Night Vision IR LED Light Bars/Cubes for driving

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Looking for feedback on IR driving lights to mount on a side by side/golf cart for driving/hunting with dual 14s. Ive read through a few other threads and learned a lot but hoping for some advice on what setups yall have and what you like, dislike, and would have done differently.

What i think i know.
-I dont want to run a filter over normal lights
-I want to run 940 nm wavelength lights

What i know i dont know:
-Is there much of a difference (performance) in the Rigid, UNV, Black Oak, and the other ebay/amazon 940 nm IR lights found?
-The rigid are all blacked out while the others have the normal clear lenses. Is there really a discernable difference in the performance between two and does it make a difference on say a bright full moon in signature to someone or thing looking back at them?
-Is there a large power draw from the lights that would be a concern with running them with the engine off or that would kill the range of an electric golf cart?
-What would the realistic acceptable visible range be on a dark night (cloudy/no moon) with a decent set of dual 14s?
-Does anyone know if there are any good black Friday sales coming up on them to soften the blow of buying a full setup? I saw that Black Oak has 25% off and free shipping right now.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

 

[NFAJohn]

Tagging in

 

[SD Carpenter]

As far as light companies go, I use rigid on my off-road rigs they are quality same as Baja lights. So if they have IR, you're getting American made quality with them.

 

[dang472]

I’m running 4 Rigid IR lights on the front of my truck. 2 4” rectangle ones from Night Goggles in the lower bumper pocket on each side of the license plate. Also 2 cubes with an A-pillar mount. I can safely navigate highway speeds with my dual pvs14s.

 

[Jgunner]

I have black oak, they are alright, i need to adjust mine up. I also like to have light not just in front of me but to the side some as well. Maybe 20* or so. In that case i would need 2 more. Black oak is also running a 25% off right now, which makes them inexpensive. They come with a harness for each light. I wish they had a harness that paired them, but its not hard to do it yourself.

at $100 per pod from black oak, you can buy a lot of them for the cost of a pair of rigid. Before you call me a cheap ass, all the other lights on my rig are rigid.

 

[BamaSE]

I used the UNV version the past couple years. They were mounted on the front brush guard of the Can Am Defender. They work good, no complaints. Used them mainly for navigation as we scanned with thermal. On the trails the IR could be a bit overwhelming with the brush. The position on the brush guard was not the best. Probably better on the roof top but I did not have a good mounting option.

In our typical hunting areas I learned that the low signature green lights really do not spook the hogs so eventually I just took the IR lights off and run with those and a thermal scanner. If I was running more flat open ground with no trees or vegetation for several hundred yards....or miles....probably more beneficial....but in those rare cases we spot them far enough out to stalk anyway without spooking them with the buggy noise.

If you are going to run large open areas I do recommend thinking beyond just a set facing towards the front. Had I been able to really justify the use I would have added side lR as well. And make sure the IR is off when the vehicle is off....mine were wired where they were on if the control switch was on....and they do drain the battery......which you only find out when you go to crank the buggy up again......and for some reason my pup likes to hang in the buggy with her paws right on the switches

 

[Jgunner]

Since pictures rule. Both my upper pods and 40” light bar need to aim up another 5*

 

[Victor-TNVC]

If so inclined, we're now the North American Distributor for Lightforce products and we're very happy with the performance thus far. Thank you.

 

[WillHugh]

As an alternative, in case you haven't considered it, a good ir flashlight will throw out plenty of light to drive. I have a Surefire x300v with a diffuser cap that I run on my helmet for atv use, and on the side of my jeep. I can cruise along at 40 mph on back roads with no troubles, so might be plenty for a golf cart.

As added benefits, you wouldn't have to deal with wiring or worrying about killing a battery, it can switch between vehicles, and in dense areas more light isn't always better. I had planned to buy some dedicated driving lights, but the versatility of the flashlight has been good enough for me.

 

[Killswitch Engage]

As an alternative, in case you haven't considered it, a good ir flashlight will throw out plenty of light to drive. I have a Surefire x300v with a diffuser cap that I run on my helmet for atv use, and on the side of my jeep. I can cruise along at 40 mph on back roads with no troubles, so might be plenty for a golf cart.

As added benefits, you wouldn't have to deal with wiring or worrying about killing a battery, it can switch between vehicles, and in dense areas more light isn't always better. I had planned to buy some dedicated driving lights, but the versatility of the flashlight has been good enough for me.View attachment 7482220

ive all but went down the same road after trying some and thinking it over quite a bit. I mounted a small section of picatinny rail to the roof of my side by side and slide a streamlight super tac ir on it for driving. It works so well it’s almost dumb to mount permanent lights unless I were traversing ground for hours at a time where then i could make the case for permanent lights.

 

[E-Tool]

I made my own for about $60 they work well. Faint red glow though.

Get cheapo waterproof IR security illumination lights, add a disk magnet, plastidip the hole thing, you can disable the light detector inside if you want, add a cord, 12v plug and switch.

A hour or two later I had a set of 4 wired in series that worked great for driving on ATV or truck. I think those rigid and lightforce ones are waaaay overpriced.

I also made a single lamp one wired for usb powerpack, in a ram mount for my mountain bike.

You can also buy military driving lights on ebay pretty cheap; 12v if you are lucky, most are 24v.

Saw some game wardens with these military night drive lights on their pickups a few minths ago to play a little hide and seek.

 

[WillHugh]

ive all but went down the same road after trying some and thinking it over quite a bit. I mounted a small section of picatinny rail to the roof of my side by side and slide a streamlight super tac ir on it for driving. It works so well it’s almost dumb to mount permanent lights unless I were traversing ground for hours at a time where then i could make the case for permanent lights.

My setup is pretty much the same. Small piece of picatinny bungied around my mirror. Comes on and off quickly, and because the mirror moves I can point it wherever I want the light. Felt dumb it took me so long to come up with it.

Night vision alone is enough to drive most of the time, just need a little light for shadowing effect.

 

[fanninland]

Been following this thread, great info y’all - just wanted to say thanks.

 

[JonLSU]

Cheap option. I use one of these at work. Attached a disc magnet to it, added a cigarette lighter plug. Bought for $8 and have about $15 total in it. Works good enough to drive up on illegals in the brush using a pvs14.

 

[Hollywood 6mm]

I recently spent some time driving around with my ANVIS and an Armasight focusable illuminator magnet-attached to the roof of my car. Not something I'd want to use for an extended amount of time, especially with a ton of cornering at speed - but it worked damn well for driving around a few thousand acres of private land in the dark to look for pigs to kill.

 

[Rerun7]

I have the UNV cubes on my sxs. They’ve worked great so far. No issues running 30mph down the trails with the 14, they put out plenty of light and no red glow.

 

[upSLIDEdown]

Cheap option. I use one of these at work. Attached a disc magnet to it, added a cigarette lighter plug. Bought for $8 and have about $15 total in it. Works good enough to drive up on illegals in the brush using a pvs14.
View attachment 7484697

This is exactly what I did. We probably read the same article. Lol. I use one, with a neodymium magnet on the bottom. I plastidipped the magnet so it won't scratch the roof. Run the wire from the cig plug up front, by the console, under the seat, up the b-pillar. Plug it in there and run the wire out the rear door. Works great.

 

[Aftermath]

This thing is very useful. However, I still don't have one in my car. The thing is, I was using my sister's car, who recently had a baby, and she didn't use it for the first two weeks. However, my car was overheating and had carburetor problems. It would have taken the service guys a few days to fix it, and I needed to get to work in time. So I used her car, which has one just like it

What the fuck are you even talking about?

 

[PowPowHawg]

After running UNV cubes and one rectangle pod on my Jeep bumper for a couple years now. I find myself always defaulting back to either SF handheld or pic rail models. They seem clearer/brighter than all three UNV driving lights and a 40th the size. No wiring, cheaper and come with me on/in any vehicle. One hand held/in pocket and the other helmet mounted is pretty irreplaceable now.

 

[Killswitch Engage]

After running UNV cubes and one rectangle pod on my Jeep bumper for a couple years now. I find myself always defaulting back to either SF handheld or pic rail models. They seem clearer/brighter than all three UNV driving lights and a 40th the size. No wiring, cheaper and come with me on/in any vehicle. One hand held/in pocket and the other helmet mounted is pretty irreplaceable now.

i basically do the same thing. i have a section of pic rail mounted on the roof my side by side. really no need to have mounted lights and you can swing the light around to look where you want to go vs having to aim the vehicle.

 

[Wormydog1724]

SuperBrightLEDs dot com has IR pods and a 10" light bar. The pods are in both IR wavelength, I went 850nm I think. Mounted with hood mounts on my GMC AT4 using their wiring harness. The pods come in flood or spot, I went spot.

The 10" light bar is flood and I put it on my roof with magnets, but I don't like it. Too much throw on to the hood.

The pods and harness and mounts are relatively cheap compared to other options I've seen out there. I've had mine about a month so far no issues. Going out tonight to call coyotes.

 

[chevy_man]

As far as light companies go, I use rigid on my off-road rigs they are quality same as Baja lights. So if they have IR, you're getting American made quality with them.

American made from China?

They have an American facility where they do QC, repairs, and replacements.

The only difference in a $50 Amazon bar is usually radio noise.

Rigid is a very successful marketing company. They're following the yeti model...


Last one I bought was diode dynamics. Mostly because they guarantee radio suppression. It was only $300, vs the $800 for rigid and it works awesome.

 

[SkyScrapin]

American made from China?

They have an American facility where they do QC, repairs, and replacements.

The only difference in a $50 Amazon bar is usually radio noise.

Rigid is a very successful marketing company. They're following the yeti model...


Last one I bought was diode dynamics. Mostly because they guarantee radio suppression. It was only $300, vs the $800 for rigid and it works awesome.

Radio suppression? What that be?

We run Baja Designs in 360 degrees off a SxS. I need to make a rack for my jeep with white and IR. Wondering if this radio suppression thing is something I should know about.

 

[TheHorta]

Zombies… ARISE!

But… for posterity sake, 940nm is a mistake, unless you’re running Photonis tubes. Stick with ~850nm for anything with US tubes. They don’t handle 940 very well by comparison. You’ll lose 80% of the performance.

 

[roostercogburn98]

Zombies… ARISE!

But… for posterity sake, 940nm is a mistake, unless you’re running Photonis tubes. Stick with ~850nm for anything with US tubes. They don’t handle 940 very well by comparison. You’ll lose 80% of the performance.

Clapping back with rich boy talk.

You lost me at posterity. Such a big word for a Sunday morning. I’m still looking for my cleanest dirty shirt

 

[TheHorta]

Clapping back with rich boy talk.

You lost me at posterity. Such a big word for a Sunday morning. I’m still looking for my cleanest dirty shirt

You’ll be happy to know that I’ve exchanged my morning coffee ritual for Yerba Mate.

 

[chevy_man]

Radio suppression? What that be?

We run Baja Designs in 360 degrees off a SxS. I need to make a rack for my jeep with white and IR. Wondering if this radio suppression thing is something I should know about.

Baja should be good. It costs extra money to use good electronics and properly shield them.

If you turn a radio on in the sxs and turning the lights on doesn't cause instant static they're good. I put a $100 bar on an old beater and turning the lights on causes the radio to not receive any signal.

You’ll be happy to know that I’ve exchanged my morning coffee ritual for Yerba Mate.

I wouldn't go that far, but a cup of mate every once in awhile isn't too bad. So long as you have organic sugar cane sugar to go with it...

 

[TheHorta]

I wouldn't go that far, but a cup of mate every once in awhile isn't too bad. So long as you have organic sugar cane sugar to go with it...

Honey… from our own bees.

 

[SkyScrapin]

Baja should be good. It costs extra money to use good electronics and properly shield them.

If you turn a radio on in the sxs and turning the lights on doesn't cause instant static they're good. I put a $100 bar on an old beater and turning the lights on causes the radio to not receive any signal.



I wouldn't go that far, but a cup of mate every once in awhile isn't too bad. So long as you have organic sugar cane sugar to go with it...

Kinda thought you were talking about sound static. Hilarious. My old man put a light bar on his truck, always kills his tunes when in use. Makes great sense

 

[B y r o n]

Zombies… ARISE!

But… for posterity sake, 940nm is a mistake, unless you’re running Photonis tubes. Stick with ~850nm for anything with US tubes. They don’t handle 940 very well by comparison. You’ll lose 80% of the performance.

I think you are off on your performance number, at least according to this:

"IR Illuminator Wavelengths – 850nm compared to 940nm

For covert surveillance, 940nm IR light is recommended, because it is completely invisible to humans, even at the light source. Keep in mind, however, that the 940nm wavelength IR illuminators have 50% less range than 850nm IR illuminators do."

 

[smcfarland]

I’ve got the UNV 850 cubes on my brush guard. Really only use when going through gates on really dark nights. Otherwise you lose too much depth of field when driving and scanning. One is flood and one is spot. I’m hunting mostly wide open spaces, though.

 

[SD Carpenter]

American made from China?

They have an American facility where they do QC, repairs, and replacements.

The only difference in a $50 Amazon bar is usually radio noise.

Rigid is a very successful marketing company. They're following the yeti model...


Last one I bought was diode dynamics. Mostly because they guarantee radio suppression. It was only $300, vs the $800 for rigid and it works awesome.

Tell me where rigid hurt you? Lmao bro it's 2024 I feel you can make your own decisions lol. Baja designs has a lot ir options a lot of the guys I run with use as well. And if your rich enough to buy nods, don't bitch about a light purchase lol. Now to forget this post like the last one!

 

[chevy_man]

Tell me where rigid hurt you? Lmao bro it's 2024 I feel you can make your own decisions lol. Baja designs has a lot ir options a lot of the guys I run with use as well. And if your rich enough to buy nods, don't bitch about a light purchase lol. Now to forget this post like the last one!

Just didn't want anyone getting the impression rigid was American made.