Triple SSC vs L&M HID Comparison Beamshots

[nightrider]

I've been promising some comparison beamshots for a while. In this case the comparison is a couple of my Triple SSC P4 (U-bin) LED lights against a Light & Motion ARC HID system.

My friend Gina was nice enough to loan me her HID system for the shots. All shots are at F2.8, 1/4 sec, ISO 200. The L&M HID has high (13.5w) and low (11.5w) power settings, so I took shots using both power settings. After letting the HID warm up for about two minutes here are the comparison shots:

<- Triple SSC AL
Triple SSC CH ->

It's nice to know that my Triple SSC P4 lights running at 11.8 watts stand up pretty well against the HID at 13.5 watts. The HID does have more side spill that does not show up well in these photos. Aside from looking different, my two lights above are basically the same light. The one exception is that the light I used in the beam shot (Triple SSC AL) looks just like the all-aluminum one on the left, but has a modified IMS 20 reflector instead of the 5 degree optic in the middle... that's why it's beam is slightly different from the Copperhead. More info on my lights can be found at my website and more info on the L&M ARC HID can be found at their website.

I hope this gives you guys more motivation to keep building your DIY LED bikelights... give the HIDs some competition!

 

[msxtr]

Hi, thanks for the comparison :twothumbs

Greetings - Saludos

msxtr

 

[Pitto]

with the new LED's coming out these days, HID was never an option as far as bikelights go. i have a mate who even buckled and sold his trailtech HID and changed over to an AYUP system.

plus, LEDS are fun to play with, DIY style.

 

[Led_Blind]

I hope this gives you guys more motivation to keep building your DIY LED bikelights... give the HIDs some competition!

Hell Yeah, when i saw your first box i made my self a bike light out of a old steel HDD tray. Worked out quite well but for some heat issues at 14 watts

 

[RGB_LED]

Awesome beamshots nightrider! :thumbsup: Some of my buddies have gone with the L&M Arc Li-Ion but I think that LED will prove to be a bit more cost-effective for many others, including myself.

Some questions:
- Are you using an nFlex in both lights?
- What is the max current you have set? 750mA or 1A?
- You mentioned that the CH has 3 optics vs. the other which is using 2 optics + 1 reflector. To me, the SSC CH looks like it has a wider hotspot than the SSC AL - is that the case or are the photos a bit deceptive?

Would love to make a custom light one of these days...

 

[nightrider]

Awesome beamshots nightrider! :thumbsup: Some of my buddies have gone with the L&M Arc Li-Ion but I think that LED will prove to be a bit more cost-effective for many others, including myself.

The L&M is a great light. However, I would not want to trade in my LED lights for one As far as the LED being cost-effective, that's probably only the case if you build your own... the manufactured ones that have output in the 600+ lumen range are about as expensive as the L&M ARC. Hopefully the prices will come down eventually.

Some questions:
- Are you using an nFlex in both lights?

No. Actually both of these lights have a 3023 wired, dimmable, buckpuck.

- What is the max current you have set? 750mA or 1A?

It is 1 amp at the full brightness level.

- You mentioned that the CH has 3 optics vs. the other which is using 2 optics + 1 reflector. To me, the SSC CH looks like it has a wider hotspot than the SSC AL - is that the case or are the photos a bit deceptive?

The photos are a little underexposed. The L&M actually has a lot of lower brightness sidefill that does not show up well in the photos. The same is true for my light that has the reflector in the middle. It has a noticable hotspot similar to the L&M and then some less intense side fill. The CH with the 3 optics has a very smooth transition beam with no noticable hotspot, just a nicely lit area such as seen in the beam shot. I guess I should do some wall shots to illustrate the beams better.

Would love to make a custom light one of these days...

Go for it!