I have recently begun an RV-8 kit. I started shopping around (probably a bit early since I?m still on the empennage) for landing lights. I have been using 35W HIDs from Duckworks in my RV4 and have been mostly pleased with the light output.
For the RV8 I wanted to minimize install labor, do away with the HID Ballast, and increase the width of the beam in front of me. I?ve always been happy with the HIDs but I?ve found the beam to be a bit narrow leaving a void in the center of the runway. I decided to look in to LEDs. There is a local supplier by the name of Rigid Industries that I?ve used in the past for Offroad lights and have been very pleased so I stopped in to see what they had available. They took the time to answer my questions and explained some of the benefits of LED lights. Things such as more usable light, Instant on requiring no warm up time, and polarity insensitive. This hit on all of the things I was looking for in a light. On top of all of that the lights are built in the USA and come with a limited lifetime warranty.
Come to find out they have a drop in replacement for my 35W HIDs that fit perfectly in the Duckworks leading edge mount. I decided to go ahead and give them a shot and drop them in my RV-4 for testing.
I have to tell you, these things really throw out the light. The beam fills the runway in front of me making my depth perception much better. The ease of installation was exactly what I was after. I had absolutely no noise difference in my headset when I turned the lights on. I do get a small amount of noise with the HIDs though very tolerable. I was initially going to just put these in to test in my RV4 then put the HIDs back in but there is no way I?m switching back now.
I?ve tried to get a few pictures that demonstrate the light but I?ve had a difficult time getting images that give a realistic depiction of the light output. You?ll see a couple that show the difference on the ground between the HID (the lamp on the right) and the LED. You?ll notice the HID beam throws a little more distance but the LED light is a wider beam. In the last picture you?ll see the difference on the ground with both LEDs installed. These tests are far from scientific but they are the best I have been able to do so far.
I don?t have any experience with any of the other LED suppliers but I can say I am very happy and would recommend Rigid Industries. If you want to see more information about the lights I installed you can check out http://www.rigidindustries.com/product-p/62010.htm.
For the RV8 I wanted to minimize install labor, do away with the HID Ballast, and increase the width of the beam in front of me. I?ve always been happy with the HIDs but I?ve found the beam to be a bit narrow leaving a void in the center of the runway. I decided to look in to LEDs. There is a local supplier by the name of Rigid Industries that I?ve used in the past for Offroad lights and have been very pleased so I stopped in to see what they had available. They took the time to answer my questions and explained some of the benefits of LED lights. Things such as more usable light, Instant on requiring no warm up time, and polarity insensitive. This hit on all of the things I was looking for in a light. On top of all of that the lights are built in the USA and come with a limited lifetime warranty.
Come to find out they have a drop in replacement for my 35W HIDs that fit perfectly in the Duckworks leading edge mount. I decided to go ahead and give them a shot and drop them in my RV-4 for testing.
I have to tell you, these things really throw out the light. The beam fills the runway in front of me making my depth perception much better. The ease of installation was exactly what I was after. I had absolutely no noise difference in my headset when I turned the lights on. I do get a small amount of noise with the HIDs though very tolerable. I was initially going to just put these in to test in my RV4 then put the HIDs back in but there is no way I?m switching back now.
I?ve tried to get a few pictures that demonstrate the light but I?ve had a difficult time getting images that give a realistic depiction of the light output. You?ll see a couple that show the difference on the ground between the HID (the lamp on the right) and the LED. You?ll notice the HID beam throws a little more distance but the LED light is a wider beam. In the last picture you?ll see the difference on the ground with both LEDs installed. These tests are far from scientific but they are the best I have been able to do so far.
I don?t have any experience with any of the other LED suppliers but I can say I am very happy and would recommend Rigid Industries. If you want to see more information about the lights I installed you can check out http://www.rigidindustries.com/product-p/62010.htm.
