SPOTLIGHT
Spotlight beam patterns are known for casting a narrow, long-reaching beam of light. Think of a searchlight on a lighthouse,
though not quite as focused. Usually, the angle of light that a spotlight produces is somewhere around 30 degrees.
For most driving situations, a spotlight beam pattern is the best bet.
This is because the light is able to reach a much longer distance and illuminate objects well before you ever reach them.
This gives you plenty of time to react to any potential hazards that might be down the road.
A powerful LED light bar that is equipped with spotlight bulbs is really going to be able to reach out and light up the road
for a long ways, making it the best bet for on road driving. While you do lose a little bit in terms of side to side illumination,
it is a worthwhile sacrifice for the extra distance.
For mounting on a vehicle that you will be using primarily for driving on paved roads where there isn’t much worry about
in terms of obstructions on the side of the road or directly in front of the vehicle, spotlights are a great choice.
FLOODLIGHT
Floodlights are the opposite of spotlights. They cast a wide, all-encompassing wash of light that does not reach for a very
long distance. Typically, the light produced by a floodlight has an angle of around 120 degrees—a big difference
from the much narrower 30 degrees of a spotlight.
For ordinary driving situations a floodlight is not the best choice since it does not reach far enough, however, there are
scenarios where floodlights are optimum.
The first of
these is for off road driving in rough terrain. In this situation, you won’t be driving at very high speeds, making long
distance illumination much less important, and since there is an increased likelihood of hazards such as rocks, fallen
limbs and deep holes that all may either be at the side of the road or directly in front of you, the wider range of illumination
becomes much more valuable.
Floodlights are also the preferred choice for a light that is going to be used to light up a work station. Like with off road
driving, long distance illumination isn’t all that useful when you are setting the light directly in front of the area you are
wanting to illuminate. Instead, choosing a floodlight that gives you wide, all-encompassing wash of light is the better choice.
COMBINATION
A combination light bar is a light that is equipped with both floodlight and spotlight bulbs, making it suited for any type
of application. This level of versatility has made combination LED light bars the most popular choice today for most people.
If you are going to be using your light for both on road and off road driving, or if you intend to have the light on your
vehicle double as work light, then choosing a combination light bar will let you effectively handle any situation
with just one single LED light bar. It’s a very versatile option that is well worth considering.
