Projector headlights vs LED; Which one to pick?

Headlights of your car can benefit you immensely. They can provide you a wide illuminated coverage. The headlights can also ensure that you drive at a steady speed as you will be aware of your surroundings.

To gain these advantages, you have to go with the right type of headlights. If you end up choosing the wrong one, it will become difficult for you to drive around.

When you search for headlights, you will realize that there are quite a few types of headlights to choose from. Without proper comparison, choosing the right one becomes difficult. With our comparison below, selecting the right type of headlights certainly becomes easy.

Today, we will shed some light on the best types of headlights available. These are projector headlights and LED headlights. We will compare projector headlights versus LED ones to help you understand which are the best.

Before we make the comparison, let us look at the basics of these headlights.

What are projector headlights?

Projector headlights consist of a lens that can function as a magnifying glass. Due to the same, the beam of light as well as the light output increases. When that happens, the coverage area and the illumination level both increase.

Now that you know how projector headlights work, it is time to now know the details of the LED ones.

You can use LED bulb in your projector headlights as well!

What are LED headlights?

LED headlights are the lights that consist of LEDs as the light source. LED transfers current through the semiconductor to generate light through the movement of electrons.

While LEDs offer excellent light output, it is dispersed because LED lights do not generally consist of reflectors or projectors.

Comparison: Projector Headlights vs LED

Now that you are aware of its working, it is time to compare projector headlights vs LED.

Light source

One of the main distinctions between projector headlights and LED headlights is the light source. Even though there is a slight overlap, the exact specification of the light source is entirely different.

Projector headlights use extremely bright, high-intensity discharge bulbs. Additionally, they might use high-intensity LEDs as well. In traditional headlights, these high-intensity light sources are not safe and efficient to use. However, the construction of projector headlights is such that you need not have to worry about safety at all.

Projector vs. Reflector headlights

As the name itself suggests, LED headlights consist of LED as the light source. You might think, is this light source the same as the one mentioned above?

The answer is no!

The LED light source which is in use in LED lights is low to medium intensity. On the other hand, projector headlights only use high-intensity LEDs. Due to the same, even if the projector headlights use LED, it is different than the normal ones used in LED headlights.

Thus, the number 1 and primary difference is the light source.

Light output

The light output of the headlights plays a crucial role. Only when the light output is up to the mark you can see the road ahead. While both of them are quite efficient but there are a few differences between them.

The design of the projector headlights is such that the light output of the light source is very much magnified. It means that the illumination which you get is excellent.

While, when you look at LED lights, they seldom consist of a magnifying agent or something which directs the light in one direction. That is why the light is more dispersed. You might think that dispersed light is better on the road. While it might offer you greater coverage area, the intensity or illumination level is lower. When driving in pitch darkness, such dispersed light does not help much.

When using a projector headlight, you can get not only greater illumination but also illuminate the surrounding. That is why these lights certainly help more as compared to the LED lights.

The intensity of light and the dispersal is another difference between both these types of lights.

Blindspot

One of the main advantages of projector headlights is that they are directed towards the road or the pathway on which you are driving. The direction of the beam is in the downward direction. Due to the same, they do not have a blinding effect on other drivers who are driving opposite to you. That is why they are safe not only for you but also for others.

Moreover, with proper magnification, you can be sure that there are no dark or blind spots as well. The absence of dark spots ensures that you can uniformly view your surroundings without disturbing others.

On the other hand, when you look at the LED headlights, they disperse light in all directions. That is why they have a blinding effect on other drivers. Additionally, they might have darker spots in between as well. These darker spots might hamper your ability to be aware of your entire surroundings.

When it comes to blind spots, projector headlights certainly have an advantage over LED ones.

Cost

After looking at the comparison of projector headlights versus LED ones, it is time to look at the cost of both these headlights as well. You have to take this factor into account in conjunction with others. Only when you do so you can determine which one fits in your budget better.

Projector headlights cost anywhere from $ 200-$ 500. The variation depends on the construction quality, compatibility with your car, and the size of the projector light. However, if you’re looking to buy projector headlights, you need to have a budget within this range.

LED headlights can set you back anywhere from $30-$150. As you can see, LED car headlights are much more affordable than projector ones.

However, when you consider the features of projector headlights, you will realize that they indeed provide much more value.

As per our comparison of projector headlights vs LED ones, it is easy to understand that projector headlights provide better illumination. Projector headlights are better than many regards. If you do not have any budget constraints, you should go with projector headlights rather than the LED ones.