I imagine golfing at night is fairly difficult, knowing where you hit the ball is hard enough during the day. Regardless, there is enough demand for light bars for golf carts for me to do a piece on them. Golf carts are on average 48″ long. Granted, the 50″ bar is a bit of a stretch, but if you don’t mind how it looks you’ll be well served by the largest bar I have researched.
Over the last few weeks I have been able to look at a wide variety of solutions, and have come to the conclusion that LED is the way to go. It is not the only tech available, with Halogens and HID still selling well enough, but those two styles do not have the longevity of LED. LED tends to be slightly more expensive, but the price per hour is far lower, and the base price of the Light bars is lowering every day. In this review I will be recommending a few different brands of light bar. All of the brands I recommend offer the full range of sizes, a sign that the company is trustworthy, so if you find a brand you like, and I haven’t mentioned the size you are looking for, rest assured that they offer it.
There are two things that you need to pay close attention to when purchasing a Light bar. The first is the IP rating, ingress protection rating. It is a two digit scale that refers to the durability of the Light bar, the first digit is the particle protection, while the second digit refers water resistance. All off the bars I recommend are IP rated to 67 or higher, any lower than that and there is no real reason to buy the bar. The other factor to take into account is the warranty. The vast majority of good quality budget light bars come with a 1 year warranty, which isn’t bad, but the higher quality bars offer more comprehensive warranties. Remember, if you are spending the money you deserve the guarantee.
So let’s take a look down through some light bars, some high quality, some budget, but all great.
My first three recommendations are for the budget conscious consumer, but don’t let that make you think they are low quality. Eyourlife, Auxbeam and ANNT all craft great products, at wonderfully low prices. Bear in mind that all of these firms offer the full range of sizes, so if you are after something a little bigger to fit to your cart the option is there. The 32″ option for Eyourlife comes with a year warranty, the standard I am sad to say, but the output light quality is astounding, hitting 18,000LM. You can expect this bar to function perfectly for around 30,000+ hours and it is IP rated at 68. That means maximum particle protection, and if you end up in the drink your bar will be fine. Expect to pay $48.99 for this one, as it is still on offer on Amazon down from $99.99.
Size: 36″ x 5.2″ x 5.4″ including bracket.
Auxbeam Curved 240W 42″ LED Light Bar
Moving on to the upper end here, and the big 42″ bar from Auxbeam is tremendous value for money. I love the curved beams, they offer superior flood lighting while maintaining spot lighting quality. Auxbeam tend to be slightly cheaper than Eyourlife, when Eyourlife isn’t on offer, so if you are reading this in the future, Hello from the past. They also offer a slightly longer lifespan, averaging 50,000+ hours, better even than some of the high quality bar options. Output lumen here is 24,000LM and the bar is IP rated to 67. the 6 means you are protected from all manner of particle damage, while the 7 means that the bar is rated to survive in under 1m of water. Warranty is again a mere year, with a month money back guarantee. Expect to pay $119 for this bar. Overall the performance to price ratio here is commendable, Auxbemam tends to be well worth the money in all of its size categories.
Size: 44.6″ x 7.4″ x 5.4″ including bracket.
ANNT Cree 20″ 126w LED Light Bar
Down a size again, and this will be the last budget option. ANNT are another company that offer the full range, and their 20″ option is mighty fine. It will cost you around $48.88, on Amazon, and their range tends to be slightly cheaper than Auxbeam’s though they lack the impressive longevity of the former. Full burn on this bar will last 30,000 hours, and output 9000LM. IP rating is again 67. 67 is fine for golfing, less so for a boat or any water heavy all-terrain activities, but more than satisfactory here. The warranty is the usual year, and they also offer a 30 day money back guarantee. Overall ANNT is the weakest of the three budget bar options, but if you can find it at a decent discount then you will not be disappointed by your purchase.
Size: 20″ x 2.5″ x 2.8″ in bracket.
Rigid Industries Radiance 10″ Cree Led Light Bar
Finally we reach the two premium options. First a look at the smallest and cheapest bar offered by the industry giants Rigid. I have looked at the entire Rigid range and have not found them wanting in any department. Each of their bars are hand crafted in house, 100% American made. The issue there is that they tend to be far more expensive. This 10″ bar in the Radiance range will cost you $179.99, though I have seen it go for slightly cheaper on Amazon. All the other bars on this list have round numbers applied to their output lumens, so they are clearly the upper bound estimate, Rigid have this 10″ bar set at 3528LM. This bar is IP rated to 68, as are most of Rigid’s products The attention to detail there is impressive and it does not stop at the build quality. Rigid offer the best warranty on the market, bar none. It lasts as long as you do, really, a lifetime warranty. Their customer support is top notch, and a quick look through their site will show that off. The best part here is that due to their products being made in-house you have expert advice close at hand. If you have the cash the buy a Rigid, if you don’t, then save up for one.
Size: 6.25″ × 7″ × 13.625″ including bracket.
KC C-Series 50″ 300W LED Light Bar
This it the company that gives Rigid a run for its money in many ways. They provide amazing customer service, a high quality product and a fine price. Bear in mind that 50″ bar will hang off a golf cart, by about an inch. So it will fit, but it might look ridiculous. As I mentioned though, all of these firms offer the full range of sizes. This 50″ bar will cost a hefty $681.52, and is IP rated to 67. If you ca afford the price you are rewarded with an output lumen of 27,000LM, enough to create your own personal day time. KC’s warranty is the second best on this list, 23 years, such an odd number, sure, but functionally incidental to lifetime for most of us. The average lifespan of a KC bar is 40,000 hours. I find it hard to recommend the KC over the Rigid, the price of the Radiance in 50″ is $400, but it must be said the Radiance series cannot match the C-series is raw Lumens. So if you want the maximum light, at a good price you might be best served by the KC option.
Size: 51.38″ x 3.09″ x 3.40″ in bracket
I have a tendency to favor the budget solutions. They offer the brightness you’re after at wonderfully low prices. the issue with cheaper bars is their burn out rate tends to be higher than the bespoke bars, so in many ways you really are rolling the dice when you buy a budget bar. With the KC and Rigid options you are covered by the warranty. If long term use weighs on your mind then I would recommend you save up for a bar with a good warranty.