Spyder headlamps.....my take on 'em...and LIGHTING in general

[shovelbill]

some of you folks may have seen me post about head lights and wiring in various threads.....i've mentioned what i was going to do to improve my setup.....i started buying parts for the upgrade.

i decided on a good 4 lamp high beam deal, new head light lenses (assembly), bulbs and parking lamp lenses.

i went with the Spyder company, i got them on Amazon. my decision was based mainly on the fact they're made with a glass lens.....i hate plastic ones. i read some reviews, as i always do and took a shot. i knew these were made offshore, as is most stuff these days, but the quality varies tremendously.....some companies really do put in the effort....R&D, quality control and good materials go a long way to make up the fact that you really can't buy much these days that is actually made in the USA.....i do try to procure American anytime i can....even with the premium that it usually commands.

the box itself told me a little story....very heavy duty. not "normal" tiawan crap cardboard.

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well packed and protected

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the directions booklet was excellent quality....not the typical **** you get offshore.

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warranty form....wow.

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[shovelbill]

the lenses themselves are made very well.....they don't feel like your typical ebay-china-junk

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the sealer they used seem to be of a good quality...that was evident by the fact the pink foam packing cover was stuck to it in a few places......i think they may actually be sealed. time will tell.

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[shovelbill]

i went with Philips bulbs.....the 9006 VisionPlus low beams and the 9005 X-tremeVision high beam bulbs.....this is my first vehicle that has replaceable bulbs, not complete lights like my 1990 K/5.

lows....i bout blem packaged ones....$12

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highs

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[shovelbill]

and the parking lamp lenses were the TYC fluted covers.....they seemed to get good reviews and i thought they'd look good under the clear headlights....i'll call it good quality from what i can see. they don't do anything special.

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[shovelbill]

every truck i've ever had has been equipped with a Unity light.....i like them a lot. i may put one on the passenger side too.....i found a place that was $162 shipped, with the correct mounting kit.

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had this older unit on three of my Blazers.....after 30 years it was time to get a new one for this rig.

my '86.....this was great rig.

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my '90....parking sucks in NYC....especially in the winter.

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[shovelbill]

i'll be sending an e-mail to Daniel Stern for the RIK-HB34H kit......it's not cheap, but it's a comprehensive kit with quality pieces.......i've used his stuff before and have had nothing but good experience with his stuff.....proper connectors(i solder and shrink wrap) and heavy gauge wire is a must......

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/products/products.html#Buy

 

[shovelbill]

here's a pretty good video.....it explains things well and shows the kit.

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[df2x4]

Interesting... I did not know that Spyder was the company who made the clear glass lens headlights. Seen them floating around a lot over the years on eBay, but never knew who made them. One of my Suburban's low beam bulbs exploded inside my Anzos recently, deforming the plastic slightly. So I'm in the market for a new set. Those housings look really nice, might have to try them out.

Thanks for the info!

 

[df2x4]

Hold the phone...

I just noticed something in the first picture of the lenses that you posted. In the middle of the lens down low, there's the word "SONAR." Now the reason that jumps out at me is this...

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That's on the bottom of my elusive discontinued corner lenses that I have on the Suburban. To make things even weirder, the box they came in reads "YANGSON DESIGN." The reason this is interesting to me is that I've had a theory for a long time that there are only one or two factories in China making all this stuff, and then putting it into differently badged boxes and selling it all over the place. This seems to strengthen that theory if anything.

Just a strange observation. I wish I knew more about this parent company "Sonar," as I love those corner lights. I looked them up long ago but their website might as well have been non-existent. Seeing this kind of lets me hypothesize as to why... I'd guess that they don't want to bother with selling anything to individuals, but rather sell huge quantities to distributors like Spyder and Anzo.

 

[shovelbill]

i agree with you on the "few factories" producing....it's the same with tons of stuff...especially tools and clothing....the big difference is some runs use better materials, some have higher QC, etc.....i think this Spyder company is a good one.....

maybe they use adults instead of kids making the stuff....funny, but not.

you can see this especially in the LED industry.....there's tons of youtube videos on the difference betwixt Rigid lights and other stuff that looks the same.....better material, more complete "kits" and higher quality control....and packaging, customer service to add couple.