Choosing the Best Auto Headlight and What Does Halogen, HID, Xenon and LED Bulb Means

Do you know that the world's first electric headlamp was invented by the Electric Vehicle Company based in Connecticut, United States and was powered by an electric car in the year 1898? Since then, there have been significant improvements on the type of headlights as well as its functionality.
If you happen to drive in the night and see a pair of blurry yellow colored headlights approaching from the opposite direction of the road then you have mostly likely encounter an old classic. Such headlights employ a century old tungsten filament technology that is less commonly used by today's auto manufacturers.
 
If you see an incoming bright blue/white headlamp, chances are it comes from a luxury Mercedes or BMW cruising past you at lightning speed. Such vehicles are factory fitted with HID or High Intensity Discharge lamps or better known as Xenon lights. Xenon headlamps are known to burn brighter than conventional headlamps given the same voltage/wattage consumption and therefore its popularity.
 
It is obvious that the bright blue/white light gives the driver better visibility while on the road and headlamp manufacturers have been quick to acknowledge the growing demand for such headlights. Many motorists have converted their headlamps by switching to xenon bulbs that can be self-installed easily. There are many brands and makes available in the market today simply by browsing through the internet.
 
Before you decide to switch, check your existing headlamps first. If your car is fitted with the original headlamps, the first thing you have to figure out is whether it is using separate bulbs for the dip beam and the high beam. There are also cars that use a single bulb for both the dip and high beam. A single bulb that can perform dip and high beam function has two filaments inside the bulb. When you switch on your headlamp, the dip beam filament will always remain lit and continues to remain lit even after the high beam is switched on. Headlamps that utilize a single bulb with two filaments are easily recognized when you take it out because it has a 3-pin connection.

 
On the other hand, a headlamp that uses separate high beam bulb has a single pin connection while its low beam counterpart has a two-pin connection.
 
Next, check the original manufacturer specification because there are other bulb manufacturers that do not conform to the above pin connection specification. However, you will find that almost 90% of auto bulb manufacturer conforms to the above pin specification.
 
Prior to the popularity of HID, many autos have switched from the traditional tungsten bulbs to Halogen. Although the functionality remains the same, Halogen gives off white light using thinner filament. The advantage of thinner filament is that it gives off brighter light. With thinner filament however, it tend to burns out easily and to overcome this problem, manufacturers have been able to increase its lifespan by incorporating halogen gas inside the filament, thus the name halogen bulb.
 
The continuous development in headlights technology has always focused on brighter and longer lasting bulbs that use the least amount of energy. The brightest bulb is not always the most useful because it produces glare that can temporarily blind drivers approaching form opposite direction of the road. Popularity of HID bulbs was due to its brightness and attractive blue/white lights produced. It is said to burn 3 times brighter and 10 times the lifespan of a Halogen bulb. However, be sure to fork out more for HID bulbs if you intend on investing in such headlights.
 
The latest headlamp technology is focusing on LED bulbs or Light Emitting Diodes. The advantage of LED over other existing bulbs is the much superior lifespan and durability. Its small size affords headlamp designers greater flexibility. It is well documented that many of the LED's produced in the 1970s and 1980s are still in operation today. The use of LED for tail lamps, brake lights and interior lighting has been quite common but limited for front headlight due to high cost factor of producing it to match natural daylight color.