ARB Intensity LED Driving Light Review
We’re obviously a big fan of LED lightbars (look at the name of the site) but we like other types of lighting, too. As 4wd enthusiasts we have a serious interest in anything that makes it easier to drive offroad, so a decent set of driving lights is always going to attract our attention. We’ve just been looking at the ARB Intensity series. These are high quality units, designed and made in Australia and ideal for anyone who’s looking to upgrade their vehicle with some decent lamps.
The ARB Intensity is available in two models, a spot producing a 10° beam that gives usable illumination out to over 900 metres and a flood throwing a 20° cone to well over 500. Apart from the reflectors both lights are exactly the same, so it’s easy to put together a setup that enhances the looks of your vehicle as well as improving performance.
The Intensity is housed in a pressure cast aluminium casing, with a tough polycarbonate lens and an additional polycarbonate front cover to protect against scratches and chips. This cover is hard coated for even more resistance, so it makes for a pretty durable light. It’s well sealed, too, with an IP68 rating. This means no dust can penetrate and it will work perfectly after being submerged in three metres of water. Rain, road spray and river crossings aren’t going to bother this. To protect the LEDs against heat buildup the casing incorporates 15 rear cooling fins and it has built in protection against high or low voltage. There’s also military-standard shielding against RF or electromagnetic interference, so whatever the conditions you can be sure the Intensity will work as intended. The mounting bracket is a sturdy item made from stainless steel and comes with all the hardware you’ll need to securely install it. It also lets you adjust the light after installation to get the best coverage of the ground ahead.
These are solid, full size lights so you’d expect a high level of performance. They deliver, too. Both flood and spot models generate 8200 lumens from 90W of power. They’re fully shielded so all that brightness is visible light – no UV. It’s outstandingly clear light too. ARB quote the colour temperature at a sunlight-rivalling 6500K, which is among the best we’ve seen.
We were very happy with these lights. The build quality is excellent and there’s also great attention to detail, such as Deutsch waterproof connectors and neat Goretex breathers. If you want a bit of extra light for driving you certainly won’t find these lacking.
