Best and Brightest: Top 25 Headlight Bulb Shootout

On this channel, you have been requesting that we test a wide variety of bulbs that we have never examined before. Please feel free to leave a remark below if you still think we missed something in this test so we know what to check for the next time we shoot.

SNGL, Philips, Hiker, VLEDS, Headlight Experts, OPT7, GTR Lighting, Morimoto, Car Sparkle, JDM Astra, Onsight, and Diode Dynamics are all here today; it's pretty much anything that anyone has ever asked, "Hey, what do you think about this brand of bulbs?" There are a number of things ahead of us today, and we will determine which is the best.

Projector Headlight Testing

First, a projector headlight will be used for testing, followed by a reflector headlight. Watch until the very end, when we present the sum of all the testing findings.

First, we will test these LED headlight bulbs in a Toyota 4Runner projector headlamp. This is a low-beam headlight halogen projector; however, whether you drive a Toyota Tacoma or a Chevy Silverado is irrelevant. These bulbs should perform well in almost any halogen projector headlamp thanks to any of the features that make them work well in this particular one.

The GTR Lighting Ultra 2 was the best-LED headlight bulb for this projector headlight out of the 25 that we evaluated. Compared to the original halogen headlight bulb, this one was 400% brighter.

The S-V-4 was the second brightest bulb in the lineup. In this test, the S-V-4, which is already a favorite, was 347% brighter than stock.

Although it's not quite as bright as the GTR bulb, it's still a nice choice.

I'm not surprised that the F3 was the third-best choice. You may get this bulb from a number of different brands, all of which originate in the same location in China. It is a tiny body bulb with a tiny heat sink and an incredibly brilliant LED. Despite its intelligence, it has a serious issue. It's not balanced.

This ultra-bright LED arrangement generates more heat than this heat sink can handle. It is anodized in black throughout.

After an hour of operation, the black anodized coating on one of these burned off because the bulb became so hot.

Using this type of bulb in your car will yield comparable outcomes. Who can predict the potential harm or the inconvenience of having to replace burned-out, faulty LED bulbs on a regular basis? Therefore, even though this bubble is among the brightest of the group, I am unable to suggest it to anyone. When compared to the original halogen bulb, the F3 was 315% brighter.

From there, the brightness rise decreased dramatically. The Xenon Depot Extreme LED Pro was the next brightest bulb out of the 25. This bulb was high quality, a decent choice, and 221% brighter than stock.

The Diode Dynamics SL1 was 210% brighter than stock, making it the seventh brightest projector headlight bulb in the entire lineup. Out of all the bulbs we tested, this is the only one that is made in the United States. It is of really excellent grade.

It was twice as bright as the original halogen, had a good beam pattern, and fit the foreigner's headlight—a difficult task in itself.

The brightness of everything below the Diode Dynamics SL1 was less than 200%. Therefore, choosing anything that is not on the table makes a big difference.

Two strange things are going to occur. First off, this projector test will not be as brilliant as the reflector headlight bulbs. This demonstrates how a single lightbulb may function effectively in one housing but poorly in another. Therefore, the best bulbs that work well in both kinds of headlights are what we're searching for.

Reflector Headlight Testing

The testing of our reflector headlights comes next. It's noteworthy that the 2019 Ram 1500 reflector headlamp test results are significantly brighter than the previous projector headlight, which is a regular occurrence with LED headlight bulbs. Therefore, it is not important to consider the numbers in terms of Lux. We're in a different room with different tools, ambient lighting, and various surfaces, so you can't replicate our Lux measurements at home.

I would like you to focus on the brightness increase. You should have the same experience with enhanced brightness as I had when I tested it here today.

The GTR Lighting Ultra Two is the first. Compared to the original halogen light bulb, this one was 709% brighter.

That's wild.

This little device has a cutting-edge LED chipset. Its wiring and driver are the greatest in the business, and it uses the best fan available for cooling.

It should come as no surprise that the F3 (shown below) was the second brightest bulb in the lineup, with a 546% brightness increase, but the issue persists.

This lightbulb is unreliable. The heat sink is unable to manage the quantity of heat this device generates, and it was constructed entirely out of balance. Installing it on anything is a surefire way to fail. Therefore, even though it has a lovely beam pattern and is bright, it is still a waste of time.

The S-V-4 placed second when tested in the projector headlight. Third place, just below the F3, was achieved in this test using the reflector headlamp. You don't have the ridiculous cooling issues that the F3 has, and the S-V-4 is 500% brighter than stock.

It is reliable, well-made, and effective. An excellent choice for any reflector headlamp is the S-V-4.

We didn't rely solely on what we assumed would be the worst LED headlight bulb from this company; this one from SNGL was the fourth brightest in our reflector headlight test. We purchased what appeared to be the best and tested it out.

Though not quite as outstanding as the top three, this one was a noteworthy competitor, coming in 434% brighter than stock. Though not nearly as colorful, it is well-built overall and shares many of the same features as the GTR Lighting Ultra Two.

The American-made Diode Dynamics SL1 bulb, which was 396% brighter than the original halogen bulb, came in just behind the SNGL bulb in the reflector headlight test. As previously said, this item is of really high quality and will be an excellent choice for any project.

These ten bulbs were the best and brightest throughout the test, calculated by averaging the brightness values from the projector and reflector headlights.

The top ten brightest LED headlight bulbs available right now are listed below.

Shootout Top 9

There are now two options that I would never suggest to my worst enemy. Poorly constructed, one of them almost burns itself to death. You will continuously replace it. "For the price of the ones you do recommend, I can buy four or five of the cheaper ones," is one of the comments I can already see.

You're correct; if that's what you have to do, you could go that way, but when the one that almost burns itself to ashes is continuously burning out, you'll regret that choice. After that, you get a ticket because one of your headlights is out or the other one is poorly made and will eventually fail. You keep changing your light bulbs, removing your bumper, shopping on Amazon, and submitting RMA requests.

My suggestion will improve and simplify your life. The GTR Lighting Ultra Two is ranked first in the overall test, which is not surprising given that it won both of the individual tests.

1) The F3

On both tests, the F3 tied for second and third, but its design was subpar. This will eventually melt itself to the point of no longer functioning.

2) The S-V-4

The S-V-4 is a channel favorite and has consistently been in the top three. Everyone is aware that the bulb is solid.

3) SNGL

The caliber of this SNGL newcomer's build caught everyone off guard. In the brightness comparison, it held its own and was constructed just as well as competing products.

4) Diode Dynamics SL1

Another well-liked product is the Diode Dynamics SL1, which is of excellent quality and is manufactured in America. With that brightness and that pricing, you can't really go wrong.

5) Morimoto Two Stroke

Clearly on this list is the Morimoto Two Stroke, one of the most well-known bulbs in the world.

6) Onsight 

This red Onsight bulb, which was in the top ten, is also something I can't suggest.

The Onsight is poorly constructed, cheaply made, and lacks an external driver to justify such a high level of light. You will undoubtedly have a lot of issues with this stuff in the future.

7) Xenon Depot Extreme LED Pro

The performance of the Xenon Depot Extreme LED Pro in the projector headlight somewhat surprised me. This is a very dependable, high-quality lightbulb that will work with any projector or reflector.

8) VLED's Micro Evolution

I love the VLED Micro Evolution, even though it's not the brightest bulb. Its design and craftsmanship are excellent. If you're looking for something really compact with a good punch at a fair price, there's the GTR Lighting CSP Mini.

9) GTR Lighting CPS Mini

Only eight bulbs remain.

You'll be pleased if you purchase anything from the table in front of me. We're continuously testing the S-V-4 and the GTR Lighting Ultra Two. The finest of the greatest are those. If you want something that is both dependable and reasonably intelligent, these three in the middle are an excellent choice. The brightest headlights are the three down here.

They're sturdy, a lot brighter than standard, and fantastic selections. We would love to speak with you if you have any questions about which of these eight would be most appropriate for your next project. Naturally, we conduct the testing, and we have a sizable database of which bulbs perform best in certain headlamps.