SS3 Max Yellow Fog vs 4Banger Yellow Wide

I did this comparo on TW as well, but I had some questions on it over here as well! All pretty much copy/paste from our discussion there, but a quick peek at the new Morimoto 4Bangers and how they stack up against the Diode Dynamics SS3 Max.

Take into account I was just trying to eyeball the lights into the same spot by hand. There is NOTHING scientific about this right now. That’ll come later. Just trying to get something out there for you to feast on. What I did do is make sure all cam settings were locked. iPhone 12 Pro - 5500k WB - ISO 2500 - 1/30th. I’ll keep my thoughts to myself for the moment.

Took 4 pics with each light. Two immediately upon startup, two after 15 minutes of constant on.

SS3 Max Initial


4Banger Initial


SS3 Max after 15 min


4Banger after 15 min


A quick vid!

https://youtu.be/wYE8d4yGMb8



Also, did get a quick couple of shots of the 4Bangers in white. Same pattern, same camera settings. This was on immediate kick-up so no heat soak effects were at play yet. It wasn't my detailed video day so I didn't even pack white SS3s to compare them to.



One additional item of note for something that I am going to take back with me is how critical video and testing consistency are going to be for my purposes. If you look at the photos I posted one thing sticks out to me: Look at the "SS3 max after 15 minutes" photos that I posted. Those photos are taken MOMENTS apart with locked camera settings. The only difference here is that the second photo has me aiming the beam at a slightly lower angle (not intentionally, mind you) which changes the camera-perceived intensity by quite a lot IMO.

 

I didn't bring my light meter along to confirm. I knew if I packed it I would be out there for a few more hours haha. It certainly appeared to be a victim of heat soak though.

The 4Banger is certainly a taller pattern (similar to the SS3 Pro), but not nearly as wide. The 4Banger in my quick test wasn't as wide as the SS3 max, and the SS3 pro is wider yet.

 

I unfortunately don't have enough testing data to be able to confidently point you one way or another as far as the heat soak question is concerned. It wouldn't be fair of me to put a stamp on them with only having 2 units at my disposal. That said, the 4Banger is run hotter with the goal to make as much (or more) peak output as an SS3 max. It also has a smaller body, one less LED (the exact same type of LED as an SS3 Max), and smaller heat fins which is a perfect concoction for more heat.

I don't think that the 4Banger would be a bad option by any means as an auxiliary high beam in a combo or a spot pattern (have not personally seen those output patterns though). Additionally, their smaller form factor is nice for sneaking them into places as well. Do I think that they'll still probably throttle output after a period of time no matter what the outside conditions are? Yes, unless it's like -20 outside . Which then brings into question the value proposition of the HXB at $500 for a pair MSRP.

If the HXB is going to throttle by 30% why wouldn't a guy just start with a set of the NCS (lower power) version and get close to the same resting output for a couple hundred bucks less?

Just some ramblings this morning... There's plenty more testing to do! They're also for sale starting today and we'll offer them as I know they'll probably be popular, and there may or may not be a discount on them soon so you could get your mitts on a set for a good deal to try!