Light bar ...What's your choice??

Upgrading the tundra looks like an endless mission. I researched the bumper light bar choices in the market and I was lost, some videos give decent information but not enough to make me prefer one brand over the other. What do you think of the available options? I've seen few good ones; Baja Designs, Rigid, Heretic Studio, morimoto. I guess the main question is which one of them will give you the best value for the money? which one likely to decline more when heats up, also clear vs amber for across states driving in normal conditions and some off road on the weekend?
Thanks in advance guys

 

You simply can't go wrong with Baja Designs, buy once cry once. Their warranty is extremely good as well as their customer service, should you have any issues, which I never have.

 

Can you do a mix between amber and white, what model did you got? can you share a picture if you can.
Thanks

 

Hey @Oakman,

With being in the market of adding some light onto your tundra. What type of driving will you be doing? Do you still have an aftermarket front bumper or do you still have a stock one?

When first starting to dive into looking at AUX light, you may feel overwhelmed with all the information out there, so let me link you to some information to help determine what you are looking for.

LIGHTING ZONES
https://www.bajadesigns.com/help/lighting-zones/

What Is Your Lighting Zone?
The needs of every off-roader are different, so we’ve created a Lighting Zone system to help you mix and match the right products with the right lenses in the right places to achieve the absolute best results. We believe it’s not just about having the brightest lights, but using the right lights in the right way. A high-quality and strategic lighting package will make you safer and give you that competitive edge, but it is important to understand the proper placement, power, and pattern for each zone. Whether you love rock crawling and overlanding, or racing 100mph in the desert, we have lights that will perfectly illuminate each and every zone.


Amber Vs. Clear
https://www.bajadesigns.com/amber-vs-clear-what-is-the-difference/

ELS (Effective Light Score)
https://www.bajadesigns.com/els/

If anyone has any questions or would like to get some more information about our products please feel free to reach out to bill@bajadesigns.com.

Best,
Bill

Bill Sonevongxay | Forum Sales & Support 
Email: Bill@bajadesigns.com Phone: (760)560-2252

 

I'll toss Diode Dynamics into the mix too.

 

Baja designs IR 940nm ftw! Blackout mode with nods!

 

You all are getting fancy, haha. I just want some OEM fog lights since mine didn't come with any.

 

Thank you Baja Designs,
I came across some of these info in my search, my main purpose of the bumper light bar is to see as far as possible while driving across multiple states (Lots of driving off main highway), deer/wildlife and debris is my main concern & I do some off-road on the weekend with my family.
I have the CBI bumper, just waiting for a warmer day to put it on, in the meanwhile, getting all the parts ready for the big day, here is the list of items to give you an idea about the project:
-CBI bumper
-Warn winch
-Front bumper Light bar
-Paint chrome to match the body color
-Not sure if I want to install a heritage grill and add another light bar.

 

I would compare Diode Dynamics to any other brands before purchasing. I've had everything mentioned in this thread and then some and always go back to Diode Dynamics. I've never had a failure or problem across several of their products.

I like Baja Design products, and have purchased on of their light bars.. For what I spent I could have purchased a single Diode Dynamics bar with equivalent performance and styling and had beer money for two years left over.

 

True but Baja warranty is the best in the industry. They replaced an out of warranty s8 40” for shipping costs….

 

Diode Dynamics offers an 8 year warranty on all of their light bars. I'm only 4-5 years in on my bumper-mounted combo bar, but so far no need to replace it. If it fails in 4 more years and I have to buy another one for 1/3 the cost I'm still saving a few hundred dollars.

I think they both make great products. If it makes sense to you to spend the same amount on your lightbar as you did your bumper, I won't argue, but the math starts to get a little fuzzy for me at that point.

ETA: I have a shitty 38" Xprite bar mounted to my roof rack. It's low profile and puts out a ton of light. Been up there for maybe 6 years at this point and still works like a charm.. I think it cost me $150. =\

I'm not broke but I want to send my kids to college!

 

Diode dynamics makes some of the best light bars on the market.

 

Baja Desings S8 grill and bumper lights, they are ok probably not worth the money

 

Second vote for KC. Been making lights since before the others were a twinkle in their mom’s diodes. Solid build quality.

 

Baja designs..grille, behind bumper and fog lights

 

Rigid SAE 20" light bar and Rigid 6" amber plug and play replacement fog lights.

 

Heretic designs, just got mine about a week ago. Will be installing it soon along with my fog lamp. Made is USA.

 

I like the DD. They are significantly cheaper than Baja but I’d argue comparable performance. DD have great optics, putting light where you want it. Baja do look better though. Baja has a slightly warmer white, which is better to reduce fatigue at night.

if I were to get ditch lights it would be the morimoto big bangers. Most output out there for any light.

if you want true sae fog lights, with a proper cut off Baja is the way to go.


Depends what you’re after for what is “best”

 

LASFIT makes great product for the price! I’m happy with my lighting.
you can always use my promo code: “brienne915”

 

Headlight revolution reviewed few top brands, they talk about decline in brightness with use due to heat, not sure if this is something you guys noticed?

 

Any of you guys want to sell your OEM fogs cheap?

 

I was thinking sell until they became backup lights-

 

define cheap

 

My take has been:

Two best brands Baja and DD
Baja-hands down the brightest
Diode-really close to brightness of Baja but slightly not as bright

I went DD with a great reputation. Great warranty. Don't technically need the extra lumens if we are being honest. Felt I could buy two DD if needed for the price of one Baja.

But the DD white fog lights are used WAY more than the light bar and almost make me not use my high beams they are so bright with great wide angle lighting as well.

Personally feel light bar is for looks and on occasion function but the fog lights are where the major use/difference is.

 

Pretty much same here. Once I had the DD white fogs aimed, they work much better than the OEM. I also went with the DD stealth bar. Not as much noticeable difference with the OEM LED high beams. Took more effort to aim, but once done they fill in the gaps from the OEM.

 

$50 shipped? Much more than that I’ll probably get something aftermarket instead before next winter.

 

I have the Diode Dynamics SAE SS3PRO fogs in amber and they're phenomenal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQVKtj_VJY8

 

I got a Diode Lightbar for my Pro grille. I jumped on one of the sales from late 2023. I have yet to install it because I have too busy and also want to color the moustache at the same time so maybe when the weather warms up.

 

A simple pair of BD Squadron Sports is a great improvement at a fairly low buy in price. Definitely use the amber colored lens since it’s going to be installed on a toyota...any other vehicle brand (2 or 4 wheels) and i’d go after a standard clear lens.

 

I would second the DD SS6 fog light upgrade, can go white or amber. Much brighter than OEM and honestly, almost brighter for off-road/dark driving around corners than the stock TRD PRO light bar. My other lights are all Baja Designs, they definitely are the best. I have a 40" lightbar up top and ditch lights, pretty dang incredible. Really makes the stock TRD PRO lightbar seem like a poorly designed product. Will definitely be replacing that with a bajadesigns in the future.

Also, Amber makes a huge difference. But more than color, ability to modulate light intensity makes a bigger difference in fog, dust and heavy rain. I have ambers for ditch and roof lightbar and love the combo with the bright white of the DD fogs and Alpharex headlights. Honestly a perfect combo. If I replace the in grill lightbar will go with amber.

Best of luck and hope that helps!