KC Flex Led light bar VS Made in China alternative

[PetitFrereArmada]

KC Flex Led light bar VS Made in China alternative from alibaba.

I have admired this KC Flex Array Led Light Bar for a long time and wanted to have it on my suv. Unfortunately, the price was a lot more than I was wiling to spend.

So, I looked for alternative and stumbled on this Made in China alternative on alibaba.

This is made in China. But the output is on par with the KC lights. If you put both lights next to each other, you will not see the difference in light output. Light output from both looks like pure white 5500k.

They do have some slight differences in built quality, but output seems to be exactly the same: XM-L2 leds used.

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

For example. This KC Flex bar is 30 inch, has 15 led pods and cost $1,302.

I bought Made in China alternative to the KC light. I bought a total of 16 led pods and it cost me 1/4 of that price shipped to my door.

I am just sharing my find. Maybe it can help some people who are willing to go cheap for quality.

The offroad lights on my suv are all from China and performance is top notch.

KC light 30 inch with 15 pods

Made in China alternarive with 16 pods

I went to a 4 wheel parts store here to compare the built quality of the KC Flex light to the Made in China alternative. You can see for yourself how they look next to each other.

China made 8 pods on top. KC Flex 5 pods below.

China made on top. KC Flex below. Close up pic for comparism.

I hooked it up last night to see the output. This thing is bright. I will replace the lights below on my car with these new lights. I just need to find a day to go get it done.

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

Unboxing flex led pods from China. Shipped through FedEx. It took 5 business days from China to my door.

Hooked up the light to test output. Very impressive.

 

[tdferrero]

Don't let some of the members here know you bought something from China, you'll be crucified. I'm having the same struggle between Baja Designs lights and some affordable knockoffs. With that, the quality and light output look more than adequate. Glad you got some good lights!

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

Don't let some of the members here know you bought something from China, you'll be crucified. I'm having the same struggle between Baja Designs lights and some affordable knockoffs. With that, the quality and light output look more than adequate. Glad you got some good lights!

Lol, that was funny, but I understand what you mean.

As concerns your struggle between Baja Designs and knockoffs, I will say this. Just the fact that you even consider a knockoff for your car and you are having a struggle between a premium brand and a no name brand, that says a lot about how the no name knockoff.

We know some people on the forum that have trucks with mods that cost a lot of money. There are some people too who have trucks with mods that may cost way less with affordable mods. Both trucks would probably have offroad lights on them and both go offroad and have tons of fun.

Some people will only buy premium goods and pay premium prices. That is awesome. But some people will buy the affordable no name brand goods and still give great reviews. So, it is usually a matter of someone's financial means and willingness to buy premium products or go for no name brands or affordable brands. We all have different financial commitments, obligations and priorities, so modding a car may be very secondary to many. So some people just want some simple and affordable things without breaking the bank.

It would be very interesting to see what you finally end up buying: the baja design or the affordable knockoff you are looking at.

I have been lucky with my lights that I always buy cheaper from China. I have 8.5" laser led canons on my rig. I bought them from alibaba, directly from China. The thing is excellent. I cannot call it the best 8.5" led canon out there, but I would be glad to find out if there is any 8.5" led canon out there that outperforms the 8.5" laser led lights that I have.

Here is my video showing the performance of my 8.5" laser led canons.

 

[plh]

Probably the same product

 

[tdferrero]

Lol, that was funny, but I understand what you mean.

As concerns your struggle between Baja Designs and knockoffs, I will say this. Just the fact that you even consider a knockoff for your car and you are having a struggle between a premium brand and a no name brand, that says a lot about how the no name knockoff.

We know some people on the forum that have trucks with mods that cost a lot of money. There are some people too who have trucks with mods that may cost way less with affordable mods. Both trucks would probably have offroad lights on them and both go offroad and have tons of fun.

Some people will only buy premium goods and pay premium prices. That is awesome. But some people will buy the affordable no name brand goods and still give great reviews. So, it is usually a matter of someones's financial means and if their willingness to buy premium products or go for no name brands or affordable brands. We all have different financial commitments, obligations and priorities, so modding a car may be very secondary to many. So some people just want some simple and affordable things without breaking the bank.

It would be very interesting to see what you finally end up buying: the baja design or the affordable knockoff you are looking at.

I have been lucky with my lights that I always buy cheaper from China. I have 8.5" laser led canons on my rig. I bought them from alibaba, directly from China. The thing is excellent. I cannot call it the best 8.5" led canon out there, but I would be glad to find out if there is any 8.5" led canon out there that outperforms the 8.5" laser led lights that I have.

Here is my video showing the performance of my 8.5" laser led canons.

I completely agree. Especially with the uncertain times in which we're living, I find it very hard to justify buying a set of lights that cost more than my bumper, or in some cases, suspension. While I'm all for buying quality products, as I've been known to be a bit of a brand snob in the past, is a $1200 light bar, for example, really worth it for how little it would be used? In my case, no, but there is always that slight factor of vanity you get when you have expensive parts on your rigs. I've had great luck with the knockoff lights for the past few years, so I'll more than likely continue on and spend the difference elsewhere.
Cannon may be a bit of an understatement there! That's an impressive light for sure. And as @plh said, they're probably the same product. Gotta pay for that sticker with the name on it somehow.

 

[ITTOG]

For me it all comes down to what the part is for. If I am buying it for my drivetrain, you better believe I am going to buy a quality part. If it is lighting, I am with you, find the best deal available. Good work finding the best deal and thanks letting us all know how they perform. I would appreciate a link if you don't mind sharing.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I have the cheapest of Chinese knock off lights on mu truck... They have worked great for years. Only down side is the black housings fade pretty quickly.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

While I'm all for buying quality products, as I've been known to be a bit of a brand snob in the past, is a $1200 light bar, for example, really worth it for how little it would be used? In my case, no, but there is always that slight factor of vanity you get when you have expensive parts on your rigs.

Well...with an attitude like that certainly won't get you make followers on Instagram.

 

[tdferrero]

Well...with an attitude like that certainly won't get you make followers on Instagram.

But wait...I want to be trendy.

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

For me it all comes down to what the part is for. If I am buying it for my drivetrain, you better believe I am going to buy a quality part. If it is lighting, I am with you, find the best deal available. Good work finding the best deal and thanks letting us all know how they perform. I would appreciate a link if you don't mind sharing.

You are welcome and I will definitely share links. Let me get it and post.

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

Made in China led pods on alibaba...

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

I was lucky to secure an appointment to install them today. I am at the shop now and asked if they could let me take some pictures when they fit in one of the lights. It fits snug. Really tight. He still has some work to do as the brackets provided will not work for this location. So, he is trying to see what modifications he can do to secure and bolt the light.

As much as I do not like the gold bezel, the company in China told me they did not have black bezels for me. So, I will see what I will do about that some day soon or I will leave them gold as is.

 

[PetitFrereArmada]