Full disclosure, Lightforce sent these lights out to me for the purpose of testing. That doesn’t mean my opinions of the product will be swayed. In fact, this review ended up costing me money, as I had to order a bull bar for my FJ Cruiser from the legends at Auto Parts Co to fit the things. So if anything, these lights need to perform extra well now for them to earn a place at the front of my vehicle.
What’s the story
For a full rundown on the Lightforce BEAST LED driving lights, you can check out my initial impressions article here. I want to keep this initial review short and sweet, and will update this article as time goes on.
Wiring loom
The loom supplied with the Lightforce BEAST LED driving lights is seriously impressive. All cabling is nice and thick, which is great for ensuring minimal voltage drop at the lights. A protective sheathing covers wires that need additional protection, which is also a neat touch.
It was a particularly satisfying moment pushing the Deutsch connectors into each driving light. It took a nice amount of force to make them click into position, meaning you know they are well-sealed. You really need this wiring loom if you purchase these lights, as you won’t be able to tap into the three operating modes without it. Well, you could I guess, but why you’d bother going down that path, I’d never understand when there’s a terrific loom available from Lightforce. Even the supplied switch is super neat, easy to operate and modern looking in appearance.
Wiring a Toyota – Negative switching
This was a concern when installing the lights, how to make them work with the negative switching system Toyota uses. Normally you’d have to go see an auto electrician to muck around with relays etc, which I wanted to avoid personally. When reading the instructions for the BEAST driving lights, it mentioned that the wiring loom handles all this, and it should be a plug-and-play affair. However, it did also say consult a professional. Which I am not.
I decided to give Lightforce a call and get clarification. The team was great to deal with, and gave me a few options as I wasn’t 100% sure which way things would go with the FJ Cruiser. Well, I can confirm, that it is a simple plug-and-play job.
Using a Lightforce H4 loom patch adaptor, I didn’t even need to splice into the factory wiring. Just fit the adaptor to the headlight, and run the three coloured cables to the matching coloured cables on the adaptor. It was that simple. Anyone can do this. Naturally, you need to do more to make the lights work, like run power, and the push the switch cable through a grommet in your firewall. But it’s not a hard job if you lay everything out and work through one cable at a time.
There is an additional brown wire that needs to be spliced into an ignition source, to power the day time running lights. I drive an orange FJ Cruiser, so don’t personally see the need to make myself brighter on the road during the day… but the option is there for daytime running lights.
How to operate them
As previously mentioned, the loom that came with these lights, has a neat little switch included. The switch comes with double-sided tape and a few different mounting options. To operate the BEAST LED driving lights, select high beam on your vehicle, and you are ready to play along.
You can:
- Turn the lights on and off completely
- One press to activate Spot Beam
- Press again and you have Flood Beam
- Hold down the button for a few seconds, and BEAST Mode is engaged
So, are the Lightforce BEAST lights any good?
As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. So I thought why tell you about the lights, when I can show you. I used a Quad Lock suction mount on the bonnet of the FJ Cruiser, with a GoPro Hero 11 to take the shots. I took a picture on low beam, high beam, spot beam on the driving lights, flood beam on the driving lights and BEAST mode; AKA all the lights.
Lightforce BEAST verdict
Are they well made? Yep. Made in Australia too, which is always nice to see. Are they bright? Yep. But with a nice colour temperature, I didn’t find the output to be too white. Is the adjustability handy? Sure is, I personally find myself using the spread mode more often than not. Are they worth the money? I believe so. You can take driving lights with you from vehicle to vehicle, so why not invest in a good set?
The Lightforce BEAST LED driving lights will be staying on my FJ Cruiser. And I’m not just saying that because they sent me a set. I’ve got a garage full of LED driving lights from the various light testing I’ve done over the years.
Are they staying?
They are staying on my vehicle because I like the option of adjustable beam patterns. I rate the way they look. I also rate the mounting bracket which is strong and simple to adjust. And I love that Lightforce are an Australian company. I’m impressed by the beam patterns offered, which provide an excellent range of illumination. And lastly, I know that wiring loom is seriously well made.
For 99% of four-wheel drivers, these will more than do the job. So much so, that I’ve decided I’m going to take the 40in LED light bar off my roof, and run the Lightforce BEAST LED driving lights on their own. I don’t need any more light than what they offer, my lighting needs have been met with the one set of Lightforce BEAST LED driving lights.
Let’s check back in a year to see how they are holding up. I’m confident they will stand the test of time.
Lightforce BEAST specs
Spot Mode: BEAST’s spot-beam pattern for long-distance visibility, perfect when you need to see down the road
Beam distance 1 LUX @ 1497m / 1637yds. Beam width 60m / 66yds
Flood Mode: Enhance safety on winding roads with BEAST’s flood beam pattern, offering an impressive 160-degree peripheral vision
Beam distance 1 LUX @ 778m / 851yds. Beam width 140m / 153yds
BEAST Mode: Press and hold to unleash the full potential of the lights. With extended beam distance and maximum width for long-range vision
Beam distance 1 LUX 1375m / 1504yds. Beam width 140m / 153yds
2024 Lightforce BEAST pricing:
You’re looking at $1349 for the pair with wiring loom, or lights can be purchased individually for $599 each. For more info, check out www.lightforce.com.au
