LED Light bars - What's with all the price differences?!

These days, LED light bars are all the rage. You can find 50" light bars ranging from $300 to excess of $2000.  The differences?  Here's 6 criteria I've found on how they are being judged.

CREE

CREE is a brand.  It's the manufacturer of the LEDs that are the light bars are composed of. CREE LEDs are hailed as being the best out there.  Most if not all of your LED light bar companies are using these CREE in their light bars.  On a personal level, I can't tell you if they're the best because I haven't seen or performed a comparison test myself, but there seems to be little debate on this.

Lumens

Lumens is how the light bars are being compared these days in regards to brightness.  However, it's somewhat misleading.  How? Lumens is basically defined as measureable light per sq ft.  For easy math, let's say that the light is rated at 10,000 lumens.  That means that light bar could produce a light beam of 10 ft wide and 1000 ft deep or a beam of 1000 ft wide and 10 ft deep.  See where I'm going here?

IP Rating

There are specific ratings on how well the light bars are sealed.  IP is a rating system used for that.  The numbers are then broken down in to what degree these bars are sealed, whether its from water merely splashing onto it or if the light bar can physically be submerged without issues.   The first number represents to what degree dust is kept out.  The second represents the level in which water is kept out.  If you want further explanations here, here's the Wikipedia link for easy reference.  A rating of IP68 means the bar is dust tight and is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions specified by the manufacturer around or over 1 meter.

Manufacturing

With those factors being used as a comparison, here's the skinny on the Chinese brands that are so popular out there.  They're all made in the same Chinese province: Guangzhou.  There are 7 main manufacturing plants in the same district, all of which have the same designs (and some have made their own in house designs).  Every "off-brand" is sourced from one of these plants.  (This I learned from a trade show in Taiwan from one of the plant reps.)

So what sets a few of these brands apart?  For starters, some companies are purchasing the individual parts from these plants.  On import, they assemble them and add better sealing components to increase their ratings.  Some even coat the casings to prevent sun fading.

Made in the USA?  To earn the right to say that, the product must be "all or virtually all" made in the US, including its components as defined by the FTC. (Source: http://www.business.ftc.gov/documents/bus03-complying-made-usa-standard)

Examples:
Bulldog Lighting is promoted as Made in the USA.
Rigid Industries is USA Assembled (the ONLY component made overseas is the LEDs per an RI rep).

Warranty

Most overseas and off-brand light bars carry a 1 year warranty.  Some carry 3, 5, and lifetime warranties.  If this is key to you, I'm sure you will research what the manufacturer carries before your purchase.

Housings

If you look closer at how the light housings are designed, you will see a reflector housing and the LED in the center.  There are variations to the reflector housing designs between a few companies.  The only company that makes anything remotely different here, is Rigid Industries.  Each LED is in a projector housing.  Best visual comparison I could provide you there is the difference between a halogen and a projector headlamp.

So....what's the best?

To the eye, every single one of these are blinding. You might even notice lighting for a good distance. But everyone has their threshold in what they're willing to spend on these puppies, so my opinion is this.  If you're wanting it for the looks, I'm sure the off-brands would work great for you.  I've heard of some who have used silicone to help provide an extra seal.  Just like the aftermarket headlights, you have a 50/50 chance of seeing condensation in them, so it may be a good idea to do so as a precaution.  If you plan on riding at night at any kind of speed, get a light that has done testing on the beam patterns.  After all, you are buying these for your safety.