Stefan Fischer from AllOffroad has tried and tested the Lazer Sentinel Elite 9″ LED driving lights. Watch his comprehensive review here.
Stefan from AllOffroad has tried and tested a number of driving lights on his adventures over the years. From eBay cheapies through to the more high-end products like Lazer or Ultra-Vision, he’s tried them all. It’s no surprise to hear that he most definitely sees a big difference between the light distribution of a cheap light and a more high-end product, as well as a marked difference in how long they last.
So while we all love a bargain, at the end of the day, driving lights are just one of those products that you get what you pay for. And given how important they are for safety on the road and around the campsite, you want to ensure you’re investing in the right product.
Stefan made the switch to a set of Lazer Sentinel Elite 9″ LED driving lights over a year ago and has produced a comprehensive review of his year-long experience with these impressive lights, which includes night driving footage comparisons so you can actually see how they perform in action.
There is a noticeable difference between cheap and expensive lights regarding light quality and how long they last. In general, the cheaper products do not have great light distribution (although Stefan acknowledges that cheap additional driving lights are better than none at all), and within a year, start to lose LEDs and experience water ingress.
Now, this is an interesting topic because many of us make the common mistake of thinking, “the brighter the better”. However, Stefan says that over time, he has learned that this is not necessarily an advantage. For example, when Stefan previously had a set of Fyrlyts that projected for over two kilometres and were incredibly bright, it meant on straight roads, he had trucks flashing their lights at him to switch his driving lights off while they were still kilometres away. Another important thing to remember is that even though a light might have the ability to shine that far ahead, a normal-sighted person can’t actually see what’s going on two kilometres away. What’s more important, is a good combination of spread and distance, with no hot spots and very even light distribution. Stefan says this is where the Lazer Sentinel Elite really shines.
The Lazer Sentinel Elite 9″ boasts a combination of 32 high-power LEDs. Emitting 15,232 raw lumens, the lamps deliver 1 lux to 742m, but it’s in the 52-degree horizontal spread of light where they really come into play, providing visibility at the sides of the road or track in the mid-long range where you really need it. Anyone who has ever collided or had a near miss with a roo will understand why this is important. Colour temperature is a pleasant 5000K, which is fairly easy on the eye while maximising sharpness and definition.
Although I don’t like to admit that it’s important, if I’m going to fork out the dollars for a quality product, I want it to look good. Fortunately, the Lazer Sentinels look damn good, particularly the black ones. The black variant has black printed circuit boards and a black bezel feature with intricate hexagonal design detail for a modern look. The wide diecast alum bracket features the Sentinel stamp and, like the lamps themselves, has an automotive-grade pre-treatment before they’re powder-coated satin black.
Designed and manufactured in the UK, Lazer Sentinel Elites are IP68 watertight (1.5m submersion – 30 mins) and are backed by an impressive 5-year warranty.
A Lazer Sentinel Elite 9″ LED driving light will set you back $745. So if you want two (which you probably do), you’ll need to invest just under 1.5K buckeroos.
