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Quality of VisionX vs Rigid vs Baja Designs vs Diode Dynamics

chtucker

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I have almost exclusively used VisionX lights in the past, I have a bunch (2 VIsionx Race Shockers bars, many many duralux, and a bunch of Transporters). I do have a pair of Rigid 360, cube SAE fogs and a pair of Baja Designs S1s.. I like my lights

They all seem "about" the same. I have never purchased Diode Dynamics. How do they compare?

I really like the SS5s that DD previewed at SEMA. I would take a 6 race pod bumper mount with a driving/wide pattern if they are of the same quality
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4x4TruckLEDs.com

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I did a write-up SOMEWHERE... but long story short this is our take on the product lines... (we do sell all the major brands)

Baja Designs for off-road lighting
Diode Dynamics for street legal lighting
Rigid Industries if you want the 360-series (the other products you can find in the Baja Designs/Diode Dynamics line-up).

Baja Designs has a lifetime warranty and they assemble their products here in the USA. They us an anodized housing so they are REALLY durable. They are more on the expensive side but well worth it. They are known in the Baja racing world (where they get their name) and it's hard to destroy a Baja Designs light.

Diode Dynamics also assembles their products here in the USA. They really hit the mark when it comes to street legal lighting, as they're "fog light" offer a fantastic pattern with a lot of light. They fall behind on Baja when it comes to the finish though, as their housings are powder coated and i've experienced chipping quite easily on their bezels. 8 year warranty on the lights. BUT the price is FANTASTIC. They've been following suit with what Baja Designs has been successfull with for years, but adding a few extra goodies (like their SSC1 and SSC2 have back-light options, which compare to the Baja Designs S1 and S2, and now the new SS5 have a back-light, which would compare to the XL Series for Baja, which has no back-lighting).

Rigid spends more money then anybody on advertising and product agreements (example: Fords got their stuff available for purchase). They used to be THE go to brand but now adays so many companies are making quality products that Rigid isn't doing anything "new". They DO have some nifty products like the 360-series and their ADAPT bar that are different then others. Their SR Series bars are also great because of the back-lighting. If you want a back-lit light, Rigid is the way to go. Their packaging is terrible though in my opinion. Every time we open a Rigid box, the lights are just flying around.

VisionX I don't honestly see much anymore. Similar to PIAA. They were big brands many years ago but these days, ya just don't see them being used. Baja Designs and Diode Dynamics are leading the way.
 

BroncoAZ

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I agree with the above. I donā€™t care to support Diode Dynamics for their obvious ripoff copy of the BD Squadrons, but I have their fogs on my Tacoma because they made a better on road product than BD in street legal fogs. Iā€™ll probably end up with the DD on my Bronco, at least the fogs.
 
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chtucker

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I did a write-up SOMEWHERE... but long story short this is our take on the product lines... (we do sell all the major brands)

Baja Designs for off-road lighting
Diode Dynamics for street legal lighting
Rigid Industries if you want the 360-series (the other products you can find in the Baja Designs/Diode Dynamics line-up).

Baja Designs has a lifetime warranty and they assemble their products here in the USA. They us an anodized housing so they are REALLY durable. They are more on the expensive side but well worth it. They are known in the Baja racing world (where they get their name) and it's hard to destroy a Baja Designs light.

Diode Dynamics also assembles their products here in the USA. They really hit the mark when it comes to street legal lighting, as they're "fog light" offer a fantastic pattern with a lot of light. They fall behind on Baja when it comes to the finish though, as their housings are powder coated and i've experienced chipping quite easily on their bezels. 8 year warranty on the lights. BUT the price is FANTASTIC. They've been following suit with what Baja Designs has been successfull with for years, but adding a few extra goodies (like their SSC1 and SSC2 have back-light options, which compare to the Baja Designs S1 and S2, and now the new SS5 have a back-light, which would compare to the XL Series for Baja, which has no back-lighting).

Rigid spends more money then anybody on advertising and product agreements (example: Fords got their stuff available for purchase). They used to be THE go to brand but now adays so many companies are making quality products that Rigid isn't doing anything "new". They DO have some nifty products like the 360-series and their ADAPT bar that are different then others. Their SR Series bars are also great because of the back-lighting. If you want a back-lit light, Rigid is the way to go. Their packaging is terrible though in my opinion. Every time we open a Rigid box, the lights are just flying around.

VisionX I don't honestly see much anymore. Similar to PIAA. They were big brands many years ago but these days, ya just don't see them being used. Baja Designs and Diode Dynamics are leading the way.
You should take a look at the VisionX Shocker bars, I don't think it would look good a Bronco, but I have two of them, both with the race LEDs in amber. There is nothing better that I have found for our rainy weather in the PNW.

I was disappointed in the Rigid 360 flood pattern as they don't put out much light.

this is my work truck Front has Rigid 360s, Rigid SAEf fogs, VisionX shocker. Rear has Baja Designs.

Can't say I am brand biased

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Alpine Blue

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I did a write-up SOMEWHERE... but long story short this is our take on the product lines... (we do sell all the major brands)

Baja Designs for off-road lighting
Diode Dynamics for street legal lighting
Rigid Industries if you want the 360-series (the other products you can find in the Baja Designs/Diode Dynamics line-up).

Baja Designs has a lifetime warranty and they assemble their products here in the USA. They us an anodized housing so they are REALLY durable. They are more on the expensive side but well worth it. They are known in the Baja racing world (where they get their name) and it's hard to destroy a Baja Designs light.

Diode Dynamics also assembles their products here in the USA. They really hit the mark when it comes to street legal lighting, as they're "fog light" offer a fantastic pattern with a lot of light. They fall behind on Baja when it comes to the finish though, as their housings are powder coated and i've experienced chipping quite easily on their bezels. 8 year warranty on the lights. BUT the price is FANTASTIC. They've been following suit with what Baja Designs has been successfull with for years, but adding a few extra goodies (like their SSC1 and SSC2 have back-light options, which compare to the Baja Designs S1 and S2, and now the new SS5 have a back-light, which would compare to the XL Series for Baja, which has no back-lighting).

Rigid spends more money then anybody on advertising and product agreements (example: Fords got their stuff available for purchase). They used to be THE go to brand but now adays so many companies are making quality products that Rigid isn't doing anything "new". They DO have some nifty products like the 360-series and their ADAPT bar that are different then others. Their SR Series bars are also great because of the back-lighting. If you want a back-lit light, Rigid is the way to go. Their packaging is terrible though in my opinion. Every time we open a Rigid box, the lights are just flying around.

VisionX I don't honestly see much anymore. Similar to PIAA. They were big brands many years ago but these days, ya just don't see them being used. Baja Designs and Diode Dynamics are leading the way.
I got some Baja XL pro lights for my badlands. I ordered them with the upfitter harness. They are very bright and seem to be excellent quality. Brackets and housings are heavy duty. Harness made wiring easy. Came with extra lenses to adjust light patterns. I don't think anybody would be disappointed in the Baja lights. 4x4truckleds.com had the best price that I could find. Well worth it.
 

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chris@pandamotorworks

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WE have done a lot of testing in this segment since joining the off road market in 2019 and have yet to find a better overall product than @Diode Dynamics .

When I mean OVERALL, I mean the entire package.


Their Patented TIR Optics make for some of the best beam pattern outputs you can find on the market. Not only does it give a great pattern but it is a more efficient way to get output making it one of the brightest on the market as well. They also do not have a lenses that can crack or allow water to intrude. The optics and lenses can be changed as well. Saving the customer money if they decide to change the setup or transfer to a different car.

Next we can talk about the customer service and warranty. I have dealt with pretty much every brand to this point and have not found a better customer service team in the lighting industry. My customers are always pleased with Diode Dynamics when they have a question or warranty issue! On stage series lighting its hard to beat a 8 year warranty. Not the best but not horrible either. Again my focus here is OVERALL

Stock levels. They are very good on getting products out the door. Most times beating ETA's they have given me for customers. This is huge right now as we are dealing with the highest # of backorders we have seen. I can not get enough to fulfill my orders when it comes to products in general. I have started taking brands off the site that keep pushing ETA's or not caring for the end user when it comes to updating 3 or 4 times.

Last I will say is innovation. The team at Diode Dynamics are really working hard to bring us new innovation to the lighting market. They will not stop making cool things. Look at the rock lights. There are so many cool features in there vs others.

The only other brand we stock is BD. They are a great product but the Panda Team FEEL that Diode Dynamics OVERALL is a better product and brand when it comes to aftermarket lighting.



Ford Bronco Quality of VisionX vs Rigid vs Baja Designs vs Diode Dynamics Bronco_Desert_3


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BLMike

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WE have done a lot of testing in this segment since joining the off road market in 2019 and have yet to find a better overall product than @Diode Dynamics .

When I mean OVERALL, I mean the entire package.


Their Patented TIR Optics make for some of the best beam pattern outputs you can find on the market. Not only does it give a great pattern but it is a more efficient way to get output making it one of the brightest on the market as well. They also do not have a lenses that can crack or allow water to intrude. The optics and lenses can be changed as well. Saving the customer money if they decide to change the setup or transfer to a different car.

Next we can talk about the customer service and warranty. I have dealt with pretty much every brand to this point and have not found a better customer service team in the lighting industry. My customers are always pleased with Diode Dynamics when they have a question or warranty issue! On stage series lighting its hard to beat a 8 year warranty. Not the best but not horrible either. Again my focus here is OVERALL

Stock levels. They are very good on getting products out the door. Most times beating ETA's they have given me for customers. This is huge right now as we are dealing with the highest # of backorders we have seen. I can not get enough to fulfill my orders when it comes to products in general. I have started taking brands off the site that keep pushing ETA's or not caring for the end user when it comes to updating 3 or 4 times.

Last I will say is innovation. The team at Diode Dynamics are really working hard to bring us new innovation to the lighting market. They will not stop making cool things. Look at the rock lights. There are so many cool features in there vs others.

The only other brand we stock is BD. They are a great product but the Panda Team FEEL that Diode Dynamics OVERALL is a better product and brand when it comes to aftermarket lighting.



Ford Bronco Quality of VisionX vs Rigid vs Baja Designs vs Diode Dynamics Bronco_Desert_3


SS5 Info and video coming very soon! Stay tuned!
TIR optic is what sold me! Otherwise it would be BD.
 

Headsong

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There's a guy with a YouTube that mounts all the lights and takes them out. I remember making down the dd"s at the time for my use.
 

Flyingbronco36

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I really enjoy LED lighting I would like to share my opinion. First, Baja Designs, Rigid Industries, VisionX and Diode Dynamics are all top shelve lighting companies. They all do something different and offer a great selection of quality products. I wouldnā€™t shy away from buying a light from any of these companies.

I have owned lights from all the above companies except Diode Dynamics. However, I am looking to change that in the near future because they have a lot of enticing products.

One thing to keep in mind, all the mentioned companies outsource all of their LED technology from other companies (i.e: Cree LED, OSRAM Sylvania Inc., Luminus Devices Inc., ETC.). Baja Designs, Rigid Industries, VisionX and Diode Dynamics take that LED technology and use their own optic designs, circuit boards, heat management designs/ ideas, etc. It is really cool.

Fun fact, Baja Designs and VisionX use the same Cree LED XP-L high in a variety of their lights. KChilights uses that same LED in their PRO6 light bar. So you really cannot go wrong with any quality name brand light.
All companies may be inspired by certain design features, I remember seeing the side lighting on the Rigid Dually side shooter pods and within a year Baja Designs releases their IPT lighting on their LP series. All good.

I personally like VisionX. I took apart a pair of CG2 light cannons and compared them to some Baja Designs XL pods. I think VisionX did a better job and their lights feel great in my hand. Great design and feel like they are built for battle. I had to send a Baja Designs light bar in twice for warranty. Great customer service, but, I had a purple exterior anodized coating (was originally black) with condensation that caused light flickering.

Would I buy from Baja Designs again? Absolutely. Without a doubt. Rigid Industries? Yes, I like their E/E2/360 series lights. But, my next light purchase will either be VisionX (my personal favorite) or Diode Dynamics (Extreme curiosity).

On a final note, I have spent near 3k on VisionX lights for various projects and whatnot. They are great and the ADV series is awesome. Regardless of the company you choose, shop around with vendors and be on the lookout for frequent promotions. There are many great deals on quality lighting and there is no reason to pay manufacture price if you are patience and shop around with vendors.
Cheers
 
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chtucker

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I ended up using a pair of VisionX transporters in 18 LED version with a 90 degree pattern. I purchased these years ago waiting for the Bronco. I really like that they are round and fit in with the Bronco's headlights. The are also CE certified for RFI noise levels. I probably would have tried LP6s ifnI didn't already have these.

I don't plan on dessert bombing, just slow and technical stuff, hence the super wide pattern. I might do some additional long distance lights. I wish BD would do a LP4 or 6 without the inner IPT LEDs. That way you could have them as A pillar lights without flooding the hood and having a super amount reflection. Some CG2s in their tiny size might work as well.

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Flyingbronco36

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^ That is badass. Looks great.
 

FatRat250

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I have some experience with all of these brands except for the diode dynamics.
I started off using Hella, Cibie, and the PIAA. But all those brands, while they date me a bit, are not in the game anymore.

A few years ago I tried Baja Designs. On my last jeep I had a 20 inch light bar on the hood, a 20 inch on the hoop, 4 squadrons up front and squadrons used as reverse lights mounted on the bumper. Also had their rock lights underneath. The Baja designs had a slightly warmer color temperature than Rigid, and in my opinion didnā€™t seem quite as powerful. But pretty darn close. Problem was, a few of my Baja design started to leak. When they went back for service it took months in some cases. The squadrons for example came back after a couple of months, and they were still letting water in behind the seal of the lens. They went back out again and even worse, the next time they were returned they came with amber lenses when I had sent in white lenses. They took so long to get repaired that in the meantime I wound up trying Rigid.

The Rigid light as I mentioned were a bit cooler temperature but not so cool as to be blue and obnoxious. The housing seemed equally tough if not a bit heavier than the Bajaā€˜s. I wound up putting four rigid side shooters on the windshield ditch light location. I had a 50 inch rigid bar on the top which held up well. I had two 20 inch bars on the front, one mounted in the skid plate and another on the winch hoop, and another 20 inch on the hood. In upstate New York I went off rock crawling at night and they worked fantastic.

I had used vision X but only tried one set of light from them and never went back. They never seem to be as good as the Bajas or the rigids
.
Bottom line, in my experience Iā€™ve had better luck with Rigid. My service experience with BD was not good. I canā€™t comment on my service experience with Rigid because over the years Iā€™ve never had to send one in for service or had one fail.

And now that I have my new bronco I already have four brand new rigid lights up on the windshield ditch lights. The side shooters give a really nice wide spread and they do a great job of getting the white to the sides of the vehicle to fill in where the headlights canā€™t. Iā€™ve also used their DOT legal fog lights which work well. In my state is sometimes get a bit of a headache with non-DOT fogs. Yes it was a pain in the neck covering all those lights for inspection but thatā€™s what 4 inch wide electrical tape is for!

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