Propickup Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/105105
PRODUCTREVIEW J.W. SPEAKER 735 A high-performance LED work/flood light designed to last By Bruce W. Smith W ehicle flood lights are a necessity for anyone whose work at a jobsite extends past the hours of sunset. The typical headlights and fog lights on today's pickups provide an adequate amount of lighting directly in front of the vehicle – but do nothing to provide light off to the sides or to the back where a lot of work in the field is done. There are hundreds of lights on the market that can be used as auxiliary work lights, from cheap farm implement lights to high-end HIDs. But nothing beats an LED light designed specifically for use in the rugged work environment of a construction jobsite. That's where J.W. Speaker's Model 735 work lights with flood-beam patterns come into play. Speaker's (jwspeaker.com; 800-558-7288) 3x5-inch oval-shaped 735s, which have a street price in the $200 range, are designed with a dozen LEDs enclosed behind a heavy-duty glass lens mounted in a die-cast aluminum housing. The housing is designed to dissipate heat to maximize the LED's output, which is rated at 1,400 effective lumens (2,700 raw lumens), and to withstand the harshest of work environments. Water, dirt, dust and vibration has no effect on their performance. Available in 12V DC, 24V DC, or 12-24V DC configurations, the Speaker 735 work lights come with a universal mount so they are easily installed. What I noticed about these lights is 1) their heft leaves little doubt to their sturdy build, and 2) the output of the LED lights V 6 PROPICKUP Buyer's Guide 2011 and lens desi design are top-shelf. The light is daylight white and the pattern is very broad and even – just what you want when you're trying to get work done in close proximity to your truck after dark. A pair of the Speaker 735s mounted on a ladder rack, on the winch mount, atop a headache rack or in the rear bumper will ensure a well-lit area out to about 50 feet. These lights work exceptionally well as reverse lights, too, and would perform equally well on any piece of construction equipment or mowers. They have been used extensively in all types of environments from marine to mining, construction to agriculture. So being used on a contractor's pickup is light-duty work for the 735s. Such lighting performance isn't surprising considering J.W. Speaker has been in the business of manufacturing highend OEM and aftermarket lighting products for all types of industries since 1960. We just didn't know what we'd been missing all these years. A good U.S. source for J.W. Speaker lights is APS Lighting & Safety Products (aps-supply. com; 858-270-4164), or High Performance Lighting (highperformancelighting.ca; 888741-0415) in Canada.