Hey, a few weeks back I came across an AliExpress store selling an LED headlight bulb that claimed to have a 4500K option. After going through reviews, I saw that some contained beamshots of the 4500K bulb. Seeing that a set was right about $18 with taxes, I went ahead and ordered a pair. They arrived earlier this week, and they REALLY are 4500K! I compared them to couple of 5000K and a couple of 4000K flashlights, and they do appear to be in between the two temps. The pattern of the low beams are very close to the original, which is very good in regards to opposing traffic (no one has flashed their lights at me, yet). High beams are a little more diffused, but make up for it with the increased output. So far, I’m very pleased with the overall quality of light produced by these bulbs. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000795872757.html
4500K LED left, standard halogen right
Low beam
High beam (Please excuse the extra blue in the shadows. It was a result of editing the pic to compensate for the less sensitive camera sensor.)
Low beam road shot, the high beam shot was too blurry.
It’s not listed as such. In my opinion I would say that it’s not in the 90’s. But, it appears to be around 80. Again, that’s just my personal opinion and not supported by any tests. Could just be that they’re so much warmer than the 6000K LEDs on the road. The most important thing for me is that greens and browns (specifically for deer) show up well.
I’ll see if I can get a shot tonight. Now, the cutoff probably won’t be as sharp as most current lights, as I have a 96 Explorer with the traditional smooth reflector and “diffusing” optic lens.
I measured the LED high beams on my Prius, 5000K 65 CRI. They are still way too blue in person. 4500K won’t be much different. What’s really irritating is that now even Nissan Versa’s and Toyota Corolla’s are all cool white LED. The blue-tinted lights are not special or good looking, they’re all over the place. Our choice is evaporating. I hope we reach market saturation with these nasty things soon.
