Taking all this into consideration, when a manufacturer of an boat underwater light quotes the light output of the bulb manufacturer in Lumens, they are not taking into consideration the obstacles that will inevitably block the light. Therefore when a light output is given in Lumens this is not the light you will see, LUX is the proper measurement, but even then there are different ways to measure LUX.Some manufacturers quote light output in watts. Watts is simply a mea-surement of the power consumption of the light. It is not light output and not useful when understanding brightness.Some companies also say that lights running on 110/240 VAC are the brightest, this is simply because the lights they refer to can only run on that voltage. OceanLEDs largest lights can run on both 12/24 VDC and 110/240 VAC with the same high performance, dispelling this theory all together.The most foolproof way to compare lights and get rid of the smoke and mirrors is to see the lights side by side in the water and decide for your- self. OceanLED is always ready to display our product against anothers. The biggest question to date is always – who’s got the brightest lights?The light emitted from a traditional bulb in a common underwater light is spread over 360 degrees. It is then caught by a reflector and directed out through a lens. The amount of light that is lost, varies depending on the design and quality of the reflector, positioning of the bulb, grade and thickness of the glass used for the lens and then ultimately how the lens is cleaned and maintained.OceanLED patented lights work by capturing the emitted light from LEDs, within individual optical prisms. By using total internal reflection, light is magnified, focused and then projected in a set beam, this is very similar to how a lighthouse works, where a small 150w bulb can be seen for over 20 miles.The diagram below shows the vast difference between old traditional bulb technology and the New State of the Art LED underwater lighting technologies.

Actual Light Output

Proper Units of Measure for Underwater Lights

Most underwater lighting companies will quote their light output in Lumens, however Lumens is a measurement of light inside a lighting fixture and by the time the light has bounced around inside the fixture and been directed out by a reflector through a lens the light lost could be as high as 60%. OceanLED only references light output in LUX which is the measurement of light at a fixed distance from the lighting fixture, so is a true reading of the ACTUAL LIGHT that you see, i.e. what’s useful.