OSRAM Night Breaker Plus vs PIAA Night Tech bulbs
- Thread starter knerml
- Start date
- Status
I highly doubt it. Osram overall has very high quality products.
I am a little disillusioned by marketing that says: "The magic is in the chemistry." I derive 55w = 110W found on the packaging to translate to PIAA = trash. http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?87-Automotive seems to agree with me.
I am a little disillusioned by marketing that says: "The magic is in the chemistry." I derive 55w = 110W found on the packaging to translate to PIAA = trash. http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?87-Automotive seems to agree with me.
Originally Posted By: knerml
Are the PIAA and OSRAM bulbs the same product.
Both have the same specs and are made in Germany.
I don't know.. but since they advertised they are made in Germany.... and has the Osram Nightbreaker blue edge bands.... it's awefully similar... but still overpriced.
Are the PIAA and OSRAM bulbs the same product.
Both have the same specs and are made in Germany.
I don't know.. but since they advertised they are made in Germany.... and has the Osram Nightbreaker blue edge bands.... it's awefully similar... but still overpriced.
Last edited:
Osram is a good company but I doubt they would refuse to relabel something for PIAA, "when is 55 watts 100 watts--- when WE say so"
There is a "great headlight test" somewhere on the net that is a few yearsd old and the piaa bulbs performed worse than good aftermarket bulbs. The 55w=11-w is due to the bluwe causing more glare, which looks brighter to oncoming traffic.- Malcolm
Last edited:
Guys, in order to be street legal there are still maximums for light output. This "55W = 110" is baloney. You cannot take 55W of energy and turn it into 110.
The Nightbreaker Plus is a legitimately brighter bulb, but it's because the filament is more efficient. It is NOT in the same class as the lousy PIAAs and other blue ones.
A headlamp reflector depends on the light source being a point. Filaments are not a perfect "point". The NBP and a few others have a smaller filament (closer to a pure point), and use a better blend of gases that don't waste as much energy creating heat.
I have seen that these are about 10-15% brighter than an off-the-shelf bulb, but the real selling points is that they make that light more "usable" and direct it onto the road better.
The lifespan on these is still not as good as a regular bulb, though...FYI.
The Nightbreaker Plus is a legitimately brighter bulb, but it's because the filament is more efficient. It is NOT in the same class as the lousy PIAAs and other blue ones.
A headlamp reflector depends on the light source being a point. Filaments are not a perfect "point". The NBP and a few others have a smaller filament (closer to a pure point), and use a better blend of gases that don't waste as much energy creating heat.
I have seen that these are about 10-15% brighter than an off-the-shelf bulb, but the real selling points is that they make that light more "usable" and direct it onto the road better.
The lifespan on these is still not as good as a regular bulb, though...FYI.
dparm makes a good point. You see a lot of advertising with bulbs. 30% brighter, 50% brighter, 80% brighter, etc. Legally, an HB4 bulb for instance cannot put out more than 1150 lumens (1000 +/- 15%). Period. So you know the claim of "80% brighter" must be something other than "80% more lumens", because the bulb can't have 80% more lumens and be legal.
Each bulb type (let's stay with HB4 as an example) specifies where the filament is placed in the bulb, spatially, and there are allowable ranges for that spatial placement to allow for manufacturing tolerances, etc. There are a few ways to get "more light" out of a lamp housing, especially a multi-faceted reflector housing, without actually putting "more light" in it. You can move the filament in the bulb to achieve a different optical pattern on the road. This is largely where the "80% more light" claim comes from. At somewhere in that beam pattern, there probably is 80% more light with a slightly repositioned filament than with a "standard" one. Another way is to manufacture the bulb with a smaller and tighter filament. As dparm said, create something closer to a "point source". This also changes the beam pattern in a multi-faceted reflector housing (usually for the better).
Each bulb type (let's stay with HB4 as an example) specifies where the filament is placed in the bulb, spatially, and there are allowable ranges for that spatial placement to allow for manufacturing tolerances, etc. There are a few ways to get "more light" out of a lamp housing, especially a multi-faceted reflector housing, without actually putting "more light" in it. You can move the filament in the bulb to achieve a different optical pattern on the road. This is largely where the "80% more light" claim comes from. At somewhere in that beam pattern, there probably is 80% more light with a slightly repositioned filament than with a "standard" one. Another way is to manufacture the bulb with a smaller and tighter filament. As dparm said, create something closer to a "point source". This also changes the beam pattern in a multi-faceted reflector housing (usually for the better).
Not any different than bogus communications antenna gain figures. 100 DB gain over a wet noodle and a pattern a thousand miles long and an inch wide.
- Status
Similar threads
