H4 bulb choices/favorites?

[Locoboy5150]

I have a new Peak PKCOTH halogen spotlight and I was thinking about a simple H4 bulb upgrade to make the beam whiter. What H4 type bulb is currently your favorite in terms of whitest color beam?

Note that I don't want to upgrade the wiring in this spotlight. I just want to do a simple bulb swap so I'm not interested in a super high powered bulb that will melt the stock wiring. The current bulb is 100 W according to the instruction manual. I was reading in the automotive lighting forum and the guys there were raving about these Philips X-treme Power bulbs:

http://www.bulbs.com/eSpec.aspx?ID=14828&Ref=H-Type&RefId=137&Ref2=Miniature,+Automotive,+&+RV
http://store.candlepower.com/90h4hbxtpo.html

They were recommending them for automotive use, but have any of you used them in a 12 V powered spotlight? If so, what do you think of them?

 

[Mr. Tone]

I would be interested to know this as well. I just bought that same Peak spotlight yesterday at Farm and Fleet. It is still charging but will be done by tonight for playing with. How long have you had it and what are your thoughts about it?

 

[Locoboy5150]

I've had mine for a little more than a week now. It's an extremely well built spotlight with a durable case that can withstand a lot of punishment. Light-wise, it's very floody, even when using the spot setting. The light is very warm colored, which is good for spotting objects because it enables you to tell what color they are, especially compared to white LED flashlights, but it's just a bit too yellow colored for my tastes. I want more white in the beam, if possible.

I don't mind the floody beam pattern at all though because my other spotlight, a Sunforce 2996HID is a pure throw spotlight. If I want to throw a beam an extremely far distance, I reach for that one. The Peak is a great bargain though as I only paid $20 for it at my local Big Lots. It's a pretty good halogen spotlight overall and I'm happy with it. I just want more of a white beam from it.

 

[Mr. Tone]

You only paid $20? You lucky dog, I paid $45 at Farm and Fleet. I used it last night, and I like it. It has decent throw, and a pretty good amount of flood. I hope somebody that has experience with those Philips bulbs will chime in and let us know if they work well in spotlights or not. I did enjoy the incand. color rendition. It gives things more depth than my neutral white LED lights.

 

[Locoboy5150]

Yeah, I totally lucked out in finding mine at Big Lots about 10 minutes from home. My brother got one there and *immediately* after I got the news, I went there the next day. I came up empty, but I went on a tour to two other Big Lots stores in the South Bay Area. You could say that I became obsessed with finding a Peak PKCOTH spotlight. Both places did not have them though.

Just when I was ready to give up my search after a week of hunting, I went back to the original Big Lots store where my brother got his. I was mainly going there to look for some cheap tools for household and R/C use and a new toolbox. I found the tools and toolbox that I was looking for, but then out of the corner of my eye I spotted a huge Peak PKCOTH box on the very top of a dusty shelf. I definitely checked that exact same shelf during my first trek there, so someone back in the store room must have found one last Peak spotlight and stacked it up there after I left.

I got a clerk to get it down for me and though the box was a little beat up on the outside, the light was perfect and everything was complete. I was *so* stoked to finally get one and for that super low price! It was definitely one of my all time best deals on anything. I've gone back to that same Big Lots store since I bought it and so far they have not had any more anywhere. I think that my brother and I got the very last two.

That's great to hear that yours is working out great for you too. The PKCOTH has one of the best cases of any 12 V spotlight that I've looked at. Its rubber coating can take a real beating, especially compared to other plastic bodied spotlights. The Peak PKCOTQ replaced the PKCOTH and that newer model's case/body is nowhere near as durable or as nice looking as the now discontinued one. The PKCOTQ does have nice LED area lights in the front of the handle though, which are a great addition. I've compared the two models side by side and the older one has a much nicer body/case, no question.

 

[Mr. Tone]

Wow, you earned the good price for your retail hunting experience. I definitely think it is worth the $45 that I paid for it. Like you said, the case is really nice and looks like it will be very durable. It is kind of cool having a big mothership like this light! The case of this light looks a lot like the Professional's Favorite 20+ million candlepower spotlight that BlueBeam has.

I am curious why nobody has chimed in about this Phlips Extreme bulb. It seems that for automotive use everyone likes it, but that is different than a spotlight. It might make this light have more output but it could possibly throw less, too. I guess we will have to wait and see. The bulbs are a little pricey to buy and possibly be unhappy with and just sit around collecting dust.

 

[Locoboy5150]

I guess that I might just have to experiment on my own in the new-to-me world of H4 halogen bulbs. :shrug:

 

[Mr. Tone]

I was hoping to see someone with these bulbs let us know. My own searching on CPF only gave me people's thoughts on the Philips lamp in auto applications. I didn't find any threads where someone actually said how they work in a spotlight, for better or worse. If you end up getting some you will have to let the CPF community know how it goes. Out of curiousity, I wonder if this thread would get some input on the Incand. subforum?

 

[Locoboy5150]

If you end up getting some you will have to let the CPF community know how it goes.

I definitely will do that. Money is a bit tight right now, so I may put off this upgrade for a little while.

 

[forexer]

Either the X-treme power or Osram's nightbreaker. Both are very good halogen H4s both are also competing brands.

But they only come in 55w so you will sacrifice brightness for a higher colour tempreature.

Forexer

 

[Mr. Tone]

So there would be less total luminous flux, but what about surface brightness/throw? Would that be higher, lower, or the same?

 

[forexer]

So there would be less total luminous flux, but what about surface brightness/throw? Would that be higher, lower, or the same?

I'm not sure about that but i think it will throw further. The surface brightness should be significantly brighter. Is your H4 instead of bi-pin? I prefer bi-pins .

Forexer

 

[Mr. Tone]

The Peak PKCOTH spotlight that we both have has a H4 100 watt lamp in it from the factory.

 

[Random Guy]

The Peak PKCOTH spotlight that we both have has a H4 100 watt lamp in it from the factory.

That seems strange for a spotlight, seeing as how the H4 is a dual filament lamp. Anyways, for other possible options to lamp it, check out store.candlepower.com.

 

[forexer]

Usually for 100 Watt halogens you get bi-pins. It's kinda weird having a 100 Watt H4 at least in my knowledge. H4's are also more expensive than bi-pins.

Forexer