Wheel Safe. Wheel Smart. Have Fun. Hope to see you on out on the trails.
Copyright The Off Road Reference 2015
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It's a 4X4 & Jeep Thing! Getting People Off-Road. |
Friends, family, and long time readers know I have a thing for lights…flashlights, weapons lights, key chain lights, headlamps, lanterns, and yes, of course, vehicle lights. It’s a good idea to always have a good source of light with you, and when it comes to your vehicle, it’s actually a safety issue. Better lighting can make you a better night-time driver, and helps others see you better. Obviously, if you’re doing any kind of off-road travel, wheeling, or racing after dark, then super bright, high-quality aftermarket lighting is an ABSOLUTE MUST!!
The moment I knew…
All that said, I wasn’t even looking for lights the first time I saw the baja designs Squadron Pro JK Fog Pocket Kit. I was still deciding between AEV and Metalcloak for my suspension system, but the moment I saw my buddy Rin’s white JKUR at the OK 4WD & Auto Metalcloak event, I knew I needed these lights. Nothing else would do!
It wasn’t even dark. The sun was still shining. Yet, these little, tiny lights in the front bumper were burning my eyes out!! I was like, Holy S…., WHAT are those??!! They were white hot.
…and they looked just as cool off. In fact, to my eyes, the baja designs Squadron Pro JK Fogs look better than any other fog, or driving light design I’d ever seen – and as you can see from the pictures below, I’ve pretty much seen ’em all.
Ok 4wd & Auto’s baja designs display. Don’t be misled by the comparatively small display. These are the brightest, top-of-the-line LEDs.
OK 4wd & Auto has a lot of high end lights on display. baja designs are the only ones you’ll see locked up tight, in a cage.
Family, friends and readers know I always try to buy the best I can afford. “Russ, when was the last time I overdid anything?” Seriously, I’d rather do it right, and do it once. I’ve learned the hard way that you eventually spend more money in the long run replacing cheaper stuff, than if you went high-quality to start. Not to mention the hours wasted removing components that fail, installing replacements, or constantly having to make fixes. Then there’s the frustration of spending good, hard earned money on a piece of equipment, investing time to complete a high-quality, factory-like install, only to have whatever-it-is NOT work when you need it to?!! It’s the worst!
Like many of you, my Jeep is the real deal. I’m not just building for looks. I’m building a daily driver, family truckster, overland explorer, surf fishing, hunting rig, trail rig, pull people out of the snowbanks in winter rig, and sometimes rock crawler. Given that my Jeep JK has to function safely, reliably and successfully in so many different roles, combined with just how busy life is, I just don’t have time to play games with inferior products, especially when it comes to something as important as lighting. I need good stuff that’s just gonna work, which is why I chose the baja designs Squadron Pro’s.
Now, even though I loved the looks and light output of the baja designs Squadron Pro JK Fogs from day one, I still did my research. I read online reviews, I spoke with owners, and I checked the broad selection at OK Auto & 4WD, where they not only stock all the top names, but have them setup in impressive, interactive displays.
Bright Spots: more than just a pretty face.
I found that the baja designs Squadron-R Pro fog pocket kit for the JK was not only the brightest, but the best on the market. That shouldnt be a surprise once you realize baja designs products are purpose built for the off-road World’s main stages, like the baja 1000, and the theater of military conflict. Yes, baja designs military infrared (IR) LED lights and Infrared (IR) HID lights provide high powered covert IR light source, enhancing night vision capabilities for vehicle lighting, hunting and security applications for our men and women in uniform.
baja designs uses all top of the line components, and assembles their products with quality construction, serviceability and modularity in mind.
While this review focuses on the JK specific Squadron Pro Fog Pocket light kit, baja designs has solutions for all of your lighting needs, with products that cover the broad spectrum of different light patterns outlined below:
Speaking of the lighting spectrum, no review of high performance LED lights would be complete without a note about the Kelvin Color Temperature Scale. While I won’t pretend to be an expert on the Kelvin Temperature Scale, I have done enough flashlight, vehicle light and photography research to to agree with baja designs that daylight is generally considered in the 5,000K temperature range.
According to baja designs, “Human eyes have evolved to see best at noon on a sunny day which translates to a color temperature of 5000⁰ Kelvin. A color temperature of 5000K greatly reduces driver fatigue and increases terrain recognition. BD exclusively uses 5000K LEDs to ensure the safest and highest performing driving experience.” So, there’s actually a whole lotta truth in the “joke” I make at the end of the review, about having the sun shining in front of me everywhere I go.
Here are some pics of my Squadron Pro’s in action.
J.W. Speaker Evolution I Series, low beam. These are night and day above the stock headlights, but appear dim compared to the baja designs Squadron Pro’s.
Same spot, with just the baja designs Squadron Pro’s in the JK Fog Pocket Kit. No other lights on in this pic.
Spots that could have been a little brighter: In the name of Continuous Quality Improvement.
I’m admittedly nitpicking, but in the name of providing an objective review, and as someone always striving to make things better – personally and professionally, with everything I do – here are a few minor things I think can be improved:
The story behind baja designs: It’s the quintessential American Dream, a true Cinderella Story.
baja designs was started by Owner/Lead engineer Alan Roach and Product Development Engineer Stephen “Tex” Mitchell, who are avid baja 1000 motorcycle racers. They got their start adapting Dual Sport lighting to motocross bikes, and then fine tuning those lights for the needs of night-time, off-road racing. What they learned from improving OEM Dual Sport lighting led to the development of the World’s first motorcycle specific, race inspired HID. baja designs lights have since won every professional and amateur motorcycle and ATV Baja 1000 class for over 15 years. Somewhere along the line, and based on their incredible success, these guys became known as “The Scientists of Lighting,” and it wasn’t long before they were asked by fellow racers to adapt their lights for the buggy and truck classes of the baja 1000. BD was the first company to develop a forward projecting LED light bar, introduced and raced in the 2005 Baja 1000. From that first LED light bar evolved into an entire line of the highest performing and race winning LED lights on the market. And the rest is history…
Today baja designs makes a full line of top-of-the-line HID, LED and Infrared (IR) lighting products for adventure bike, agriculture, ATV / UTV, automotive, industrial, marine, military, motorcycle and of course, off-road racing use. Best of breed, purpose products created out of need, by enthusiasts, from a company dedicated to being BOLDER, BRIGHTER, and BETTER, for fellow racers and enthusiasts. Yeah, baja designs is a company I’m proud to support!
I encourage you spend some time on the baja designs website, because they really clearly take this “Scientists of Lighting” title very seriously. Check out the “Science of Lighting” sub-menus to really immerse yourself in their products and related technology. They are not just pushing product, but truly looking to educate people.
Overall: A Total Win!
I’ve been running these lights since July, and I couldn’t be happier. I used them to help me navigate the trails and backroads of Vermont at the 2015 Killington Jeep Jamboree, where I received literally hundreds of compliments and fielded many questions about them. I use them to navigate the sands of Island Beach State Park when I’m surf fishing, and I constantly use them around town. They simply continue to just amaze me every time I flip them on. They are ASTONISHINGLY bright, and as said earlier, they even look great when they’re off.
It’s really, and quite scientifically, like always having the sun shining right in front of me, no what what time it is…
We Jeep owners bolt a lot of stuff onto our rigs, it’s one of the fun, cool things that’s part of owning a Jeep. Honestly, it doesn’t get any better than an accessory that improves on-road and off-road safety, looks amazing on and off and performs incredibly, from an American company with a successful history of winning the baja 1000! So, put the baja designs Squadron Pro JK Fog Pocket kit at the top of your list. If the Pro kit, which retails for $524.95 is overdoing it a bit for you, then check out the Squadron Sport-R Fog Pocket Kit, which retails for $324.95 and gives you 1,800 Lumens per light.
…and speaking of lists, the baja designs Squadron-R Pro or Sport JK Fog Pocket Kit is sure to brighten any Jeep fan’s Christmas morning… pun intended!
Sincere thanks to baja designs for working with The Off Road Reference on this review.
Wheel Safe. Wheel Smart. Have Fun. Hope to see you on out on the trails.
Copyright The Off Road Reference 2015
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