[BoneFish_Cowboy]

Good morning all. Going to be purchasing 10 - 50w warm white LED's within the next month as the deck build comes together on my new SeaArk. (Got a sweet deal on an DXS1860)

Anyhoo, I know Ebay, Amazon, Seelite, Customfitz, etc. all sell these kind of lights. However, pricing is all over the place. From what I can read through here and other forums is that a lot of these lights, regardless of who you purchase from, come from overseas. When your talking $40 vs $135 for the same power of light, I want to know why you chose to purchase these dealers lights. Are certain ones brighter, have better build quality, have a better warranty, or what???

I'm NOT trying to start a flame war or anything like it. I just want hard evidence and facts why these lights are worth the extra money. And yes, I understand the "search" function and "you get what you pay for", so please don't advise that as I have exhausted those options. (Why I started a topic) I am more than willing to pay any figure for the right light, I just want to know what I am buying.

Also, for what it's worth, I have ordered and use 27w's for my ATV through customfitz and love the things. So I know the ones he has for sale can take a beating and are fairly bright. (Brother ran into me and his bike was on top of my front rack with the lights under his tires and they never broke or went out.)

Thanks for the help!

 

[BoneFish_Cowboy]

if your tryin to do this as cheap as possible then by all means get the 50s but if you can afford a little more light i gotta say the newer 400w really intrest me but they are very pricey! (ebay)

I agree. I've been looking at the 200w laying down over 18000 lumen for under $200 a fixture. (and weigh less than 30 lbs.) Don't know if I like the looks of the housing, but could always modify it.

 

[BoneFish_Cowboy]

Thanks for the replies gents. Bought some cheap ebay lights last week, and awaiting their arrival. I'll stick an amp meter on them, and if they aren't what they say they are, they get a bad review and I use the lights for shop lights. Then i'll give someone else a chance to earn my business.

 

[BoneFish_Cowboy]

Are the $50 lights you purchased off Ebay 12/24v model or 120v?

120v

 

[BoneFish_Cowboy]

Lights came in today. Stuck an amp gauge on them. Pulling a touch over 0.4 amps on 120V. I'd say that's 50 watts!

 

[BoneFish_Cowboy]

Took the boat out for the first time this weekend. Tried out the new LED's and I have to say, I was impressed with them. Only have 7 on the deck for now, but I don't think 10-12 would make much difference. We were fishing VERY stained/muddy water and could only see about a foot down. (Hard to even see the troller, and we tried a 6000k, 350 lumen flashlight and a halo spotlight and couldn't see any different) I have fished over 500w halo's and 150w HPS, and I have to say, these 50w LED's do a pretty good job compared to the HPS. You get a lot of light all over, as your able to see cypress trees and other obstacles at distance and not have to use a spotlight for navigation. We also saw (and shot) a few fish here and there. This is a new lake to us, so we are still trying to hunt down all the good spots. They glow beautifully in the light and shootable range really wasn't a big issue. However, there is no doubt the HPS lights put out a lot more light, BUT I don't think there is any more "usable" light then the LED's. I'd really like to try them in another lake that we fished with the HPS lights last year to do a true water penetration comparison, but that lake is closed for the year. Overall, I will be keeping them on my boat as they are lightweight, low maintenance, and I never did like the massive amount of headache causing light the HPS put out. Hopefully have a Honda 2000i to add for an early Christmas present to myself and quiet that end of things down.