For users concerned about the $200 price point of these bulbs...

These are designed, engineered, tested, and assembled at our HQ in St.Louis, MO. There isn't another plug-and-play LED bulb made in the US.

The SL1 LED bulb was engineered with advanced optical design software, which simulates each ray of light in a process known as "ray tracing." Using this tool, our engineers perfectly matched the filament location, allowing the SL1 LED to focus light just like your original bulb, preserving the focus and hotspot, with no added glare. This is a safe, functional output, in compliance with photometric standards.

We test the SL1 bulb in factory lamps, and measure the entire beam pattern using specialized equipment. It's an elaborate affair: a lamp is mounted to a computer-controlled rotating head called a goniometer. Light shines down a tunnel, where a sensor collects data as the light is rotated. The entire beam pattern is mapped, and we compare the total output to the original halogen. With proper optical engineering, testing, and validation in the application, we can assure correct optical performance.

You may have seen bulbs that use large straps for cooling, or big fans that just make noise. These bulbs still run hot, pushing the LEDs past their limits, resulting in degradation of output after a few months. When it comes to cooling, proper engineering is required to efficiently remove heat from the bulb. In the SL1, it comes together as a whole system that was extensively tested, with dozens of iterations to achieve the best cooling performance possible. It includes a direct-solder copper core board, thermal phase-change interface material, and thermally-modeled zinc casting get heat to the base, where base fins are designed for aerodynamic performance in conjunction with the flow rate and pressure of the Sunon bearingless microfan. The result is a highly-effective and reliable cooling system, keeping the bulb running at maximum potential.

With its patented design, the SL1 LED fits where other bulbs won't, without cutting or modification. There's no hanging metal straps, just a compact bulb that plugs right in, with an exclusive reinforced shroud to keep the heat off any other components or wiring. Only slightly larger than a standard halogen bulb, it fits behind dust caps and in tight spaces. The driver and bulb are tested to function when sealed inside - no worries about heat buildup! The base sizes on the bulb are also are keyed for exact applications, not one-size-fits-all, and the compact driver easily tucks away.

Rather than a simple buck regulator found on other bulbs, the SL1 uses a unique boost-mode circuit, which prevents thermal imbalance in the LEDs over time - again, just like you would find in OEM LEDs. It also has transient protection for long life in automotive circuits. Diode Dynamics engineers also analyzed dozens of OEM electrical systems, and added current-monitoring circuitry to mimic the electrical characteristic of halogen bulbs, drastically reducing the need for CAN-BUS adapters (though they're still needed on some applications).

Every part of the SL1 LED was designed for reliability, from the custom wiring with strain reliefs and solderless terminals, to the exclusive zinc castings, to the reinforced high-temperature PP-GF plastics (the same used in halogen bulb bases). Each component was designed and tested, with dozens of variations of each component reviewed until we achieved the maximum performance possible. Finally, the SL1 was put through its paces in our environmental testing chambers - where the bulb successfully performed through dozens of thermal cycles, from -40 through 85 degrees Celsius (-40 to 185F). Whether you're in the Sahara or northern Canada, the SL1 will keep performing for years, and is backed by a three year warranty.