# Led comparison



## ihuntcatahoula (Feb 4, 2013)

I haven't been on here in a little while and noticed some led talk so I decided to post a review that I did on some led lights on here to show how they work compared to halo's. 


I was able to take the boat out this weekend and test the lights. I was comparing 3-27 watt Customfitz cool white Led’s, 1-50 watt Customfitz warm white led, along with 1-500 watt econolight halogen. I used a piece of pvc pipe and marked every foot with reflective tape to see what kind of visibility each light produced. First I tried the 27 watt led’s I was able to see 2+ feet in the stained water with them. I then tried the 50 watt led and was able to see 3+ almost 4 feet into the water. Lastly I used the 500 watt halogen it may have penetrated slightly more than the 50 watt led but I was unable to see the 4 foot mark clearly with either. I believe that the 50 watt and the 500 watt preformed way better than the 3- 27 watt led’s. It could have been the color of the 27’s that caused them not to perform as well in the stained water. Both the 50 watt led and the 500 watt halo produce an amber color light while the 27’s produce a white light. I then cruised around the shoreline where the water appeared to be a little clearer, giving each light its turn to shine so to speak. First I used the 27’s again and was able to see the rocky bottom fairly well observing rocks in the 3-4 foot range. Then I turned to the 50 watt led and it worked a good bit better as I suspected from the earlier test. I was able to see rocks 5-6 feet deep. It was then time to see how the 500 watt halogens compared. There was maybe a slight bit more penetration with the halogen than the 50 watt led but not enough to make a difference. I then proceeded to take the lights to some clear water. I didn’t run the halogen in this test I just compared the 27 and 50 watt led’s. In this test I just ran the 4-27 watt led’s on the front of my boat along with a 50 watt led off each side of the boat. In this test I like the white color of the 27 watt lights a little better. In clear water it just appears like you are floating in the air you can’t see anything that makes you think there is water under the boat. I was able to see the bottom clearly in 8 foot of water. The 50 watt (warm white) gave an amber tint to the water but I was able to see everything just as well as the cool white color of the 27’s. The 27’s just brightened up everything.

In the tests I ran the 50 watt led’s and the 500 watt halogen were as close to each other as any two lights can be. With that being said I was using Econolight housings which are built better than the shop light housings bought at Lowes or Home depot. They are a bit larger and have literally no bleed back on the back side of the fixture so all the light is being sent towards the water. I mention this because I feel that the 50 watt led and the 500 watt halo are very close in penetration and usable light but I feel that if you are going to use the work lights then the 50 watt led will win hands down. I compared the 50 watt to 3-27 watts and realized that the 50 watt in stained water is by far the better light. Not only did it penetrate better but it would be cheaper and it would cut down on the wiring considerably. In clear water it would be a matter of preference because they both penetrate equally it would be a matter of coverage and it would take 3-4 , 27 watt led’s to cover the same area as 1- 50 watter.
I feel like I can give an honest opinion on lights because I have fished over Hologens, led’s, and metal hylides. Until this past summer I had been fishing over halogens exclusively for a while an apart from having to run the generator I like how well they work. I have a MH light on my other boat for night fishing so I have experience with them also. I prefer led lights because of the lack of a generator and the fact that when you turn them on they are on and you don’t have to wait for them to warm up.

In conclusion I believe the new 50 watt warm white led’s from customfitz are well worth your money for fishing in stained water. Anyone that uses halogens will not notice a difference when switching to them other than the quiet operation and lack of gas bill both of which are a big plus in my book.

If the price of led's are what is keeping you from getting led's then lets look at it from a monetary view point. Yes you will need a battery or two depending on how many you want to run. I ran 2-50 watt led’s and 4-27 watt leds on the same battery as my trolling motor for nearly 4 hours before they started getting dim. I have ran all 10 of my 27 watt lights on one battery for 5+ hours before and never had them dim. But lets say you buy 2 batteries for $100 apiece and they last 2 years ( I have had one for 4 years and it still works)that would be an operating cost of $8.33 a month. For halogens (not counting bulbs which need replacing several times a year) running a generator that uses 2 gallons of gas each outing at $3.50 a gallon that would be $7 every time you go out which for me is 1-2 times a week. So lets say 1.5 times a week at that would be $10.50 in gas a week or $42.00 a month (just going with a 4 week month for the sake of argument). This of coarse doesn't account for the cost of the actual genny.

Lets go with 6 lights ( using 6 because that is the most halo's you should run on a 3500 watt genny) and everything you need to run them for a year...

50 watt led
lights $90 x 6 = $ 540 (to your door)
batteries 2 x$100= $200
and thats it $740 for the leds

500 watt Halo
lights $9.40 x 6 = $56.40 +tax $2.26 + shipping $10 = $68.66
Generator $350 (champion this is the cheapest best choice)
500 watt bulbs $4 each ( need 3 sets per fixture as a minimum) 3 x 6 x$4= $72
Gas 2 gallons per outing $3.50 a gallon 1.5 outings a week = 2 x 3.5= 7 x 1.5 = $10.5 a week X 52 weeks= $546
That makes $1036.66 for the halos you could spend a lot more if you wanted to go with a honda or yamaha genny.

So in 1 year you would save $1036- $740= $296 by going with the leds'.

I have a video to follow I am editing it and it should be up late tonight or tomorrow.


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## Brianf (Feb 4, 2013)

Great info. Sounds like you did all the homework.


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## ihuntcatahoula (Feb 4, 2013)

yeah I spent the time and money just hope it makes someones decisions a little easier.


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## creeksidelc (Feb 4, 2013)

The only problem I see with them is that we usually fish for more than 4 hrs....


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## BigSwole (Feb 5, 2013)

My experience with leds was in clear water. Seemed to work just like halos


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## UpSouth811 (Feb 5, 2013)

now put them up to a hps or mh


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## jerry russell (Feb 5, 2013)

Nice review.  Thanks for taking the time to write it up. I am looking forward to the quiet of my LED's.


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## ihuntcatahoula (Feb 5, 2013)

UpSouth811 said:


> now put them up to a hps or mh



there is no comparison to a hps or mh as far as brightness they put out 3x (or more) the light. halo and led put out the same amount of light that is why we compare them. if you have a boat that is already noisy then use the brighter lights. I perfer the led for the quiet operation and you can't do that with hps or mh.


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## UpSouth811 (Feb 5, 2013)

yeah im not gonna argue if your running a troller boat and dont fish long that would be the way to go...but if you want bright hps or mh is the answer....yet numbers guys seem to prefer halos....what made u go with customfitz over seelite?


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## ihuntcatahoula (Feb 5, 2013)

I went with customfitz because he was the only one at the time. Seelight actually started buying there lights from customfitz and then branched out I am not sure if they are still supplied by chad or if they got there own supplier now but the lights are the same.


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## UpSouth811 (Feb 5, 2013)

jw...thinking about putting one on the boat for when i need to look around in the boat or maybe mess with a motor...about tired of using headlights


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## ihuntcatahoula (Feb 5, 2013)

I am selling my current boat and I have some 27 watt lights left over I will be putting one under my deck and maybe one more shining on the deck.


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## UpSouth811 (Feb 5, 2013)

what size boat you going with?


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## ihuntcatahoula (Feb 5, 2013)

had a 1442 which I loved it is in the market place for sale. I just got a 1648 w/ 25 hp tiller.


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## UpSouth811 (Feb 5, 2013)

cool...need to put a kicker on that boat...got a buddy with a 1648 with 90hp and kicker...freaking insane


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## ihuntcatahoula (Feb 5, 2013)

My brother keeps trying to talk me into a kicker but I like a troller rig for the way I fish.I really want to put a jetski motor in it but scared to cut a hole in the bottom. lol


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## UpSouth811 (Feb 5, 2013)

i know a lot of people that said same thing your saying...they all have went to kicker and thought it was greatest thing...you ever been on a kicker boat?


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## ihuntcatahoula (Feb 5, 2013)

no haven't had the chance.


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## UpSouth811 (Feb 5, 2013)

come up my way and ill take you out on mine


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## ihuntcatahoula (Feb 5, 2013)

might take you up on that this spring.


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## UpSouth811 (Feb 5, 2013)

alright. pm me sometime and we can figure something out


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