Lightforce Beast driving lights tested

The team at Lightforce has been at it again, raising the bar for vehicle auxiliary lighting.

The newest product from the South Australian lighting manufacturer is the Beast, a 222mm round-ish driving light that uses 36 Osram LEDs to offer a light with multiple modes of beam to suit the conditions you are driving in.

Rather than having a specific lamp with a flood beam and another one for spot, the Beast allows you to select modes for each via a simple press of the dash button. Alternatively, hold the button in for a few seconds to engage Beast Mode which gives you both at once for maximum reach and spread of light.

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While the ability to offer multiple beam outputs from a single LED light is not new to the auxiliary lighting market, it’s new to Lightforce, and in this product it comes with the brand’s Australian-made solid design and construction. In fact, the team came up with a whole new light to implement the multi-beam feature.

The Beast features a lightweight diecast aluminium housing for optimal strength and heat dissipation, while the 36 LEDs sit in front of a black reflector for a unique look in the almost octagonal housing.

The lights are rated IP69K for dust and water ingress and use a Gore membrane on the breather, and Lightforce claims the Beast driving lights will operate at a depth of 1.5m under water for an hour without leaking; will run continuously between -40°C and 85°C; can survive temperature spikes up to 125°C; and will handle a 400g rock strike on the lens at 100km/h or a 1kg rock strike at 60km/h.

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The lights are made to US Military standard MIL-STD-810H 514.4 for vibration and shock, and claimed to resist seven days of the IEC 60068-2-52 salt spray with no rust or damage to the coating, so they should be able to cope with the rigours of sitting up the front of your 4x4 for many years. Lightforce is confident enough in the Beast to offer a five-year warranty.

The wiring harness that’s supplied in two-light kits contains everything required for fitment and use of the Beast lights and the harness is easy to understand and install, featuring high quality plugs and components. Only a single wire needs to run through to the dash for the switch which is supplied with the harness.

The depth of the lights has been kept to a minimum to allow fitment between the grille and bull bar of most 4x4 vehicles. The solid mounting brackets are reversible for more mounting options, and anti-theft mounting bolts are available as an option.

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Modes

The Beast lights have four modes in total including the daytime running light (DRL) function which is designed to illuminate as soon as the ignition is switched on.

With the vehicle’s high beam on, a single tap of a dash button activates the long-range spot mode of the driving lights, punching out a claimed 1 LUX at 1497m with a beam width of 60m.

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A second press of the button engaged flood or wide beam, projecting a claimed 1 LUX at 778m with a 140m beam width.

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Holding down the button for a few seconds initiates Beast mode, resulting in a claimed 1 LUX at 1375m with a wide 140m beam width.

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On the bushy Victorian tracks we’ve been driving lately in the LandCruiser, the flood mode has proved most suitable, while the long-range spot beam will no doubt come into its own out in wide-open spaces.

Verdict

These are the best driving lights I’ve had on the Cruiser since the original HTX lights from Lightforce, which combined older HID technology with LEDs. The improvements in LED technology and reflector design have made HID components redundant, and the Lightforce Beast offers even better lighting performance, all in a tough Australian made package.

The Beast is available in a single-lamp or two-lamp kit with harness. There’s a range of accessories available including black, tinted and clear filters/covers, and the aforementioned anti-theft lock nuts.

Australian-made quality doesn’t come cheap, but at $599.50 for a single Beast lamp or $1349 for the two-lamp kit, covers, harness and instructions that make installation simple, they are comparable to other products in terms of cost.

RRP

• One lamp: $599.50
• Two-lamp kit: $1349