Black Oak LED provides a choice of brand and LED power in their products. They can be ordered with 3W or 5W OSRAM LEDs and a few with high-power Cree LEDs. Should you buy a Cree LED light bar or an OSRAM LED light bar? As in most things in life, the answer is it depends.
AMS OSRAM History
The OSRAM company made lighting products at the start of the 20th century. In 2013, they took over Siemen's LED division. You find an OSRAM LED in products for the automotive industry, projectors and security applications. Their broad portfolio makes them a global leader in illumination solutions for multiple industries. Most off-road lighting manufacturers offer an OSRAM LED light bar in their catalog.
Cree LED Lighting History
Cree first marketed a blue LED in 1989. Their XLamp Cree LED was the first to be accepted as a direct replacement for traditional lighting applications. In 2013, the Cree LED bulb was offered as a residential bulb replacement. CREE LEDs come in multiple colors, but they are best known for their performance in flashlights and outdoor equipment. A Cree LED light bar is often featured in light bar makers' product portfolios.
Cree XM-L2 LEDs
XM-L2 Cree 10W LEDs are Cree's XLamp second generation technology. They offer 20 percent more lumens per watt at half the cost. They feature prominently in many off-road light bar reviews. Black Oak features these LEDs in two products, their 2-Inch 4-LED POD light, and its white marine-grade version, plus their 4-LED flush mount POD. Both of these put out 3,120 raw lumens when equipped with Cree LED lighting.
For more options, check out our guide to the best LED pod lights. Want to upgrade your truck? Look here for the best rock lights for trucks.
Why OSRAM LEDs?
Black Oak LED has extensively tested Cree vs OSRAM LEDs in their products. The results are close, but Black Oak finds that overall OSRAM LED lights outperform a Cree LED. In most Black Oak light bars, such as their 40-inch, curved dual-row D-Series bar with up to 44,000 raw lumens of night-crushing light, they offer only OSRAMs with a choice of power levels. For an extra power punch, they can supply a few products with high-power 10W Cree LEDs.
OSRAM LEDs are super bright, which is why we put them in our LED light bars. Looking for a new upgrade? Choose the guide that matches your next project:
Cree vs OSRAM innovations
OSRAM's latest innovation is the OSRAM Ostar Headlamp Pro, which is utilized in "bend lighting" headlamps. Its multi-chip, individual control LED intelligently adjusts the beam width and aim to adapt to driving conditions. Cree has a new TrueWhitePlus™ Technology, which provides optimal white light spectral content that is easy on the eyes. This same kind of spectral adjustment applies to light bars for reducing night driving fatigue.
Conclusion
When comparing Cree vs OSRAM, factors to consider are efficiency, brightness, attenuation over time and the type of LED lens used, which affects beam pattern. Black Oak LED has tested all these factors and their OSRAM LED review comes out slightly ahead of Cree. Check out all Black Oak's OSRAM and Cree equipped off-road lighting products at www.blackoakled.com or call them today with your questions at 1-800-348-1287.
