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REVIEW: Quadratec J5 lightbar

48K views 208 replies 53 participants last post by  GatorBrewer 
#1 ·
Hey all, so I ordered Quadratecs new J5 (Quadratec J5 LED Light Bars | Quadratec) single row led light bar with amber clearance lights when it came out a few weeks ago. I wanted to give a review of that bar here for everyone since when I first posted about it, no one had one. So I bit the bullet and decided to give it a go. I ordered the bar, mounting brackets, and wiring harness.

Here is an install video, it is extremely thorough so I don’t feel the need to go into that. Other than it went as expected, no issues. I was wiring into an apollointech (spod knock off) relay and switch setup, it it was a breeze.
https://youtu.be/GUER3hqwadw

The lightbar itself: Construction is top notch, it is very solid. It has a single row of large 27 large Cree LEDs. They are a combination of 10* spot beams and 30* flood beams. The unique thing about this one is that 5 of those LEDs have an amber LED halo which function as the clearance lights. (see close-up picture below). I think the lumen rating is 18,000 which is not as powerful as some other bars, I think the non-clearance light quadratec bar is 27,000 lumens for comparison. Despite this lower rating I feel light output is great. The spots are focused straight ahead down the road/trail and the floods do an ample job throwing light out to the sides of the road/trail.

Mounting Brackets: I have heard some say these mounts are a little higher than some. While that may be true I personally feel they are a good height and still close to the body/windshield. They came with the rubber gasket material to protect the paint which is a plus.

Pros: Quadratec is awesome, the bar came with a damaged connector, one phone call to customer service and I had a new bar two days later, as well as a prepaid label to return the old one. The bar is plenty bright and the amber lights are awesome. They look great at night when lit up.

“Cons” (in quotes because they are so minor): The amber lights are pretty bright and when there is moisture in the air (fog/rain) there is a faint amber glow you can see coming off them. Also, my windshield wipers and hood are slightly illuminated amber at night (see picture below). This is honestly pretty minor and probably doesn’t really belong in the cons section. I think I have the bar angled just so slightly downward that if I aimed it a little more horizontally, it might be even less noticeable. The next con was pointed out to be by my lady. So I figured I would throw it in here since everyone notices different things. When it is wet out the bar definitely drips onto the windshield when you turn or brake.

NOISE: Now this is probably one that everyone is interested in. I have the bar angled ever so slightly lower than some might want to aim it. See the pictures below. I was prepared for horrible wind buffeting, whistling, UFO landing sounds…I got NOTHING. Under 70mph there is almost NO discernable difference in wind noise than before. My girlfriend said the same thing. Above 75 it starts to make a little noise, but it is a similar noise to what the JK makes in general. No buffeting and no whistling.

All in all, this is a 5 star product in my opinion. I’ve had it on about two weeks, so there is no long term info to be had. If anything changes I would be sure to keep y’all informed. :iamhappy:


Pics in the next post...
 
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#2 ·


This is with only the parking lights and amber clearance lights on. The picture makes the amber reflection on my hood a lot brighter than it really is. as soon as you turn the headlights on, it cuts down on a lot of that glow.


This is with all lights on (fogs, headlights, and bar). keep in mind, it was taken the same time of day as the photo above.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#20 ·
Just a heads up you blurred your Fords plates but your first pic of your rig is non blurred.
 
#7 ·
Love it. I wondering how much reflection you would get with a Hard Rock hood. If it's not too bad, I'm doing this.
 
#8 ·
I snapped these pictures this morning. Sorry if they are out of focus, I was driving. It was about 20 minutes before sunrise. I feel they represent the amount of glow from the amber lights. It is there. But I don't even notice it unless I'm looking for it.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#21 ·
Ah sacto at daybreak lol
 
#9 ·
Great review. I've been looking at the Rigid Radiance bars (Amber) for the same look/functionality.
So these integrate with the Parking lights for the Amber halos? I'm sure I could wire the Rigid radiance backlighting the same way, but I like not having a separate switch for the Amber lights.
Any ideas/rumors if they'll come out with a 20" version? Really looking for a 20" bumper mount to go with the Amber fogs I have on order.
 
#11 ·
Yea, so the main power wire is on the driver side under the bracket. there is a second power wire on the passenger side that runs under the bracket and to the fuse box where it taps into the fuse for the parking lights. Anytime the parking lights are on, the amber clearance lights are on. There is a high degree of satisfaction when i remote start and see all that amber when i walk up to the jeep!:happyyes:

Havent heard anything about other models, though i could see if this is a good seller they might explore other options.
 
#12 ·
Thank you sir, great review
 
#15 ·
Would it be possible for you to indicate how far above your hardtop the top of the light bar extends? Im working with a limitation on my garage doors already with my lift. From the pics it doesn't look as high as the Rigid i was looking at
 
#17 ·
Thanks man. Sigh that really looks good. Maybe ill just lift the garage 2" lol
 
#25 ·
Just a heads up your shot of the amber in action is what tipped the scales for me to pick one up. I ordered it earlier today.
 
#32 · (Edited)
So happy to see you are enjoying this light bar! Thank you so much for posting such a great review and including the photos as well. We appreciate it. Your rig looks great & this light bar really sets it apart!

We are working on a cover with cutouts for the amber as well. I'll make sure to post up once that becomes available.

If anyone would like to place an order for a J5 light bar (Or any other product) we can provide a discounted quote! For a discounted quote you can go about it 3 ways:

1) PM me with your first & last name, address, zip and the part numbers you would like to order. I'll reply back with a discounted quote if applicable. This takes 1-2 business days on average depending on PM volume.

2) E-mail my sales rep Rob at: RobW@quadratec.com Tell him you're a Forum user and would like a discounted quote. He'll get that going for you. He typically responds within hours if it's Mon-Fri 8am-5pm Eastern.

3) Call my sales line at 1-800-745-2348. Tell them you're a Forum user and would like to place an order with your Forum discount. Their hours are Mon-Thurs 8am-Midnight, Friday 8am-9pm, Saturday 9am-5pm.

Whichever you prefer works for us.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

-Rick
 
#37 ·
#43 ·
my question is how noisy is that bar with a soft top?
 
#47 ·
I've very curious about the wind issue as well. Question is, is it better mounted above the roof line or lower, I see some of the available mounts are right at the top of the windshield itself.

I can say the Stealth Gobi rack front hoop does decrease mileage although the noise was not very noticeable. Having not run a 50" light bar, wondering if it would be the same deal.
 
#50 ·
I should have been more specific, noise with a soft top. I'm interested in running the new Bestop Sunrider in place of the freedom panels.
 
#64 ·
Thanks! If you would like a quote we can discount it for you. For a discounted quote you can go about it 3 ways:

1) PM me with your first & last name, address, zip and the part numbers you would like to order. I'll reply back with a discounted quote if applicable. This takes 1-2 business days on average depending on PM volume.

2) E-mail my sales rep Rob at: RobW@quadratec.com Tell him you're a Forum user and would like a discounted quote. He'll get that going for you. He typically responds within hours if it's Mon-Fri 8am-5pm Eastern.

3) Call my sales line at 1-800-745-2348. Tell them you're a Forum user and would like to place an order with your Forum discount. Their hours are Mon-Thurs 8am-Midnight, Friday 8am-9pm, Saturday 9am-5pm.

Whichever you prefer works for us.

Thanks & have a great day!

-Rick
 
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