HOrnbrod Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 We bought a new 2015 JKU a couple of weeks ago because we gave the 2012 to our daughter and her new husband for a wedding gift. (http://comancheclub.com/topic/34929-2012-to-2015-wrangler-unlimited-jk-4dr/). I had installed Truck-lite LED headlamps in it and they were a great improvement over the stock incandescent junk. A candle would be an improvement. :yes: But there were some flaws, like the "X" pattern on both HI and LO beams at the far extent of where the left and right beams converged. While annoying, it didn't take long to get used to it given the 100% lighting improvement. The TL fit in the JKU headlamp housing was poor too; so loose I had to wrap them with electrical tape around the circumference so they didn't rattle around. But all-in-all, the TLs were fine and I thought I was happy with them. Until.................For the 2015 JKU, I looked around at all the other LED lamps and read reviews of each. The only lamp with 100% positive reviews I found were the new Quadratech LEDs. And the price was slightly better than the TLs, so I bought a pair. The first thing I noticed was the excellent fit in the housings. They fit snug and tight just like the crap stock lights did and needed no "filler". After the sun went down and and I adjusted the lamps vertically equal, I went for a test drive. They put out a much brighter output on both the HI and LO beams than the TLs, and the "X" beam convergence hotspot was non-existent. The horizontal cutoff was excellent, rivaling the E-code Hella housings I have on my MJ. The anti-flicker adapter harnesses included with the Quad lamps were more compact than those that came with the Truck-lites and fit in the housing easier. Also the time lag when switching from LO to HI beam and back was zero. The TLs took over a second to transition. The Quad lamps use the Phillips LEDs, supposedly the brightest and longest lasting of the LEDs on the market. These things are really good.If you have a JK or any vehicle that uses a 7" round headlamp, the Quadratech lamps are the way to go. Image Not Found Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87Warrior Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 Thank you for the review Don. I have been tossing around the idea of using the Quadratec LEDs in my TJ. Decisions, decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted June 29, 2015 Author Share Posted June 29, 2015 They are nice Brett. I've tried three different LED lamps so far; Truck-lites, GE Nighthawks, and the Quads. The Quads are the best all-around so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockfrog Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 Do they have any sort of heating element incorporated to combat snow build up? My wife always complains about the crap lighting on her 08 JKU. But we do get snow here once in a while, and snow covered lamps at night is downright brutal. Don't want the wife and kids dealing with that. Bad enough with Halogen lights but at least there is some heat to help the issue along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted June 29, 2015 Author Share Posted June 29, 2015 I know the Truck-lite LEDs have a heated version for additional cost. I don't know about the rest of them since it's not needed down here. :dunno: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incommando Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 Thanks for the review. Yes the headlights suck. By lifting mine it also leveled the stance and that helped some but not much. BTW: if you have backseat passengers often do them a favor and get one of the rear seat spacer kits that change the angle of the too-upright seat back. They will really thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue XJ Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I have a car with 7" light that these would be a good mod for, but they are sealed beams. I'll have to see if there is a conversion housing out there too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexia Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Quadratec LED headlights are either rebranded Truck-Lites or KC HiLites. Though the KC HiLites might be rebranded Truck-Lites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share Posted June 30, 2015 Quadratec LED headlights are either rebranded Truck-Lites or KC HiLites. Though the KC HiLites might be rebranded Truck-Lites. No, they are not. Do some reasearch before speculating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggcnash Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 What I have found through my research this is from a moderator a candlepower forums 1/15: The best-performing 7" LED headlamp is the excellent JW Speaker 8700 Evolution 2, which is available in black or chrome. It is designed and manufactured in the United States, and meets both the US and the UN ("ECE", "European") photometric standards -- though any individual example will have only US or UN markings on it. This lamp is available with built-in front position ("parking") and daytime running light functions, but those variants are harder to find from North American vendors; you may have to contact Speaker directly. The Truck-Lite units, also designed and manufactured in the USA, are objectively very good, but their beam pattern (in the US version) is very "choppy", that is, it has a lot of artifacts: streaks and spots of light in the beam. These can be distracting on the road under some circumstances. The GE and Philips LED units are rebranded Truck-Lites, functionally identical to the Truck-Lite branded product. So far, the rebrands seem to be listed at higher prices than the Truck-Lite branded lamps. There are UN ("European") versions of the Truck-Lite lamp available for left- or for right-hand traffic. These have a much smoother beam pattern than the US lamp, but low beam peak intensity is not as high as with the US lamp. The Peterson headlamp, also American-designed and made, is a good one. Its beam is smoother than that of the Truck-Lite. Low beam peak intensity is not as high as the Truck-Lite, but the Peterson high-intensity zone is wider. Neither way is overall better; they are two companies' choices in how to optimize low beam performance for the driver. This lamp is also sold as the Sylvania Zevo and the KC HiLites lamp. The Quadratec (which they falsely claim to be an "exclusive" of theirs) and the Grote are an offshore import; a rebranded Maxxima that is several significant steps below the three above. From there we continue going downhill with "Nolden" (a German rebrand of a Taiwanese lamp made by a dubious company called Microlight), Dialight (a truly pathetic item in terms of beam performance and formation), Hamsar (ditto), Optronics (ditto) and assorted own-design or knockoff lamps from a myriad of companies in China. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share Posted June 30, 2015 That commentary is word-for-word from tests run by the Headlight Superstore, a private company that sells various LED headlamps. Guess which brands they sell? It's biased as hell. The tests were pulled from their web page because of this. I like individual user reviews better that retailers' reviews. The individuals have nothing to gain; the retailers gain, well, more retail sales. But the commentary is 90% correct, and the JW Speaker is the best LED lamp out there, but they cost twice as much as the others. All the LED headlamps are light years better than the factory lighting, and they will continue to get better as technology and manufacturing techniques improve. Hopefully the prices will go down too. It's good to see the increased competition and to have better choices and options from varied manufacturers now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexia Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Quadratec LED headlights are either rebranded Truck-Lites or KC HiLites. Though the KC HiLites might be rebranded Truck-Lites. No, they are not. Do some reasearch before speculating. I did. Quadratec does not make any of their own products. They either straight up rebrand a product, such as their floor mats, or special order a product to their specifications from an existing one. The pair of preproduction Quadratec LED headlights I got my hands on one to two years ago were identical to the Truck-Lite units. If the information ggcnash dug up from the other forum is true then they have changed since then or more likely changed before they launched. Which is actually really disappointing since Truck-Lite's products are really damn good for the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted July 1, 2015 Author Share Posted July 1, 2015 I had Truck-lite (new 2nd generation) lamps on my 2012 JKU. The new Quads are nothing like them. Different housings, LEDs, design, beam pattern, etc. Even did a side-by-side before the old JKU went to it's new home in OK a few days ago. No way they are clones unless you are referring to the 1st generation of Truck-lites, which were not so good. The Truck-lites Gen. 2 are damn good, but the Quads are better, especially on LO beam. And they are a bit less expensive than the Truck-lites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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