STEDI Off-Road Lights?

Bravo30

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Anybody have any experience with this Australian company? They have great reviews and seem to offer a solid product at a decent price. I'm looking to put together an area light package for my Sprinter van with close to 8-10 lights so a few dollars per light really adds up.



https://www.stedi.com.au/4x4-driving-lights/led-light-bars.html
 
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-Virgil-

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I could always be wrong, but this looks just like (yet another) outlet for the same cheaply-made garbage you can buy all day, every day, directly out of China off Alibaba. All the clues are there, including the sudden "out of nowhere" non-brand, and the rest of the site ("LED bulbs" for halogen headlights, etc) reinforces that image.

"Great reviews" are easy and cheap to buy, and even the ones that haven't been bought are not reliable.

And here's the part where the old chestnuts go, about "the sweetness of high quality lasts far longer than the bitterness of high price" (which is a fancy way of saying you don't get what you don't pay for).

If you have a strong priority on cheap price, you really don't need to shop all the way to Australia; there are plenty of cheap LED lights of every description on Amazon...and some of them are almost certainly the exact same ones you see on that "STEDI" site.
 

Mr. Merk

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I'm surprised that he didn't already suggest them, but Virgil normally recommends the Hella 350 or 470 LED light bars. The 470 is just a wider version of the 350. They are available in different beam patterns and are stackable, so one could have multiple lamps for different situations.

Your Sprinter also likely accepts H7 bulbs, in that case I believe the 65-watt, 2100-lumen Ultra High Output Vosla H7 would be a worthy improvement for your existing headlamps.

I work at the Arkansas Sprinter dealership, should you ever find yourself in the area I'd suggest stopping by so we can correctly aim your lamps using our machine.
 
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Bravo30

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I'm surprised that he didn't already suggest them, but Virgil normally recommends the Hella 350 or 470 LED light bars. The 470 is just a wider version of the 350. They are available in different beam patterns and are stackable, so one could have multiple lamps for different situations.

Your Sprinter also likely accepts H7 bulbs, in that case I believe the 65-watt, 2100-lumen Ultra High Output Vosla H7 would be a worthy improvement for your existing headlamps.

I work at the Arkansas Sprinter dealership, should you ever find yourself in the area I'd suggest stopping by so we can correctly aim your lamps using our machine.


thanks for the info. My headlights are horrible as is. I'm better off holding my zebralight out the window.
 

Bravo30

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Are you after work lights or driving lights (auxiliary high beams)?




I'm looking for exterior work/area lights. I'm having an Aluminess roof rack installed soon and plan to mount led lights to the frame around the perimeter of the van. We do a lot of boondocking in the van so we'd like to be able to light up the area around the van etc. After that's figured out I would t mind a headlight bulb upgrade. I have the factory 2013 bulbs that the van came with.
 

Alaric Darconville

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I'm looking for exterior work/area lights. I'm having an Aluminess roof rack installed soon and plan to mount led lights to the frame around the perimeter of the van. ....We'd like to be able to light up the area around the van etc.
For work lights, you really don't need to spend a lot of money, so going cheap is fine.


After that's figured out I would t mind a headlight bulb upgrade. I have the factory 2013 bulbs that the van came with.
A MY 2013 vehicle with the factory bulbs? Sounds like they are the "long life" variety and perhaps there may also be a low voltage situation for them to have gone 7+ years without replacement. You should check for voltage drop. (Scroll down on that page)
 
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-Virgil-

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Old bulbs like that going to be way down on output even compared to their feeble beginnings (what Alaric is correctly pointing out is that the long-life bulbs favored by automakers for original equipment are weak on output even when they're new), and you can also get much better bulbs than the originals. Since your '13 Sprinter takes H7 bulbs for low and high beam, you can put in the excellent 65-watt H7s without causing any hazards or problems. Also make sure the headlamps themselves (lenses) are in picture-perfect condition; any visible haze will severely reduce your ability to see. And do whatever it takes to get a proper aim job.

I would suggest you should pay attention to your headlamps first, because work/area lights aren't going to be much use if you don't get to your campsite safely.

Also, those light bars you've been discussing so far would massively overlight the area unless you're planning on doing brain surgery or something out there in the boondocks. "Correct tool for the job" is a good principle to keep in mind.
 

Bravo30

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Since your '13 Sprinter takes H7 bulbs for low and high beam, you can put in the excellent 65-watt H7s without causing any hazards or problems. Also make sure the headlamps themselves (lenses) are in picture-perfect condition; any visible haze will severely reduce your ability to see. And do whatever it takes to get a proper aim job.


Thanks for the website link. I just emailed Daniel Stern lighting to put an order in for the H7 bulbs. I like how you have to go through an consultation process prior to ordering. These bulbs are all new to me so I'd like to get my order correct the first time!
 
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Alaric Darconville

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I like how you have to go through an consultation process prior to ordering. These bulbs are all new to me so I'd like to get my order correct the first time!
It's an important process. Upgrades aren't a one-size-fits-all situation, and there are other factors involved, like lamp condition and such. Throwing high-power H7s into a lamp that needs to be replaced due to lens condition isn't a great idea.
 

Snulfur

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Had a LED bar (The ST2K) mounted to my roof from them and a H4 LED conversion from them (I know it's a sin, I no longer make use of LED conversion kits after getting more information from the forums.)
My opinion is simple: They offer nice quality for the price. Personally the 5700K LED they use is a bit too cold for my liking, but like I said the overall quality is solid.
Though I have to note that I had a store in my country that sold STEDI, so I didn't have to import anything.

They are one of very few brands from what I've been able to find that offers nice comparisons between their LED-bars with how they they light the road up, you can read more on that HERE.
 
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