Product Review
JW Speaker auxiliary lights add and safety and utility to any pickup
by Bruce W. Smith/Editor
One would never associate the name JW Speaker with lighting, let alone state-of-the-art LED auxiliary lighting technology.
But that’s exactly what Wisconsin-based JW Speaker Corporation offers contractors, construction workers, landscapers, outdoorsmen, municipalities and construction companies with their wide variety of auxilairy lighting products.
I had the opportunity to try out a couple different Speaker products on the Big Boss project Ram 2500.
The first LED lights I installed were a pair of Speaker 282 LED Dome Lamps with clear lenses.
These lights measure roughly 2-inches wide by 8.5-inches long and run off either 12V or 24V systems, making them ideal for many applications.
BED LIGHTING
But these were not mounted in the cab. They were mounted just below the lip of the Ram’s bed rails.
Now, with the flip of a switch, the entire bed and its contents are lit while drawing only a half-amp. The broad, bright light output is excellent and the LEDs are almost impervious to shock and vibration.
JW Speaker 282 LED Dome Lamp makes great bed light.
A pair is more than enough to bring light to the darkest recesses.
We mounted a second pair under the top rails of the Big Boss’ DeWalt truck rack. These two lights, one mounted mid-way on each side, illuminate both the bed, rear of the cab, and the immediate area around the truck.
WORK LIGHTS
JW Speaker 735 series LED lights with flood/work beam.
The second style of Speaker lights I added to our big Ram were a pair of 735F Worklamps with the flood pattern. Those were hung under the rear corners of the rack and connected to the Ram’s backup lights.
These lights are housed in heavy-duty aluminum housings and have the heft of quality. Again, 12/24V versatility so they can be used on any pikcup or piece of equipment.
Light output is extraordinarily bright with a wide, well-focused beam well suited for such an application. The LEDs are sealed from the elements and draw only 3 amps per light.
A second pair, with the “Trap” lens style, were installed on the rack near the upper front corner to provide light that reaches out a little farther and wider than the work/flood pattern facing to the rear.
The quality of JW Speaker LED lights show how far the technology has advanced over the past couple years, and how one manufacturer has gone to the extra effort to provide high-end lighting products designed for rough use.
The very same 735-series lights would work equally well as fog/auxiliary driving lights for both equipment and pickups.
Overall my first impressions are these different JW Speaker lights deliver what you’d expect from a high-end product: great design and great performance.– Bruce W. Smith
Purchase sources:
Oviedo Safety Lights
