Danny17
Senior Member
- Joined
- May 26, 2016
- Threads
- 12
- Messages
- 54
- Reaction score
- 22
- Location
- Toronto
- Vehicle(s)
- 2016 CIVIC EX
- Thread starter
- #1
Hello,
(Background you can skip this paragraph if you want)
Its been a while since I last posted on here but I thought I'd let the community know about my recent experience with Sealight's LED headlights. Around the time (may 2016) since I got the vehicle I had purchased a 55W ULTRA HID kit from DDMtuning, when the kit arrived one of the bulbs had a cracked filament rod. While the bulbs worked, the one with the cracked filament rod had an awful beam pattern and was noticeably dimmer than the other one. Contacted DDM and they're customer service was appalling to the say the least. They were unresponsive and reluctant on sending a replacement bulb. I said screw it and ordered a pair of morimoto XB bulbs from a local dealer. The bulbs worked great with the DDM's ultra ballasts, they were very bright, and I didn't have any compatibility issues. I did have one of the bulbs die out on me in late 2018, but got it quickly replaced, so I was back in business until recently where one of the ballasts started malfunctioning on me (randomly shutting off, and flickering) I decided to look around for some replacement ballasts but then also set my sights on LED headlights. I was curious a few years ago but wasn't impressed with anything on the market as the earlier bulbs had many issues regarding beam pattern, brightness, durabiltiy, etc. But it looks like most of the recent kits that are out on the market have come a long way since then, which is evident by the amount of people who are opting for LEDs instead of HIDs, not just this forum but many other auto forums.
I saw many kits and many reviews, such as diode dynamics SL1, GTR lighting Ultra 2s, Morimotos 2 strokes, and more. While those kits had many positive reviews they were fairly expensive here in Canada, with the SL1 and GTR LEDs costing me significantly more than replacing the ballasts. I went on Amazon and looked through the kits that were listed there. read reviews, and ended up settling on the Sealight Laxmas L2s. I wanted to actually but the Katanas that everyone here praised but they're not available in Canada. The reviews appeared to be pretty favorable and price-wise were a lot affordable than HID kits or even a quality set of ballasts. What interested me the most about the L2s was their design, they have a thin PCB and structurally mimicked the halogen, so in theory they should work great in the civic's projectors.
Here are some images of the L2s, I gotta say Sealight does a decent job with the packaging. Overall the bulbs appeared to be made out of pretty good materials.
Installation was super easy, much more easier than HIDs since there were no ballasts involved. That was honestly one of the things that pushed me towards LEDs as they simply connect into the factory wiring and there isn't anything extra needed. When it came the Laxmas L2s performance I was disappointed with their output. Don't get me wrong, they're definitely an improvement over the stock halogens that come with the civic, but as someone who had been using a 55W HID kit for the last 3 years I wasn't satisfied with them.
It was raining a little bit so this shot doesn't do the bulbs justice but regardless they were dimmer.
They do have a nice cut off however and their beam pattern isn't bad, it was the output that I personally didn't like.
I actually ended up contacting Sealight and told them about my experience with the L2 bulbs. Kevin who was their CSR was pretty helpful and apologized for the whole ordeal and immediately offered to give me a refund, which I was very appreciative of. He also told me about their newer Xenower X2 bulbs which are supposed to be brighter than the L2s, but he never quantified the difference, just said "they're brighter". With the positive feedback I had just received from them I thought I'd might as well try them out, worst case I'll have to return these ones as well and get a refund, no biggie.
So the Xenower X2s come in the same styled packaging as the L2 bulbs which is fine.
Quality wise they're similar if not better than the L2s and the same goes for the design. They've got a thin design which is great since that is what you want from an LED bulb to attain the best possible beam pattern and match stock. Only difference with the X2 bulbs is that the metal shield goes all around the board, possibly due to these running at a higher wattage therefore needing the additional cooling.
Performance wise they're definitely brighter than the L2 bulbs and they have a better beam pattern too.
Here you can see the X2 on the left and L2 on the right. The X2 bulb has a bright hotspot
With both bulbs installed.
Overall I'm quite please with the Xenower X2 bulbs, while they still aren't as bright as my old 55W HID kit, I'd say they deliver like 80% of the performance. Probably comparable to a 35W hid kit. The beam is pattern on point here, they've got a sharp cut-off, I haven't been flashed by anyone whereas with my HID kit I would get flashed every now and then (even after adjusting). The other thing is that for some reason my old HID bulbs would shake over bumps and potholes, even though I had ensured they were installed nice and snug (even swapped the rubber o-rings with the stock halogens), whereas these bulbs don't do that. So if anyone is looking to replace their stock bulbs with LEDs, definitely check out the Xenower X2s from sealight.
I can't comment on longevity yet, but I'm hoping they last me a few years, by then I think LEDs will have surpassed HIDs. will try to update if anything occurs.
(Background you can skip this paragraph if you want)
Its been a while since I last posted on here but I thought I'd let the community know about my recent experience with Sealight's LED headlights. Around the time (may 2016) since I got the vehicle I had purchased a 55W ULTRA HID kit from DDMtuning, when the kit arrived one of the bulbs had a cracked filament rod. While the bulbs worked, the one with the cracked filament rod had an awful beam pattern and was noticeably dimmer than the other one. Contacted DDM and they're customer service was appalling to the say the least. They were unresponsive and reluctant on sending a replacement bulb. I said screw it and ordered a pair of morimoto XB bulbs from a local dealer. The bulbs worked great with the DDM's ultra ballasts, they were very bright, and I didn't have any compatibility issues. I did have one of the bulbs die out on me in late 2018, but got it quickly replaced, so I was back in business until recently where one of the ballasts started malfunctioning on me (randomly shutting off, and flickering) I decided to look around for some replacement ballasts but then also set my sights on LED headlights. I was curious a few years ago but wasn't impressed with anything on the market as the earlier bulbs had many issues regarding beam pattern, brightness, durabiltiy, etc. But it looks like most of the recent kits that are out on the market have come a long way since then, which is evident by the amount of people who are opting for LEDs instead of HIDs, not just this forum but many other auto forums.
I saw many kits and many reviews, such as diode dynamics SL1, GTR lighting Ultra 2s, Morimotos 2 strokes, and more. While those kits had many positive reviews they were fairly expensive here in Canada, with the SL1 and GTR LEDs costing me significantly more than replacing the ballasts. I went on Amazon and looked through the kits that were listed there. read reviews, and ended up settling on the Sealight Laxmas L2s. I wanted to actually but the Katanas that everyone here praised but they're not available in Canada. The reviews appeared to be pretty favorable and price-wise were a lot affordable than HID kits or even a quality set of ballasts. What interested me the most about the L2s was their design, they have a thin PCB and structurally mimicked the halogen, so in theory they should work great in the civic's projectors.
Here are some images of the L2s, I gotta say Sealight does a decent job with the packaging. Overall the bulbs appeared to be made out of pretty good materials.
Installation was super easy, much more easier than HIDs since there were no ballasts involved. That was honestly one of the things that pushed me towards LEDs as they simply connect into the factory wiring and there isn't anything extra needed. When it came the Laxmas L2s performance I was disappointed with their output. Don't get me wrong, they're definitely an improvement over the stock halogens that come with the civic, but as someone who had been using a 55W HID kit for the last 3 years I wasn't satisfied with them.
It was raining a little bit so this shot doesn't do the bulbs justice but regardless they were dimmer.
They do have a nice cut off however and their beam pattern isn't bad, it was the output that I personally didn't like.
I actually ended up contacting Sealight and told them about my experience with the L2 bulbs. Kevin who was their CSR was pretty helpful and apologized for the whole ordeal and immediately offered to give me a refund, which I was very appreciative of. He also told me about their newer Xenower X2 bulbs which are supposed to be brighter than the L2s, but he never quantified the difference, just said "they're brighter". With the positive feedback I had just received from them I thought I'd might as well try them out, worst case I'll have to return these ones as well and get a refund, no biggie.
So the Xenower X2s come in the same styled packaging as the L2 bulbs which is fine.
Quality wise they're similar if not better than the L2s and the same goes for the design. They've got a thin design which is great since that is what you want from an LED bulb to attain the best possible beam pattern and match stock. Only difference with the X2 bulbs is that the metal shield goes all around the board, possibly due to these running at a higher wattage therefore needing the additional cooling.
Performance wise they're definitely brighter than the L2 bulbs and they have a better beam pattern too.
Here you can see the X2 on the left and L2 on the right. The X2 bulb has a bright hotspot
With both bulbs installed.
Overall I'm quite please with the Xenower X2 bulbs, while they still aren't as bright as my old 55W HID kit, I'd say they deliver like 80% of the performance. Probably comparable to a 35W hid kit. The beam is pattern on point here, they've got a sharp cut-off, I haven't been flashed by anyone whereas with my HID kit I would get flashed every now and then (even after adjusting). The other thing is that for some reason my old HID bulbs would shake over bumps and potholes, even though I had ensured they were installed nice and snug (even swapped the rubber o-rings with the stock halogens), whereas these bulbs don't do that. So if anyone is looking to replace their stock bulbs with LEDs, definitely check out the Xenower X2s from sealight.
I can't comment on longevity yet, but I'm hoping they last me a few years, by then I think LEDs will have surpassed HIDs. will try to update if anything occurs.
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