You can see the archived poll results on the Wayback Machine:
https://web.archive.org/web/20221220093741/https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/72737
Just after some info on these lights, it seems the cheaper the lights the better the lumens despite the claims of +60, +130 etc.
Here are the specs from PowerBulbs (for H4/9003, prices in AUD)
Philips Vision +30%
1815 Lumens $20.44
Philips VisionPlus +60%
1780 Lumens $32.72
Philips X-treme Vision +130%
1650 Lumens $47.40
The adjustment angle determines the cut off which equals the distance the low beam can travel, the rest comes down the headlight housing/reflector.
How is it that lower lumens can supposedly travel further with all else being the same?
They have a 25% off sale that ends soon and I kind of don’t know which to buy, I’ve had the old X-treme Vision +100% before but didn’t notice much difference other than the light was a little whiter than standard.
> lower lumens can supposedly travel further
Just guessing, are the higher-lumen lights more intense in the blue range? Blue light would scatter more — so the source can be brighter but at the other end of the beam there’s more of an electric blue-white fog-bank scattered in the air, rather than an illuminated highway you can actually see.
The higher lumen bulbs aren’t blue.
The Vision and VisionPlus are 3200k without tintin and the X-treme Vision is 3700k with blue tint at the tip and in the middle of the bulb.
Also any blue (or any colour) filtering also decreases the lights potential output.
I have the Xtreme Vision +130% in my car and they made a massive difference. I have recommended them to all my family members who don’t have factory fitted HIDs
I’ve had the +100% and there was no difference apart from the colour to standard Philips bulbs that were in my car when I bought it, I still have them but I’m not using them any more.
As the blue tint reduces the visible light and they put out less lumens than the 2 cheaper ones, I still don’t know how they are supposed to shine 130% further than standard bulbs.
Looks like no one has the answers, I’ll write to Philips but I won’t get a reply before the sale is over. Doesn’t matter though, I’m not in a rush as I have about 5 different pairs of good bulbs including a unopened box of IPF X4 bulbs which I’m not sure if I’ll keep or sell.
I have the X-treme Vision +130% in my Dacia Logan MCV, they are much brighter than the “Original” Osram H4 bulbs.
My original globes must have been pretty old then or something because visually they made a big difference in my application.
I posted this in CPF, but I will post here also.
I prefer these over the Phillips. http://www.powerbulbs.com/us/product…r-unlimited-h4
Plus they are higher quality made in Germany.
My Phillips seem to burn out faster than the Osram.
Just looked at the bulbs the previous owner put in this car, they are Philips LongLife EcoVision.
On the specifications they are the same lumen output as the X-treme Vision +130%
I think the headlight bulb industry should be regulated more heavily and have independent testing by a 3rd party that gives them their ratings.
I’ll go get my X-treme Vision +100% bulbs in the next few days and test them against the EcoVision, I don’t expect much difference even though the +100% are supposed to have more visible light than the +130% according to CPF.
I’ve looked into bulbs and here is what i know or suspect:
Thinner filaments give more lumens for the same wattage but burn out sooner.
Many companies will state how many hours the bulb is supposed to last or the information is available by request. However you can’t correlate hours vs lumens between companies or models.
The lumens numbers make no sense, probably because too high lumens are not legal so they rate it at numbers that should be legal then say X% brighter.
Bulbs lose brightness as they age (usage), so even though they are still working they are not as bright when aged as they were when new.
Many plastic housings on cars lose their clarity and haze over. This reduces throw and eats lumens. This can often be cleared up with restoration kits which are sandpaper and a UV protective coating.
If anyone knows more please post references.
I agree with your comment. Even though my Osram lamps are rated lower in lumens than the Phillip lamps my Osram lamps spread a wide even beam giving me better coverage to see the road. Osram even states they use a more robust filament.
I almost ordered some osrams from that website because I’ve never seen them for sale in the US… But it looks like Osram is the same as Sylvania in the US
The Osram Night Breaker lamps I bought are made in Germany which I have had good luck with these over Sylvania and Phillips.
From this link, they are different products:
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/blue/good/good.html
Osram Silverstar - clear
Sylvanis Silverstar - blue tint
Also “PARTY25” gets 25% off, finishes today if anyone wants anything from there.
I’m tempted to buy some bulbs but I probably wont this time around.
The Osram Night Breaker lamps have a blue tint glass, but they are not ultra white. They actually have some yellow on the output which makes night driving easier to see.