If YOU want to find out How Much it costs to get a Custom set of Lights built (The Right Way), grab your free Guide on my website: https://flyryde.com/howmuch
In this video we tested some cheap bulbs from Amazon, against the bulbs that came standard inside these new 350Z headlights, plus we tried out a set of some of the best HID Bulbs ever!
Rate these for me in the order that YOU would buy (1 is best, 4 is worst):
- Amazon Bulbs
- Osram CBI
- Osram 66240
- Philips 85122

This video we're gon na test cheap hid bulbs versus expensive ones. This is a set of nissan 350z oem headlights and they come factory with d2s hid bulbs, which is actually one of these guys that i have here. But i wanted to test that against the most expensive bulbs that you could find versus the cheapest bulbs that you could find from amazon. So not only are we gon na actually turn these things on and see how they look, but we're also going to test them with a little meter and compare all those numbers against each other and then last, i'm gon na.

Ask you what you think the best bulb is to buy for the money as much as i hate to interrupt this. I actually messed up in the middle of the video, so stay tuned to the end. So you can see what i got wrong. So, to start off, we're gon na go with the 15 amazon bulbs.

This is 15 bucks for a pair. It was like 15.99 next day, shipping from amazon those showed up, and these are the bulbs right here, so no metal at the base. It just looks like the most basic bulb, we're gon na install into this light right now, turn it on and we're gon na count how long it takes to get to full operating temperature. All right we're gon na line up this little notch with the little square cut out there and then lock.

This bulb into place. Okay, as soon as i connect this wire, this hid is going to turn on and i want to know exactly how long it takes until it seems like it's not changing from a bluer color to more white all right. So we're going to do this on three one. Two three here we go.

It's warming up is not at the full operating temperature. I think about right now. I don't know that one certainly wasn't scientific, but it did take a while to get to full operating temperature, and you could hear the little ballast was screaming inside all right next thing, i'm going to do is shut off all the lights. I got 16 feet from about where i'm standing to my little lux meter over there, we're gon na measure in foot candles and see exactly how much each of these three bulbs produces.

Okay, so i'm gon na aim the hot spot right at our little lux meter. Here and i'm seeing about 66 as the max so far, i'm gon na try to get higher than 66., so that is going to be. Oh, we got 69., hey, i'm good with 69. okay, that is our max reading with these aftermarket bulbs.

So i'm going to unplug these, and this again was the 15 pair of bulbs from amazon, which begs the question: when people build custom lights, they always want to just know how much, but we could use cheap bulbs. We could use expensive bulbs. We could do something really crazy to the insides of these, or we could do something like is actually going to be filmed on these a very simple blackout, internal paint job. So if you want to know the answer to the almighty question of how much i've put a guide below on this video, it's a free thing for you just breaks down all the questions you should be asking and if you really want to know how much that Is how you're going to find out so it's just a free little gift for you linked up below i'm going to swap this bulb out with the second most expensive bulb, which in this case happens to be these osram cbi bulbs.
I remember these things used to be crazy, expensive, but now you can have these for about 105 bucks for the pair before i swap it out. I do notice, it just looks like a way. Higher quality bulb. You've got the metal band at the bottom, the little metal posts in in the middle there.

Let's swap out that bulb and see what the difference is in output side by side action. Oh, i knew i was gon na. Do that all right, we're gon na! Do our countdown again here we go one two three got ta count it out until we get to full operating or there that was good. Was that eight? So, like half the time less than half the time, i think i don't know it seemed like it.

Just fired up, maybe let me know if i didn't do that - the right way. I think i did i heard the ballast screaming and it took eight or nine seconds for that bulb to be all the way at least full brightness. As far as i can tell probably do this on the meter later, but that'd be so boring, let's just see how bright this bulb actually is. Okay, john's blind now, just like last time, i'm going to center the hot spot right at the little lux meter there and try to get the highest reading.

I can oh, i saw 163. Damn oh 168 is the highest so far. Well, we almost stacked the hundo on top of the last bulb, that's pretty impressive! All right, let's swap out our last and final and most expensive bulb. These bulbs are a hundred dollars a pop 99.99.

If you go down to, i don't know autozone or o'reilly, i messed up. So i was editing this and i realized that the bulb i was talking about in the video was not the one. I thought it was so now we're gon na go, buy that bulb. So i could test it too.

All right, i'm back. So this is how i made the mistake. I started editing the video and i didn't realize that the bulb i thought that i was testing was not actually the bulb. I had one that was from phillips and it turns out that the bulbs that you can get from autozone and o'reilly are actually made by osram, which have that hundred dollar bulb.

I don't know they were freaking expensive. You saw in the video right, which means that the information i put at the video that i filmed yesterday was actually incorrect that wasn't 100 bulb. You can find those things for about 80 bucks as well for a pair of them, so they weren't the most expensive. They actually were like the middle expensive one, and that makes this one, the fourth bulb, which is actually 100 per bulb, as you saw all right.

So we are now going to test this bulb with the warm-up time and the output, and i'm very curious to see what the numbers are on this one and check these things out side by side. They look pretty damn identical with the exception that this one has a little bit lighter of a gray base, but other than that i mean they're the same. Let me twist this guy in place and we'll see how long it takes to warm up all right now. For the fourth time for us, but the third time for you, we're gon na test these things, so one two three there same thing: okay, so about eight and a half nine seconds and check out the color temperature on the ceiling.
It's actually a bit more yellow, but i don't know i feel like it's a lit. It's got a little bit of whiteness to it more than the other ones. Did, let's shut off the lights and we're gon na test it on the lux meter. All right moment of truth, we are going to see the final readings for the most expensive bulbs ooh, and i can see it right there, i'm seeing.

I saw 121 for a second all right as the max now we have tested four different bulbs, i'm still going to show you the footage of the other bulb that i thought was this one and then we'll talk about it at the end, you can pick up An oem hid, d2s bulb for these 350z headlights and they by far are going to be your most expensive option and by the way, that's the price for each bulb. So this is 200 bucks a pair. This is almost twice as much as the last bulbs that we tried so um just actually like the other one. It does have a little metal band on the bottom and uh.

It's got the little metal feet there. So pull those out this time, i'm not going to drop them cause. I don't care if they're only 105., that's a lot of money for bulbs, and i can tell you that this bulb, unlike the last one. This is rated at 40 150 kelvin, which means it's gon na have a lot more yellow to it than this nice kind of pure white bulb that we had, which is the osram cbi all right.

This is gon na, be the ultra scientific test round. Three factory bulb one two three now that's pretty much, i don't know. Maybe it was 12 seconds. Maybe i jumped the gun.

It is certainly a lot more yellow than the other, so just like. I said, 41 50 on the kelvin scale. That means that it's definitely not pure white, that's more like a 5000k. This is 4150k.

I don't know it just doesn't look as good and it's the most expensive bulb. It's just a lot more yellow. Let's actually see how it performs an important thing to note as well. These are what come inside of the headlights.

So if you go to a dealer, you get original equipment. This is what you're going to see and we are getting. I saw 93 94. anyway, when i was going back and i saw the specifications for the one and thought that i was talking about another one.

I didn't feel good about putting that information out there, so we actually shot this extra part just for you. What bulbs did you think were the best out of the four of them? Would you go with the first second third or the fourth bonus bulb? I'm really curious to hear in the comments below what you would buy.

By Chris

15 thoughts on “Cheap HID Bulbs Versus Expensive”
  1. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Johnny Hohenzollern says:

    So far I know the Philips HID (Ultinon 6000k, White Vision, Xtreme Vision Gen 2) and Osram Night Breaker Xenarc 200 Gen 2 are the most expensive HID bulbs you can get right now. These 2 brands are the most well known and leading brands in the world, so the quality supposed to be better than all after market bulbs.

  2. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars xDMG15x says:

    Your test has one fatal flaw. Yellow light has a longer wavelength than blue. So blue bulbs will be brighter at short distances and yellow will be brighter at long distances, as reflected by your results. Your test should either use bulbs of the same colour temp OR include a long distance lux test. Other than that, good work!

    Oh, you should add some of the Phillips 6000K Ultinon, they’re the best bulbs i’ve found so far.

  3. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Tony Yuuki says:

    I dig how this was posted on my Birthday. For me personally, And I know you emailed me recently, but Id be between the Osram and the amazon/ebay/xenon bulbs. Why? Well first off, for my current vehicle, No one really makes the bulb size I need anymore except xenon brands. Moshimoto has my size BUT it only comes in a full kit with a harness to bypass something "Forget so bare with me".
    I also enjoy the bluish 6500-10k range of color, so no 4300k unless its 3k for fog lights. But the comparison is great! And brighter bulbs are great, but when my Xenons have people flashing their highbeams at me, I couldn't imagine one with a 160 range lol

    Sorry if my response seems abit vague, I cant quite remember what I had messaged you about but thought id respond on here anyways -Tony

  4. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars minh trao ho says:

    Hey FlyRyde.. i got a vw passat 2016 and wanted to add a thing or 2 but asked a couple of people who retrofit lights in Australia and they all say it wont work cause it would mess the coding and the canbus. Is there a chance to make it or I'll just give up? Thank you.

  5. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars simeon40 says:

    I was expecting better performance for the 85122. I have some I run for tests. I guess I should go with the CBI for testing projector headlights output.

  6. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Jonathan Maizbide says:

    What's up FlyRyde, what's your recommendations on HID bulbs? like in terms of longevity and brightness on deep length, no matter price

  7. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Assxmption says:

    Why wasn't Philips XV2 Xtreme Vision Gen 2 tested? Aren't those the "brightest" D2S bulbs on the market?

  8. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Kalyan Gautam says:

    Hello bro if we install bi led projector headlight then we have to keep open headlight cover or we can close ?

  9. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Terran Eligon says:

    I own a pair of the Osram Xenarc X1010 driving lights which I acquired back in 2004 or so. I did not install them until 2016. To date, there has been no answer by any HID or LED projector to beat these lights for intensity and width. They're powered with D1S 5400K bulbs and 35W Osram ballasts. They've been discontinued since around 2008, I think. Whatever you can find on Ebay are all used, some components missing, restoration required, and the asking price is above $550 although they cost $399 – new – in 2004.

    That left a very favourable impression on me by the Osram brand. I have a preference for cool white (6000-6500K), so my choices in order of preference are:

    1. Osram CBI
    2. Philips 85122
    3. Osram 66240
    4. NEVER.

    BUT, my bulb of choice is truly the Osram CBB. Now, we've seen enough showdowns between the CBB, CBI, CBA, NBL, Philips XWV… and the CBB does not 'look' like what it is rated to be @ 7000K. Is it really any different to a CBI, and worth almost double the price?

  10. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Mario Velasquez says:

    I’m not gonna lie you confused me a bit I had to watch the video twice lol. But I’m glad you took the time to compare the different bulbs. I usually spend the extra cash to get a good quality product and keep a set of the cheap bulbs just in case. Yes, I do keep extra bulbs as a back up.

    2 – Amazon Bulbs
    1 – Osram CBI
    4- Osram 66240
    3- Philips 85122

  11. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Rudy Rocha says:

    Do a head to head with budget d2s bulbs like morimoto, diode dynamics, NHK , stuff like that see what's the best bang for the buck.

  12. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Killer Sleeve says:

    This video was incredibly well done. I’m def a fan of both the ostensibly and Amazon bulbs. In my beater, Amazon, in my gtr who knows!

  13. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars TheDonCucaracho says:

    — so which one is your pick? First, second, third but that was filmed fourth after editing, or bonus that was supposed to be third but was called fourth although it's the third on the first video but with wrong specs?

    — yes.

  14. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Henriks Boot says:

    Osram for sure, glad I took the advice at the time on the HID night breaker laser well worth the extra pennies

  15. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Rushil Kisoon says:

    100$ for a bulb might seem expensive, but compared to the cost of replacing a whole headlight assembly when the main LEDs/lasers fail, I’d take the bulb any day.

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