It's hard to overestimate the importance of good light for a car. The point here is not only in the brightness of lighting: more important is the correct light distribution and a color temperature that is comfortable for the eye. Why turn lights into spotlights, if they will shine anywhere, except the road? Not to be mistaken in the choice of lamps should help this article.
Contents:
- Lamps of which firm to choose
- Rating of the best lamps H7
- Best lamps H7
- Which lamps with H7 socket buy
Which company lamps choose
Osram
Brand with more than a century of history and one of the world's leading manufacturers of lighting technology. Osram lamps are delivered to most car factories as original spare parts: for example, by purchasing original Renault lamps, you will find on them the Osram marking.
Lamps are available in both standard capacity and with increased light output, but in any case, you can be assured of the purchase of a quality and durable product.
Philips
The Dutch concern is known to many, and to a large extent - its works in the field of lighting technology, both halogen and gas-discharge. Few people know, but now popular energy-saving lamps are designed specifically by Philips.
In the automotive industry, lighting equipment Philips is one of the main suppliers of lamps and optics to factory conveyors, and for the secondary market a huge range of halogen, xenon and LED lamps is produced.
Bosch
German giant, which produces a huge range of various automotive components - from engine control units to spark plugs. Not ignored by its developers and automotive lighting.
Speaking of Bosch products, it is impossible to say anything more concisely and capaciously than the Germans themselves: "Bosch ist Bosch"( "Bosch is Bosch").
Narva
The youngest of the manufacturers mentioned by us, but this does not make the company's products less quality. The production of automobile halogen lamps was started in 1969, and since then this brand has become one of the most popular thanks to a good price-quality ratio.
"Real German quality" is not just a speech turn. The truthfulness of this phrase proves the popularity of Narva lamps, not falling with time.
Rating of the best lamps H7
We tried first of all to take into account the real operational characteristics, and only then - user reviews( few of the people enthusiastically writing "Shines like an antiaircraft searchlight!"), Think about what is the drivers in the oncoming lane).
- Conformity of the light distribution in the standard headlight standard;
- Light distribution( counter / road / roadside);
- Light beam power( luminous flux);
- Real energy consumption.
The best lamps H7
OSRAM Night Breaker
Advantages:
- Lamps with increased luminous efficiency fully meet the light distribution standards: the headlight forms a clear "tick" in the curb area and cuts the beam exactly towards the oncoming lane;
- The promised increase in the power of the luminous flux is observed most from the side of the roadside - in the near zone, Night Breaker gives an illumination of over 30,000 cd, in the distant - slightly more than 16,000 cd.(A lot or a little? For comparison, let's say that the minimum standard requirement in the far zone is 10100 cd);
- The luminous flux also exceeds the requirements of the standard - 1500 lumens against 1100 in the standard;
- In addition to a powerful light beam, these lamps can boast of economy - the real energy consumption is only 50 W, which is a bit, given that the declared 90% increase in illumination is actually present, and where it is safe for drivers on the oncoming lane.
Disadvantages:
- High price;
- Relatively low resource, especially with strong shaking.
Most of the feedback from people who have had experience with Night Breaker confirms the above: riding in the dark becomes more comfortable, visibility in comparison with most common halogen lamps increases.
PHILIPS Vision Plus
Advantages:
- The famous brand did not disappoint: the lamp forms a clear pattern that fits perfectly into all requirements of the standard;
- The "+ 60%" mark on the package is not an advertising stunt - the luminous flux of 1,450 luminescent indeed exceeds the standard, as does the roadside illumination - over 13,000 cd near and over 27,000 cd at a distance. Of course, compared with the leader of the rating is not so much, but it is worth recalling that to increase the light output of incandescent lamps, it is necessary to increase the temperature of the filament, which means - potentially to decrease the resource;
- The lower power consumption is indicated by the actual power consumption - 49 W( we recall that the standard power of H7 lamps is 55 W).
Disadvantages:
- High price;
- Sensitivity to high voltage( rapid burnout in many French cars).
Most users of Vision Plus lamps indicate excellent road lighting, but you can also add a good word about the resource: the lamps are persistently experiencing vibration and shaking, "shaking off" the threads is difficult. Advantages:
- Luminous flux - 1500 lumens, roadside lighting only lost a little bit Osram Night Breaker in the far zone( 14000 cd against 16000 cd).Near the indicators are identical;
- Clear light distribution: the picture is formed in full compliance with the requirements of the standards, while the light is distributed more evenly than in the "Osram";
- Some decrease in illumination in the distance is compensated by the fact that the light beam diverges for a greater distance, which is no less important than the illumination itself;
- Light - bright white, not tiring eyes and not concealing irregularities, like more shades to blue;
- There is no claim to power consumption either: the 49.5 W power fits into the requirements with a margin.
Disadvantages:
- High price, even compared to the similar in characteristics of Osram.
Reviews about lamps Bosch Plus 90 indicate not only the power of light, but also a decent resource of the product.
OSRAM Original
Those same lamps that can be seen in the technical centers of dealers of many brands, but packed not in original boxes, but in your own "Osramovsky" blister. From such lamps, the resource, and not the record figures, is required first of all - and Osram Original perfectly copes with these duties.
Advantages:
- Clear light beam without any deviations, all indicators for illumination clearly meet the standard, and in the near zone of the curb and exceed it;
- The economy of the lamp at the level of others presented in the rating: Osram Original consumes 6 watts less than indicated on the package.
Disadvantages:
- Sensitivity to overvoltage and shaking.
Most car owners who use these lamps use words like "shine no worse than full-time".Well, this is not surprising.
PHILIPS X-treme Vision
Advantages:
- Good lighting area directly in front of the car;
- Good UV filtration - less aging of modern polycarbonate headlamp diffusers.
Disadvantages:
- The luminous flux of 1,400 lumens is even less than that of honestly fulfilling the declared Philips Vision Plus lamps;
- Lighting of the roadside is even weaker for 2000 cd in both the near and the far zone;
- Highest( 54 W) power consumption compared to other lamps considered.
Many people who bought these lamps with their reviews confirm the above: for such a price it was expected to get a much better result.
KOITO Whitebeam III
The products of the Japanese company gained fame in Russia not so long ago. The most popular are its lamps with increased luminous efficiency - but this is not the case when rave reviews do not conflict with the requirements of GOST and UNECE standards.
Advantages:
- Excellent illumination of the area in front of the car - the light flux is focused mainly forward;
- Compliance of energy consumption with the claimed.
Disadvantages:
- Lighting in the oncoming traffic zone exceeds limits, and Whitebeam will visibly blind the drivers on the "counter";
- Will get and going ahead of cars of a passing direction. To struggle with this change in the angle of inclination of the headlights is not the best way out: the viewing range will noticeably drop;
- Not the best characteristics for real light flux and light distribution: 1150 lumen of light flux and 20,000 candelas on the roadside, both near and far away - hence the reputation of "powerful light".
Reviews of those who have experience installing these lamps are polarly divided: someone praises the good road lighting in front of the car, someone reasonably recalls that this happens at the expense of a review of the roadside.
NARVA Long Life
Advantages:
- High lamp life;
- Full compliance with light distribution standards;
- Affordable price and prevalence;
- Good illumination of the right shoulder;
- Low power consumption: 49W.
Disadvantages:
- For the most part, the light flux is focused in the near zone, the "range" of the lamps is low.
Narva Long Life - this is a good choice for a city car, the constant burning of the dipped beam is not dictated by the dark time of the day, but by the rules of the road. People using Narva Long Life lamps are positive about their resource and affordable price.
HELLA H7 + 90%
Advantages:
- The illumination provided by this lamp is at the level of the leaders of the rating - "Hella" lost only to Osram Night Breaker and Bosch Plus 90;
- The luminous flux also surpasses standards with a margin: 1400 lm;
- There is no claim either to the shape of the light beam, nor to the illumination of the oncoming strip, nor to the consumption of electricity;
- Affordable( considering the brand name) price.
Disadvantages:
- Low prevalence;
- Uneven cardboard packaging - having such a lamp "in reserve", you should be more careful.
Many motorists in the reviews are surprised that the products of such a well-known brand has an affordable price and at the same time it shines at the level of expensive lamps.
Which lamps with H7 socket buy
There are a lot of worthy representatives of their class on the market. The difference is mainly in the nuances that should be considered when choosing:
1. If the car is operated primarily in the city, pay attention to lamps with standard light output and a high resource: Osram Original, Narva Long Life;
2. Frequent motorway trips make lamps with increased luminous efficiency more preferable: Osram Night Breaker, Bosch Plus 90;
3. Budget option - Hella H7 + 90%: on the road it will provide good coverage, and in the city a relatively quick burnout compensates for the low price.