Updated: January 2019
We have several HID and LED options at this point. Because of this, it can leave many confused who are looking to upgrade their lights, and really, it mostly comes down to personal preference. We won't go into the science behind each, but we will give you some general info, such as the following:
LED's
- Immediate power up.
- 3 color options to choose from.
- Longer life span than HID bulbs.
- Easier and cleaner installation due to less wiring.
- Upgrades high beam on dual filament bulbs at no extra cost and wiring.
"APX Series LED kit"
HID's
- Several seconds to reach full power.
- Up to 9 color options available.
- Generally more cost efficient.
- 55w ballasts available for maximum light output.
- While HID bulbs tend to go out sooner than LED bulbs; there are high quality ballasts that can last several life spans of HID bulbs. HID bulbs do last longer than halogen bulbs however, lasting around 2,500 hours compared to 400 hours for halogens.
- Upgrading the high beam on a dual filament bulb costs more money and more wiring due to the necessary relay harness.
"10,000k brilliant blue 55w HID kit"
First off, why would you want to upgrade your headlight bulbs to HID's or LED's? Well halogen bulbs typically last 400 hours, while HID's and LED's last a couple thousand and tens of thousands, respectively. So overtime, we would like to think an HID/LED kit would pay for itself. Not only that, but save you the trouble of always replacing your headlight bulbs and having to worry about your bulbs going out if you go on a road trip or something (Tip: never throw out your old bulbs, keep them as a back up).
These lights are a massive improvement over halogens, as you can see in the photos above. So if you live in a rural area, road travel often, or simply want more light on the road, these are for you!
Artificial lights were designed to replace the sun. For headlights, we must attempt to replace the sun within reason right, so as to not blind incoming traffic. So unless all street lights are upgraded and street lights are added to scopotic environments, HID's or LED's are almost always a must for every driver on the road.
The question then becomes, which ones are brighter? - Since we now know some of the other differences.
That's hard to answer because it depends on the kit and color you choose (in general a white light is brighter). But know that 55w HID kits are roughly 25% brighter than 35w HID kits, and we have LED kits ranging between 8,000 - 9,000 lumens. How much light do you want? Do you live in the city and drive here and there at night, want enough light to see a noticeable improvement from your halogens but not so much that you worry blinding oncoming traffic? Then you're best off with 35w HID's or a relatively lower lumen LED light.
If you want the brightest, say you live in a rural area, then you're best off with a 55w HID kit or a high lumen LED kit. Which one you say? Well our high lumen LED's are brighter than 35w HID kits, but are they brighter than a white light 55w HID kit? That's a close match and it would be hard to notice any difference, especially with differences in housings, vehicle heights, headlight condition, headlight dimensions etc. So ultimately it's up to you to decide once you weigh the pros and cons of each. One thing is for certain, you can't go wrong with either.