Angel Eye Review: Lux 160 vs. DTEC V12

[///MPower15]

Hey guys,

Like many of you, I wanted to get rid of the yellow angel eyes for something white. I really didn't know what to get since the price ranges for them from $20 (ebay) to $200 (Lux) and I feel like $200 for bulbs is pretty ridiculous.

I tried two different ebay bulbs. One was $40 and the other $65. Honestly, the $40 bulbs were great and very bright, but they did not light up the outside ring that well in the daytime. Becuase of this I continued my search for a different setup.

Next I tried out the DTEC V12s because I got them for lower than the $210 list price. I was hesitant about buying them because I felt I should have just gone with the Lux at that price range, but I decided to give them a try.

Within a few days of me receiving the DTEC in the mail, a local member was selling his extremely lightly used Lux 160s. I decided to pick those up too so I can put the two supposed best angel eyes against each other and see which one was better.

So I put one of each bulb into my car and compared them.

Here are my thoughts on each bulb:

1) DTEC are much whiter. They make the Lux look like they have a very slight yellowish tint, which they don't at all if you just look at the Lux. This is probably because the DTEC are 6500k and Lux are 7000k.

2) DTEC are much brighter for the inner ring. They are so bright that they make the inner ring thicker. Both bulbs have the same brightness for the outside ring, but the brightness of the inner ring on the DTEC makes the outer ring look a little dull in comparison.

3) The Lux are much more uniform. Both rings for the Lux look closer to the same brightness, even though the inside is still slightly brighter.

So overall my conclusions are the DTEC are brighter (inner ring only) and whiter, while the Lux have a more uniform brightness for both rings. I'm not exactly happy with either bulb, with both the outside ring just looks like it's not even on at some angles.

I still haven't decided on which one I'm keeping. One of them is going to go for sale soon, so if your interested message me!

Here are the pictures, shot on a cloudy/rainy day. DTEC are on the left (passenger side) and Lux on the right (driver side).

[rjd598]

From the pics they look identical.

[dozaiya]

the dtec does look a bit brighter but not significant, but i'll take uniform over brightness
and supposedly 7000k should be whiter than 6500k no?

[JsL]

Great review. I have the V12s myself and am pretty happy with them.

[jdamore]

OP, better hold onto your Lux lights because when your dtecs die, you'll need them.

[dmppdx]

Originally Posted by jdamore

OP, better hold onto your Lux lights because when your dtecs die, you'll need them.

I can second that. I had some dtecs and one side failed after a few months and even though it was still under warranty, they were completely non responsive to any sort of contact on replacing them. After numerous attempts to contact them without receiving a response, I finally had to post bad feedback on this site. They immediately contacted me begging to help me and after they replace the one defective side, they were begging me to remove my comments to remove any negatives about them.

Even after having the one defective side replaced, the other side burned out shortly after, so I just threw them in the trash and went with lux.

It's clear from reading this forum their standard business practice is to make a crappy product that they refuse to stand behind unless you call them out on a forum like this.

[rjd598]

My dtecs burned out too. It can happen to lux too, but it seems to be a consistent issue with the dtec

[///MPower15]

I can't comment on the life of either bulbs since I've only had them for a little over a week. Hopefully paypal will back me up if e92lighting does not honor their 1 year warranty.

[Blindside_137]

Definitely seems more uniform with the Lux, although from the pics the color looks identical. Thanks for the comparison!

I still have a Lux V3 setup that I love. I did buy the 160's but I wasn't completely satisfied for several reasons.

1) The color of my V3 has a slight blue/violet hue which closely matches the newest BMW lights. The 160 is a pure white (which some may prefer)

2) The V3 still fades and dims gradually when the car locks and unlocks. The 160 were instant on and would flicker off when locking.

So overall I felt like the slight brightness increase wasn't worth the loss of the color and fade character of my V3's. But I still love Lux and their service and continued innovations for these cars.

[JsL]

I've had LUX stuff burn out too. They had good CS.

[Brentis]

Can we comment on the support and integrity of one then I would upvote Lux.

[///MPower15]

The DTEC are a really good alternative and are better in some ways, but I decided to go with the Lux.

So the DTEC are for sale, pm me if interested.

[E92-Lighting]

what an amazing review, thanks!

[SYT_Shadow]

I for one continue to hope that one day we will have a solution which provides EQUAL light to both rings

I don't need it to be ultra bright, just more or less the same!

[LuxAngelEyes]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

I for one continue to hope that one day we will have a solution which provides EQUAL light to both rings

I don't need it to be ultra bright, just more or less the same!

its not possible because of the physical differences in the design of the rings themselves

As ///MPower15 said in his original in the first post " The Lux are much more uniform. Both rings for the Lux look closer to the same brightness, even though the inside is still slightly brighter. " So its going to be a lot better than stock.

[0-60Motorsports]

Good review.

[Upgrade+]

Thank you for doing this. Very informative. Should be made a sticky for those wondering as I did. I've had my 160's for a few months now and I love them.

[E92-Lighting]

Originally Posted by 0-60Motorsports

Good review.

+1

Originally Posted by Upgrade+

Thank you for doing this. Very informative. Should be made a sticky for those wondering as I did. I've had my 160's for a few months now and I love them.

it sure is very informative, and unbiased and fair for both parties, sticky gets my vote

[Iyzmi]

OP, what did you use to plug the front license plate holes?

[Time Lord]

E92lighting has backed me up even past the warranty time frame. You will have no issues buying from them. They are a great sponsor

[///MPower15]

Originally Posted by Iyzmi

OP, what did you use to plug the front license plate holes?

I just got some plastic thumb tack type things from a hardware store and used touch up paint on them. They look ok, but stick out like a sore thumb.

I am going to do this soon and hope it will be less noticeable.
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...ighlight=holes

[///MPower15]

Originally Posted by Time Lord

E92lighting has backed me up even past the warranty time frame. You will have no issues buying from them. They are a great sponsor

I also have had a good experience with them. He was helpful and responsive before and after the sale. Even when he found out that I was going with the Lux because of a personal preference of mine, he was still very cool and understanding. I defiantly recommend the Dtec V12 if your looking for the brightest possible bulbs.