Amber Color
Amber color can be achieved in several ways, with the most common being a lens or light cover that white light passes through, giving the Baja Designs signature selective yellow color. The other way is starting with an amber-colored LED, such as the LEDs that can be found in our RTL. Overall, amber LEDs and bulbs do not match the lumen output of the clear emitters. The most important concept to keep in mind is that regardless of clear or amber, if the intensity is too great in the environment, oversaturation will occur, and the driver will experience a reflective glare.
Amber does have one drawback.; Due to the color temperature of the lens, the effective lumen value of light output are reduced by a small percentage (~15%).
Because of the decreased optical workload needed by the observer, objects in the foreground will appear sharper and more distinguishable. Subjectively speaking, many professional drivers have reported the benefits of amber hued lights for both high and low beam applications. Now amber does have one drawback.; Due to the color temperature of the lens, the effective lumen value of light output are reduced by a small percentage (~15%). The white light is going to be marginally brighter than the amber when directly compared.
Clear
Human eyes have evolved into seeing best at noon on a sunny day, which translates to a color temperature of 5000° Kelvin, the same as our ClearView optical system. A color temperature of 5000K greatly reduces driver fatigue and increases terrain recognition when compared to a great number of our competitors’ offerings, which range from 6000-6500K. Baja Design exclusively uses 5000K LEDs on all our LED lights.
With a clear lens, the light will project further than with an Amber lens due to its 5000k color temperature allowing more colors of light to escape. But due to the blue, Indigo, and violet rays passing through the optics there is a greater chance that the observer will experience glare, due to the reduced ability to register those colors.
When designing the most optimal lighting package, application is the main consideration to consider. If you are aiming for high-speed open desert driving, clear and intense lights are your best option. If you are driving through inclement environments such as dust, snow, or fog, then we recommend running amber lights with dimming, or high/low capability. We don’t believe that a perfect all-around light package runs solely off of just amber or clear, but in fact, a mix of both. Thankful due to our uService you are able to swap out lenses yourself and see which is best for you.
The needs of every off-roader are different, so we’ve created a Lighting Zone system to help you mix and match the right products, with the right lenses, in the right places to achieve the absolute best results. We believe it’s not just about having the brightest lights, but using the right lights in the right way and all that ties into the right color temperature. A high quality and strategic lighting package will make you safer and give you that competitive edge, but it is important to understand the proper placement, power and pattern for each zone. Whether you love rock crawling and overlanding, or racing 100mph in the desert, we have lights that will perfectly illuminate each and every zone.
For more information led amber lights, please get in touch with us!