You can't think of off-road lighting without visions of KC HiLites
dancing through your head. The venerable "Daylighter" has lit up
the darkened skies from the American Southwest, to deepest Africa
for decades now, and shows little sign of letting up.
Proven in the deserts of Baja, and bolted up to just about every
form of vehicle you can imagine, (believe it or not, we've even
seen them on farm tractors and a Plymouth Reliant!) Daylighters
have more than lived up to their considerable reputation. So why
the change?
Parformance with Style The "Titanium Series"from KC HiLites offer both style and functionality. Also available
in the traditional "Daylighter" housing, the Titanium Series
feature that distinctive "blue" beam that's all the rage in
2001.
Well, it's not a change, it's an addition. in fact, KC offers a
wide spectrum of lights you may have never even heard of. The good
ol' Daylighters aren't going anywhere. But as good as they are, in
fact, because of it, Daylighters have become a "standard" in a
market looking for the "all new" and "all different". Another
problem facing KC was the sheer size of their flagship product. The
physical dimensions of their deep dish wonder just didn't "look
right" on many of the newer trucks and SUVs coming off the dealer
lots today. Worse, they are hard to fit, leaving many KC diehards
looking to other companies for a solution.
KC found the situation unacceptable. The time was right for an all
new product.
With an eye on style, and a consideration for size, KC set to work,
bringing their product line up into the next century. The result of
their efforts? The Titanium series "Slim Line"
What's New
Measuring in at 6 3/4 in. in diameter, and a svelte 2 3/4 in.
depth, the all new KCs come powder coated in a stylish "Titanium"
finish to offer a perfect compliment to today's vehicle
styling.
The reduced dimensions allow ease of fittiment to a broad range of
vehicles when compared to it's predicessor.
Equipped with a replaceable ice blue 130 watt "H3" Halogen bulb,
the new KCs produce a high intensity "blueish white" beam, offering
decreased eye strain, and increased definition of the lighted
terrain.
Strange Patterns of Light? At close range, the
plastic stone guards cast their shadow over the terrain. When
lighting up the distance, they are "invisible" to the beam of
light.
Wrapped in an all new "KC" logoed , snap-on poly-carbonate rock
guard, the optical quality non fluted lenses provide a long range
"pencil" type beam that is comparable to the visual distances
provided by it's older, larger brethren. Precision polished and
highly focused reflectors work to offset the reflector depth lost
in creating the slim line design.
KC's Titanium series lights are available as a kit, or
individually. The Kit consists of 2 Titanium series lights, heavy
duty relay, lighted switch, and all the wiring, fuses, looms, and
hardware to wire a full size vehicle with ease.
KC provides a well-written installation document that guides the
user through the installation process with a minimum of hassle.
Step by step instructions with pictures leave little room for
error.
And for the "Purists" that would love to see the "Daylighters"
available in that slick looking "Titanium" finish? Don't worry
guys, KC's got ya' covered.
The Good, The Bad, and the Not So Ugly
After we bolted the Titanium Series lights up to our project truck,
Flashback F-150, it was easy to see that the modern styling of the
KCs fit a classic truck every bit as well as a modern 4x4. When
mounted to the vintage push bar, the lights needed a little added
spacing to clear the lower bar, but this was a problem of the bar's
design, and not the lights.
Whereas the Daylighters used a type of "uni-ball" system to allow
for directional adjustment, the Titanium series employs a 2 axis
system. 2 side bolts, and the actual mounting bolt provide a range
that allows for easy aiming on about any type of vehicle we could
imagine.
Son of a Daylighter The Titanium Series focus
an intense beam of light over a narrow area, and are designed for
long range illumination. Ideally, KC would offer a fluted lens for
a dispersion pattern. With a pair of each, the KCs would prove a
killer combo, but as it stands, you won't hear us
complaining.
The wiring components are standard KC issue, meaning pretty good,
but we've never cared for the lighted rocker switch. While low
profile, and just fine for 99% of the buying public, we chose to go
with a standard aftermarket toggle. There's plenty of material
provided in the kit to wire up vehicles both large and small, so
you won't need to make any pre-emptive parts runs, or mid-project
trips unless you make one too many "whoops!".
In the field, the KCs do the job they were designed for. The clear
lens throws a narrow pattern over long distances that's illegal on
the highways of every state in the union - but then again, these
are off-road lights not driving lights, and were never intended for
highway operation.Once in their element however, the KCs really
shine (pun intended).
By the pair, the KCs are a great compliment to the stock lighting
system. The increased range of the pencil beams expose any hidden
surprises long before they'll get you into trouble, but don't
expect them to backlight mountains on their own - KC offers a HID
(High Intensity Discharge) light for that [;-)] .
Because of their pencil beam pattern, the KCs are well suited to
wide open spaces, although you can't discount their added benefits
at close range when used in combonation with the factory
headlights. At this time, KC has no plans to offer the Titanium
series with a fluted / dispersion lens, but in our opinion, they
should. A matched set of 2 pencil beam lights and 2 floods would be
awfully hard to argue against - in style or functionality. Well, we
can hope......
The price "may be" right....
At nearly $240 per kit, and hovering in the $100 per light range,
KC's Titanium series aren't for everyone. It's a lofty price to
pay. In fact, many will still rely on the old standard, the
Daylighter, to fulfill their photon throwing needs based solely on
affordability. On the other hand, if you're looking for a stylish
light that's easy to mount, easy to fit, and glowing with that
popular blueish white hue, the Titanium series Slim Lines from KC
Hilites may be just the light you've been looking for.
To find out more about the all new "Titanium
Series" from KC HiLites, be sure to visit their website @ www.kchilites.com
and tell'em Off-Road.com sent ya'!
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