Back in Issue #023 of Unsealed 4X4 we put together one of the biggest product comparisons of round LED driving lights ever conducted. In that test, there was a water submersion component where all lights were warmed up, then dunked…
Back in Issue #023 of Unsealed 4X4 we put together one of the biggest product comparisons of round LED driving lights ever conducted. In that test, there was a water submersion component where all lights were warmed up, then dunked into a fish tank (very scientific, right?). While this test method was a tad crude, it did alert us to three sets of LED driving lights that let in a small amount of water. Each of the companies concerned worked closely with us, and in fact went back to the drawing board to make improvements such as fitting breathers to the lights. Now that all of these lights have been improved (according to their manufacturers), we decided to dust off the fish tank and find out for sure. Â Â Â
BUSHRANGER NIGHT HAWK
In our initial test, the Bushranger light let in some water and failed to work afterwards. The Bushranger team could not recreate this issue – so we put it down to a one-off manufacturing problem (these were purchased off the shelf). Moving forward, the engineering team decided to fit breathers to the Night Hawks, and we had no issues with them in our second round of testing. They are now sitting on a staff member’s bullbar for long-term testing.
DRIVETECH 4×4
This was a real easy one to fix for the Drivetech 4×4 team, and we are glad because we’re incredibly impressed with their performance and bang-for-buck. It turns out the connector on the back of the light was slightly loose; a quick tighten-up with a spanner and we found the lights to be perfectly watertight in the second round of testing. Drivetech 4×4 has gone through its entire stock and individually inspected each light for this concern, so this should be a non-issue for anyone who has bought (or is considering) these lights.
ULTRA VISION NITRO 120W MAXX
As per Bushranger, the Ultra Vision team went back to the drawing board and have now fitted breathers to their driving lights. On the second round of testing we found zero water to have entered the lights, and they fired up straight away after their dunking. They are incredibly good performers and we are happy to hear this single modification has eliminated any issues with water ingress. As Ultra Vision LED driving lights are built in Australia, Ultra Vision reported that the fitment of the breathers was done in-house at its new facility. Â
