Nightbreaker Plus bulbs

timbo58

I did like the improvement that NBP gave me, but after less than 15k miles both dip beams blew and left me with nothing but main beam halfway through a 60 mile journey which wasn't nice!
I didn't even have them on for the entire 15k (1 year) either as my car has DRLs.

Not terribly happy so have swapped to philips extreme brilliance instead.

w50nky

They are noted, along with other replacement lamps with enhanced performance to give shortened life.
I would suggest keeping your old lamps in the car with you just in case.

Steve059

w50nky wrote: »

They are noted, along with other replacement lamps with enhanced performance to give shortened life.
I would suggest keeping your old lamps in the car with you just in case.

That was the old Night Breaker bulbs. They were getting a reputation for poor longevity.

The new Night Breaker Plus version has a thicker filament and a better mix of gasses. Comparing the two, I felt like the new one also looks and feels like it's "up to a standard, not down to a price".

As above, I carry two spares of each type of bulb used on the car. Then, when you need to use one spare, you still have another one to cover you while, in true MSE fashion, you shop around for the cheapest replacement.

GolfBravo

Steve059 wrote: »

That was the old Night Breaker bulbs. They were getting a reputation for poor longevity.

The new Night Breaker Plus version has a thicker filament and a better mix of gasses.

Yes, that's according to their marketing blurb.

However, according to their technical data the latest Nightbreaker bulb lifespan is less than half of their standard bulbs.

So IMHO their reputation for poor longevity is well deserved. I went through 2 sets (4 bulbs) in under 15 months, so not really worth it to get "up to 110 % more light on the road".

Richard53

No such thing as a free lunch. All these 'extra' bulbs claim to give more light, but draw the same current. They do this by burning hotter and therefore more efficiently, but the drawback is they don't last as long as conventional halogens. AFAIK this is true of all the +80% (or whatever) bulbs.

You pays your money, etc. I will always carry a conventional spare with me just in case (a blown bulb on a bike with one headlight is a show-stopper), but in fact I can't remember the last time I blew a headlight bulb, normal or 'ultra'.

GolfBravo

Richard53 wrote: »

No such thing as a free lunch. All these 'extra' bulbs claim to give more light, but draw the same current. They do this by burning hotter and therefore more efficiently, but the drawback is they don't last as long as conventional halogens.

Osram no longer claim that their performance bulbs are any brighter - that's because they never were any brighter in the first place.

The ADAC were after them (and Philips and Narva) for a number of years for making these false claims, and they also got the EU involved. So now Osram claim their Nightbreaker Unlimited provide "up to 110% more light on the road", and Philips claim "100% more light on the road" for their Xtreme Vision bulbs.

EU law regulates the maximum headlight bulb output, for example H7 bulbs can be 1500lm bright, with luminous flux tolerance (production variation) of ±10%. All performance bulbs simply offer shorter filament (to focus the light beam) and may have some blueish filter to give you the impression of "more white" - they are not brighter, they legally can't be any brighter. And since the filament is shorter it runs hotter (to compensate for smaller size), hence they don't last very long. All you get is a little more light in front of your car and less light on the nearside, and a different light colour.


PS
Just noticed that both Osram and Philips have conveniently removed any luminous flux references from their bulb data sheets. Until about a month ago they all clearly stated the same light output for all their standard and equivalent performance bulbs.

Richard53

GolfBravo wrote: »

Osram no longer claim that their performance bulbs are any brighter - that's because they never were any brighter in the first place.

I bow to your superior knowledge, and thanks for the detailed information. When I fitted Nightbreakers to my Honda a couple of years ago, there was a noticeable increase in light output. I have also fitted Halfords 'Extreme Brilliance +80%' (or some such) to my trail bike and found a noticeable improvement. In both cases, this was an increase in light output and no change to beam pattern. I didn't opt for blue tints, or anything like that.

I know that many of the claims are exaggerated, and any reference to a % increase is likely to be BS, but to say they were never brighter in the first place conflicts with my own experience.

GolfBravo

Richard53 wrote: »

When I fitted Nightbreakers to my Honda a couple of years ago...I didn't opt for blue tints, or anything like that.

Osram Nightbreaker features a blue filtration coating to make the light look "whiter": colour temperature = ±3600K, compared to standard 3200K

More info.

Richard53 wrote: »

but to say they were never brighter in the first place conflicts with my own experience

Old bulbs = lumen depreciation, a decreased light output as the lamp ages. So replacing your "old" standard bulbs with new standard bulbs is likely to make a noticeable difference in higher light output anyway.

Bulb manufacturers sometimes provide "lumen maintenance" info* - it refers to the average bulb performance over its lifetime. Off the top of my head a typical H7 bulb is likely to maintain ±90% of its original light output after 200 hours, and only about ±70% after 350 hours - this is from about 10 years ago, bulbs have improved since then.

So a H7 lightbulb after 350 hours (if it lasts that long) is very likely to provide only about say 1100lm, and replacing it with a new 1500lm (±10%) bulb will make a noticeable difference.


*Osram used to provide really good technical info, and now it's just marketing carp: up to 110% more light on the road,
up to 40m longer beam of light, up to 20% whiter light, drivers spot obstacles and dangerous situations much sooner, optimum light for more reaction time, etc.

Richard53

Hmmm. I am pretty sure my Osrams didn't look like that. This was (checks dates) 4 years ago, so maybe they have changed. I am aware of the kidology involved in the blue tinting 'feature', and I am sure I would have noticed.

Interesting about the deterioration. I didn't realise bulbs did that. I thought they were 100% until they popped.

gabitzul

The bulb in Golf Bravo's post is indeed the NightBreaker. I have these myself, or rather I had them, as both have blown after 1 year. First 7 days before the warranty expired and ECP replaced it, second one 2 days ago.

Not impressed with the longevity, however when working I can say I noticed an improvement.