Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Update 9/05/2010:
See caveat number one below when this review was written. I've now had these lights installed to my RTV cab for about four months. I haven't waxed, oiled, or otherwise gone out of my way to care for these lights - beyond washing my RTV with soap and water. These lights are in the weather 24/7. I just noticed the beginnings of rust today, in numerous places on the housings, and lubed them down with WD-40. That's not very good quality chrome when rust appears this quickly to an un-damaged or un-scratched finish. As yet, I can't tell how badly the spots of rust have damaged the still shiny chrome finish on the housings - but this is a strong indication of a cheap chrome finish. Otherwise, these lights are undamaged and working properly. What does this tell me? I was totally on base with my concern over them getting wet. My solution will be sanding and painting the housings before long (inside and out), as I'm not interested in having anything rusty on my still new 2010 Kubota RTV. If you purchase these, plan on painting them at some point - unless you don't mind a healthy coat of rust on them, or don't mind frequently oiling and waxing them.
Previous review:
I purchased the Hella Optilux 1900 kit for use on my Kubota RTV900. I have a full Curtis hard cab with the aluminum roof. The roof was pre-drilled for optional accessory lights from Kubota, but I wanted something a bit nicer than those. The Hella Optilux kit provides that much better and at a lower price than the Kubota lights would have cost.
Of the four holes provided in my RTV's roof, I had to enlarge two to 1/2". I also had to make and place two 1/16" shims on each lamp as the stud provided by Hella was a little too long for my use. During my install, I had to loosen the lamp clamps and remove the lights from the housing to facilitate the install. This was no problem and is easily done. The wire cable covers actually threaded right into the two other factory holes in the cab roof for a completely factory look. Adjustment was simple, and the Hella rubber vibration system looks to be very good.
The installation wiring kit is also quite good and provided me with more than enough wire for my install. A plus was my wiring came with a lighted switch. The relay also allows options such as using the lights with "high beams" on vehicles such as trucks or SUVs. A sealed 25 Amp. fuse and connector is also supplied - and a wiring diagram is also there to help the un-initiated. The relay is a 30 Amp. model and has a good automotive type connector to the wiring.
Despite I've given this product five stars there are a few cons to go along with positive features. The low price more or less makes up for these complaints. I also like the fact the small H3 bulbs are replaceable, and the housings are of steel and glass.
1) The chromed steel housing could be prone to rusting in only a few years without care. The use of stainless steel could have prevented this.
2) In my use, water cannot penetrate the housing. But, if suspended under a mounting, water could easily get inside to cause problems - due to the design of the tilt adjuster/mounting system. The system and design is the equivalent of those used on Ford tractors in the 1950's, but not as heavy duty.
3) Since this is not a water proof design, I would not use it where the unit might get submerged in water.
4) While I found the wiring system good, the "spade" terminals are outdated and prone to corrosion and shorts unless well taped.
5) While these lights give off a lot of light, they are spots that prove the point dramatically in a twenty-five foot distance - a well defined spot of high intensity will be seen.
6) Parts are not available for replacement. So, a broken lens or damaged housing can only be replaced with a complete new assembly. (The Optilux 1900 is sold in singles.)
For reliable use I used Posi-Lock terminals in my wiring - removing several of the Hella factory supplied "spade" fittings. Overall, I recommend this kit for it's apparent rugged usefulness and the fact the high mounting position on my Kubota RTV allows me to see much better in brush. This allows me to see drop-offs and dips in the ground much easier. For the price these are offered, you can't go wrong buying them if you use them in the right application - and a set of them burning in the deep woods at night will, most likely, have people in the distance wondering; "Is that ET?".
Update 5/21/2010:
I was right water would not penetrate the housing of these lights in my use, but a heavy rainstorm and high humidity did cause moisture to form and collect on the inside of the lens of both lights. Burning the lights cleared that fog away easily enough, but you'll have to watch moisture forming inside the housings or early inside rusting could be a problem.
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