I've never been fond of using sub-standard products in all my cars. Nothing but the best for my preciousssss - everything from the Piaa silicon wipers right down to the titanium bolt, nothing but the best!
The same goes for light bulbs. I've used a lot of bulbs in the last 8 years of owning my cars and I've concluded that if it looks good (like the time I used green halogen bulbs) then it won't last (died in 4 months). If it lasts, it won't be bright. If it's bright and lasting, it wouldn't be cheap. That's until I came across Osrams original Nightbreaker. It was relatively cheap to buy (barely touched RM120 back then) and lasts pretty much forever. In fact my current Nightbreakers are going 3 years strong and still haven't dimmed or lost it's shine.
When I was handed these new Nightbreakers (Osrams Nightbreaker plus) to be reviewed, I knew I had to give it something worthwhile to fight against.... the bigger brother, its predecessor - the original Osram Nightbreaker.
Comparing the two bulbs side by side, it's obvious the older bulb was bigger and was slightly brownish, perhaps due to the 3 years of abuse in my Myvi. The Nightbreaker plus had a bluish tinge and the bulb itself is considerably smaller.
Now Osram claims the following :
Since this will not be a standard lamp/bulb I'll be comparing with, I won't take the claims too seriously.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to find a decent place to setup my rig to test the lightbulbs distance without having some traffic honk me for blocking traffic. So I did this highly unscientific test at home and along the streets of my neighborhood.
First up, the original big brother :
It's obvious it's bright, probably in the 4000k range and generally it won't get you in trouble driving along a pitch dark road such as Genting Sempah. I didn't manage to get any decent shots of its range but a guestimate would be about 2 cars length (Wira length) was how far I could shine these lights on low beam. High beam was phenomenal, it pissed off 2 cats and a neighbour who was just turning into the same street in his old junk. Easily 4 to 5 blocks distance clarity.
Next up, the challenger.
Yes - the picture appears to have a bluish tinge. But I assure you the picture was not edited (neither was the earlier one) other than size. The Nightbreaker plus was very obviously whiter in colour. I'd say somewhere between 4200k to almost 4500k range. Range was approximately 2 wiras as well but everything was whiter and clearer. Almost sharper even, perhaps because of the white tinge. High beam pissed off the same neighbour who later asked me what I was doing shining into his house, the thing was - I wasn't! Bright as a white Christmas in a yellow light. Very impressive!
Conclusion?
The extra white tinge to the Nightbreaker plus seems to make everything sharper, so much so the colours pop out compared to the original Nightbreaker which essentially made everything beige or yellowish white.
Worth the upgrade? I'm not sure. Both bulbs work extremely well and in all seriousness I don't think I need the extra contrast to be driving safely on the road. However I'm an avid follower of the 'Ghost Stories & True Experiences' thread, wouldn't hurt to be able to see a clearer picture of the 'person' dressed in white standing by the side of the road, on a completely empty... dark... road.
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