Aftermarket lights are one of the most common accessories truck owners choose to buy. The market is a maze of options, prices, different features, and information that can intimidate a buyer into a rushed decision. As is the case almost everywhere, you get what you pay for, and the informed customer is a powerful customer. In this feature, we will show you the different lights offered by Rigid Industries and explain some of their unique features.

Rigid Industries has been a forefront player in the Light Emitting Diode light market since 2006 and offers products to shed light on any situation you and your truck might encounter. Auxiliary lighting is not just for off-road visibility, all truck owners can find applications that benefit their individual truck needs.

LED vs. Halogen bulbs

Why are LEDs the future of lighting? LEDs are extremely robust electronic devices, no noble gas filled bulb to break, no filament to break, and no ballast to be destroyed by vibration. LEDs offer extreme efficiency when it comes to power consumption and return a lifespan in excess of 50,000 hours! An alternative to HID (High Intensity Discharge) lights, LEDs offer equivalent output for less weight and greater durability in harsh conditions.

But not all LEDs are created equally. Some light companies cut corners and source inferior LEDs and offer lights at unbelievably low prices. Such lights do not take into consideration the environments most owners will subject their trucks; extreme temperatures, water intrusion, rock strikes, and extended run time. Choosing to buy the cheap light that claims the same output will be a short-lived lesson in quality.

Inside Rigid’s LEDs

According to Rigid, they design their lights with the best LEDs they can source; “We only buy from the highest output and most pure white LEDs available.”, says Steve Adams of Rigid Industries.

Rigid recognizes the importance of including aluminum heat sinks to cool the electronics prolonging the longevity of the LEDs, and preventing their diminishing output. Housings are IP68 sealed and 100 percent waterproof, and the polycarbonate lens is coated with a UV inhibitor to prevent any discoloration or yellowing and is impact and scratch resistant.

Rigid Industries Optics

As any light vendor will tell you the reflector or “optic” is one of the most critical components to the proper function of a light. The optic can affect the focus, projection, and spread of light. Rigid has developed two patented  optic families to suit the various needs of automotive enthusiasts.

Hybrid Optics

The Hybrid family consists of the Flood and Spot optics. They have both a reflector and a lens. The Spot optic is a 10 degree distance beam, perfect for high speeds or situations where you need long distance light; ideal if you are traveling down the trail at 60 mph. The Flood optic is a 25 degree broad beam, which makes it great for seeing ditches while driving and provides better visibility through winding roads. Larger light bars are also offered in a combo, which has the Spot optic in the center of the bar and Flood optic on both ends of the bar, providing you with the best of both worlds in one light.

Specter Optics

The next optic family is Specter. These optics offer more intense light output than the Hybrid Series, and deliver it over a broader area. The Driving optic provides you with a 45 degree horizontal spread, projecting both spot and flood beam patterns at the same time. Providing a wide pattern with intense light to the side for greater visibility both on and off the trail. The Wide optic provides you with intense light in the center, with a vertical field of view at 45 degrees. Its wide ambient spill light will light up corners, ditches and obstacles, but don’t be fooled by the name “Wide,” this optic primarily provides vertical light, not horizontal.

The Hyperspot optic is an ultra-focused 5 degree pencil beam for reaching the horizon of your field of view. According to Rigid “[it] has the highest intensity per watt or square-inch on the market; projecting light further than anything on the market!” The application for such a light is generally high speed driving where what is far away becomes important to the driver needing to make decisions well ahead of an obstacle.

The Hyperspot optic employs a patent pending aperture system that limits the spread of light to only a usable beam. The resulting beam is free of distracting spill light like facets, common with conventional reflectors found in halogen car lamps.

Rigid Lens Options 

Beyond optics that reflect the light are lenses that filter and further effect the delivery of the beam. Diffusion lenses offer extremely wide, soft-edged fill light to a broad 60 degree area. Such a lens is perfect for lighting a work space where you need consistent, wide coverage without hotspots. New to the Rigid Industries lighting range is their Clarilux Optical System; a smooth beam pattern projected at a wide 45 degree horizontal spread but limited to low ground (4 degree tall) for use as a fog light where a high beam would blind the driver by illuminating fog or other particles in the air. This lens can be found on Rigid’s SAE Compliant Fog Lights and Auxiliary High Beam Driving Lights.

Let Us Help You Understand What Rigid Offers

E-Series

The E-Series Lights are the most popular light bar-type solution that Rigid offers. Two rows of LEDs are stacked in a durable housing, and feature 304 stainless steel mounting brackets. The E-Series lights are available in lengths ranging from 4 inches to 50 inches. With this sizing choice any vehicle, no matter how big or small, can benefit from additional lighting. Both Hybrid and Specter Optics are available and will allow you to mix and match the lighting characteristics best suited for your application.

D-Series

Rigid was the first to introduce the light package concept of the light cube. Coined the “Original Light Cube” by Rigid, the D-Series light offers considerable illumination power in a small 3-inch by 3-inch package. These baseball-sized powerhouses of light are available with any of the five optic choices and have more cooling surface area than any equivalent sized light.

Upgrading from the D-Series we find the Dually XL, the bigger brother to the 3×3 D-Series. The Dually XL is a 4-inch by 4-inch cube light primarily designed for use industrial applications like illuminating conveyors, and heavy machinery. For extra hostile environments Rigid offers the Q-Series, the equivalent of four Duallys, built to withstand the harshest working environments, they can be used as scene lighting on heavy equipment like bulldozers or rear lighting on large equipment. They are also a great option for fog lights on OE Suer Duty trucks. Extra robust in their construction the Q-Series includes TIG-welded 304 stainless brackets with four mounting bolts, and vibration isolators.

Low Profile Lighting 

The 3-inch tall housing design of the E and D Series lights already offer far less area to create drag than conventional round halogen or HID lights, however if the double row configuration is still too tall for your application Rigid has a solution.

SR-Series 

The SR-Series are a single LED row lighting solution for the low-profile customer. While still offering ample amounts of forward projecting light the SR-Series can be attached by way of 1-inch brackets to keep the area they present to the wind at a minimum. Available in both Hybrid and Specter Optics the SR-Series also comes in a variety of lengths ranging from 6 inches to 50 inches. For more utilitarian and every day applications the SR-Q Series and SR-M Series are available in surface or flush-mounting with lightweight housings. Great for bumper, alley, or flood lighting on working vehicles, these SR-Q and SR-M lights are only 2-6 LEDs wide. According to Rigid; “When choosing between the E-Series and SR-Series, the ‘real-estate’  question is going to be the deciding factor…Both lights are going to provide you with a significant amount of light output…”, says Albert Torres of Rigid Industries.

RDS-Series

The RDS-Series is an E-Series light with a curve ball… literally. In order to achieve a lighting pattern optimized for all forward and lateral views, the RDS-Series is a double-row light bar with a gentle curve. Complimenting both the aesthetics of a curved light hugging the profile of a truck cab or grille, and the paying attention to the functionality of such a design, Rigid was the first manufacturer to engineer a system to bring aftermarket LED lighting to the next level, and they are the only company to hold the patent to this style light bar.

Because of the poly-directional beam direction produced by the RDS, the Spot optic is employed to illuminate objects at great distance and over a wide field of view.

What If I Don’t Like The Look Of Modern LED Lighting?

Maybe you have a vintage truck or off-road vehicle you are wishing to upgrade with lighting, but would like to retain the nostalgia of round bucket-shape auxiliary lights. Originally intended as a retrofit replacement for the driver search light on police cruisers the R-Series light is a nearly 6-inch round option to the cube style D-Series. Using the same technology Rigid implements across their product line the R-Series is a light suited for the restorer wanting the retro look.

I Want To Use My Lights Everyday

While most aftermarket lighting is not SAE-compliant, Rigid offers a few models that you can use to augment the illumination ahead of you and your rig. Available in a 3-inch by 3-inch fog lamp or a 3-inch by 6-inch auxiliary high beam, Rigid has a line of SAE J583/J581 compliant lights. Employing the Clarilux lens these lights project a wide, low beam for improved visibility in fog, snow, or dust.

 

What Custom Style Lights are Available?

If you have a truck, nearly any truck, Rigid Industries has a custom grille to replace the OEM grille. These grilles allow for the seamless mounting of lights in a factory clean location, with no mounting brackets to install on the roof or bumper. According to Rigid; “We use stainless steel on all of our mounts and they are designed off 3D models of trucks for a precision fit. All of our grilles are 100% made in the USA and the mesh patterns on the grilles match the pattern from the original grille.”

Vehicles that need lighting for the suspension, under carriage, under a tonneau cover, in a tool box or anywhere else Rigid has the A-Series. Available in custom colors, and small enough to fit anywhere, these waterproof lights add pop and light to any location. Mounting with adhesive pads or tube spacers for roll cages these 200-400 lumen lights are bright for their size and give your ride that custom look.

For driving enthusiasts who record their adventures there is a light bar specifically designed to support your GoPro. The Capture is a 10-inch double-row light with a built in GoPro charging dock. The light output in the Capture is specifically designed to complement the camera’s field of view. Now you can film at night with less graininess, or washed out areas due to poor light conditions. The ability to continually charge the battery in your camera will allow you to take less breaks while filming your driving, and reduce the common problem of losing footage due to a power shortage.

These are just about half of the most common lights that Rigid offers. Many marine and studio lighting applications are also available. These lights cover the needs of the average truck enthusiast, but if you don’t see what you are looking for stay tuned for part two of this article in which we will cover some vehicle case studies. We will also cover a few more specialty lights for applications other than simple driving. In conjunction with the experts at Rigid we will be help you make a choice on what lighting you should go with for your truck. Whether you are an off-roader, tow, or use your truck for work, Rigid will give us the scoop on what lighting setup is the hot ticket.