Osram Silverstars vs. GE Megalight vs. Phillips Vision Plus

[Suby DeSilva]

I originally posted this review on the other site, but I don't know how I forgot to put it here too.... hope you enjoy...

Originally posted on Nasioc

I have been running Osram SS for sometime now. While they are decent bulbs I have always felt that they were not what everyone claimed them to be. I feel they were too dim when light output on the ground was compared to others. I know the output and the pattern on the ground has alot to do with the reflector design and such but I wanted to see some other options.

So my search for other bulbs began. I knew about the Phillip Vision Plus but wanted to try others too. I wanted to stay away from any colored bulb, so no "cool blue" or Sylvania SS for me. I don't like how colored bulbs wash out in inclement weather. Recently I found the GE Megalight Plus so I decided to give them and the Phillips Vision Plus a shot.

The Vision Plus is a +50% bulb while the GE is a +60%. Of course these are manufacturer claims so I wanted to do a unscientific test. I got the bulbs from autolamps-online.com. The bulbs came fast, bout a week and was wrapped nicely. The GE is a completely clear bulb and the Phillips had a blue band coating on the tip. I'm guessing this is the Hi beam portion of the bulb?? Other than that they looked like any other H4. Both bulbs are about $20/pair.

What I did was try each bulb for a few nights so I could get an idea of how they performed. I drive about 1 hour a night with a good mix of dark, 2 lane hwy and well lit city streets. I also tried to take pics in the same spot for comparison, but I did not look at the pics until after my driving impressions to see if my impressions matched the pics.

Sorry about the long winded post so far, I will get to my review now...

I tried the GEs first and I noticed an immediate difference. The light on the ground was a little whiter and seems brighter. But the biggest improvement was the pattern on the ground was a bit wider and a little longer, also the foreground lighting was better. While the Osrams did not have any holes or hotspots, it seems the GEs filled the foreground with light better. Next were the Phillips Vision Plus and honestly these were on par with the GEs, in fact I think the width is a little better, giving better side lighting. There were no discernable holes or hotspots. As far as Hi beams, they both put alot of light out but I need to compare this more.

Here are the pics....

Osram SS


GE Megalight Plus


Phillips Vision Plus



The pictures dont seem that great but I think they are good for comparisons. I think I need to get a better camera. All pics were taken with the same camera on the same settings. The pics seem to confirm what I saw with the Osram SS, they are dimmer. When the pic was taken, the Osram SS probably had maybe 50-60 hours of operation which may be account for the reduced output. But to be honest, even when they were new they were new they seemed kinda dim, not really an improvement overstock. I really dont know if these bulbs were out of spec or what, but I felt the other 2 performed better. In fact, the Phillips seem a bit wider spread.

So for now, I am keeping the Phillips VP in... I am happy with these.

Another thing I am thinking about is getting some Sylvania SS to try those and my stockers back in to get a better comparison.

Thanks for looking!

[dpjef]

Thanks for the effort of putting together this review.

One vote for the Philips VP here

[CADesigns]

good review i have the osrams right now and i too didn't think it was a HUGE improvement over stock. I noticed a little difference but nothing huge.

[Daios]

i also read somewhere long time ago confirming the phillips vp better over the osram ss in the +50 bulb range while in osram's super being better over phillips' premium for the +30 bulb range.. what i want to see is how the phillips +30 and osram +30 compare to sylvania XtraVision +30 since i want to improve my parents' bulbs in their car but the +50's bulbs don't fit in their cars =/

btw can you put some stock bulbs in or a sylvania XV to compare them with your other bulbs