Clone of ARB Intensity LED Driving Light/Light Force 250!

[grimbo]

At the end of the day, is there a $1400 difference in build quality? Regardless of how much better the ARB lights are.. that's quite a price gap.

But ARB spent considerable R&D developing their lights, which include much higher labour rates for the Australian workers and then the joint costs with Rigid while the Chinese one just rips off the design etched without any if those costs involved

 

[Beowulf]

PDF for the new smaller ARB lights.

http://www.arbusa.com/uploads/PDF/newProductAdvice/2014/AR21_Retail.pdf

 

[unkamonkey]

In the late '60s a friend had an Alfa Romeo Giula with 2 aircraft landing lights mounted behind the grille. A friend said that it would light up the hill a few miles away. I'm sure they were a good strain on the battery and generator.

 

[kojackJKU]

sport compact car built a rally Datsun 510 with 2 mounted in the grill and caught the car on fire. ha ha.

 

[unkamonkey]

sport compact car built a rally Datsun 510 with 2 mounted in the grill and caught the car on fire. ha ha.

That would have been interesting to see.
I have a 400,000 CP hand held light. I think I have used it once on the trails.
You can light things up 1/4 mile away.
It is a handy thing to have on a boat if you are running at night. It's also a good way to cook some wires if the boat system is corroded.
I'm happy with the halogens in my Jeeps. It beats the heck out of the old 6V lights on my 64 VW. I know it was a Bosch system but it's sort of like the old Lucas joke, "You had to go out there with a lighter to see if the headlights were working".

 

[alan]

I'm well aware of the history of ARB and where there parts are manufactured/sourced including but not limited to Australia, Japan, Malaysia, China and the USA. In the case of the ARB LED lights we are discussing in this particular thread. They are made in the USA, I don't know why your having a hard time believing that but ARB is a global company and sources and has their parts manufactured in many countries both in their factories (they own factories outside of Aus ) and in third part factories.

View attachment 247027

PS, ARB USA isn't just a distributor, they are wholly owned by ARB Australia

ARB USA is just a distributor, and they will sell to anyone.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

ARB USA is just a distributor, and they will sell to anyone.

You're missing the entire context of the discussion:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...-Light-Light-Force-250!?p=1668954#post1668954

ARB USA is the NA (and SA) distributor of ARB products and yes they sell to a wide variety of outlets. They are also solely owned byt ARB Australia. But that still doesn't mean ARB Australia doesn't buy LED's from the USA

 

[kojackJKU]

I thought the ARB lights were made in 'merica? Now they are just using US soruced LEDs? hmmmmm whats next. the screws that hold them together are just sourced from US? Are they fully built in aus? That's what I was under the understanding. And if they are using anything from rigid, they are selling themselves short.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I thought the ARB lights were made in 'merica? Now they are just using US soruced LEDs? hmmmmm whats next. the screws that hold them together are just sourced from US?

Let me get out the crayons here. Where did I say there were not made in the USA? When I said "buy LED's from the USA", I'm referring to the entire light assembly.

Are they fully built in aus?

Nope, still made in the USA, nothing has changed in the last few months
http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...-Light-Light-Force-250!?p=1668967#post1668967

And if they are using anything from rigid, they are selling themselves short.

Yeah, you've mentioned your opinion on that a time or two in this thread. We get it, you don't like Rigid. Doesn't change the fact others do. Rigid is a well known product with solid R&D (not reverse engineering) with proven results in places like the Baja 1000, Dakar and others. Perhaps they don't live up to the rigorous wants and needs of the hardcore Newfoundland scene but elsewhere on the globe, users are happy with them

You don't get back to back 1st overall wins in the Baja 1000 without legit lighting. Simple as that.

 

[dirtred]

And if they are using anything from rigid, they are selling themselves short.

Rigid is assembling and manufacturing them because Rigid is well-equipped to do that. They're ARB's lights, manufactured to ARB's design and specifications.

Similarly, many people wouldn't touch Monroe shocks, but are loyal to ARB's Nitrocharger and Nitrocharger Sport, which are manufactured to ARB's design by... drumroll please... Monroe.

It's almost as if the quality of the product design carries more weight than the company assembling it.

 

[kojackJKU]

Funny you should mention Monroe, I use them and LOVE Them. Lifetime warranty, awesome control on and off road, hmmmmmm. As for rigid, again, They are very overpriced for what you get. Vision X and Baja Designs make way better LED bars than rigid for similar money. again, Rigid are In the same class as the reverse engineered ones. But for way more money. Yes yes, Meter tests say they are better, but When a lowly 55w halogen light drowns out a new super expensive rigid LED light, then where is the advantage in running them? I see none. Again, I have not seen ARB LED lights in the flesh, but if their performance is similar to rigids, (since they are using them to design their lights), Then they are not worth the money asked. IF they outperform rigids own lights by a huge margin, then yes, they are worth the price of admission.

I only brought up the Made in usa comment as you said first they were made in the USA, then said they use "LEDS" made in the USA. I was just wanting some clarification. YOu should have just said that.

 

[vitodivita]

I just ordered a pair of these myself. I felt they were so affordable that it's worth giving it a try. I have the JW speaker headlights and I couldn't fathom spending more on an auxiliary light than a headlight (some think the other way around, but to each its own).

 

[kojackJKU]

Let us know how you like them when you get them installed and aimed.

 

[CJustin7]

For knock offs, those look great. All the way down to the build quality and light output. I mean, do you really need anything brighter than that by a few lumens ? I doubt anyone here is running king of the Hammer, or desert racing...... so you shouldn't have any issues with them running trails. If you happen to have issues, you can buy 3 more pairs and STILL have money left over, as opposed to buying ARBs. That's a no brainer here for me.... or for people on budgets. I see no reason to spend an absurd amount on ARB lights now that I see the knock offs are more or less just as good. I'll be sending my hard earned cash to the China man across the pond for a set of those or something similar.
Thank you so much for posting those pictures and the detailed description of the product itself. I for one am sold.

 

[Beowulf]

The 9" are just too big for my application. Anyone seen the knock-off 7" version yet?