Hikari Ultra LED Headlight Kit Review

November 17, 2018 (Updated December 26th, 2018)

PLEASE NOTE: Results and recommendations on this page are based on our version 1.0 test bench. For the latest results, please see our test chart and recommendations pages which are results from our version 2.0 testing.

It took us quite a lot of time and money to finally release this review, but it was worth the effort. Nothing else from Amazon that we have tested comes close to the Hikari Ultra LED kit. Let’s dive right into the details on why we recommend this #1 kit over any other from Amazon.

Reflector Beam Pattern @ 12'

So many people grab a ‘top rated’ or sponsored LED kit from Amazon, but in fact many times they are old technology kits which don’t perform well. Take for example the Cougar Motor. It was the #1 kit for a long time with over 3500 total reviews, but the fact of the matter is that the single chip LED design is old news, and there are much better options out there now, so don’t waste your money. While this model is about $90, and more than many others, it’s worth every penny.

*Hikari reached out to us after seeing our reviews and provided a coupon code for our viewers to use, BULBFACT for 10% off! We appreciated that, and I hope you will as well.

First up is the beam pattern and brightness. We always like to start with the beam, as it is most important when it comes to an LED kit retrofit. You’ll notice the chip design of the Hikari. There are 3 Philips Lumileds Luxeon Z ES chips on each side, totaling 6 LEDs per bulb. 12 total for a kit, with a claim of 12,000 lumens from Hikari total. Although we tested them at a total of 5570 total lumens. Pretty far off, but these claims are always inflated.

You’ll notice a unique design where the LEDs themselves sit. The bulb is not even on either side, and is in fact larger on one, and smaller on the other. We believe because of this special trait; the kit can outperform any other brand by focusing the light perfectly in that reflector.

REFLECTOR STYLE HEADLIGHT TEST RESULTS

Reflector Beam Pattern @ 12'

We tested this kit at 4390 lux per bulb at 12 feet in our test reflector (see the LED chart for test details). That’s 8780 total lux for low beams, compared to 3220 lux for a halogen kit in the same headlight. You’ll see 173% MORE light, which comes to over 2.7X brighter over stock halogen, and about 2.5X brighter than an upgraded halogen kit like Sylvania Silverstar Ultra.

High beams will net you about 88% more light vs Halogen, almost twice the peak brightness.

The beam pattern as we mentioned is so critical, especially for reflector style headlights in your low beam, so that you do not blind, glare, or dazzle oncoming drivers. We ran this kit in several different headlight styles, and all had either near perfect or perfect beams.

PROJECTOR STYLE HEADLIGHT TEST RESULTS

Projector Beam Pattern @ 12'

If you have halogen projectors, this kit does not disappoint there either. We really thought there would be better kits for projectors, but this kit still ranks #1 even in this style of headlights. There were a few that came close, but nothing we found from Amazon, or even premium kits as of this review outperforms. You’ll see about 246% MORE light in a low-beam projector, and about 105% more light in a high beam projector over halogen.

If you’re considering HID, this kit is still brighter than our initial 10 kits we have tested so far! Of course, if you go with a high end HID kit like Morimoto or DeAutoLED, then HID will be brighter, but your comparing apples to oranges, right?

The beam pattern is very good, although not quite as good as the absolute perfect Halogen or HID, but close. You’ll see a little bit of a dark spot in the lower center, but as we drove with these LEDs in our projectors, it didn’t affect the real-life use. We did see a small dark spot immediately in front of the car. If that’s something that will bother you, you may want to stick with Halogen or HID.

KELVIN/COLOR TEMPERATURE

Many people upgrade to LED because they look, ‘better’. That’s of course their opinion, and mostly true as it mimics the look of xenon (OE HID), a more expensive feature or add-on package for your car. Most high-end luxury brands like BMW, Audi, Mercedes, etc. run a cooler color xenon package, making LED mimic this color very well.

The color on this kit from our tests was 6450k. For comparison, OE halogen is about 3400k with upgraded kits closer to 3700k. It’ll look mostly white with some light blue, again close to the xenon look, but slightly bluer. Our LED tests ranged from about 5250k all the way up to about 7300k, which is starting to get pretty blue. This kit falls right in line with most other LED kits on the market.

CONCLUSION

If you’re looking for a good LED Headlight kit under $100, this one is it. There are ‘better’ more ‘premium’ LED brands, but this kit still outperforms in the beam category, and is either brighter than those, or close. It’s easy to install, runs cool, is crazy bright, comes with a 2-year warranty, comes in almost every bulb size, and won’t let you down while driving at night. 5 STAR, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!