Baja Designs

Baja Designs Review

The entire overlanding experience changes whenever an auxiliary off-road light is added to our rig. One of the best brands to lighten up all your adventures is Baja Designs, is one of the most trusted suppliers of lighting accessories in the world.

Baja Designs is proudly USA-made and has been in the industry for 25 years, imparting us their knowledge and expertise about off-road LED lights. The California-based company gathers the best materials and components to produce the best LED lighting accessory to mount on our overland ride. With every innovation and product development they offer, Baja Designs assures their patron that their LED system stands out and illuminates every step of the way.

Baja Industries specializes in different LED lighting for off-road use. Whether you want something to light up your path fully or to guide you through narrow off-road trails, they’ll offer you the best option. But before we discuss each light type, it’s best to understand your vehicle's different LED Lighting Zone. 

Baja Designs Lights

Before we discuss the different types of Baja Designs lights, it is best to understand every use and coverage for each kind of off-road light. Knowing these types of off-road lights thoroughly makes us effectively utilize our resources well and equip the right accessory depending on our preference. Baja Design created this LED Lighting Zone infographics, explaining the use of each type of lighting accessory. We’ll discuss the most common and best LED lights as we go along. 

Baja Designs LP4

Don’t be fooled by the size of this 4-bulb LED light pod. The smallest entry on the Baja Designs LP line-up, the LP4 Pro LED Auxiliary Light Pod boasts the same features, design, and functionality as the other LED Light Pods. The Baja Design LP4 Pro casts around 8,750 lumens of brightness whenever used and gives up to 200-degree of usable light spread. This LED accessory is enough to serve as your all-around city drive light for everyday use, and dimensions wise is perfect for any motorcycle.

The smallest light pod available from Baja Design, the LP4 Pro Led, has two available variants. The Combo/Driving light provides you enough beam to cruise safely on your path, and the Spot LED variant gives a much farther light reach, just right to illuminate forward tracks in the distance.

Baja Designs LP6

A six-inch LED accessory that provides lesser illumination than its predecessor, the Baja Designs LP6 Pro LED Light Pod has a total brightness output of 10,300 lumens with 200-degree spread of usable light. Housing the same technology as the LP9 Pro Aux Light Pod, the 6-LED version also has the same cooling technique and durable casing with fewer LED bulbs. 

But don’t get me wrong young lads. The Baja Designs LP6 Pro LED Auxiliary Light Pod may also be used as a Zone 3 or Zone 4 lighting accessory. The Baja LP6 gives enough output to serve as your Combo/Driving Light or Spot Beam in case you need one.

Baja Designs LP9

The 9-bulb LED pod is a reliable lighting accessory to mount on your off-road truck. Overall, the Baja Designs LP9 produces a total of 11,025 lumens at 105 watts, suitable for driving/combo auxiliary light or spot beam light. This LED pod uses an advanced Integrated Peripheral Technology (IPT) that gives off an astounding 200-degree spread of illumination, giving an ample amount of light on your off-road trail. 

Aside from the LEDs' overtly extreme power output, another great feature of the Baja Design LP9 Pro LED Auxiliary Light Pod is its Direct Ducted Cooling which is a self-sufficient cooling technique developed by Baja Design to avoid overheating. This advanced feature utilizes the LP9 design, allowing air to travel from the LED’s front housing to its rear.

Baja Designs S2

The Baja Designs S2 lights are a pair of small lights or pods that can be installed pretty much anywhere in your vehicle. Some install them over the hood, others on the rack, over a bumper or even on a bed rack. Essentially, the great thing about these is the versatility, the design and dimensions which allow for an infinite number of possibilities of use. 

They are a combo of driving lights, with 1130 lumens and two LEDs each, and you can choose between a clear or amber color light in case you drive over foggy, or dark roads, or want to use them for reverse or cornering.

Fully waterproof, rain proof and submersible, they also have replaceable lenses and optics, as well as limited lifetime warranty. The quality of both the lens, the case and all the hardware is hard to match. The Baja Designs S2 are simple yet incredibly flexible lights for any vehicle under any circumstance. Install them anywhere and make every journey a better one.

Baja Designs S2 Pro

When searching for the right LED accessory, you can consider installing this 2-bulb light pod that illuminates quite strongly. The Baja Design S2 Pro is considered the brightest LED light ounce for ounce in the aftermarket, requiring 24 watts of power while producing 2,450 lumens. 

The S2 Pro Light Pod can be placed wherever you see fit while performing its best. Baja Designs S2 Pro Auxiliary Light Pod is housed on a 3-inch by 2-inch case with a two-piece natural color bulb, preventing eye strain on its user. The S2 Pro features a weatherproof design that protects your auxiliary light in the toughest weather. 

Baja Designs S1

The Baja Designs S1 LED Light Pod may be the smallest aux light on this list, but this lighting accessory can undoubtedly do wonders. The S1 LED produces bright output through the help of a highly specialized reflector and LED combination that augments illumination capacity. With this fantastic feature, the Baja Designs S1 LED light pod can comfortably serve as your rock light, cornering light, or even as a spot LED.

S1 LED Auxiliary Light Pod doesn’t always serve as a driving vehicle light, as it can be used as a “scene light” as well. This lighting accessory can be comfortably used during outdoor camping, projecting up to 40 feet distance on a smooth 120-degree circle. 

Baja Designs XL80

The Baja Designs XL80 are perhaps some of the best driving lights in the market, a driving/combo feature composed of 4 Cree LEDs with 9,500 lumens. They even come with an impressive and really useful 20% dimming feature so you can use them in crowded areas without disturbing the vision of other drivers or scaring away creatures.

Completely waterproof and rainfproof, they are perfect for overlanding. Versatile enough thanks to the dimensions to be installed over a roof rack, on a bed racl, bumper or even on the good of your vehicle. With built-in voltage protection and excellent materials for the lens, casing and hardware, durability and reliability are out of question.

They come in a pair, and have an LED life expectancy of over 49,000 hours, which is basically forever. And speaking of forever, the Baja Designs XL80 are made in USA and come with a Limited Lifetime Warranty, basically lasting forever.

Baja Designs Rock Lights

There are quite a few different Baja Designs rock lights to choose from, more specifically the light color. They can either be clear or amber, it just depends on what you want (you can find buttons to check both below). Now, as said above, these rock lights are made in USA, hence quality and durability are unquestionable. When it comes to the lumens, we are talking about 400 which are impressive for any rock light, as well as a small dimension of just 2.7” x 1.2” x 0.45”. Small, yet powerful. 

It comes with tube mounts, which makes it easier to install them anywhere in your vehicle, even below it, as most rock lights are. Plus, being waterproof, these Baja Designs rock lights are perfect for off roading and overlanding. Clearly, you should beware of not hitting them against rocks or logs, as everything has a limit, but they can handle water and some light off road trails.

With a 180 degree optic, you get enough lighting to see underneath your vehicle, to have a clear view of your engine at all times, or simply to give a good nice sleek look to your wheels or vehicles. At a great price, this is one of the great lighting accessories out there.

Baja Designs Squadron Pro

Baja Designs Squadron Pro is an all-around light accessory that can be used depending on your preference. The 4-LED bulb light pod produces only 3,150 lumens making it a perfect auxiliary light that can serve as either Driving/Combo Light, fog light, or rock light. However, depending on the number of Squadron Pro you’ll mount, the Baja Designs LED accessory can also serve as a Spot Light, illuminating far-distant trails whenever needed.

The all-around Squadron Pro can be a great addition to your off-road lighting system. This lighting accessory is equipped with a durable and heavy-duty casing with waterproof and submersible features, enough to get you through the toughest weather.

Baja Designs Tacoma Fog Lights

Looking for specific Baja Designs Tacoma Fog Lights? Well, the Squadron SAE fog lights are just what you want. They are perfectly compatible with the Toyota Tacoma from 2012 to the current model, the 4Runner 5^th gen (2010-current) and the Tundra from 2014 to the current model.

These fog lights offer maximum brightness thanks to 4 Cree LEDs with 2,480 lumens. These are designed to properly brighten your path no matter how much fog or darkness you encounter. On top of that, some of the features include a limited lifetime warranty, they are made in USA, fully waterproof and rainproof and have an LED life expectancy of 49,930 hours.

As mentioned, these can be even submersible up to 9ft, which is a lot. The front lens is made of hard coated polycarbonate, meaning it’s rather unlikely to break, and the housing or casing is of powder coated aluminum to keep the lights safe. So, looking for Tacoma lights? You found them.

Baja Designs Light Bar

Baja Designs S8

The Baja Designs S8 is probably the only Baja Designs LED light bar on this list. An excellent light with different sizes, 10, 20, 30, 40 and even 50 inches. You can get the size you need to mount it either over a rack, over a bumper or even on bed racks. Just choose the dimension that better works for your rig and you’ll brighten up your world.

As to the pattern, you can choose from a driving combo, spot, working live and even wide driving, as well as an amber or white colored lens.  Essentially, you get to mix and match and pick the perfect LED light bar from a number of variants to better suit your and your vehicle’s needs.

As to the quality and features itself, the Baja Designs S8 boasts an impressive 19,050 lumens utilizing 24 Cree LEDs. The quality of the lens, hardware and casing is outstanding, as they’re even made in USA. As to the light itself, it’s waterproof and rainproof, and has an LED life expectancy of more than 49,000 hours. One of the best, if not the best LED light bar in the market.

Baja Designs FAQs

How to install Baja Designs rock lights on a Toyota Tacoma truck?

After deciding that you’ll be needing a Baja Design Tacoma LED lighting system, you’ll receive a complete installation kit for your Rock Lights. This includes a hardware installation kit such as bolts, nuts, wires, zip ties, and the tube mount you’ll use to secure your rock lights.

Assembling the rock light can be done quickly. You just need to mount the auxiliary light to the tube holder and connect them with the provided nuts and bolts. You decide where to put your Baja Design Rock Light, whether on your wheel well or your roof rack. And lastly, don’t get worried too much about the wiring connection; a separate installation instruction is included for you to utilize. 

How Good are Baja Designs LED Lights?

Baja Designs are known to be the scientists of lighting. They produce and innovate auxiliary lights to suit the needs of their patrons, especially for overlanding. Their continuous research and product development enable Baja Designs to catch up with the current trend for outdoor adventures. 

They have provided us with numerous LED lights with multiple functions and features that can withstand extreme conditions. Baja Designs have ensured that its LED products are optimized to perform at their best on off-road trails. 

Where are Baja Designs LED lights made?

Baja Designs trace its roots back 25 years ago in San Diego California. They have started building auxiliary lights for Baja 1000 motorcycle racer by creating a dual sports kit, thus paving the brand's name. After extensive research and outsourcing of the finest and best components for outdoor LED lights, they have remained true to their works and become the Scientists of Lighting. 

Is there a Baja Designs LED Light Bar?

Yes, the Baja Designs S8 is an LED light bar which comes in various different sizes.

Who to choose: Baja Designs vs Rigid?

Both are perhaps in the top 3 brands of lights in the world. The quality, clarity, intensity and durability of both brands is out of question. It’s hard to say or choose, but fortunately the designs of each are quite different, so you can choose based on what looks better on your vehicle.

Which is better between Diode Dynamics vs Baja Designs?

Baja Designs is one of the top 3 brands of lights in the world. Arguably, it is a better option than Diode Dynamics, despite the latter being a very, very reliable brand.

What is the difference between the Baja Designs Squadron Sport and Squadron Pro?

The Baja Designs Squadron Pro uses Cree LEDs while the Baja Designs Squadron Sport does not.

All Baja Designs Lights: