emit light 360* they will fill the reflector housing you are using. LED HAWs are getting better, but still not there IMHO. That being said, the major talk and positive reviews are #4 above!


http://elightbars.org/forums/f13/whelen-hide-away-leds-general-meaning-universal-light-emitting-diode-vs-sound-off-universal-hideaway-35656/


http://elightbars.org/forums/f13/hide-away-strobes-comparison-cannons-61608/
 
Zapp Brannigan said:
1) Whelen HALO was designed for use in CVPI. Other vehicles require splicing and other modifications to work.
Click to expand...

Fixed it for you.
 
Whelen HALO:


awww.emergencyequipmentnews.net_wp_content_uploads_2008_01_ha02faa.jpg


As stated, designed for CV reflector assemblies. Plug-and-Play in those models. Highly effective but cost prohibitive and technically a challenge to adapt to other vehicles.


Whelen HAW:


awww.galls.com_photos_styles_GR273_500_1.JPG


Predecessor to Vertex. Requires external flasher module. My understanding is that these are discontinued (and I want to say they had a high failure rate) but someone will correct me if I'm wrong. Also very expensive.


Whelen Vertex:


[Broken External Image]:http://www.whelen.com/images/_automotive/Lightheads/Hideaways/Vertex/vtx609c-1.jpg


This style is basically what all LED HAWs are being designed as with variations by manufacturer (angles, number of diodes, etc). As state, Whelen isn't necessarily the best choice for these... Fenix is just one great example.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Like
Reactions: nightfire351
akrja_07 said:
So I am just kind of getting back into lights, been out of the game for a while. First big change I noticed was everyone is now running LED HAW kits. I dont have much experience with them, I have been noticing alot of construction trucks and what not running them and they don't seem very effective at all, but I figure they are running cheap versions of these lights... That being said, I am super tempted to purchase some but have some questions. Anyways, my questions are:

- Are they as effective as strobe HAWs? I understand the benefits, low power consumption, no power supply etc.


- I have seen some in action, but have no idea what brand or model I have seen. ARE THEY WORTH THE MONEY TO UPGRADE?


- Lastly, I would more than likely purchase Whelen or Code 3 brand. Which would be better as far as light output goes, LAWs or Vertex? And is Code 3s version any good? I would really like to stick with Code 3 because that is my fav. brand.


---Thanks
Click to expand...

Whelen LAW was discontinued. Vertex has been around for a while but there hasn't been any real improvement/upgrade made to it.


LED technology is never going to match the "punch" that strobes have IMO, but there's also a bunch of advantages that they have over strobe HAWs, so your decision of HAW vs LAW should be based on the amt of use they will get in your application, the size of the housing that they will be going in, & the color needed.


I think that many members here will agree with me that Code 3 has slipped out of the top standings of lighting manufacturers over the past few years, so I would not recommend their LED products over whelen, fed sig, or SOS. Honestly, the favorite LAW right now is the cannon b/c of it's functionality & the fact that it has double the amt of LEDs that a vertex contains. The vertex & SOS undercover LAWs were great when they were released, but there hasn't been any real innovation since then, so (even though I know you prefer C3 & whelen) I would go with feniex cannons, SNM LAWs, or Brookings/Axixtech HAL.
 
Ok thanks everyone. I will just stick with the strobes. The ones I have seen are garbage anyways, I just wasn't sure which brand I have been seeing.
 
wilsonbr90 said:
According to HiLo it has been reborn for Ford.

The Whelen Halo lives, as a Ford specific part.
Click to expand...



The Whelen LAW was a hide-away LED head that was powered by a flasher. It would work in any vehicle that a HAW strobe would. It was pretty bright, but the need for a power pack and the cost, kept a lot of people away. It has indeed been discontinued.


The Whelen HALO was a combination park, turn (or brake), and warning LED light head designed especially for use in the Crown Victoria. The light heads replaced the stock park/turn (or tail/brake) bulb, and fit in the factory light housing. It too was expensive and being vehicle specific, kept a lot of people away. It has been discontinued as the HALO. A new version is available with the Ford 'ready for the road' package on both the Interceptor sedan and utility. It is called the P-T-W light, and serves as a factory fitted front parking light, turn signal, and warning light. It is controlled through the vehicle computer. There is no stand alone Whelen part number as of now. It is sold exclusively through Ford, at time of factory build, and as a dealer installed option.
 
akrja_07 said:
So I am just kind of getting back into lights, been out of the game for a while.....

........ I would really like to stick with Code 3 because that is my fav. brand.


---Thanks
Click to expand...

You have been out of the game for awhile....
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mrlunchbox
Code 3 is still awesome in my opinion. Local pd and fhp runs new code 3 setups and I love them. Fhp is running updated javelins, not sure what the pd is running but they are stupid bright.
 
akrja_07 said:
Ok thanks everyone. I will just stick with the strobes. The ones I have seen are garbage anyways, I just wasn't sure which brand I have been seeing.
Click to expand...

I guess if you think Code3 is the way to go.... lol


Cannons are where its at
 
I didn't read every post but the LAW has been confused twice with the HALO. The LAWs are a ubiversal LED Hide Away and the HALO was designed to specifically plug and play with the Ford Crown Victoria. The LAW simply replaced strobe tubes but the HALO replaced both the strobe tube AND the signaling lamp. The rear systems were red warning with red STT and the front systems were any of the 4 primary safety colors with an amber for the turn signal.
 
HILO said:
The Whelen LAW was a hide-away LED head that was powered by a flasher. It would work in any vehicle that a HAW strobe would. It was pretty bright, but the need for a power pack and the cost, kept a lot of people away. It has indeed been discontinued.

The Whelen HALO was a combination park, turn (or brake), and warning LED light head designed especially for use in the Crown Victoria. The light heads replaced the stock park/turn (or tail/brake) bulb, and fit in the factory light housing. It too was expensive and being vehicle specific, kept a lot of people away. It has been discontinued as the HALO. A new version is available with the Ford 'ready for the road' package on both the Interceptor sedan and utility. It is called the P-T-W light, and serves as a factory fitted front parking light, turn signal, and warning light. It is controlled through the vehicle computer. There is no stand alone Whelen part number as of now. It is sold exclusively through Ford, at time of factory build, and as a dealer installed option.
Click to expand...

See, I knew once I started skimming I would miss this and do a repeat post lol. The Ford "headlight solution" is NOT available as a dealer installed option at this time. That may change in the future but as of now it cannot be purchased outside of the vehicle. We tried.
 
emtanderson51 said:
See, I knew once I started skimming I would miss this and do a repeat post lol. The Ford "headlight solution" is NOT available as a dealer installed option at this time. That may change in the future but as of now it cannot be purchased outside of the vehicle. We tried.
Click to expand...

That is very good intel Mr. Anderson. I was hoping the PTW set up would have been a dealer installed option, based on the impression I got from Ford fleet. Knowing that it is a factory only option means that it is not plug and play, but has to be programmed at the factory. The ability to share info like this makes ELB such a great asset.
 
HILO said:
Sounds like the P-T-W feature is written into the PCM even if the ready for the road package is not ordered. That means someone could wire in any dual amber/clear (or amber/red or blue) LED HAW head. :yes:
Click to expand...



It is actually a flasher box that is wired into the turn harness and can be undone. I'll get a photo of the flasher box under the hood for each halo on the PI utility, it even had a whelen part number
 
emtanderson51 said:
See, I knew once I started skimming I would miss this and do a repeat post lol. The Ford "headlight solution" is NOT available as a dealer installed option at this time. That may change in the future but as of now it cannot be purchased outside of the vehicle. We tried.
Click to expand...

I'll see if I can find one, but if so I'll post the Ford part number for my headlights with the hide-away socket predone, and maybe cross that to a Taurus headlight part number. There have to be replacements available, the Ford Headlight prep package is just a different headlight housings and gear installed. Hell, I have the PTW's on my truck, and the upfitter's guide shows exactly where my original turn signal sockets are. Im sure the PTW package is not going to be cheap after the fact, but it IS in the system and I'll try to find more info for those interested.


Also, the part number listed above for the PTW flasher begins with 01-
 
canonninja said:
I'll see if I can find one, but if so I'll post the Ford part number for my headlights with the hide-away socket predone, and maybe cross that to a Taurus headlight part number. There have to be replacements available, the Ford Headlight prep package is just a different headlight housings and gear installed. Hell, I have the PTW's on my truck, and the upfitter's guide shows exactly where my original turn signal sockets are. Im sure the PTW package is not going to be cheap after the fact, but it IS in the system and I'll try to find more info for those interested.

Also, the part number listed above for the PTW flasher begins with 01-
Click to expand...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the major difference is that the housing for the PTW equipped vehicles has a clear outer lens, whereas the not-so-equiped vehicles have an amber outer lens.


(When I *first* saw this option announced I hoped the clear outer lens would be the giveaway that it was an Interceptor and not Taurus/Explorer)
 
Zack said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the major difference is that the housing for the PTW equipped vehicles has a clear outer lens, whereas the not-so-equiped vehicles have an amber outer lens.

(When I *first* saw this option announced I hoped the clear outer lens would be the giveaway that it was an Interceptor and not Taurus/Explorer)
Click to expand...

I've seen non-PTW equipped vehicles with the clear lens, so not quite sure. Biggest difference is the provision for the side-facing hide-away.
 
I think strobes are a thing of the past. They have complete washout during the day. At night the strobes look like they are not on compared to LED. I don't instal haw strobes anymore. The Whelen LAWs had a lot of issues and they replaced them with the Vertex.
 
Whelen Vertex is and will always be #1. The newer models are slightly brighter and revised. Now, Everyone wants the Ford/Whelen PTW "Wig Wag" LEDs they are the brightest HAWS on the market. I'm working on a video right now of a 2014 Taurus .... Standby !
 
Last edited by a moderator:
VolEms said:
I think strobes are a thing of the past. They have complete washout during the day. At night the strobes look like they are not on compared to LED.
Click to expand...

:eyebrowhuh: :hopeless:


I disagree. Strobes still have their place. A poorly placed strobe HAW is no better and no worse than a poorly placed LED HAW. Properly utilized, strobe HAWs still work extremely well!!

HPD84 said:
Whelen Vertex is and will always be #1.
Click to expand...

:eyebrowhuh: :hahano:


I really hope this is a joke....
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mrlunchbox
Just B/C they sell the most doesn't mean they're the best.


I've used Vertex, along with other LED inserts.... The others performed much better. The performance of the Vertex was marginal at best. However, I really don't care for LED inserts at all B/C of performance and went back to using strobe HAWs.
 
Cannon > Vertex... My county is pretty much exclusively Whelen and Federal Signal.. However, when LEOS(for example) are given the go ahead to put wat they want in their cruisers, they jump at replacing the Vertex outfitting and replace them with Cannons.


Look at comparison videos... "numbers numbers numbers" blah blah blah. I can assure you that the Cannons are brighter.


I'm not saying Feniex is better than Whelen. Feniex is a growing company and still has plenty of room to grow. In my opinion, Feniex is #3 in the top 3 when it comes to products and output now, but they are still years behind Whelen and FS. That doesn't mean, though, that Feniex doesn't have a couple products that are better than Whelen and FS.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mrlunchbox
JPolston said:
Look at comparison videos... "numbers numbers numbers" blah blah blah. I can assure you that the Cannons are brighter.
Click to expand...
Really. Care to put money on that?


There's a reason I traded off my amber/white Cannons and stayed with my Vertexes. They were brighter in both the OEM and drilled holes under all conditions.


And quite frankly Feniex's sync method sucks ass.
 
Haven't used cannons however I have used both vertex and sos universal undercovers. I prefer the sos ones, brighter, and more options with the light spread due to the different lenses it comes with.


I also have used the Whelen halo kit- that blows all the laws I've tried out of the water. Never seen anything brighter yet.
 
Yup.. I'd put money on it. I've seen the differences in person. The only thing that knocks Feniex is that it's bigger and you have to work a bit more to find a "perfect" position to hit the reflectors right.


Make not mistake, Cannons are brighter.


However, to the OP... Honestly, if you don't want to consider Feniex, then Vertex would be the way to go over all other competitors attempts to make an effective HAW. Strobes still have their place in today's emergency world, but the LED HAWs are "the way to go" these days. Not to mention, if you get out of it again, then resale value tends to maintain.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum Statistics

Threads
54,628
Messages
452,536
Members
19,457
Latest member
minnesota_em_vehicles

Share This Page

Share this page
Top Bottom
Back